Ruins, dinner and my puppet theater

Wednesday was another busy day in the city, checking sites and taking what photos I could in the little time I have left in Rome.  I revisited some of Augustus’ monuments, including the portico he dedicated to his beloved sister Octavia and the theater named for her son, his nephew Marcellus.  Marcellus would probably have been named Augustus’ heir, but he died young.  Augustus only had one child, a daughter Julia, who caused him so much grief because of her promiscuity that he exiled her (no monuments named for her!).

Before I left for town, I realized that I had not taken any photos of the puppet theater in my bedroom.  I’m not sure why there’s a puppet theater there; maybe the owner collects them because there’s another, smaller one in the living room.  Anyway, I went into the city and spent most of the day there.  I came back by way of the Jewish quarter and got some nice photographs of the great Synagogue on the banks of the Tiber.

This was my second-last night in Rome, and since my final evening would be spent packing, I decided to have one last dinner at Tony’s.  I ordered a mixed plate of antipasti and spaghetti alla carbonara, one of my favorite traditional Roman pastas.  As always, Tony and Alex came to talk to me.   They always bring me a cloth napkin too, something that only regulars get.  They also brought focaccia al forno, thin crackling bread hot from the oven.  This isn’t on the menu and they only make it once in a while, usually when things are slow.  Tony doesn’t seem to charge for focaccia al forno; he just brings it as a special treat to regulars and favorites.  I get it every time they make it.  You can’t believe how good this bread is; you can taste the delicious wheat flavor.  You have to eat it while it’s still hot.  This may be the best bread I have ever eaten in my life.

After dinner I took an evening walk through Trastevere.  Dogs were playing in the piazza next to the fountain so I took a couple of pictures.  The evening was warm and pleasant, and the lights on the churches and cafes of Trastevere became brighter as the sky became dark and night set in.  I headed home, skyped Gary, checked my email, took some notes, and went to bed next to the puppet theater.

I posted another set of pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielcmack/sets/72157625036315619/  .