Travels to the Other Side of Nowhere

Italy 2005
Day 1 - Saturday, March 26

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After a two days of travel and hard night's sleep at the the Hilton Rome Airport, we woke well-rested and went downstairs to a most amazing breakfast buffet.

The spread encompassed a dozen large tables, piled high with American and European breakfast items. As soon as we were seated, the waiter asked if we wanted orange juice. We said yes, and looked slightly confused when he delivered two glasses of red juice. Assuming something was lost in the translation, we politely sipped our tomato juice only to discover that it was, in fact, orange juice. Freshly squeezed from blood oranges!

A fresh carafe of hot coffee (caffè Americano) was delivered next, providing a much-needed caffeine boost. The coffee was hot and strong, without an hint of bitterness. After savoring our coffee in undisturbed and unadulterated bliss, we moved on to peruse the buffet.

One table offered traditional American fare: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and hot cakes. Another table had a dozens varieties of fresh breads. Other tables were heaped by themes: one table held a wide variety of pastries, one had a selection of cereals, one offered fresh fruit, one dried fruit. The more interesting tables were laden with broiled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, baked beans, smoked salmon, Italian cold cuts (smoked turkey, procuitto, and a variety of salami), Italian cheeses (including fresh ricotta and fresh mozzarella), and assorted olives. All this for breakfast!!! We tried to pace ourselves so that we would have room to try something else for lunch. This was no easy feat.

We wandered over to the airport to check on rental cars for the following day. From there, we boarded a train for Rome (a Trenitalia train station is a conveniently located at the airport in Fiumicino). There is an express line that departs every half hour in each direction. It takes 31 minutes to cover 37 kms at the fare of € 9.50. There is also a regular line, Fiumicino-Roma-Tiburtina Metropolitano service. This takes slightly longer, but costs half as much... only € 5. We opted for the regular, so that we could see more of the metropolitan areas on our way into town. Fares were collected by the honor system; no one ever checked for our tickets.

Many outlying areas that we passed were congested and poor; even so, most residences had flowers on the front porch and vegetable gardens in the back. At the end of the line, we were booted off the train by a conductor. Inside the terminal, we realized that we were only in Tiburtina and had to transfer to another line to actually end up at the main terminal, Rome Termini. We dashed to another set of tracks, and caught the train to the main terminal with under a minute to spare. Rome Termini was bustling. Food vendors, tobacco shops, newsstands, and shops were scattered throughout the terminal. Outside the terminal is a large bus station and little sandwich trucks called Mr. Panini! The trucks serve slices of pizza and mountains of panini (sandwiches) stacked one on top of the other and bulging with meat, cheese, and vegetable fillings. Plus beer, wine, and champagne! Everything looked incredible. This is why we paced ourselves at breakfast.

We wandered into Rome with no particular destination. We just wanted to explore the city... which might explain why we our first stop was a lingerie shop. Lured inside by soft and sexy window dressing, we spent the next two hours with an adorable clerk at Intimissimi... perusing, modeling, learning Italian words for lingerie. Escaping with just one large bill and two very small outfits in various shades of black, purple, and coral, we continued our journey.

We made it two entire blocks before stopping in Italian leather shop. Once again, captivated by the window dressing, we stopped to look at a small bag. Somehow, we walked out of there with two leather jackets (one long black and very Wyatt Earp and another short black and very sporty) and two handbags. Only the shoes escaped. Now, toting a gigantic shopping bag, we toured the ancient sights including the Forum, the Palatine, and the Colosseum. Silly.

There are huge areas of ancient civilization that have somehow been preserved over the millennia. Many of these areas are fenced off, since they are in the process of being reconstructed by archaeologists. It is fascinating to see how old these things are... and still standing.

What's even more fascinating is the fact that these ruins are right in the middle of a major metropolis with normal businesses and residences right next door. Most sites are completely exposed to the elements of nature, without cumbersome structures that would otherwise mar the stunning scenery.

The intricacy and the detail of the construction is mind-boggling. Countless structures boast huge monolithic columns and intricate carvings, all done by hand during a time when there was no machinery.

The Colosseum is quite a site. It is fenced off from the exterior, though you can pay to get inside and explore by yourself or enlist a tour guide. It was and still is an engineering marvel. With a capacity of 50,000 people, the Colosseum was built as an arena for gladiator contests, in which men were pitted against men, men against animals, and animals against animals. The men were usually criminals, slaves, or poor people. The animals were lions, tigers, bears, crocodiles, elephants, hippos. During the 100-day grand opening, over 2000 men and 9000 animals were killed for spectacle. Hard to imagine they thought that was fun.

Near the Colosseum, we stopped at a roadside Mr. Panini cart for a beer and a slice of pizza. In Italy, you can buy beer and wine on the corner and walk around with your drinks. We found a grassy spot overlooking the Colosseum, and enjoyed our lunch and a people-watching bonanza.

Temporarily sated, we went in search of a restroom, or WC as they are referred to on the streets of Rome. For the uninitiated, note that public WCs on city streets are few and far between. Use them when you see them. Your next chance might not come for a long time.

We wandered through more ruins, At one point, we were sitting on a rock wall, staring up at the ruins. A confused man next to us said, "I was here five years ago, and it looked nothing like this. None of those stairs were there." In the five years since his last visit, a great deal more had been reconstructed. Our big questions were... how do they find all these pieces and how do they know where to put them?

We walked across the Tiber River to a small island in the middle, then across another bridge to an area call Trastevere (tras = across, tevere = Tiber). The wide river is grey-green, and rushes through the middle of Rome. Walls on either side now protect the city from it's fury.

This bridge, built in 170 AD, was rebuilt after it collapsed from the tumultuous force of the river. Another bridge, further upriver, was later constructed with a perfectly round hole between two of the supporting arches. The allows the water to pass through without demolishing the bridge during high waters. We continued upriver towards Vatican City.

At Vatican City, we entered a large piazza (plaza) to find lines of people forming. Never before had we seen so many priests and nuns in one place! Thousands of people were lining up for something... We finally found some English-speaking people (from France) who told us they were waiting for the Easter Vigil service. They were very offended by our ignorance. The Pope, although very ill, was supposed to conduct the service.

A few hours later, the lines were even longer. When the doors finally opened around dusk, people were actually running to get in. Dress code was strictly enforced by Caribeneri with no sense of humor and great pride in their uniforms. Two things they do well in Italy: food and uniforms. They have these things down.

Around the corner, there was a walled entrance to the Vatican guarded by Swiss national guards dressed up like court jesters. It's hard to take a guard too seriously when he is dressed up like a clown and wielding a sword.

As we headed back to find a dinner spot recommended by our friend Manuel, we again walked along the river, and stared up in amazement at how close together the buildings were built. We entered a bustling area with dozens of restaurants. The windy cobblestone streets were dark and very narrow, but packed of people and softly-lit streetside restaurants that were just starting to open up around 8:00 pm. We didn't hear a word of English, but the streets were absolutely a-buzz with activity. With not one wrong turn, we found Il Duca Ristorante-Pizzeria (Vicolo de' Cinque 56), a tiny place with red-checked tablecloths. We didn't have reservations, but since it had just opened for dinner, we had no trouble getting in. Ten minutes later, there was not an empty table.

Traditional Italian dinners are typically quite large. They include bread (which is automatically served, but for which there is always a service charge), antipasto (appetizer), primo piatto (first course, often a pasta dish), secondo piatto (main course), contorni (vegetable sides, including salads), and finally dolci (dessert). The waiter at Il Duca spoke no English. On his recommendation, we ordered a bottle of local red from the Lazio region, just south of Tuscany, and began our meal with wine, bread, and sparking water, also known as acqua con gas or frizzante.

Dinner was delightful... great wine, crusty bread, and two pasta dishes, and a single side. We had homemade fettuccini with porcine mushrooms, spaghetti alla carbonara, and a side of spinach. Divine! The fettuccini was delicate and tender, and the carbonara was perfectly al dent e... though much more so than you would find in America, and the spinach was to die for! Delicate and tender with just a hint of olive oil, garlic, and red pepper. We left only because we had to catch a shuttle back to the hotel. The entire bill was € 28, including wine! What a treat to order real Italian food in Italy!

We walked back to the shuttle and detoured around Circo Massimo (built in 650 B.C.), the cigar-shaped track where Ben Hur raced chariots. The stadium seated 250,000 in an era when racing was very popular. Horses raced here for thousands of years, up to  12 races a day! Because of this minor detour en route to the shuttle stop, we missed the hotel shuttle and had to hoof it all the way back to the train station. We walked faster than ever because the last train left at 11pm... otherwise a taxi back to the hotel would be € 100!

We did catch the last train back, and promptly fell asleep on the way home. We were in bed by 1:00am, after a very full day.