Benvenuto a Roma!

Sorry for the delay, but we've been conquering Rome by foot these last three days with the Holy Roman Empire, the Pope and the Borghese's taking up all our time. And when one has a schedule that includes such company there are few extra hours (or energy) left to write about them. Needless to say from the company we're keeping, Rome is absolutely incredible. It is fast-paced, crowded, loud, touristy, authentic, fancy, chic, ancient, mysterious, spiritual...probably everything a place could be, Rome is. The city is hard to describe because while parts appear and feel like other large European cities, like Paris, Rome is really like no where else. Rome's history spans about two and a half thousand years and it is often referred to as one of the birthplaces of western civilization. Because of that the city has a very powerful essence about it that reaches far beyond the droves of tourists.

We're scheduled to reside in Rome until Sunday and since we arrived in here with a seasoned tourist's vengeance three days ago, reservations for all sites printed and in hand, we've pretty much conquered all the major attractions. So in an effort to not make this post an endless scroll of pictures and to keep you coming back and reading, I'll divide it all up into a couple of days.

Arrival from Florence, First Night

After a near miss of a train cancellation in Florence on Monday, due to what we think was a train strike, we boarded Trinitalia once again and headed to Rome. The trip was 3.5 hours but was easy, comfortable and relaxing...until we arrived. Let's just say our hotel was one kilometer from the train station and it took close to an hour and a half to actually get there, mainly due to quite a series of events. First, we walked for 10 minutes just on the platform, just to get to the station from the train; the train could not have parked further away. Then a cab tried to charge 25 Euros PLUS 5 Euros per bag to go the one kilometer (Rich promptly said "Um, no, are you crazy?" and made him unload everything) (we have since done our research on the cab situation here...Rule #1 Look for the crest of the Holy Roman Empire...seriously). Next, after descending underground, the deepest I've ever gone to ride a subway (perhaps the deepest ever, for any reason) and walking the furthest I've ever walked in a subway system (all with our 50 lb rolling suitcases don't forget), Rich didn't make it off the train in time at our stop, the doors shut and off he went. We reunited about 10 minutes later, still underground, and only after an unnecessarily long ascent to the street (without elevators) the grit and graffiti were quickly washed away by gorgeous magnolia lined streets and beautiful outdoor trattorias. Ahhh, how wonderful familiarity is....the familiarity of a Westin in the non-gritty part of town. Note to Rich: No subways for the duration of this trip.

After a nice long shower and a short stint in the hotel robe and slippers (to completely wipe away the terrible bout with the subway) we headed out to dinner and what a walk it turned out to be. It was the most beautiful introduction to Rome we could have had and one of the most impressive walks to and from a dinner I've ever experienced.

Our train, at the very bottom, Roma Termini 13:12, followed by the list of the stops it makes...
narrowly missing the effects of a train strike -- what luck!

This is how you end up when you haul a 50 pound suitcase through Rome's subway tunnels...

The Pantheon!!! We just happened upon it on the way to dinner!!

We officially visited it, along with it's inside yesterday, so there will be much more 

of it's wonder and history to come.

The Temple of Hadrian!! 

Over 2000 years of history seen within a couple of blocks on the way to dinner.

So amazing.

This was old-school Roman dining at its best. 

Trattoria Costanza is located in the basement of the Theater of Pompey 

which was a structure in Ancient Rome dating back to 52 B.C.

It was one of the first permanent (non-wooden) theaters in Rome. 

As for the current establishment, the food was simple and classic, 

the waiters friendly and the house wine was fantastic.

We also met a wonderful family from Kansas who we chatted with the whole meal.

The walk home, post-dinner.

I think the real magic and mystery of Rome comes alive after dark.

The center of the piazza across from the Pantheon.

The Trevi Fountain!! Three huge sites in one evening!!

It's much more impressive at night, mainly because the hundreds of tourists

kind of disappear into the darkness...but it was still insanely crowded.

This picture also doesn't capture it's massive scale.

Told you it was crowded...and it's worse during the day.

Standing 85 ft high and 65 wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city 

and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

The history of the fountain is lengthy so I won't bore you with it.

 

Another thing I won't bore you with is pictures like this, but it's our 4th Anniversary today (Thursday)

so I have to commemorate it and the sillier the better.