La Dolce Vita

Greetings from Rome! Another hot and sunny day on the way. It's Monday, the day after I entered this new decade of my life.  I feel the same, look the same, it's all good.

Yesterday was a magical day. We started our day with a nice breakfast at the roof top restaurant of our hotel then went for a long walk to explore the city.  We made our way to the Piazza Del Popolo. We sat for a while in one of the churches. Aside from the beauty and the architecture of those churches, there is something special about just sitting in a pew for a while and taking it all in. A time for tranquility, peacefulness and reflection. We eventually made our way back towards the Pantheon and found a nice restaurant for lunch, Fortunato Al Pantheon. We had a light meal in a shaded area of the patio. Russell had tuna tartare and I had burrata and tomatoes. Fresh, light, and Italian.

My birthday dinner was at our hotel. We discovered the Grand Hotel De La Minerve many years ago when I came to Rome on business. Russell was able to join me then and we both fell in love with the place. There is something about this hotel that is special. We thought it would be fitting to return for my 60th. So, back to the dinner. Russell made all the arrangements: he chose the perfect table, with the perfect view, ordered beautiful flowers and arranged for us to have a tasting menu, paired with Italian wines. After dinner, we were ushered to the bar area where, to my surprise, a table was reserved for the two of us in front of the grand piano. Roberto Torchia, the pianist, was waiting for us. You can imagine the rest....first he played "Happy Birthday", then he went on to serenade us for the rest of the evening. We danced the night away, and to our delight, other couples joined us. Roberto asked if I had any special requests...I only had one, "Stand By Me".  Thank you Russell for always being by my side. It was a magical night, with lots of tears, laughter and love. Oh, I also got a cute birthday card from Cooper & Spicy!

Today is our last day in Rome. We spent the past few days walking the city, visiting places such as the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and other areas of interest. We went to the Vatican and Colosseum years ago so didn't feel the need to return. We noticed this time around how much more police presence there is at almost every few blocks. Either police officers or army soldiers with machine guns. I suppose this is the world we live in now. Having said this, we feel totally safe in this city.

Tomorrow morning, we leave for Sorrento, where we will spend 9 nights. We plan on visiting places such as Positano, Ravello, Capri and any other gems that may be of interest. We will also set aside a few days to go to the beach. We are so looking forward to going to the Amalfi Coast for the very first time.

That's my blog for today, July 23. I leave you with a few photos taken the past few days. Have a great week everyone!

A Roman sunset with the Pantheon to the right, as seen from
the roof-top restaurant of the Hotel Grand Minerva

The piazza in front of the Grand Hotel Minerva and the
Pantheon in the middle.

Football fans celebrating the birthday of their team
in the Piazza de la Minerve while we ate dinner al fresco.

My birthday flowers with Russell and a wonderful view of
Rome.

Making a wish with my birthday cake.

My birthday cards....Russell, Cooper and Spicy are the best.