Beautiful Rome

There may be friends who disagree with me, but I think Rome is a beautiful and charming city ... for the most part.  Perhaps I feel that way because I've only been there a handful of times.  Perhaps it's because my very first "view" of Rome was from the balcony of the Cavalieri Hotel, an absolutely stunning hotel with an even more stunning view.  This view of Rome was my first ever, since we had arrived at the hotel late the previous night.

I think it's also because of those wonderful Stone Pine and Cyprus trees everywhere, and that generally speaking it's a pretty green city.

It's also because I have been with some of the people I love most on all but one of my trips. 

As mentioned in a previous post, we rented a "flat" (apartment, condo ... take your pick), on the 4th floor in a building literally around the corner from the Colosseum.  It had a small kitchen (obviously not set up for serious cooking, but that's ok), a living room which could also be closed off and used for a private bedroom, a master bedroom with an attached bathroom, a second bedroom and a second bathroom.  So much more comfortable for a family traveling together than a typical hotel room, and less expensive than a decent hotel room.  I usually use VRBO; there's also AirBnB and HomeAway.  Marco, the owner, even provided us with a PlayNPak for Zoe. 

We had dinner the first night at a restaurant across the street from the Colosseum.  What a view for dinner!

Sterling joined us the next day. 

On Saturday, we bought tickets for the Big Bus sightseeing double-decker bus, which, as I've said before, is a great way to get an overview of a city (Sterling had never been before).  They provide ear buds for a running commentary, which is provided in a multitude of languages.  The bus makes a circuit of the most popular sites, and you can get on and off as much as you want during the time period purchased.

 

Here is the tribute that tells the story of Rome's founding.  Twins Remus and Romulus were born to Rhea Silvia and the God Mars.  They were abandoned as babies in the Tiber River, where they were found and nurtured by a she-wolf and a woodpecker.  Later a family of shepherds took them in and raised them.  After they had grown into natural leaders, they found out who they really were and killed their uncle Amulius, who had caused them to be abandoned as babies.  However, they argued about where Rome should be founded and Remus ended up being killed.  The surviving twin, Romulus, named the new city after himself.  

On the first circuit, the only place we got off and spent time at was the Vatican stop.  Kris and family went on one of the tours.  I have been on this tour every time I've come to Rome, including a private tour after hours for our group there in 2007.  So I elected to sit in the entry plaza, ate biscotto gelato (delicious!), wrote in my journal, and watched people.  Here's some of my musings that day: 

I'm sitting on a bench in the sunshine outside the Vatican, having just finished a biscotto gelato.  It seems that there is something going on today, judging by the hundreds of people sitting on chairs in the square.  Maybe it's just a regular Mass. 

I'd rather people watch than go on a tour today.  I'm a people watcher wherever I go, and doing so in an international location such as this is just that much more interesting.  For example, a gentleman just walked by pulling two large suitcases behind him, headed toward St. Peter's Square.  Why does he have his luggage?  Is he just passing through Rome, trying to see something of the city before moving on, the same way we were in Paris?  Did he have no place to leave his bags?  Or maybe he just didn't know a place like Bagages du Monde exists. Or maybe it doesn't exist in Rome.   

A bit later ...

A huge group of middle school aged kids just went by.  Are they local kids?  If so, how cool would it be to have such an awesome site available for a field trip?  Or maybe it's not all that cool to them and they take it for granted.  Or perhaps they're from somewhere else and they're on a grand trip. 

Kids are not very prevalent here.  Maybe that's why Atti and Zoe have been free wherever we go. 

It is still sunny and warm as I wait for the kids to finish their tour.  My only discomfort is a cold, numb butt from sitting on a stone bench.  I alternate it with sitting on my lumpy, but somewhat softer and definitely warmer purse.  I may end up using my purse as a pillow and lay down.  I haven't been sleeping all that great, and the warm sun is definitely giving me heavy eyes. 

Later that night, after we had returned to the flat and had dinner, we took an Uber ride to the Trevi Fountain area.  The weather was mild and the crowds relatively thin at the Fountain, a wonderful combination in which to stroll, window shop and yes, enjoy more people watching. 



Sterling returned on Warsaw on Sunday (since he has a job and everything, lol).  Since Kris and I had purchased a second day on the Big Bus, we decided to just ride the circuit on Sunday.  By the time we got going, and rode the circuit (a couple of hours), it was definitely time for lunch and Zoe's nap.  The only negative was that we ended up having to sit on the bus at the Termini station for a half hour.  The day before we just had to get on a different bus to continue on.  Kris and I were joking that the driver was enjoying his lunch and a cigarette break, but that was probably the truth.  Unfortunately, by that time the kids were really getting hungry and tired, so we could have done without the wait.

Later, after Zoe's nap, we took a taxi to the Piazza Novano.  This is a huge "square" (actually it's more of a rectangle) with one of Rome's numerous fountains at the center (Fountain of the Four Rivers, 1651).  The perimeter of the piazza is filled with restaurants, gelato, art shops and souvenir shops.  One of the best places is a toy shop called Al Sogno, with long time favorites and a wonderful private collection display.  It's too bad it was so crowded and small - we could have spent hours in there.



We ended the night with yet one more Italian meal.  Here is one thing about Rome you should know.  At least in our experience, almost all restaurants offer the same Italian menu.  Yes, it's wonderful food for the most part, and we were in Italy after all.  But after several meals from basically the same menu, we found ourselves craving something (anything!) different.  As we drove around Rome on the Big Bus and by taxi, we did see other cuisines from time to time, but really they were few and far between.  I realize that this is something I have failed to appreciate about the U.S. fully - the diversity of our culture and cuisine.

Another benefit of renting through a private owner is that they're often more flexible about late check-out.  Marco didn't have anyone coming in on Monday, so he was okay for us to stay until 2 or 3 pm.  It really would have been a pain in the butt to have to be out of there at 11 or 12.  So we all slept in on Monday.  The kids desperately needed a bath, but there weren't any bath tubs in Marco's flat.  Zoe ended up taking a bath in the oversize sink in the master bath, and I talked Atti into taking a shower after I showed him how he could use the hand-held and wouldn't have to get his hair or face wet.