Day 22 - December 31 - End of the Year

We had breakfast in the hotel. They have done a great job making the hotel feel both modern and cozy.

It was only about an hour and a half to arrive in Roma. We didn't have to go through the main part of the city to reach the hotel, which was good for the driver and for the nerves of the passengers.

Upon checking into the Hilton Cavalieri, we were informed that the Imperial Club would be closing at 10 PM on New Year's Eve. We were all very upset, as we had paid a good bit extra for the Club, primarily as we thought we could see the New Year's fireworks from there. I had written and asked, specifically, if we could - and the answer indicated we could not see the fireworks in the city, but could see the display put on by the hotel and surrounding areas. No indication they would be closed!

Hotel Lobby

We went to the Imperial Lounge to wait for our rooms to be ready, which seemed to take forever.

Imperial Lounge

View from Lounge Balcony

Finally decided to store our "valuables" with the other luggage, and took a taxi to the Isla Tiberina, a small island in the Tiber River. There we had reservations at Trattoria Sora Lella, a trattoria serving "genuine Rome cuisine" since 1959 (but the family had a restaurant elsewhere since 1940). The door was locked, and a gentleman opened it and said our reservation was for 2:30, so we had to wait outside until that time. Pat and I had a glass of Prosecco.

Once we were seated, Mary and Pat shared polpettine di Nonna Lella (Grandma's traditional veal meat balls). Mary had the famous Rome cacce e pepe (noodles with cheese and black pepper). Mike had a tradiitonal pasta e fagioli soup, followed by a seafood pasta, but shrimp were too strong. Pat had  lamb again - her favorite. Ron had the chicken with peppers that I had at the small restaurant in Orvieto. He said that this one was better. Pat and Mary ended with gelato - and it was yummy!

Grandmother's Traditional Meat Balls (receipe of 1940)

Pat's Lamb with Rosemary

Mary's Cacce E Pepe

Mary's Cinammon Gelato

After finishing our wonderful lunch, we took a taxi to the Hotel Hassler at the top of the Spanish Steps. Unfortunately, the beautiful lounge was closed. We wandered around, taking a few pictures before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

At bottom of Spanish Steps

We relaxed in the Imperial Lounge and had a few card games. When the lounge closed we wandered downstairs where music was playing, but the cost to attend any of the hotel's functions was prohibitive. The dinner in the fancy Michelin restaurant was 1,200 EU PER PERSON - over $3,000 per couple. The hotel is filled with Russians, and the pricing seems directed at them. The least expensive function was only dessert and a glass of champagne - and I believe it was about $500 per couple. So, Ron and I went to our room, where we watched from our balcony the many fireworks going off all over the city. It was quite spectacular. Meanwhile, Pat and Mike made their way to the ninth floor where they managed to enjoy an event from the periphery (NOT to say they crashed the party!). They did get a gold hat, some champagne, and did some dancing! 

Happy New Year to everyone!