Rome in September and the glamour

So off we headed to Rome, in search of great food, some sunshine, a spot of shopping and loads of soaking up the history whilst walking.  We had sunshine in spades, most of the time the heat was around 35 degrees - too hot to eat a gelato without it running down your arms, this meant that the walking was slow, the shopping had to be done early before the glow was too obvious (although the airconditioning in the high end shops makes it worth coping with the dishevelment and the disgusted looks from the perfectly coiffed assistants).  We had delicious food and lots to drink (have to keep hydrated and the amazing thing in Rome is that there are drinking fountains at every turn, as well as pavement bars and cafes).  We walked for miles and I have to say that Fit Flops are my choice of footwear for sightseeing in the heat, I even rode a bike along the cobbles of the Via Appia Antica wearing them with no mishaps.

Anyway, to the glamour..........I decided that Rome would be the place to purchase a peignoir as seen in old black and white films on beautiful women with alabaster skin and matte red lips, and having tried Frette (very plain and pale colours), and La Perla (vastly expensive and a bit on the tarty side), I ventured into one of the old style Italian lingerie shops (bed jackets and towelling dresses in the window) and described what I was looking for to the elderly assistant - a struggle because of the language barrier and her ineffective hearing aid.  Inside the shop was like stepping back in time, the assistant took her ladder into the back room and came back with piles of flat tissue lined boxes and I proceeded to try on robe after robe.................nothing quite right, although the assistant was selling hard, then she opened one box and quickly snapped it shut - I asked about the contents and she said it was a mistake really, but I could have a look...........she obviously hated it, I loved it, she must have rushed around the other girls in the shop saying "I've finally sold that thing"..........anyway here it is

 - a bargain with the 20% discount I managed to get, and exactly what I was looking for but could not describe