Arrival in Rome

"Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning."

Giotto

Greetings, Family and Friends!

My Alitalia flight from Boston to Rome last night was very smooth and quite fast ... 7.5 hours. My Syracuse friend Mary (who traveled incredibly "light" with just a backpack & yet seems to appear daily in sharp, classy outfits) and I met my Colorado friend Paula at the Fiumicino Airport and were whisked into Rome by a lovely young female driver who pointed out countless places of interest along the way (St. Paul's Outside the Walls, Pyramid, Aventine, Capitoline & Palentine Hills, Circus Maximus, Colosseum, etc., etc.!)

Paula, Mary & Me ... so excited to be in Rome!

When we climbed the 38 incredibly ancient steps up to our lovely VRBO apartment, its owners, Walter & Natalia were there to greet & orient us.  Natalia showed us how to lock the doors, suggested  sights to visit and places to eat, demonstrated how to make Italian coffee in her Moka Pot, and arranged for a driver to take us to the Tiburtina train station at the end of our stay. She also suggested that we close our double-paned windows and wooden shutters at night so that the noise from the "Happy People" at the Vino & Olio Bar across the street wouldn't disturb us.  (Of course, we were so exhausted that night from our flights, we never heard a thing!)

Our cozy VRBO apartment in Rome,
near Campo dei Fiori

After an hour's rest, and an Italian coffee pick-me-up, we headed down to the close-by Campo dei Fiori for Happy Hour prosecco & apps at "Scampo" and then sat outside at a little pizza spot for a light supper.

Mary led us on a delightful post-dinner walk over to the Tiber River where we watched a beautiful sunset over Hadrian's Tomb ... and crossed our first two Tiber bridges.  

So fantastic to be back in Italy!  It's my ninth trip to this amazing country, but Paula and Mary's first. What FUN I am having watching them discover its wonders!