Our Travels

Heading out on November 20, we were surprised to find a handy sign outside the gate pointing us in the right direction. That’s right, we were headed to the big boy – Roma. That which was, at one time, the center of the world for goodness’ sake!

---

In renting Villa Perlata, we’d positioned ourselves for a two-hour drive to the Rome Fiumicino Airport, where we’d arranged to return the rental car and take car service into the city. We DID NOT want to be driving in Rome. (See? Proper planning. We can still do it!)

Under a brooding sky, we headed for Rome. The drive was nicely uneventful, except for a mile or so of highway covered by …

---

We marveled our way past the birds to the airport, which is 20 miles outside of the city. It’s weird to think Rome with all its strength is not on the water. You know, on a big port or something. The ride into the city was as crazy as expected, and the driver screeched to a stop at the door of the apartment building where the owner was waiting on the busy sidewalk to greet us.

Once we’d unpacked, we looked at each other and said, “Well, we’re in Rome. Now what?”

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So, let’s walk. And eat.

Before stepping out, Todd surprised Susie with the random bit of trivia that fettuccine alfredo was invented in Rome. (He can’t remember where he put his sleep pants, but he knows the origin of fettuccine alfredo??) 🙂 You don’t say, she asks? So, he proceeded to look it up, and found, “Hey, it’s close!” We went downstairs to get our bearings only to look up and see the sign on the next building over. Our first meal in Rome!

---

Now how do we quickly sum up a six-day visit to Rome? Truthfully, it simply can’t be done. There is so much history, so much extraordinary architecture, so much beauty, so much bustling about and so much shopping. Oh, and the great food and the people! (Not to mention nearly a thousand photos.) All that one might hope to find in an amazing world-renowned city. Wow! So, here are just a few architectural sights:

---

In our wanderings, we stepped into many historic churches all over the city. In one we found a long line of people waiting to look into a large mirror on the floor. Huh? We did the mutual shoulder shrug, skipped the mirror thing, snapped a few shots, and agreed to research it later.

Turns out the Jesuit church of Saint Ignazio was originally designed to include a glorious dome, but the money ran out during construction in 1642. What? No dome?? What’s a church family to do? Jesuit brother and painter Andrea Pozzo proposed a unique solution, offering to paint a life-sized illusion of a dome and barreled ceiling that would fool the eyes of visitors (as long as they looked up from the proper angle). His false masterpiece, painted between 1685 and 1694 on a single 56-foot canvas, still deceives the eye today! The church has kindly marked the correct spot on the floor and added a mirror for the best viewing angle.

With roots back to a smaller church of the 1400’s, the Basilica San Carlo al Corso (below) is dedicated to Saint Ambrose and Saint Charles Borromeo, the patron saints of Milan, in recognition of their valuable construction work on the Sistine Chapel. Susie appreciated the little cutie waiting outside.

---

Visible from most of the old city is the towering Victor Emanuele II National Monument, the Vittorio, or colloquially known as “The Wedding Cake.” Interestingly, with all the ancient history in Rome, this monument is relatively new and one of the most important.

Alert! History coming!

In simple terms, the U.S. is older than Italy!

In 1861, while in the United States of America we were fighting ourselves, what we now know as Italy was created!

To celebrate and in honor of the first King of Italy, they built this amazing monument, reflecting both the really old style and the modern on the big Capitoline Hill. And wow, is it B-I-G!

---

As said, we can’t possibly cover it all. Here are just a few random fun shots:

Out and about:

---

We walked everywhere, easily averaging more than 6 miles (9 km 🙂 per day, all whilst watching – and sometimes dodging – the crazy drivers navigating the roads. Truth be told, the city has a large ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato or Limited Traffic Zone). No permit = very bad/expensive fine. We completely understand why they don’t want “just anybody” trying to drive around the old city!

---

Friday afternoon we went looking for a little restaurant that was recommended as being off the beaten “touristy” path and arrived to find at least a dozen teenagers hanging out in the doorway (good sign, but why aren’t they in school?). We were pointed to a tight back corner next to another couple already dining. After exchanging courteous “Buon Giorno’s,” the female patron sweetly asked, “Parla Inglese?” (Do you speak any English?) Hot diggity dog! Our “Buon Giorno” was so good we came off as Italian!! 😉 Dang skippy! We laughed. They laughed. And thus, we met Gonzo & Yvonne from New Orleans. Small world.

We got together a couple of days later for an English-speaking church service before sharing lunch and exploring into the evening hours.

---

While in Rome, we walked and walked, but we also ate and ate… and, well, you get the drift.