Roma! Part One

The ferry from Sifnos to Piraeus (the Greek port for all the ferries) was two hours late and took an extra hour to finish what should have been a 2 hour journey. The result was that were very pressed for time to make it to the airport for our flight to Rome. The original plan was to take the express bus from Piraeus to the airport, but that plan went out the window, as we almost did during the cab ride that followed. Our driver assured us that we would make the flight and made good on his promise. Normally I chat with our drivers, but during this white-knuckle gallop, I did nothing but pray as I watched the speedometer inch north of 175 km/hour. That is over 108 MPH for our friends who don't speak metric.

We arrived safely in Roma and made our way to our guest house Cote Rome, which was very close to the train station (Termini), very reasonable and everything we wanted it to be. I would recommend it to anyone. It had a shared kitchen which was stocked with everything to make a sumptious breakfast, so after an evening meal that we were not too tired to enjoy, and a good night's sleep in our air conditioned room (it was 100 degrees F) outside, we had a hearty breakfast and went out to meet our Sweet Melissa, arriving from Canada. We connected and went to sit outside in a cafe and enjoy getting reconnected, supping cold beer and sampling various anitpasti.

After a siesta, we went to reprise Anticha Roma, a place we had enjoyed years before with Kathy, Lorraine's Mom. That night we had feasted on typical Italian dishes, enjoyed the Vino da Casa, and sung along with the Italians (think O Solo Mio) and laughed till we cried. We arrived to be informed that the electricity was off, and that they could offer us anitipasti, but not a meal;  this was to be the first of several disappointments in Roma. The edge had been taken off our appetite, so we just grabbed a pizza and returned to our guest house to finish the night, anxious to turn in early so that we could meet Geoff, Joce and the g-kids, Mia, Kingston and Cadence the next day.

We all met up and decided to make the hike to the Trevi fountain. The fountain, which was commissioned by Pope Clement XII in 1732, was immortalised in Federico Fellini's 1960 classic film La Dolce Vita, in a scene in which Anita Ekberg waded into its waters in a black evening dress. It attracts about 1,200 visitors an hour, most of who close their eyes, turn and throw a coin into the fountain in the belief that it brings good luck and ensures a return to Rome. You can imagine our disappointment when we turned the corner after our half-hour trek, only to see a bone-dry, shrouded construction project – a 2 million Euro restoration which left us staring at scaffolding and tarps draped over the magnificent statues and sculptures. We really felt we had let the kids down, but they threw their coins into the empty basin anyway, and we bought some postcards with glorious pictures of the fontana at night, and headed off to the Spanish Steps.

The gkids first question was, what's so special and why are they called the “Spanish Steps”? They are special for a number of reasons, one of which is that they are the widest steps in Europe. They were built in 1723-1725 in order to link the the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the king of France, with the Spanish square below. The long, triangular Spanish square is named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.

Why are they special? Over the years, the Spanish steps unique design and elegance has made it a popular place for artists, painters and poets who were attracted to the place which inspired them in return. Having so many artists hanging around attracted many beautiful women to the area, hoping to be taken on as models. This in turn, attracted rich Romans and travelers. After a short time, the steps were crowded with people of all kinds of backgrounds. This tradition, of the Spanish Steps as a meeting place, has lived on ever since.
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After a few photo ops on the steps, the kids were ready for their first Italian dinner. With gkids in tow, it is important that the restaurant is in an open area where the kids can play when, inevitably, they finish first and get bored. This one was ideal, for after pasta, Fanta orange drinks, pizza and gelati, the three were able to run around in a pedestrian area within our sight. The ingredients may be mostly the same, but our dinners seemed to have deeper, more piquant flavours than pasta at home. This was all accompanied by a fine bottle of Chianti, selected by son Geoff.
The next day - The Vatican!

Disappointment at the Trevi