We caught the morning train from Florence to Rome without any trouble. It was threatening rain, but held off as we walked to the station dragging our luggage.
When we arrived in Rome it was raining. We caught a cab to our hotel and soon we were checked in and relaxing in one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. The luxury of the hotel did a lot to bolster Cynthia’s spirits. Bell hops, complimentary bath robes, a welcome to Rome bottle of Chianti, free minibar, free snacks. She was in hotel heaven.
The rain continued the rest of the day. We did try to venture out, but it was not very pleasant. We bought a couple of umbrellas from a street vender which helped some.
We got a recommendation for lunch from the hotel, but when we got there the restaurant was closed. We walked for a bit and found another place that was quite good. It was in the basement of the building and smelled of garlic and other fresh Italian ingredients.
We ordered a bottle of the house wine to go with our lunch which was brought to us in an earthenware jug. The wine was delicious, but very potent. By the time we finished our meal and had coffee and desert I was a little loopy.
We walked (staggered) back to the hotel and I collapsed into a long nap or a short coma. Three hours in total.
When Cynthia woke me it was about 7:00 pm and still raining. We decided to go for a walk but were quickly discouraged by the dark and damp and headed back to the hotel after stopping at a grocery store where we picked up some supplies and had some sandwiches in the room.
We stayed up for awhile but fatigue had set in so we decided to call it a night.
The weather for the next day called for AM rain and sun in the evening.