Last week we went to Rome for the day with Elizabeth and Peter. We meet Elizabeth at Carbarnardi and Peter in Rome as he comes down from Florence. Expecting bad weather I took overcoat and umbrella. As it turned out we had a beautiful warm, sunny day. We had gone to see the Giotto exhibition – the first exhibtion about Giotto since the 1930s. It was a bit disappointing as there were a few works by him and lots by less talented contemporaries. But we found a good restaurant for lunch. In fact, we found the wrong restaurant for lunch. Someone had recommended a place near the pantheon. I had searched on the internet and found, mistakingly, what was the restaurant. However, the one we found was good. We were able to eat outside and I had, for the first time, “carciofi alla romana” (artichokes roman style). They are cooked globe artichokes in an oil, parsley, mint sauce – delicious. After lunch we had a quick visit to a book shop and a leisurely stroll back to the station.
When we arrived back in the Marche it was obvious that it had been an horrendous day. There was heavy rain and mist. Driving back from Fabriano in Elizabeth’s car was slighly scary. Driving over the “back route” to Carbarnardi in the rain, the mist, and the steamed up windscreen, was not for the faint hearted. At Elizabeth’s house we finished the day with a cup of earl grey tea to help settle the nerves.
