It’s been wonderful to roam around the city. The Italians are very friendly, helpful and yes, charming. Walking the city is amazing. It seems everywhere I walk there is an interesting looking building, shop, Palazzo or person to talk to. Just to sit and watch people move about has been fun. When we’ve stopped to eat something, it’s been always to try something new. I’ve not tasted anything I didn’t care for and all the places I’d enjoy going back to.
After a full day of walking, including the Pantheon and Spanish Steps, we stopped in for an evening meal. Lunch was late, and so was dinner. We chose a charming typical Italian Comfort food restaurant. I appreciated never feeling rushed as we saw the tables fill up and empty as we sat there enjoying each moment, and the food was so delicious. Just for fun, I did take a photo of the dessert table. The spread was mouthwatering, and so artfully arranged. I love the colors and textures of the desserts and fresh fruit.
As we were walking back to our nearby B&B we passed several men selling an assortment of metal objects for 1 Euro each, like key chains and bottle openers. I saw these items as “mementos” of Rome. Pictured here in the upper section, is a photo of their items. As the charming gentlemen chatted amongst themselves while packing up their product for the evening, I could see they we
re sorting by type of item, similar to the way I sort through my collections, by color, or size, or type of material, into small bins.
I don’t know if it was me or my friend who motioned to a shiny object that had fallen onto the cobblestone street beneath the table that seemed to be overflowing with shiny metal objects, great fun for people to get their hands into and pick just the right one to take home. (Pictured in upper half of image below.)
Upon closer inspection of the area around the vendor’s table (the area we’d consider for parking in the U.S.) there was not only one, but two, no, three, no, four… OMG, there were dozens of objects that were in the cracks between the stones. The bright lights that were meant for the table goods, also illuminated the street. It was easy picking for my friend and I to “clean up” the litter of small objects that were mostly parts of inexpensive jewelry, like little charms that had been separated from their key chain, bracelet or neckpiece.
One by one the street objects were placed into my bag, then when I got back to the B&B I washed them all off and put them on the sill to dry. (Pictured in lower half of image above.)
Tabletop goods, 1 Euro each; Cobblestone goods, 0 Euros for the lot.
What’s the charm worth? Contemplate that.
