Market Day

Saturday 9 Sept

Mid-morning, Kathryn and Niah return to bed for some catch-up sleep so, after a few domestic chores, even though I could also have elected to just rest, I head out for the Testaccio Market which today is buzzing. But I get side-tracked by an interesting-looking tiny restaurant (Masto) and end up going in and asking for a coffee and cake. Turns out there is a group participating in a local food tour trying wine, cheese, olive oil. So I figure I must be in the right place! Very good coffee and cake!

I am happy to see that my pasta stall Le Mani in Pasta is in fact the one I have being reading about in reviews since I was there the other day; I compliment them on the ravioli with ricotta and lemon I bought then; and today I buy some more for dinner some time this weekend - but with ricotta and tartufo this time. Chef Cristina Bowerman of upscale restaurant Romeo has set up shop here too with Cups, which offers gourmet, take-away dishes. I buy some nice-looking peach torta from this stall.

Outside, children play in the Giardino Pertico - overlooked by a building with this painted on it:

Before getting water from the supermarket, I get my chance to go inside the Santa Maria Liberatrice church. I figured that I had walked past it so many times both this trip and at least two others, that it warranted a look - so I had put it on my to-do list overnight. This is the only parish church in the district and is run by the Salesians. The pope at the time, Pope Leo XIII, supported a scheme to build a church big enough for the entire new working-class neighbourhood of Testaccio in order to evangelise the industrialized proletariat.

I arrived back and the girls were up, having rested somewhat.

We set off for Testaccio and Kathryn dropped some clothing off for alterations at a tailor she has used there in the past. Very reasonable - 25 Euros to take in a jacket and a new zipper in a dress. The trailor remembers her from when she lived here several years ago.

That done, we looked in some of the shops - really, every day there seems to be a shop I haven't seen before!

We grab some lunch at a place that has wi-fi as Kathryn has a pre-arranged Skype time booked to talk to Sophie and Regis in Panama. The situation regarding Hurricane Irma which is bearing down on Florida is dire. Regis' office in Panama is involved in co-ordination of services. She may have to leave Rome earlier than planned ...

We set off to the Tiber river, walking along Lungotevere Aventino until we turn towards Capitoline.

We find an archaeological site we haven't seen before: Il Portico di Ottavia (246 B.C.). It is fascinating. It leads to the Jewish ghetto and in the Middle Ages it was once a Fish Market (being close to the Tiber). Next along is the ancient open-air Theatre of Marcellus. This area is knee-deep in Roman ruins.

From here, it is not far to the Campo dei Fiori. This is a very touristy part of Rome with heaps of shops. There is a daily market in the piazza but they were closing up by the time we got there, it now being late afternoon. We wandered around to the tiny and less-touristy Piazza della Quercia where we'd enjoyed a beer together on the last trip and had taken lovely photos of Sophie playing there; we were heart-broken to find the oak-tree (quercia) dead! So forlorn! We moved on quickly.

We wandered around and Kathryn bought stuff, relishing the choice that she does not get in Panama. We found a quiet spot in the tiny vicolo dei Catarini for a break in a tiny courtyard outside a galleria (Loran O'Neill Roma) - on a rather lovely seat.

It was a long walk home and it is time to get Niah sorted for the night. We manage to catch the tailor who was in the process of closing; she needs the hems taken up on some trousers she bought this afternoon. I am to collect all this on Wednesday.