Roma

“In Rome, the emperor sat in a special part of the Colosseum called the Caesarian Section”

- George Carlin

Rome is only a few hours away by car, so we decide it’s good parenting to expose Jenna to perhaps the most famous city in the world. After several easy, “rest” days, we were ready for adventure.

We get up before dawn, feed the dogs, bundle Jenna into the car, still asleep, and hit the road. Even though “all roads lead to Rome” the Autostrada is quickest way, according to Mapquest. We reach the Adriatic coast just as the sun is coming up, a fiery orange ball rising from the sea that bathes the coastline in bronze light. After several kilometers, we turn inland, straight west to Rome. As Le Marche transitions to the Abruzzo region, the landscape stays the same: gently rolling hillsides, a few scattered hilltowns. There isn’t a single plot of flat land, it all slants this way and that, in a “patchwork” pattern of dark green fields, next to yellow/gold ones, next to freshly-tilled brown ones. Grapevines undulate up and down the hills in neat orderly rows. As we approach the tunnel through the Appenines and the Parco Nationale del Gran Sasso from the east, the mountains look huge and dramatic above us.
Jenna still sleeps as we reach the outskirts of Rome. We can see a haze of smog hovering above the city. The traffic gets worse and worse, apparently Thursday morning “rush hour” at 10 am. We’re stuck with a very rudimentary map, and are relying on previous visits (and instinct) to be our guide. I’ve been to Rome once, and Jeff twice.
We inch closer, finally passing the “ring road” that makes a complete circle around Rome. We reminisce fondly about the last time we were here, with our friends John Grochau and Rick Potestio (two of my favorite people on the planet). That time, we rented a car near the train station, and the 4 of us piled into our micro-sized car with 3 bicycles strapped to the roof, then drove out of town en route to our rented villa in Umbria. We managed to drive close to an hour before we realized we were back where we started near the train station, stuck on the “ring road” and literally going in circles.
We were determined not going to let THAT happen again.
We reach the “centro storico” (historic center) and drive in concentric circles for 40 minutes until we finally find a parking spot. We climb out of the car, achy and stiff from hours in cramped quarters--but excited for our Roman adventure!
Rome hits me at once with its intensity and drama, like a welcome thunder storm after a long hot spell. The architecture—the columns and cornices, balconies and balustrades—and we’re only in the parking lot!
We hop a tour bus that lets us get on and off all day, and immediately head for the Colosseum and Roman Forum area.
This is my favorite part of Rome. We walk over the Palatine hill and through the Forum, amongst the ancient debris, columns, arches and remains of enormous Roman temples and other structures. All Jenna can say is “Oh, wow”. Here, in the Forum, I can imagine the city as it once was: the dramatic public spaces, the massive buildings. Somehow, I can magically erase all the milling tourists and tour buses, I can wipe away the new buildings nearby, I can stand up all the toppled columns and put all the pieces together, and it’s like a stage set before me: I can really SEE ancient Rome, the grand scale, the intricate details—and it’s staggering. It takes my breath away.
We walk to the Colosseum, and stand in its crumbling beauty, imagining the sell-out crowd of screaming Romans, the armor-clad gladiators and the snarling animals, and elaborate games played out down below.
We hop back on the bus and head to the Vatican, crossing the Tiber river. The upper level of the open-air bus has a good view of the buildings that line the road, but we can also glance down hidden alleyways to intriguing shops and cafes. Jenna loves the glamour, the fashion, the style of Rome and its throbbing energy—of course she does. Jenna is just like Rome—filled with intensity, fire, drama, teeming with life.
After a quick crepe on the street outside Vatican City, we meander through the Vatican museum, the paintings and statues, maps and tapestries, and finally end up in the Sistine Chapel. After taking in all the spectacular artwork leading up to the finale, the Sistene Chapel feels like a rich dessert after a filling meal. It’s almost too much. We look up at Michelangelo’s famous frescoes on the ceiling, so achingly beautiful, so lovingly painted. I don’t know the bible well enough to explain it all to Jenna, but she gets the idea.
Once our necks are stiff, we walk to St. Peter’s Basilico, the Vatican church so immense it can hold over 60,000 people. We stand before more incredible works of art, and my eyes begin to glaze over…I sense we’re nearing a saturation point with immense spaces and artistic beauty.
Nuns scurry across the “restricted area” and I’m reminded that it’s an actual working church and not a museum.
Afterward, we walk across the massive St. Peters Square, then board the bus again and get off near the Trevi fountain. After a short walk, we find it jam packed with tourists. We muscle our way to the front, quickly throw in the requisite Euro over our shoulder, and we’re on our way. As if we’d actually planned out our route (we didn’t, we just let Rome suck us in), the Pantheon is only a few blocks away, so we make a quick stop there before sitting down at a outdoor restaurant near the Piazza della Rotonda, for a plate of pasta before heading home.
Jenna falls asleep instantly and sleeps in the back seat the whole way back. Jeff assumes his usual position on the autostrada (the fast lane) while I fade in and out, exhausted.

The next day, we ask Jenna what she thought of Rome.

She says, “It was definitely a life-changing experience.”

Our time in Le Marche time is almost over, and we’ve had quite a time--day trips, dog walks, bike rides, hikes and a luxurious, spacious apartment. In a few days, we’ll drive all the way north to Amsterdam, to meet up with Jeff’s parents for a few days—but first, we’ll make a little stop along the way.

NEXT UP: Firenze (Florence)