Day 14

Today is our last adventure.  Having mixed feelings about returning to the grind but I am definitely a little tired of living out of a suitcase!  We arrived very early at the bike shop so we had lunch in an area of Rome that we have never explored.  You could call it Little China Town.  I was up for the adventure of a Chinese lunch but Bill was a little suspicious.  The bike tour leader's name was Manuelo and picture this, a cycling tour guide that roles his own cigarettes and chain smokes throughout the entire 40k ride. The tour took us along the Appian way and surrounding neighborhoods which included the Catacombs, ancient aqueducts, the ancient cobblestone road, a sheep farm that produced the cheese and bread that we sampled and a night ride around the forum and the colosseum.  Learned many facts about ancient Rome but also learned that Italians also have the "Got to go,  got to get there" mentality.  Apparently it is against the law to drive on the Appia Antica but to save 7 minutes of drive time many drivers drive the road.  Believe me it can not be good for the tires and suspension of the car never mind what it is doing to antiquity.  We had our final meal of red sauce pasta and Bill ended with his final cioccolato gelato.