Roma, Italy, Tuesday 22 September
I know we’ve only just met, I know we have little in common and I know I am only here for a week – but I am absolutely infatuated. Rome is gorgeous. This could be love.
I can’t remember why I didn’t make it to Rome when I was in Italy in the mid 80’s but it is been around the top of my must visit places ever since. Last night when I arrived I confess I felt a little crest fallen. After four flights, over 30 hours of flying and hanging around in airports, I was anticipating a little more of a welcome. The streets were so quiet at 11pm that I thought it really must have been Sunday (probably does take a long time to recover from mass?) But no, it was Monday as it was supposed to be and it was just quiet…I guess the Roman equivalent of ER was on.
Took a sleeping pill and when I woke at seven this morning, felt 100% better than I had. The first thing I did was open the long white windows into the room and push the dark wooden shutters outside, to take in the view across the Piazza de Accademia where I am staying (there is something rather freeing about throwing open shutters, so good in fact that if it persists I will have to think about getting shutters at home!). The sun was out, the air was warm, there was quiet Italian chatter on the street and the bells of a local clock were softly chiming the quarter hour (yes…truly!). It was a delightful start to the day.
I am in a very typical Roma Hotel for two days, my room is about the entire size of my kitchen and let’s just say the styling is err…’retro’ Italian. At the bargain price of NZ $540 for two nights (usually NZ$650!) its proximity to the sights is a big plus. I had forgotten the value of space in Europe, everything feels squeezed. As I made room in the tiny lift this morning for five others and some luggage, I took ‘uno momento’ to appreciate the great kiwi lifestyle.
The point of being here for two nights is so that I am in the centre of things and can explore easily on foot before I move to slightly more glamorous accommodation but which is a little away from the centre which means a longer walk into the action each day. My plan therefore was to explore from here the southern sights as well as the obvious ones by the hotel.
Err easier said than done!
One minute up the cobbled street is the Trevi Fountain, probably the monument I have most associated with Rome, I suspect since seeing La Dolce Vita or Roman Holiday. Five minutes later (of course I went the wrong way as I left the hotel - it took me four minutes to get back on track!). I could hear the water flow from 100 metres away. And then there it was, Fontana di Trevi. Quite spectacular. Bigger than I thought…and I had always imagined that one could walk around it, ah not so. I definitely need to read more Roman mythology, I recognized Neptune but none of the other figures. Also unexpectedly spectacular was the crowd of people gathered with me at 9am to appreciate the Fountain. Easily a couple of hundred!( and this has only grown to more as I have passed it three times during the day). After easily spending 30 minutes contemplating the sights (read people watching) from various views, not throwing in a coin (I only had notes on me) and soaking it all up I headed in the direction I wanted to take in the atmosphere and browse some shops (I was magically lulled into a lovely little shoe shop quite early in the piece and … ). I found myself at the ‘Vittoriano’ a massive neo-classical structure at the end of an Avenue built to celebrate the unity of Italy. Never heard of it, but was struck by the impressive bronze sculptures of chariots sitting on top of the building, one of them is very similar to the Tarot card image called the Chariot which signifies travel which so engaged me I seem to have missed one of a pair of fountains which I learned afterward was called the ‘Triumph of Work’. Hmm.
Wandered back towards the direction I came from being very adventurous and taking different streets. Did a little shopping in a supermarket I came across, not going to explain it but I love to poke around supermarkets when I am not at home, and bought some antipasto treats for my in-room dinner tonight.
Began heading back to the hotel and found I had done a complete 180 and was back at the chariots. Got my direction sorted and tried again, this time dodging traffic like a local and not distracted by shops.
The temperature was about 25 when I got back the hotel around 1pm and as I wanted to have a yummy first day lunch I checked into my map to learn I had gone in completely the opposite direction than I had intended, a few hundred metres and I would have been at the Colosseo. I studied the map carefully and made a plan to stay central for lunch. Needless to say it was a complete waste of time. I found myself in the lovely neighbourhood of Pincio (sp?), five mins from where I will be from tomorrow and the completely opposite area to where I was intending to head.
A surprise to me is how clean it is everywhere. I’ve seen no rubbish anyway. The other thing is how friendly the locals seem to be. Perhaps they are laughing at my attempts to use the seven words of Italian I know. And I wouldn’t blame them.
I had a lovely long lunch at a small seafood eatery… somehere…I wanted to have octopus here. I love it but probably haven’t had it since I was in Sydney last. I chose a place that looked to be frequented by local business people and joined them outside (more expensive to eat on the street which seems odd especially in summer). I had an Octopus starter (two whole baby Octapii or Octopus(?) done simply in red wine) and a seafood Rissotto which was very very good. I had to buy by wine by the half bottle (no by the glass) and confess that after several sips I remembered I had jet lag. My smiling waiter thought it a delightful request to find me a cork so I could take the rest of the bottle with me. When he handed me back the bottle he winked and signaled to me that he had sorted the bottle for me. Indeed I had noticed. He had topped it up! (Don’t ask me any questions, I don’t know.)
Now, back in my room, the shutters are open again and the tourists are streaming by under the window. I am writing so as not to succumb to sleep until it is the right time. This is therefore rather lengthy. Every now and again, motor scooters zipping up the street and tooting and every 15 minutes I hear the delightful chimes. There is also now the occasional really rather loud cloppity- clop of horses hooves (tourist horse and carriage), I can’t help but imagine the roar that would have been made as hundreds of hooves and stones connected when the roman armies were gathering.
The sky has now turned grey and there has been several loud thunder rolls and a little lightening. Being in the playground of the Roman gods during a storm is a lovely place of fantasy. It will be an early night for me, I want to get into the time zone as quickly as I can, there is way too much to enjoy. Buonanotte.
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