We arrived in Rome on the morning of Monday, 3 January, and got to our new flat by 10:30 AM, sleepy but excited. Our place is on the fifth floor of a small apartment building. We have a large living room with TV and bookcases, a tiny but well-equipped kitchen, a sunny dining area with a fine view looking east over the Tiber River, a small red-tiled bathroom, and a bedroom with a full wall of windows facing south. Here are some pictures of the interior from our landlord's website:
http://www.apartmentsinrome.it/sllep_in_rome_apartments_in_saint_peter,S1,25.html
We began exploring our neighborhood, known as Prati, right away: grocery shopping, walking down the Via di Ripetta to visit the lively outdoor Christmas Market at the Piazza Navonna, learning the bus and Metro routes on our way to IKEA, checking out the local bakeries and hardware stores, buying fruits, vegetables, and flowers at the Campo de' Fiori, attending two concerts in nearby churches, and doing our first sightseeing among the museums and ruins of the city. Steve has had a tour of his new workplace. Susie has worked tirelessly to make the flat our own home. We have one more free weekend before classes start next week.
Here is the first batch of pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveDC505/FirstDaysInRome#
