i like evening the best...buona sera!

oh my heavens it is SO HOT. i made the mistake of walking over to the colluseum earlier, around 2pm, in an effort to knock that bit of historical sightseeing off my checklist. was just the same as always, though: trecherously hot, smoggy, trafficy, desolate yet packed with tourists, under construction, and loud. my obama shirt was sticking to my skin and gladiators kept trying to get me to take pictures with them (like in 'girls next door'!!!!), and it was all together brutal. came back to the apartment to collect myself and shower and plan a day trip for tomorrow because i now know why the romans choose this month of all the months to go on vacation.
as for my day trip, i am considering either Frascati, a little mountain town with a reputation for fantastic food and wine, or Sperlonga, which is suppose to have incredible beaches and some architectural wonders. will probobly do both this week, but which one first? i wish mom was here to guide me; she is an amazing trip planner. was just looking at a map of italy and was totally embarrased by how little i knew of the geography of this wonderful place. when my family would come, we would go all over!! all those little towns and cities were not neatly lined up in a row like connect-the-dots, but scattered throughout the country. somehow we managed to hit so many beautiful places with minimal travel time...anyway, wish to be expert traveler like my mother, frugal and conscious yet adventurous.
am playing a game today called Rome-on-20-Euros-a-Day. so far, i am doing great. but it is only 6pm. dinner and drinks and another go at gelato, and certainly another coffee, are still in the mix for later this evening. am going to be the size of a blimp by the time this is over. however, since apartment is like suana maybe i am sweating all the extra calories off while i sleep...wouldnt that be great?