IF IT’S FRIDAY – IT
MUST BE ROME
After two weeks of being inhibited by aches and pains of a
back bruised by my own missteps and an ulcerated hammer toe (a new problem toe)
I bit the bullet, rose early donned my
surgical boot, took two Aleve and joined Ken on a bus trip from Civitavecchia
into Rome. We traveled the same route
two years ago on our Mediterrean voyage so the landscape was familiar.
Nevertheless, the beauty of the rolling green hills, crops in various state of
progress and grape vineyards are sights that never tire my old eyes.
The trip into Rome was expected to
be 1 ½ hours but the traffic was horrible and our voyage bordered 2 ½ hours.
Our drop off and pickup was at Piazza San Pietro (St Peters square) and from
there Ken and I rushed to join the long cue for the hop on hop off bus for our “tour”
of Rome. At 1230PM we boarded a very crowded bus and with ear phones to guide
us in recognizing the points of interest that we would see, we were off – in a
matter of speaking.
From St Peters we passed by the
entrance to St Peter’s Basilica, past the Vatican Museum, St Peter’s train
station, St Angelo Castle and National Museum, Piazza del Popolo, Borghese
Gallery, Spanish Steps, Barberini
Palace, S. Maria degli Angel Basilica, Quirinal Palace, Trevi Fountain, Termini
Train Station, Pantheon, Piazza Napo dei Fiori, Venice Square, The Capitol and
Capitoline Museums, S, Maria Maggiore Basilica, Roman Forum, Coliseum, S. John
in Lateran Basilica, Circo Massimo, S. Maria in Cosmedin Church, S. Maria in
Trastevere Church. If I ever get back
there, I will make a point of trying to retain all of the historical data that
was imparted to our ears but on this day, our main interest was an overview and
that we received. We visited St Peters
Square, Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican and Museum during a 1993 visit with
my sister. 
Ken’s interest was in visiting the
Coliseum where he planned to stop off during our swing around the city but
alas, our ride about town took 2 ½ hours and a 4PM departure left too little
time. Nevertheless, we had a chance to
share the frenzy that is uniquely Rome and participate in a day of Italian
madness. I am convinced that one needs a day to adapt to the Italian lifestyle
before daring to expose oneself to the Italian experience on the street. One man said that he accomplished two trips to
Rome that day. His first and last. I emphasized with him. His attitude and mine
seemed to suggest a need for special dispensation of some sort from the Pope
but alas, he was unavailable so no kudos to him either.
Back aboard ship we envied the
relaxed, laid back and carefree attitude of Bill and Diane, our traveling
companions who stayed aboard and saved themselves the frustrations of
Rome. They had been there and decided to
pass on a redo. No fools, they!
Aside from my frustration with the
traffic and crowds, Rome is eternal and the grounds hallowed. Any visit to that
city so abundant in architectural ruins, beauty, art and history awakens our
senses and sharpens our awareness of our own venerability.
