Roma

After three months of travel and living la vie europeene we arrived in Roma, our final stop before flying home. It feels a bit surreal. We have been gone so long I am a little unsure about going home, especially as I won't be in my own home until September. We have seen and done so much since the first of May. Those days in Wales, London and Chester seem like another trip, and I suppose they are; at least a different chapter of this adventure.

I wasn't so sure about Rome at first. It seemeb big and dirty and busy, not that attractive, full of tourists and pushy maitre d's and tour guides. But over the past few days, exploring, meandering, getting a bit lost, then stumbling upon the Trevi Fountain or a Roman ruin or an incredible piazza with yet another amazing gelateria it has grown on me. On our first night we actually went out for Indian at a great little place near the train station. Nothing like a channa masala and butter chicken with naan to ground you.

 

Synagogue in Ostia Antica

Over the past days we've been to the Vatican, seen the museum and Sistine Chapel (gorgeous, but way too busy, hot and humid), saw St Peters and went up the dome in the rain. We meandered in the evening and threw coins into the Trevi Fountain. We wandered from the Spanish Steps, window shopped for me at Armani, Prada, and others (nothing I really liked, or at least nothing I liked and could afford without remortgaging the house), ate gelato again and marvelled at the Pantheon (we want to return when it snows and then make a snowman inside from the snow that comes throught the hole in the dome), toyshopped and ate pizza by the Piazza Navona (goes well with a glass of prosecco). We saw the Colosseum as the sun set, tried to see the Forum, but the workers were on strike (benvenuto al Italia!) so we went to Ostia Antica, the ancient port town west of Rome. For hours we wandered and climbed ruins of this former city of 60 000. Climbing the steps of the temple to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva and looking down on the forum and the other temples, 

in the Vatican Museum

 curia, shops and houses, sitting in the the theatre, we could imagine what it maight have been like two thousand years ago. We also saw the ruined synagogue sitting far outside the city walls, but recognizable with it's carved menora and ark. Last night we walked past the swank hotels and restaurants of the Via Veneto, made up stories about our tall dark waiter with too long sideburns, and found a late night gelateria where we had kiwi and banana gelato to give us strength to make it back. today, our final day here, we just walked- from the Colosseum through the Forum (open today, so we did a quick walk through two millennia past) to the former Jewish Ghetto and the Tiber River, through the markets of the Campo del Fiori (this is Rick Steves' favourite piazza?), to the gelateria of 100 flavours (Tegan had Mars bar mousse and hot pepper chocolate, Rowan had yoghurt and cherry, and I had chocolate truffle and pear and cheese! it was actually delicious, very subtle cheesiness). Then slow shopping walk along the Via del Corso, Via de Tritone, and eventually back to the hotel.


ancient heads at the Vatican

Lunch, siesta, packing, and now we ponder our final night in Rome, our final night in Italy, our final night in Europe.  I think we will eat well, walk once more past basilica, palazzi and fountains, sleep very little, and be home all too soon, but also at long last.