Day 10 - Wednesday 14 April - Rome

Tried to find the Appian Way again - decided to walk to Piramide where the tourist information girl said to go and get the 118 bus to Appia Antica.

Along the way we discovered the Jewish synagogue, a little ruin that the map indicates has something to do with the vestal virgins, then we came on Circus Maximus - fantastic view back across the Palatine Hill and the ruins (which we saw the next day on our Forum walk- Severus’ domus). Managed to buy a ticket , but stood at the bus stop for about half an hour before giving up and starting to walk back to the Circus Maximus - of course just as we were about 50 metres from the bus stop, the bus came!!! We did decide that if that was how long between buses, then we didn’t want to get stuck out on the Appian Way so it was probably just as well we didn’t get there!

 Decided to have our picnic on the middle of the Circus Maximus - imagining the chariots going around and around us! So much to take in, it’s hard to believe any of it actually happened…… on our walk back home, we came across the ruins of Ottavia’s portico - and on looking around, found it sits just down the road from Vittorio’s monument (the wedding cake). Apparently Augustus built it to honour his sister Octavia….. Another example of how just wandering around brings you upon significant and lovely sites….. Gotta love this city!

Another siesta and drink at the pub before a most delicious dinner at Il Fico - very good - we shared octopus and shrimp for starters, I had spaghetti with lobster and Graham had a salami pizza - the lobster was good, the salami disappointing. The desert we shared (little hot heart) was simply divine!