My last day in Campomarino yesterday was marred by massive
thunderstorms which flooded the parking lot by my house, and halted my planned
trips to the beach and to Ristorante Netti. So I spent most of the day and
night preparing the house for the winter.
My cab was waiting for me when I walked out of my place at
5:20 this morning. The guy had me to the bus station about a half hour before
my bus. Luckily, the summer is ending, and the bus was only half full. I didn’t
need to share my row with anyone, and I was able to sleep through most of the
4-hour ride. Add on the 45 minute train ride to the airport from the Roma
Tiburtina bus station, and I finally arrived at the hotel.
I was one of only six guests to take the 2 p.m. hotel
shuttle to the center of Rome. There I did my shopping. I bought rosaries,
shirts, pens, and Papa Francesco calendars. Then I went to Piazza Navona for
lunch at Ristorante Tre Scalini. Just as I left the restaurant, in bright
sunlight, the rain came only a little at first. Then the sun disappeared, and
the heavens opened, leaving me in a rainstorm, shopping, with no coverage. I
passed a street merchant and got fleeced for a crappy umbrella that I later
tossed in the garbage. While in the city, I did manage to see the Pantheon,
Monument to Vittorio Emmanuelle, and the Spanish Steps.
Because of the rain, and some last minute shopping, I missed
the 5 p.m. shuttle back to the hotel, so I took the metro to Roma Termini and
headed back on the Leonardo Express train direct to the airport. It’s amazing how much nicer the train from
Roma Termini, which is the express for visiting tourists, is than the train
from Roma Tiburtina to the airport. This is where I will spend my last night in
Italy. My flight leaves in the morning.
