June 16. We have left the ship and settled in to the YES hotel for three nights. We walk to colosseum to check it out. Then five of us walk to meet our walking tour.
Food tour, started with Allessio …. Alex. Born and raised Rome. Been to Victoria whe. He lived for a time in Seattle.
Our meeting place was Piazza Mattei 16, Pane Vino e San Daniele 
Sformato: di Verdure. Sformato of vegetables …. Spinach asparagus artichokes and potatoes covered in mozzarella cheese, gluten free bread, from region. Italy near Venice, furthest north east region of Italy. Red and white wine, both. Yummmm. Cheese with just a taste of honey on fresh bakery bread, broken like regular people eat it !  
Love this piazza Mattei. Mattei square. Beautiful fountain of the turtle. 15 century. “Make haste, but do it slowly.” Is message. Think slowly, when you have the plan, execute plan.  
1581 built. Jewish ghetto area walk.
1871 king of italy frees Jewish ghetto. Knocks down walls. 1903 built Jewish synagogue. Only square dome in Rome. Good till Mussolini in power. Discrimination. To be Jewish was to be Forbidden. Nazi took over Rome. 16 October 1943 stormed place and 2091 taken. 12 survived. 8000 Jews in this area. Poor people collected and gave gold. 6000 sheltered or did whatever they had to survive. Such a story of history!  
Pavements 1700-1800 year old cobblestones. Parts of structures hundreds years bc. Wow. Built on. Then fish market due to close to river. 
Second stop pizza spaghetteria voglia di pizza on via Della pieta. 2 different type of pizza. 

Can’t build anything higher than St. Peter’s. So no skyscrapers in Rome 
Pandali gluten free bakery … Pies, meringues, cookies, sweets, savoury, macaroons, …

Suppli is deep fried rice ball with cheese and tomato. 
Main meal, restaurant gluten free on left side of pantheon. Pantha Rei is name – Greek for everything flows. Everything in life changes … Impermanence.  
Italians are not great philosophers … They take care of the wives of the great thinkers? Lol. 
Red wine for us all. Merlot from latzio region in italy.  
Our guide was the Irish bartender in movie Gangs of New York! He picks up human ear …All of this movie was made in Rome. All his friends were extras in that movie! It was cheaper to make that movie in Rome. In 1999.

Also he had appearance … Stand in for two weeks for the actor …. in English Patient, 

He was also in talented mr ripley, the exorcist the beginning. Now filming zoo lander here. And in Florence the third Dan Brown book movie being filmed there. He is no longer in films.  
Pasta with basil pesto then pasta with cheese pecorino Romano hard cheese, with pepper and olive oil and little mint. Fabulous! Another bottle red wine, merlot. Oh my! 
Pasta with olive oil, chilli pepper dried, capers, olives, tuna, garlic, 
We go to a chocolaterie or something like that ….. Two each. The Sorrento lemon in dark chocolate is Devine.
Next stop for cappuccino or ? Limoncello for me, coffee for others at la Ciambella. 
Alex is translating a Book, “run until you are 100”. I want to read it. Accelerate, then glide.  
Then Gelaterie for the most scrumptious gelato EVER! Two flavours each,
We walk to taxi stand and find one that will take five of us back to YES Hotel on via Magenta, 15. 
So tired and completely satisfied. Great friends who came with me on the tour, wow. I am so grateful. 
Pamellllla of Roma! Ti amo!