Is it Tuesday?

Since I went to Florence on Monday, I must be on Tuesday's blog. Tuesday was fantastic. I slept in and around noon decided what I wanted to do: the Trevi Fountain neighborhood. So I took the tram to the bus to hoof it down the Corso (main street). Whenever I got hot, I stepped into the nearest shop that had air conditioning and pretended to browse. I did find a great jewelry shop, right before the street vendors that sell all the postcards, calendars, and other tchotzkes. I even went into the "mall" and had the best caffe freddo I've ever had, single ice cube and all. After that, I found my way to the nearest Frette shop and splurged on 70% off sheets. I heart Frette sheets. I lugged all my goods along to the Trevi area where I set my sights on finding sandals for Mamma Mia as well as other shopping errands. Along the way, I had lunch at Il Vineria al Chianti, a great Tuscan-style restaurant. I must have been craving good Tuscan food after being in Florence on Monday. I had a tasty Tuscan white bean starter followed by spaghetti alla ragu di cinghiale (in a meat sauce made of wild boar). I sat and read and people-watched for close to 3 hours before I decided to call it a day. Before doing so, however, I found the BEST gelato in all of the world. I must now apologize to everyone I've ever told that Giolitti's is the best because, darlings, I have been corrected. San Crispino's makes gelato from only the freshest, seasonal ingredients and won't even serve their gelato in a cone because cones have artificial ingredients. I had their signature honey gelato and thought I was eating the nectar of the gods. Amazing stuff, people. Anyways, after coming home to drop off my packages and freshen up, I met Tatyana and her peeps for dinner. Her husband and a couple they know have taken advantage of her situation in Rome to make it a vacation. They live in South Hadley, so we've become fast friends and have made all kinds of future plans. We enjoyed some tasty tidbits (meats, cheeses, bread) in their apt (which is under mine), then made our way to Il Buco for what should have been an amazing Tuscan-style eating experience. I had eaten at Il Buco my last night in Rome 2004 and had fond memories of it, so when Tatyana mentioned last week that she wanted "some bunny" I informed her about the place. She ate there shortly afterward and couldn't wait to share it with her husband and friends. We got there, and it was...closed for renovations. We walked around the block and found a great fresh-seafood place that was a little more refined but quite good. After that, we strolled to the Pantheon for a good look at it in the night light and since we were right there, I brought them to Giolitti's as a tease, telling them it was the second-best gelato in all of Italy. It was a long day for all of us and thus, we made our way home and retired to our respective apartments with satisfied stomachs and dreams of the next day's adventures.