"IMPRESSIONS OF ROMA" a Rome Travel Page by Pawtuxet

So many things can be said about Rome. The art and architecture and history and romance....the food, the wine...the sun setting on the terra cotta buildings....the men selling roasted chestnuts on the streets.
I've travelled in Italy twice and been overwhelmed with the beauty each time. On my second trip, I travelled with my friend, Marianne who was in search of her family's roots, and my daughter, Susan who has adored Italy since she first spent a summer there at 12 years old. The three of us wandered, ate, drank, and absorbed...loving all of it. We had the opportunity to visit my friend's cousin in a neighborhood outside the city. That was a special treat for me, as I always enjoy getting "into" a city to observe everyday life...after I've seen the obvious monuments, statues, cathedrals, fountains and plazas.
Because you can learn about the history and special sites on many VT pages, I will reflect on the impressions it has left with me over the years. I hope it will be helpful in thinking about your travels or reminiscing your own trip.

We wandered into the plaza and were about to climb the steps, when a horse and carriage pulled up at the base of the stairs. Out of the carriage emerged these absolutely stunning women dressed in the most outrageously beautiful costumes...with their faces covered by masks. Swirling the skirts of their gowns, they swept up the stairs .... dramatic in their every step. It was theater at its finest. Magnificently they posed at the top on the landing and allowed all of the passers-by to photograph them in all their finery. They never spoke or abandoned their persona, but behaved as regally as anyone could have. Eventually they descended the steps as fluidly as they had ascended, and stepped back into their carriage to be carried away.....leaving all of us staring in wonderment at the spectacle we had just been treated to.
We never figured out why they did it...we didn't know of any special holiday or occasion for it...and there was no follow-up or explanation. It was just a special dramatic Roman moment.