Ro(a)ming Around

Dear O'H dear and Lovely Tea Jenny

We had a guided tour of the Capuchin Crypt today which was both strange and fascinating.

There is a small museum as you enter which which gives the background of the Capuchin monks followed by 6 rooms, 5 of which are decorated entirely of human bones and contain the skeletal remains of 3,700 friars.

The tour guide pointed out the bone chandelier above our heads which The Eldest Mini Princess thought was strangely beautiful. This also happened to be exactly the same time that The Youngest Mini decided the tour wasn’t for her and made for the exit!

We went into The Pantheon this afternoon which we all loved. It was free to go in, there was a 5 minute queue and it was amazing. And it didn’t make YMP feel ill which is a bonus!

The Princesses took a little trip along a street with some quirky shops and bought some genuine Roman rubber ducks and we then accepted the disgrace of ordering cappuccinos in a cafe after 10:30 am, a tourist faux pas. The rules of coffee/milk with coffee are a big thing in Italy.

Before heading for dinner, The Prince and I were ‘those tourists’ and went to an Irish bar so he could have a pint of Guinness before the four of us went for dinner in Giggetto Al Portico D’Ottavia in the Jewish quarter which was just lovely - probably our favourite restaurant so far. The staff kept bringing us plates of extra food to try and we were stuffed by the time we left.

We wandered back past yet another amazing archaeological site with half-uncovered ancient ruins below street level. Just the usual view on the way home!

C

PS In the first crypt, there is a plaque with "What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be". I’d better not end up with my finger bones being the Roman numerals on a bone clock!