Going local

Today was an amazing day in Rome, spent with two new friends, Bernardo and Simona, true Romans who showed me the most amazing parts of the city that I would have never known about.  First of all, a day at the beach in Ostia was just what we all needed, eating freshly caught vongole (a species of mini clams), calamari, prawns, and other fish.  As you can see from my before and after photos, I more than enjoyed my plate of spaghetti with vongole!

Those weren't all of my shells, by the way - Sabela, an old friend who recently moved to Switzerland from the States, came to join me in Rome and we both devoured our plates of delicious-ness.

Once we returned back to the center of Rome, I saw neighborhoods with not a tourist in sight, and locali that only true Romans frequented.  A reggae party in the old part of town that used to be a camp ground for squatters 20-25 years ago, and then off to Monte Di Cocci in Testaccio, one of the seven Roman hills that was used as a depository of old terra cotta refuse back in Caesar's time.  In the 1600's, it was there that the animal stalls for the entire city were located, and now, these medieval buildings laying on top of ancient terra cotta rubish house the hottest night clubs and bars in the city that only Romans know about...when in Rome!