Olivia and Jack played so nicely together all week long. Last night, they asked if they could have a "sleepover," meaning that they would sleep together in the basement, and Kathy would sleep upstairs in Olivia's bed. Since we were allowing Olivia to skip school today, we agreed. Being out of the fray of getting ready for school upstairs, it would actually allow her to sleep in. It was really so very cute. They were like an old married couple.
After a quick appointment at 9am to get my legs waxed, we set off on our day of exploration.
First, I drove Kathy, Jack and Olivia to Santa Maria della Concezione, or the "Bone Church"as it is better-known. The bones of four thousand friars interred here, are used to decorate the cave-like tombs in interesting ways -- it's always a child-pleaser, but Kathy really liked it too. Then we went to the Basilica of San Clemente. We visited the excavations of the 4th century church, and the 1st century Roman houses and Temple of Mithras below the 11th century church that is in use today. It's a virtual time machine where you can walk down underground and visit 2000 years of history. I think everyone enjoyed the visit.
When we left San Clemente, it was time for lunch. We walked across the street with the intention of getting a slice of pizza for the kids; but the place was run by an Egyptian and the schwarma sandwiches he was making for all the local workers looked so good, that Kathy and I each ordered one as well. We walked back to the car, and brought the sandwiches home to share with Josh for lunch.
Soon, it was time for our afternoon outing. I'd made 3pm reservations at the Galleria Borghese. I was excited to show Olivia as well as our guests from Toronto, the beautiful rooms and the amazing Bernini sculptures inside. Olivia loved hearing the stories of what was happening to the mythological greek gods sculpted by Bernini; she also wanted me to tell her stories about what was happenning in the paintings. It was such a treat to enjoy art through the eyes of children this way.
Josh picked us up on the way back from his doctor's appointment. He had taken Avery who apparently behaved himself nicely in the doctors office; especially since Dr. Ticca had put Josh in the hurt locker by squeezing fluids out of his leg. He also decided not to remove all the staples today as planned, because the wound was still not closed. Sounds like it was not the most pleasant experience.
Once back at home, we waited for Charlotte to be dropped off -- she had gone home with a friend after school today. Then, we took our guests to Gracchi for gelato - everyone agreed it's the best in Rome.
When we returned to our villa, we hung out with the kids a bit before Josh and I headed off to the last wine and cheese evening of the AWAR season. Kathy decided to stay home and pack for her flight back to Toronto tomorrow. I had wanted to go to this AWAR event, not only because it would be my last, but because of the location. It was a spectacular drive to the San Sebastiano area in the evening with the sun low on the Palatino and Terme di Caracalla. The hostess lives in a house just off the Appia Antica with a beautiful and vast garden. Despite being located just outside the ancient walls on this side of Rome, the feeling is immediately one of being in the country. I was disappointed not to see some of the ladies I'd bcome friends with this year. It was definitely a different, and older crowd tonight. But the antipasti were plentiful -- not just cheese, but all kinds of interesting dishes including homemade hummus, a spinach pie, a rice dish with salami and olives, and more. Once Josh and I felt like we'd eaten enough for dinner, there were various types of homemade desserts to choose from, including the best cannolis I've ever tasted. One was big enough for two to share.
We came home to take Kathy to dinner, but since we were full and she was in her PJs, we decided to stay in. Kathy cooked up a burger, and we sat outside in the garden and finished a bottle of Prosecco. Together, we waited for Charlotte to come home from her "elegante" party. Tonight she had skipped swimming in order to go to a year-end farewell party held by one of her friends in the middle-school. She borrowed a fancy dress and had spent a long time getting ready earlier this evening. Now, once Josh brought her home (at 11:30pm) we were able to hear about her soiree.
No comments:
Post a Comment