When in Roma....

A little Italian pride..

THE COLOSSEUM!!!

Jocelyn had to be put in a timeout while in the forum.

The largest arch (I think) of the forum.

So pretty (my little italian guy moment)

Beautiful piazza we passed on the way home

Italians and their lock obsession. You lock it with your love interest, and throw the key away! They are all over gates and fences and bridges and fountains.

Pantheon!
Old Colosseum steps.. amazing how old they are, think of the people who have walked on them.

The stairs on the wall were amazing to me...pretty much Rome in general was mind bloggling to me.

Avventure Romane

Finally! Some real Romans!!

Colosseo! Where they kept the fighters and the animals and everything. So much history...its staggering how much history you're in the presence of.

The FORUM!!!!

My macro masterpiece. Colosseo in the background!!

"I love you from here...to the end of the earth...once again here...for eternity".

People just relaxing on a beautiful Sunday in Roma.


Flowers and balcony..so Italy.

Can you believe this is Roma!?!?

Trastevere region (the area that the North End was modeled after)



Hehe...

Beautiful street in Trastevere.

Jocelyn, wanting to have it on record that she had ice cream in the Pope's front yard.

SWISS GUARD!!!

Lecce: the legend continues but is coming to an end...

Our last evening wandering around (killing time before our 10:30 pm overnight train)

This amazing fagottino (my own personal culinary adventure): pizza dough basically with tomato, cheese, spices....

Our beautiful street and door at night...we were sad (heartbroken really) to leave.

My could-be-better panorama. Greece see?! White washed buildings and water and boats..

Our delicious Otranto lunch, with CALAMARI!!! (culinary adventure number five)

Otranto bay!

Me and Monica in the Adriatic!!

Beautiful Adriatic waves..

Goodbye Lecce!



Monica! Starved...and made her pose despite it.

SO BLUE!

Pretty flowers

The coast, rocky and then becomes full blown cliffs (like the Amalfi! said an Otranto citizen..)

Me and Monica :-)

Lecce: but wait, there's more?!

Culinary adventure number four: the best bruschetta of our lives and the best white wine of our lives. So good and amazing...I cant even describe. The secret (I think): red wine vinegar instead of balsamic! PHENOMENAL!!

More detail was needed to convey the magic.

Absolutely destroyed it :-)

Word to the wise: don't drive into the water.

Beautiful anchor, view into the water...ah I miss it.

Our much needed AM coffee.

Beautiful..it made me think of Greece even though I've never been.

The fort piazza, if you can call it that. They even had canons!!

Puglian lizards!

Sea blue...hm!!

Lecce: the neighboring towns strike back

Main street again!

Culinary adventure number three: Arancini. Delicious balls of rice with tomato sauce and cheese and ham on the inside, breaded and fried. Yummmmmm.

View from the train on the way to Otranto!

The beach front walk in Otranto!

The bay...so clear. So pretty.

The secret ampitheatre of Lecce!

Another Lecce church facade.

Fields on the way to Gallipoli!

Piazza in front of the Gallipoli train station.

The harbor, all the fishermen were back with their daily catches. Oh how I have missed seafood...

Our bench in a Lecce park where we sat and took in the sun and summer-y weather. Everybody was still wearing winter jackets and scarves...crazy!!

More park.

Antique market, they had everything from jewelry to furniture to old postcards from the '30s!

Lecce-an balcony!

Lecce ampitheatre, take 2!