The first stop on the Shearer Family Roman Holiday was Rome. Frankfurt to Rome was a super easy 1:45 flight, over the top of the Alps. Wish I had a window seat for that view!

We arrived at the hotel – The Pantheon Autograph Collection – early afternoon and wanted a light lunch. We grabbed a table at Ginger and it scored 4 Thumbs Up. Although dining while staring at pig feet isn’t exactly my definition of appetizing.

I mean, it doesn’t get much more fresh than right off the hooved hock….

No Italian meal is not complete without some gelato. Yum!

Unfortunately it was a super rainy day, and we tried to make the most of it. I mean, WE ARE IN ROME!!! A little rain isn’t going to stop me from exploring. We walked to this area that was discovered under a park in the 1920’s that was where Julius Caesar was assassinated. How the heck does that just get buried by a park?!?!?!

Julius Caesar died here.

We wandered along the streets and stopped inside a couple jaw dropping churches. Memaw thinks Lily should paint the ceiling in her bedroom just like the churches we saw. 🙂

The green shutters on the 3rd floor was once the home of Napoleon’s mother

Jay and Lily walked by the Pantheon and somehow Ty and I got split apart from them and missed it. We will go check it out again when it is not raining.

The Pantheon. Can you tell how huge those pillars are?!?!

We grabbed a taxi to take us to dinner at Taverna Trilussa. We sat outside under a covered patio and listened to the rain hitting the metal roof. It was cozy and relaxing. We warned the kids that it might be a 3 hour meal and they were so patient. It ended up being less than 2 hours, but we all ate some delicious Italian food served in a skillet. 3.75 Thumbs Up for the Shearer vote. It would have gotten 4 if Lily’s pasta didn’t have quite so much pepper.

We didn’t have birthday cake to celebrate Aunt Jekka’s birthday (send her a happy birthday note!), but we did get dessert. Creme brûlée for me, homemade vanilla ice cream for the kids, and a special complimentary side plate of “the best cookies I have ever had” -Lily.

Fried mozzarella
There might be a little dust on the bottle

The taxi ride back to the hotel made me giggle. Imagine this. Pouring down rain. Cobblestone streets. No defined sidewalks, and in many places no defined roads. And a taxi driver that wants to be a Formula 1 driver. At one point I was certain he was going to run over people walking in the street (or at least what I assumed to be the street). Being a taxi driver in Rome should come with Hazard Pay.