After dinner we walked along the Via delle Sette Chiese to the Basilica San Paolo for an 11:00pm fireworks display.
This sign for McDonald's with it's slogan "I'm lovin' it." has been expanded to say "I'm lovin' italy."
I am not aware of a Burger King near the Colessium, but this mural seems to say that you can have it the same way as Caesar had it.
You often don't see McDonald's in the historic center because the restaurants blend in with the surrounding architecture and monuments. This picture of the Piazza della Rotundo in front of the Pantheon includes a McDonalds! (It is the ground floor of the peach colored building.)
People are enjoying Quarter Pounders, Big Macs and french fries while looking at the Pantheon.
Today in the market I noticed that the labels of the Peroni Beer bottles were celebrating Italian soccer victories in pervious World Cup competitions: in France (1938) against Hungary, in Mexico (1978) against Germany, in the USA (1994) against Nigeria, and Germany (2006) against France.
On Saturday we took a day trip to Nemi, a town in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Nemi,a volcanic crater lake, about 30 km southeast of Rome.
The lake was used by the Roman Emperor Caligula for several luxury barges where he would entertain guests. One barge was actually a floating temple and another barge incuded a marble Roman bath complex. (Later in the day we went to the nearby Lake Albano below Castel Gondolfo and ejoyed some time in a paddle boat.)
Nemi is famous for its wild strawberries, which are smaller and sweeter than commercially grown varieties. Nemi's strawberries are grown on the sides of the volcanic crater, which creates a microclimate that retains the warmth of the sun and provides a wind shield.
Frascati is a hillside town of villas surrounded by vineyards. (I remember trips to Frascati when I was in college to get the weekend supply of wine.)
This is one of many wine cantinas, serving only wine and bread. Patrons bring their own meats and cheeses (or Pizza) to eat while they drink.
These smocks are what many Italian kids wear in elementary school, up to 5th grade! Obviously, the boys wear blue and the girls wear pink.
I was intrigued by the brand "Think Pink," It seems to be a line of casual clothes inspired by Yosomite National Park in California.
For dinner we took the recommendations of a local shop owner and ate a delicious meal at Cantina Bucciarelli.
This was our antipasto plate of cheese, olives, meats and porchetta. (This could be a meal in itself!)
The Tomb of Cecilia Metella is probably the least visited of the famous monuments in Rome. It is featured in numerous paintings, old prints and photos of the Via Appia, yet because it is 3 miles out this ancient Roman road, few make the trek to see it.
The exterior of the cylinder was originally covered with travertine and had a decorative marble frieze at the top, all placed on a large rectangular base.
The burial chamber was entered from the outside through a basement corridor and the interior was probably decorated with stucco work.
Reliefs of oxen's heads were part of the decoration. In the Middle Ages these gave the area the name "Capo di Bove," Head of the Ox. 
During the Middle Ages the large tomb became an important checkpoint on the Via Appia. In the 11th century it was incorporated into the fortifications of a castle. The castle was restored in the 14th century by the Caetani family. 
In 1303 the Gothic church of San Nicola was built across the street as part of this fortified village.
Today, inside the ruins of the castle, there is a collection of objects recovered from this part of the Via Appia.
