Roma

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We spent this past weekend in Rome.
Rome was not the golden, rosy town I recalled from my honeymoon. It is noisy, dirty, polluted and traffic-infested. It was not lovely or romantic. I was not drifting down streets gently washed by rain, or standing alone in the shaft of light shining through the roof of the Pantheon, or gazing at a lovely sunset as I lounge alongside the Tiber, or standing, practically alone, on the Spanish steps.
That was, of course, my honeymoon.
Our first day was a bit difficult for the kids in some ways--lots of sightseeing, lots of time trying to find our way around. It was redeemed by my nephew, Will, who is spending his semester abroad here in Rome--he spent his entire weekend hanging out with us. We cruised by the Colosseum, took a quick look at some monuments and ruins, and hit Piazza Navone for some music and street performance, then dinner. Things were going okay until the long trip home on the city bus. A political protest caused the police to close streets near the forum, creating a traffic jam of Roman proportions and a crush on our bus that left the kids gasping for air. And then there was the walk home.
Our room (not quite the "bed and breakfast" advertised) was in an apartment building near the Termini train station. Our particular block seemed to have recently been a crime scene. A woman's effects, emptied wallet and purse were strewn on the sidewalk. A man, apparently sick, injured or on drugs was lying in a fountain. There were (human!) feces on the sidewalk, a hooker on the corner, and in the middle of the street, some men looking around nervously while speaking into cell phones. We hurried inside and locked up.
The next morning, bolstered by a lot of coffee (but not sleep), we headed to St. Peter's to meet Will. We pushed our way in, fought our way out, crowds huge for--who knew?--a Papal mass. The big screen were rolling when we got back outside so that everyone could see and hear, but there wasn't much of a gathering for that. No good view of Brunelleschi's altar piece, or the Pieta for us! But lots of red hats. And the scale and grandeur of the place was still impressive.
We then headed to the Borghese Gardens and fooled around, renting bikes and trying out our bad Italian. We looked at views of the city above the Piazza del Popolo and walked from there down wide streets to Largo Argentina, the site of some ruins which also serve as a cat sanctuary, where we petted beautiful kittens.
We then headed to Trastevere to see Will's digs. We spent the evening running around in the rain through a charming warren of streets that is said to be the most Roman part of Rome, filled with bars and trattorias and osterias. We had drinks and then ducked into restaurant Il DuCa where a wood fired oven was going, to get warm and dry. We ate roast chicken and potatoes, pizza and fettucine and ravioli and declared ourselves happy. Replete, we headed outside again to find the little streets packed with people drinking, walking, talking, eating, a buzz in the air. Will says it is like that every night, all night. Loved all of it.
We got on the tram to go home, saying goodby to Will, leaving him happy, a student in Rome. And the ride home! First the tram, fast, efficient, then the city bus. We stood in the front, by the driver, giving us a tall and wide view of the city streets. It was a wild ride, the driver swooping around corners full speed, dramatically wiping his brow and swearing in Italian as pedestrians scattered and cars swerved in and out of the way. I did the same thing I do when riding a roller coaster--I couldn't stop laughing.
Rome was suddenly beautiful again.
Spent the next morning in the lovely Museum of Rome, where I was entranced by ancient statuary and stunning mosaics. Made me rethink my choice of careers. Boarded the train, feeling a bit wistful, wishing I had made it to Trevi fountain, to throw in my coin as I had a dozen years ago.

*A word about the dearth of photos--our camera conked out on this weekend and Ari had his stolen from a park bench in Borghese Gardens! These were all courtesy of Gabriel. We lost many photos, but hopefully our memories will endure (and Will can send along a few that he took!).

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Comments

[Tina Om]

hi adrienne & family. beautiful. you successfully transported me for aobut 10 minutes. :) t.