And on to Rome

Our last full day in Umbertide was our anniversary.  We talked about going to Assisi, but finally we just completed the time staying in the Umbertide area.  We had a lunch in the nearby country house of Poggiomanente, confusing because I remembered it being on the right side of the road, and there was a big sign there, but when we pulled in there was a car with a driver directing us to follow him to the new location down the road on the left side. We went there and had a nice meal with truffle pasta.

We closed down the house and had an early departure to get to Rome by the promised return time.  There was the fear that goes with driving in Rome; with help from the GPS, I found my way to the Hertz return garage open on Sunday, on via Sardegna.  I’d studied the street view and saw separate entrances for Avis and Budget on one hand, and Hertz and Europcar on the other.  The problem was that there were two cars facing out and blocking the entrance to the Hertz side.  I was reluctantly preparing to turn into the Avis side when a car pulled out of the Hertz side so we could get in.  An attendant (I hope the right one?) checked us in.  

Then I was hoping to use the IT TAXI app on Margaret’s iPad to call a taxi using our location setting.  I was getting an error message on that.  Of the numbers I know, I called 065551, got an operator who kept us on hold, then said there were no cabs to be found.  I called 063570 and stayed on hold without getting an operator.  We went to a cross street where we’d seen several cabs pass.  When one passed, the driver had passengers but advised us to call 060609.  I called this, and gave the address with voice recognition, glad my accent wasn’t too bad.  They connected me to a nearby driver, who was the one who had driven by.

He came by and picked us up; he explained that this was a busy Sunday with a marathon in addition to other sports and crowds going to the Vatican.  Our hotel, the Comfort Hotel Bolivar, is in a small alley where the driver had trouble getting.  We got there and were glad to find the room ready and on the ground floor.

We got ready and left by taxi for Di Rienzo by the Pantheon.  We had a get-together with people we knew from the SlowTrav group.  There was an endless assortment of food, very entertaining, then we spent time at members’ rented apartment.  That took us to the evening.

Pictures from Città Di Castello and in Rome around the Pantheon: