When in Rome...

Monday, 6/13

Our plane arrived in Rome at about 10:30 a.m. local time. We disembarked directly onto the tarmac to find the sky clear, warm, and a light breeze blowing. As a shuttle bus appeared to take us to the terminal, we glimpsed our first bit of country side in the distance. Green trees, rolled and bundled piles of hay, beautiful...but not the modern day city we had expected Rome to be. Indeed we were not in the city proper yet. A quick walk through the airport, following graphics of a train on the signs over head, landed us across the street at the train station, where we effectively purchased tickets from a machine, time stamped it in the red, box-like contraption that keeps you from getting a 100 euro fine and about 15 minutes later, boarded the train for Termini. (This was a cheap ticket, therefore not one we wanted to put on our 15 day flexipass). As we sped past old stone shacks, each one had a garden out back and I was fascinated to see that they are growing many of the same things I am at home in my garden. Squash and tomato plants abound. I even spotted some pomegranate trees and grape vines in backyards. As we approached the city ancient looking apartment buildings rose to towering heights, each one decorated with rooftop and balcony gardens and a parade of colorful laundry hung out to dry. When we finally arrived at the train station we began the backpack laden trek through the underground to find the metro blue line, which surprisingly we did find with little trouble. At another machine, we each got a one euro ticket to ride the underground to a stop just about a block or two from our hotel. We wandered about looking for our hotel. We knew we were close, we had directions, we had found the correct street, yet the actual hotel eluded us. We took off our backpacks by an inviting public fountain that looked safe enough and reread our directions. Once we had the street number we came to terms with the fact that Roman street addresses are often out of order and skip around, going up and down as they please. We finally found our number beside a heavy wooden door (almost gate like), very easy to walk past, which marked the entrance to the pension. We hit the buzzer and the door unlocked, ushering us into a charming little courtyard, completely invisible from the street we had just come from. We followed a sign up some stairs and found the soft spoken but friendly inn-keeper who let us know he'd gotten our room ready early. He chivalrously took my back pack from me, swung it onto his shoulder, and led Greg and I back through the courtyard and up another flight of stairs, through another imposing wooden door into a marble floored corridor. Down this hall were doors with no numbers, we were given a key to the second one on the left. It is small, charming and very clean . Marble floors as well, with decorative crown moulding. We were given a ring with three keys for each of the doors we had to pass through, and were left to peer out the shutter clad window down to the cobbled street where a gypsy woman sat breast feeding a toddler.

After a brief rest and some soap to wash the plane off, we were back on street in search of our first Italian pizza. Our inn-keeper gave us directions to the best, fresh pizza rustica, just around the block. "You try!" he insisted. So we did. We found the shop under an unassuming neon sign stating simply, "PIZZA." Inside we marveled at all the different varieties of toppings that decorated the pizzas, all displayed on a cutting board. We selected cheese and squash blossom. We learned through observation that you point at which one you want, they gesture with the knife how big of a slice and you, gesture bigger or smaller. Then the slice warms in the oven while you grab a drink and pay. The crust was so fresh but crisp, the cheese a million levels of flavor and texture and the squash blossoms certainly picked that morning due to their crisp yet tender flavor added another level of pleasure. I think I shall have to eat pizza each day I am in Rome. Same goes for gelato. We've already split a crema and pineapple after lunch, and then indulged in other rich flavors after dinner. I can't say enough about the food, but enough about the food for now. We did burn some calories just exploring our area today. We caught a glimpse of the Colosseum as we walked down the street our hotel is on. So casually, Greg spied it and said, "Oh look, isn't that the Colosseum?" just as one would say, "Oh look there is the post office!" It is surreal to be walking around and see columns, archaeological dig sites, and amazing sculptures right in the middle of this big city. We spent some time getting lost on purpose in a maze of cobbled streets, steep stairs that bridge the gap between city blocks, basically burning off some of that great food. After a brief nap, we were back on the streets for dinner. We found a charming wine bar called "Cavour 313" the address was the name of the ristorante. We each had a distinctly unique glass of red wine, a salad with goat cheese and anchovies as well as canelloni with chicory and ricotta. Fresh peppery arugula and the paper thin crepe like enclosure for the filling of cheese and greens, were delicious. Then off for an evening stroll, which of course means the second round of gelato. This time I tried chocolate and hazelnut and Greg sampled the blackberry and dark chocolate. We are quickly learning that when in Rome, if you eat like the Romans you will be very content!

(Pictures coming soon... Our hotel's "wee-fee" connection won't allow uploads at the moment!)

Morning update: photos added! If you look closely you'll see the Colosseum at the top of this street... That's how close we are! OK, time for our first Cappuccinos to kick off day two.