It’s so good to be back in Rome again. It occurred to us that in the past 12 months, we’ve taken three trips to “The Eternal City”. It has quickly become familiar and comfortable to us. Of course my command of the Italian language helps demystify it all (okay that was an inside joke for anyone who has heard me speak Italian). These are my people, so I understand the culture, particularly when it comes to eating. But more on that later. One of the nice things of having been here several times is that when we return there is no pressure to “sight see”. Instead we play things by ear, and just enjoy the city as local Romans would. Sunday was a nice and relaxing day; we had a very relaxing breakfast poolside, enjoying the most delicious coffee I’ve had in a long time. Afterward we strolled the grounds of our hotel. The Cavalieri is part of the Waldorf=Astoria hotel collection and certainly lives up to their standards. The Cavalieri sits atop a very high hill overlooking Rome, offering stunning views of this magnificent city.
We decided to spend Sunday in the Park, at the famed Villa Borghese Park. It was quite pleasant- mid 70’s and sunny, a perfect day to be out for a stroll. We came across a great dog park where there must have been a hundred dogs roaming around quite happily; mixing and mingling with other dogs, all barking in Italian.
Below left: Entrance to the Gardino Zoologico (zoo). Notice the details of the sculptures on the entrance gate- there is an elephant head at the top.
This statue of the eagle was at the entrance to the park from the main road. 
This waterfall statue is of a woman with water flowing from her water jug down into the lake. 
above & below: Picasso Lake. There were people rowing boats amid swans and ducks.
At night we went to a nearby restaurant called Luciano’s for a dinner the locals would enjoy. Let me just say that I’ve never had a bad meal in Italy. This dinner was no exception. The photos don't do it justice...I didn't want to look ridiculous taking photos of my food because it was a local family restaurant. For a starter we had home made ravioli with spinach and cheese, in a butter and brown sage sauce, and also a home made fettuccine with fresh mushrooms. For the main course, we had veal Marsala with mushrooms, and Stuffed veal stuffed with prosciutto ham and mozzarella cheese. We also had a side dish of grilled vegetables. It was Molto Delicioso! After dinner we went back to our room, sat out on the balcony and enjoyed a bottle of wine while enjoying the view of well manicured grounds and heard the sound of the dolphin waterfall flowing gently all night.
Thanks for stopping by Rick's Roadshow: Rome, The Eternal City. We're in Rome another day, so more from Rome before we set sail on our fabulous Aegean Sea cruise. Stay tuned...
-Ricardo Rockhillo
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