We’ve been in Rome for over a week now. We’ve gone for long walks every day so we’re beginning to know our way around, and we don’t always have to rely on Google Maps. Of course, we end up seeing some sites (like the colosseum and the forum) many times, but that creates a sense of familiarity which is nice in its own way.

Today we decided to visit the flea market at Mercator di Porta Portese. We’ve visited flea markets before on our travels, and they are always fun. Nothing too serious, just an interesting window into the local culture. Today, our walk to the Trastevere district of Rome took us past some familiar sites, and a few new ones. One of the new ones was the Palazzo Senatorio, the seat of the Municipality of Rome since 1143, and the oldest municipal building in the world. Here is a side view from the colonnade.

Don’t forget to look up…

Here is a view we’ve seen most days, but this is the first time we’ve seen it with the sun at our backs. It highlights the amazing detail.

When we started walking this morning my first thought was “it’s way busier on the weekend than it is mid-week. But once again, if you get off the beaten track you are nearly alone exploring the city. But a word of warning … the cars drive much faster when you are away from the heavy tourist areas.

Before long we arrived at the flea market.

We didn’t exactly get an early start (we try to avoid early starts whenever possible – the idea is to enjoy yourself) so it was after noon by the time we reached the market. It closes at 2:00 pm so we thought the crowds would be thinning out. We were wrong.

We thought we could walk to the end of the market to see what was available before buying. We were wrong again. We walked through a kilometer of the market before we turned around. I thought we were almost at the end of the market … but I’d been thinking that for at least 15 minutes by the time we gave up.

On our way back through the market we made a few small purchases (more on that later) and then it was time for lunch. The Trastevere district is known for its food, so we headed to an area with several restaurants. We found one that looked promising, but it didn’t have any tables. Fortunately, there were other options, and before long we secured a table outdoors. We ordered seasonal specialities, both with fresh truffles. This was mine.

The outdoor seating area was busy and shortly after we arrived there was a queue for seats. Good timing. We also noticed that everyone around us was speaking Italian. Good sign. The food was delicious.

While waiting for our food we checked the weather at home. Storm warning, with 10 – 20 cm of snow expected later today. Knowing what we were “missing” at home made our walk back to our apartment all the more enjoyable. We once again crossed the oldest bridge in Rome … it has become one of our favourites.

I’ve written before about the excavations we see everywhere. This one caught our eye. The metal rings in the wall were perhaps to tie up horses, but why were there three in a triangle shape. If anyone knows, please do let me know.

On our way home we once again passed the “Wedding Cake”, but this time with a different perspective. The sky makes the statues look foreboding.

Walking along the forum I spotted something I hadn’t noticed before. The underside of these arches are reminiscent of the inside of The Pantheon.

We don’t buy much when we travel, and we certainly don’t want the usual souvenirs. But we enjoy cooking so we like buying good quality tea towels with traditional local themes and wooden spoons. If they are manufactured locally, we find it hard to resist. The spoon shown here is olive wood, and the tea towel is 100% linen, made in Tuscany. We bought the pasta cutter because I took pasta lessons in Abruzzo. It is made in Italy too.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Rome. We’ll likely just enjoy the lovely weather, and of course, pack.