Rome is Fun

by Tom Kando

It’s been a while since we returned from our last trip to Europe. I have already posted a couple of pieces about this trip, primarily dealing with stressful events, but I promised that I would also describe positive experiences. So here I go, better late than never:

When we go to Europe, besides Holland, where I come from, we almost always hit Italy and France as well. Our most frequent destinations are Rome and Paris. However, we also “diversify,” visiting the provinces, for example Tuscany, the Italian Lake District, the Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, the Dordogne, Normandy, etc.

We usually combine revisiting favorite spots and new places. In recent years we spent a marvelous week in Berlin and another one in Ireland, both of which were new to us. Sometimes we’ll tour some new parts of Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Scandinavia, Scotland and elsewhere.

This past year, we decided to return to Rome, as we have done almost every year for quite some time, then spend a week in Paris, and finally check out the Southwest of France and Spain’s adjacent Basque country. Today, I’ll just write about Rome.

To us, the eternal city is not just fantastic in and of itself, but it is also a base - a Pied-à-Terre - from where we explore other parts of Italy. We always stay in the same small hotel on the Via Cavour. It is owned and run by our wonderful friend Alberta, an ageless, white-haired woman who brings our breakfast to our bedroom every morning. The hotel is only a few hundred yards from the Forum and the Colosseum, both of which can be seen from our street.

At night, we walk down the Via Imperiale - a wide avenue which parallels the Forum and is reserved for pedestrians and buses only - to the foot of the Victor Emmanuel Building. This is the gigantic, ostentatious but awesome monument built by Mussolini and often derisively called the “wedding cake.” There, we sit down on one of several large pieces of two-thousand-year old marble Roman benches, and we have our picnic. We bring salami, prosciutto, olives, fresh bread, mozzarella, pecorino Romano, a bottle of Chianti and other delights. The sun has just set, the light is divine. The breeze is soft and gentle, the temperature is just right. No crowds, no hassles, no criminals. Just a few happy strollers, smiling at us as they walk by. Two lovers hug and kiss, leaning over the magnificent and well-preserved ruins of emperor Trajan’s two-thousand-year old Market. There is the distant sounds of a busker playing a version of O Sole Mio, or mimicking Charlie Parker on his alto sax. It doesn’t get any better.

As far as sight-seeing is concerned, Anita and I are biased in favor of antiquity rather than the city’s Catholic legacy. This doesn’t mean that I totally ignore “Roma Christiana,” as the highly commercialized Hop On Hop Off Bus advertises itself, driving you to the city’s religious attractions. I grew up Catholic, so just to be safe, I always pay a visit to the Vatican where I dip my hand in holy water and cross myself. You never know.

Of course, the museum and the Sistine Chapel are a must, but for me the fun part is to walk up to the top of the Vatican for an incomparable view of the entire city. I have done this repeatedly. The Vatican claims that there are 551 steps, but I counted 553. I plan to write to the Pope and bring the error to his attention.

The first time I attempted to visit the Vatican I was not permitted to enter because my shorts were too short: They must reach BELOW your knees, and mine did not. Luckily, there is a store right there on St. Peter’s Square which sells paper slacks for a few Euros. So I bought one and was able to enter the Vatican. Later, after exiting the basilica, I noticed that in the long queue of tourists lined up to enter, there were several Americans who were about to make the same mistake as I did, so I warned them, and I gave my paper slacks to one of them.

But as I said, Anita and I prefer the ancient Roman stuff. No year goes by when we do not spend many hours in the Forum, walking all the way up the Palatine Hill, visiting the houses of Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia Drusilla with their magnificent frescoes, the Senate building, the three beautiful arches of Titus, Constantine and Septimius Severus and so much more. Each time we walk by the Temple of Julius Caesar, we see fresh flowers placed on the altar, as on a tomb. And not just on the Ides (the 15th) of March. Two thousand years later, the people of Rome continue to commemorate him!

Another essential sight is the Capitoline Museum, at the Northwest end of the Forum. This is the best museum in the world for Roman antiquities.

Of the many tours, my favorite is the Forum of Caesar Tour night visit. This is a one-hour walk which starts at Trajan’s Market, goes underground to the Forum and includes a magnificent light show detailing Roman culture, politics and history at the time of Julius Caesar. Just 19 Euros.

Another priceless experience we never miss is a concert, recital or opera held outdoors in one of the cities’ ancient Roman structures, or inside one of the hundreds of baroque churches. I once saw Verdi’s Aida in the enormous Baths of Caracalla, including live camels on stage. We often go to outdoor night recitals given at the Teatro Marcello, a beautifully preserved arena only slightly smaller than the famous one built by the emperor Vespasian.

We also usually take a cooking class from the famous chef Fabio (not the muscle man with the pecs). His kitchen is on an island in the Tiber. First, we spend about three hours preparing cavatelli, gnocchi, six-foot long sheets of pasta for ravioli, lasagna and capalachi, assorted fabulous sauces, seafood, exotic meats, and tiramisu. Then, the group (usually ten or twelve people) spends a couple of jolly hours eating what we have just prepared. This year was especially lively, as the wine flowed quite abundantly. We all enjoyed the tall tales of a lady from Nebraska, stories too juicy to repeat here. You can find out about Fabio at Fabiolouscookingday.

There is no end to the fun things we have done in Rome. And as I said, the city is a conveniently central point from where day trips can be taken to many other Italian jewels: One year we’ll spend the day touring Naples and Pompeii, another time we’ll go to Capri, or to Assisi.

I will regale you with more stories and information in my next post.
© Tom Kando 2019;All Rights Reserved
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