Andiamo piu Lentamente........one day at a time!

Not sure if we are getting a bit lazy......or if we are coming to our senses and slowing down a bit.  Today was somewhat of a normal day (with no sightseeing escapades!).  We thought we were slowing down yesterday, but we ended up walking almost 4 miles.  No complaints, though, as it must be good for us!

We started off with coffee in the apartment, then headed off for coffee and pastries.  Monday is a tough day because probably half the stores are closed.  We tried a new place, the Bar Caffè F.lli Crisci, close by on Via Carini (Bar Gianicolo was chiuso).  We had some good chocolate croissants and due cappuccini........very relaxing sitting out in the morning sun.

This view is our morning weather barometer........another beautiful day!

A troubling scenario first thing this morning.  The head gatekeeper (who we think lives in our building) was obviously not feeling well.  Several of his colleagues came over to the front steps of our building.  They appeared to take his blood pressure.......but shortly thereafter he went inside and the others left

We tried to track down a supermarket called the Coop, that we had seen on the map.  It was the craziest place hidden away in the middle of a block.  It was just what we expected, but not much character.  We ended up with about 30 pounds of groceries that were a total pain to haul back to the apartment.  At least Andrea had the sense to bring a strong folding bag that is just perfect for these muscle exercises!

After dropping off the load, there was time to head over to the studio before lunch......and got in an hour of good work.  We made sandwiches for lunch and had some great iced tea that we had been brewing in the fridge.  After that, we realized that we were still missing some groceries, so I had the brainstorm to run down to the open market before it closed (supposedly) at 2:30.  I was sure I saw earlier that Carlos's store was open on Monday. 

sign from out in front of the caffe where we had breakfast yesterday

Andrea on the balcony as I headed out for trip #2 to the market today!

 Well neither Carlos, nor most of the other vendors, were open.  The few that were (probably 3 out of 20) were closing at 2:00.......and I got there at 1:55!  fortunately I was able to grab what I needed at two stalls.  At the second one, the lady was really nice and said that she didn't have any change left and that I could come back tomorrow and pay her for the lettuce and a lemon.  Can't see that happening at Stop and Shop.......

Hoofed it back and we crashed for a quick siesta.  We scrambled around for a while and managed to get over to the Salone for afternoon tea at 4:00.  It was fairly quiet today, but we got to read the NY Times.  After that we hit the studio again.

Our studio with the open window above the main entry

not much action tonight, but this is the billiards room......on the way to the main dining room

We opted for dinner in the main dining room tonight.  There was a lecture at 6:30 that we were intrigued about called "Sex in Heaven."  No dwelling here on the details, but it was pretty funny.  On the other side of the equation, the writer giving the presentation was fairly serious.......and interesting, established author with a strong perspective on black ethnic issues and a wide range of topics from slavery to life in rural Texas.  Afterwards we had a nice chat and a 'prosecco' discussion in the bar before dinner. 

Tonight, we sat with the Director (John) and the author (Geronimo) and a wide-ranging group of folks.  The tables usually seat 10-12 people.  We also met up with a former fellow who was here in 1980 who wrote a book on Italian Rationalist Architecture between the two world wars........just what I was supposed to do before I decided to enjoy life and have some fun!  He thanked me for staying out of his territory.......and agreed that my study of Palladian temple iconography on his Venetian church facades might have been a more interesting topic!  We all had a great time, including a very engaging discussion with a recent PhD. student who was successfully promoted at Harvard with a thesis on Renaissance Fortification Designs for the Farnese family.......seriously interesting.

You can barely see Andi........we are at the last table......way down the line.

Now we are back at the apartment ready to hit the sack.  Tomorrow we hope to head down into Rome for some exploring around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.