3 posts tagged “rome”
It was around 90 degrees at the Trevi Fountain in Rome when we took this photo. You'd think there'd be a water fountain around, but noooooo!
You can tell by the straps, bags, tour guide radios (called Vox, by the way) and sunglasses how non-native we are to Rome. I can deal with looking like a tourist, but Rome is particularly noteworthy for its acute lack of benches and water fountains.
And this was in the morning -- before it got hot!
Hate $4.50/gallon gasoline? Then here's a sampling of the typical cars that will try to run you down on the streets of Rome:
Yes, they're small. And some hardly qualify as cars. But the great thing about these economical little vehicles is that you're always bound to find a parking space.
We were in Italy last week. I left the laptop in the States, wanting to disconnect from my plugged-in life.
They don't observe the Fourth of July in Italy, and our British tour guide wasn't terribly enthusiastic when JK asked if we could purchase fireworks in Rome. (Apparently not.) We had to explain to Ms. British Colony (not England, she insisted) what our holiday celebrates. Not a heartwarming moment.
As the week went on, we discovered that our British tour guide wasn't thrilled with our American family. Rigid schedules just don't synch with our idea of a vacation.
(More on the tour guide later.)
We were newcomers to European travel, so we chose to let the tour people introduce us to Italy. Rome was our first stop. Our little hotel -- better thought of as a pension, if it were in France -- was a bit spartan. A heat wave swept Italy, so we tried not to wipe ourselves out in the extreme heat. Luckily, the subway in Rome was air-conditioned -- and pretty easy to figure out.
Of course, we visited the Colosseum. It's undergoing some restoration; I kept looking for the sky boxes.
Food: You quickly discover that the definition of "pizza" varies widely. One very nice trattoria served us something like cheese and tomatoes on a glorified baked tortilla. Other places had thicker crust, but no tomato.
Another realization: the Italian economy is built on gelaterias. They outnumber bars. Gelato is always tasty on a hot day, but I wouldn't have minded a decent iced tea, either.
I shot about 1,000 photos on this trip. (Rome, Florence, Assisi, Siena, Padua, Venice, and a few places time forgot.) Out of decency, I'll try not to bore you with every one. But I'm fond of this ristorante shot -- largely because it doesn't show your usual tourist-filled view. The car speeding through the shot is typical Rome; drivers stop for nothing except baby strollers and nuns.
