Rome day 3: Bioparco and Trastevere

Here's the last bit of my trip to Rome, Italy. The first two can be found at Rome day one and Rome day two.

Our third day in Rome was a Friday and started with a trip to the Bioparco situated in Villa Borghese. I'm in the habit of visiting every zoo I encounter, and the one of Rome wasn't an exception. Bioparco isn't the best in terms of decoration as it is quite old (1911), but as long as the animals are well cared for every zoo is worthwhile, I think. The animals were the usual bunch: lions, bears, alligators, rabbits, guinea pigs...

After the zoo, off we went to Trastevere where we had vegetable pizza on the patio of the restaurant La Tana De Noantri.

Lunch was followed by a stroll through both the old and new Trastevere. The old part of Trastevere is definitely the most charming and authentic. But both have one thing in common: lots of alleys full of colorful houses, restaurants and bars. So cozy.

From there we walked along the Tevere river toward the Isola Tiberina, a tiny island in the river that you can reach by crossing a bridge. There's only a hospital, a bar and a gelato shop, but it's a nice stop between Trastevere and the more historical part of Rome.

The bridge continues to the other side of the Tevere where we found the Piazza Farnese and Campo de' Fiori.

At the end of our day we revisited the most memorable places of Rome that were now lit up against the night sky – the Colosseum, the Fori Romani, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. One of the things that struck us was not only how magnificent Rome was, but also how good it smelled. The numerous orange blossom trees have surely something to do with this.

We ended the night with a romantic dinner at the restaurant/wine bar Hostaria Pantheon. Both the food and wine were excellent, and their service was the best in town (they even brought me a blanket when the air was getting friskier). And the best part: we had a view on the lit Pantheon and Piazza della Rotonda.

Next up: the Cannes Film Festival!