Oh Spartacus!

The shopping in Rome was nothing like Florence. There weren’t street markets with leather vendors selling delicious colors of gloves, purses and jackets. The shops were mainly overpriced designer labels found in any city. I was still on the prowl for my euro-chic jacket but nothing popped out in the few leather shops we found on side streets. The energy for leather wasn’t the same in Rome- no streets overflowing with deals, no italian men singing “pretty woman” with every jacket I tried, no fierce haggling...I began to feel defeated. We actually considered jumping on a train back to Florence just to shop! We decided to be rational and stay put. On our last day in Rome we were walking to the colosseum for a tour. We encountered another leather shop...entered...and left with nothing. We saw another one, I had accepted defeat but Steve insisted we try anyway. I tried on a couple jackets and then the lady brought me a “new design” their company had come up with (The same one Steve spotted in the window before we had entered). It had a high collar with two buckles on it, and stretch material on the cuffs and hem. It was a matte chocolate brown and I liked it before I tried it on. Once I tried it on, I loved it. I had yet to try one on that was so comfortable! The leather was soft and perfect! I found my jacket!!! YAY!!! It was cool outside so I even got to wear it to the colosseum. Our tour was super interesting (I was still smiling over my fabulous jacket) and the tour guide talked about gladiators- ‘Spartacus’ being the most famous one- I found my inspiration and have named my fabulous jacket Spartacus