The Italian Job

What better way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend, than in the sunshine in Rome. Especially when London was being her usual wet grey blanket. Lana, Dave, Iain and I headed off to Rome on Friday amidst a few flight delays (Italian time = African time) and some glasses of red wine to arrive late in the night for a hellish cab ride to our hotel. Who ever said women were bad drivers, needs to go to Rome. That being said, I'd hate to know what a woman Italian driver is like. Lanes mean nothing and over taking is considered a challenge or a test of man hood and should only be done when there are numerous vehicles oncoming. And at speeds well in excess of those capable of the little Fiat Panda we were in. Thank goodness Iain and Dave were gentleman enough to let me get in on the drivers side. There were a few instances where eyes were closed and a "Hail Mary" was said. When in Rome..

The next morning, after we had found Dave his caffiene and nicotine fix, we set out with our walking shoes on. Rome, having only two metro lines, is a place you walk around. But it's a good thing as you never know when you're going to stumble on a quaint little piazza or round a corner and find a cafe that makes the best brushetta or espresso (and these were two of our benchmarks for a good cafe.. the litmus test as it were). Iain, having proven himself as tour guide extrordanaire in New York, took ownership of the map and next thing we knew we had stumbled upon the Trevi fountain, complete with gorgeous rennasiance figures and crystal clear water. Not to mention the obligatory American tourists. Given that only 10% of Americans apparently have passports, I think most of them were in Rome this last weekend. The warm sunshine made the clear, blue water all the more inviting but instead we threw in a few cents for luck. We then wound our way through some side streets to the Spanish steps. On the way down the steps, I spotted a gorgeous little roof top Garden and restaurant. If I ever get tired of the corporate world.. maybe one day!

From there we headed to the Piazza del Popollo, the intact Cathedral of Maria del Popolo and the beautiful gardens nearby. Beautiful vistas, some of the cleanest public toilets in Rome and knocking over cones used by roller balders were among the highlights. With grumbling tummies, we then headed for a stroll down Via Condotti, Rome's answer to 5th Avenue. Iain was kind enough to restrain me, remove my credit cards and reassure me that I could go shopping wiuth Dave when we go to support him in the NY Marathon in November. We then found a gorgeous little cafe oin via della croce for Penne Arribiata and a much needed espresso help put a spring back in our steps after a lot of walking. Sated and satisfied, we headed for the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona, complete with quaint window boxes, cafes and a perfect spot for people watching. And the Italians are nothing if not interesting. Dragging ourselves away, we headed for the river Tiber to cross the Ponte Sant' Angelo to the Castel Sant' Angelo. Complete with the worst public toilets in Rome and beautiful views of Saint Peters Bascillica from a little cafe, we settled down to a glass of vinno rosso. We had great fun watching some nuns scurrying about on roof tops, while Iain and Dave recounted from memory, the history of the Roman Aqueduct (a la History channel). Suffering from, as Dave would say, "Dry mouth", we made our way through some Oompa Loompah band parade to the cafes just off the Piazza Navona for a bottle and a bit of Prossecco, whilst being serenaded by a Saxaphanist and watching tourists try and get their mouths around some of the biggest Gelatis known to man. After much merriment, we found another spot for Gnocchi a la Gorgonzola, and more bruschetta. The waiter, being friendly and looking for a tip, spent much time discussing wine choices and convinced us to try a Tuscan wine. Good advice, which had us hooked for the rest of the wine and to the extent that we cleaned out the duty free stock of that wine at the airport on the way out.

The next morning we arose early again in search of a double espresso before heading to the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Amazing to see what they once built and the thoughts of the ‘sport’ that took place there was not as amazing. Luckily I have my comic book visions of Asterix & Obelix to liven it up a bit. Some American tourist next to me that due to the Roman’s importing animals from conquered countries, that the dungeons below had the most diverse plant life found anywhere in the world. Hmm.. I suppose the Amazon doesn’t count? Later that afternoon, after strolling along the river, we made it back to a little café near the Piazza Navona for many glasses of Prossecco and a few other things. Dave mastered his Italian after a few rounds and simplified his life by ordering new rounds with the twist of a wrist and two words: “Same, More”. Simple, but it works! Well, it worked until we heard what sounded like a splattering of rain, only to find out that a massive pigeon had flown overhead and blessed Dave and Iain. Lana and I were very thankful to be sitting under the umbrella at the streetside café. After spending a few hours there, we moved two doors down to a recommended café for pesto linguine, a few more bottles of wine, grappa topped espresso before winding our way home. We had planned on taking the metro line that was closest, but lo and behold it was closed. So, but some stroke of genius (or bird poo) I managed to flag a cab down in the middle of no where. I did however say a small prayer of thanks the next morning for our luck, which continued when we made it inside St Peters Bascillica with no queue. We climbed right to the top, over 333 steps, skew staircases and all, but the view from inside the dome and at the top over Rome was amazing. Dave and I spent a good 5 minutes trying to decide which big house in the Vatican city the Pope lived in. Finally exiting the massive bascillica, we joined the hour long queue, which snaked along the streets, for the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum. The frescos, Raphael rooms and roof of the Sistine chapel made the irritating masses of tourists worth it. But I won’t be queueing for a while, I can tell you that. As we left, a light rain started and only really started to pour when we made our way into a Pizzeria for a last Italian Lunch, some Chianti and of course, Tiramisu. Perfect way to end a perfect 3 days.