January 14th, 2019

First day in Rome. We landed at Fiumicino Airport at 10:30 a.m. Despite being told only to use white taxis, I got in a black one. It turned out fine though. The driver’s name was Giuseppe and he gave me his card.

I waited outside of Denise’s apartment for about fifteen minutes. She is very kind and hospitable. For lunch, she made us tortellini soup with bread and mozzarella. I fell asleep in Matteo’s childhood bedroom after we ate. Matteo is her son. He is grown now with a wife and two sons.

After napping, Denise made me an espresso and we ate some hazelnut cookies together. We talked about American politics as the radio mumbled news in Italian throughout the kitchen. I laid on her couch and watched episodes of Friends until dinner.

Denise made a spinach meatloaf with potatoes, baked olives, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. We ate dinner around 8:00 p.m. and then watched more episodes of Friends and crime shows.

I am in bed now. Denise said we will have cappuccinos and chocolate croissants in the morning.