"La Dolce Vita" a Rome Travel Page by SFHulaGIrl

"Love and understand the Italians, for the people are more marvelous than the land."

E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread

Situated on the Tiber River, the Eternal City is packed with historic and artistic masterpieces; it contains the vestiges of more than 2000 years of inhabitation. In fact, there is so much to see that it can be overwhelming. On the plus side, Rome is relatively compact and perfect for walking. Around every bend is an unexpected surprise.

I'd been to Rome once before, but hadn't thought much of it the first time. Maybe it's because I'd been in a rush, or maybe it was because it was the last part of my trip. This time around, Rome was the second stop of my Italian sojourn, and I was quite excited to see it in a more leisurely manner.

Rome was hot and humid, and so much seemed to be going on. My hotel room was small, but the guy at the reception desk was model quality! If that was my first impression of Rome this time, so be it! I saw Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Vittorio Emmanuele Monument, the Spanish Steps, and so much more. I lounged on the Spanish Steps with my orange soda, I bought leather gloves and Italian sunglasses, I drank prosecco and wine and ate cheese... What a perfect day that initial one was. In the evening, I wandered over to the Castel Sant'Angelo, which was the monument I was most interested in seeing. The bridge leading to it is guarded by angels on both sides, and it gave me the strangest feeling of being watched/protected at night. I went inside the next day for a more thorough examination, and still had that feeling.

Early on Sunday morning, before most of Rome was awake, I put on a T-shirt, skirt, and slippers, tied my hair up, and walked all along the Lungotevere to the Porto Portese flea market in Trastevere. That was the most relaxing moment of my entire trip. It wasn't very hot yet, it was peaceful, and the trees and bridges and everything about Rome was beautiful. The Porto Portese flea market was massive. I skipped all of the cheap clothing and car parts to look at antiques and jewelry and old books. I wanted to take everything home with me, but settled for a couple of old rosaries (which I collect) and a pair of antique cufflinks. I wondered who had held those rosaries for their first communion.

That afternoon I had an appointment with my friend, Gian Maria. We'd met over the computer, but never in person. We'd never even seen pictures of the other. He was waiting outside my hotel, though, promptly at our appointed time; it was me that was a few minutes late! We got along easily, and he spent more than 10 hours showing me all over Rome -- the Aurelian walls, the baths of Caracalla, all types of archaeological sites that I would never have seen without him... Since he'd studied Latin and is a history buff, he was literally a plethora of information. Some day I hope to return the favor by showing him around San Francisco, or wherever I end up living in the next year or two.

My love-hate relationship with Rome from the first two trips prompted me to make a third trip to settle my feelings for La Dolce Vita once and for all. After 9 straight days spent there, I've come to terms with this city. I know that I no longer hate her, but do I "heart" her? Let's just say that I'm working on a love affair with her.