Dinner with friends

The night before I headed to Rome for my flight I made dinner for my friends from the studio. I cooked up some pasta with peperoni (bell peppers) and Franka made a chocolate cake. I'm so grateful for everyone who came over in the rain. We had a great time. Much love to all of you and I hope to return soon!

Today

Today I'm moving out of my home and I'll be leaving my beloved town for an undetermined time. I'm a bit melancholy as I haven't yet planned my return trip, but I'm hopeful I'll return sooner rather than later.

Much love to all,
Shannon

An impromptu party

Monday evening Sissi and I met at the studio and we decided to have a dinner party at her house that evening. We walked along the Arno, enjoying the sunset, and called some people and invited them all to her house for dinner. We were both exhausted from the studio, but had fun listening to music and singing songs. Giuseppe made crostini for starters and Sissi made a delicious pasta.

Rome: Easter Monday

Pasquetta (Easter Monday) is a holiday in Italy. Traditionally it's the day people go to the countryside for picnics and such fun. Usually the art museums are closed on Mondays, but the city made a good decision to open them on Easter Monday for the tourists who are visiting and we reserved tickets for the Galleria Borghese in the park. This is a museum I highly recommend particularly for its Bernini marble sculptures and Caravaggio paintings.

Anna and I had a plan to meet for afternoon tea near the Colosseum, so I decided to walk through the city center to get there. From Galleria Borghese I walked through the park to Piazza del Popolo.




From there I wandered through the city center to the Pantheon where I ordered a granita at my favorite coffee shop.



I eventually arrived at the Colosseum.


This is an everyday nothing photo. But I just love the colors.

Rome: Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday I took a train to Rome in the morning. Upon arrival at the station it was raining so I took the metro to San Giovanni to attend mass at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. It was my first time there, so I checked the city map in the metro station and hoped the basilica was easy enough to find. When I walked up to the street it was raining quite hard, but there was what appeared as a river of umbrellas pouring into a large building facade. In following the crowds I found it was the basilica and the mass had begun. It was a beautiful high mass led by a bishop and about thirty priests. There were processions and a choir with organ accompaniment. After the mass I wandered through the basilica to view the chapels and works of art. The next mass began but it was given by only one priest with no choir. I'm so glad I arrived earlier and was able to see the high mass.

After the mass the crowds braved the thunderstorms to the metro station and myself in the direction of the Spagna stop to check into the hotel. It was charming and very close to the Spanish Steps. Here are the views from the room, straight out, looking left, looking right and down to the street: