Roman Holiday

It is highly recommended not to lose your phone at the beginning of your trip.  Note - phone=camera and keyboard....

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Intro – A Hopeful Gift 

My daughter graduated college and we planned an immersion trip called Ancient Civilizations: from Rome to Greece. I don’t think I annoyed her too much (a mother is never sure…) as we traversed islands and history. You have heard, “wish you were here!”  Come along on the fun (and the not so fun lol) adventures we had attending cooking schools, sketching classes, hiking to hilltops and getting lost in the alleyways of ancient cultures.

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Rome – Wait, are we really staying in a palace?

We were booked in Hotel Donna Laura Palace. Behind the gate and in the center of the fenced courtyard, we enjoyed sipping (and spilling!) complementary wine or champagne. Not quite a palace, but very elegant, it was evidence that, like almost every building in Rome, there is an amazing history here. The mural on the wall set the stage, but we found gratitude in finding out our converter worked to charge our phones!  Phew!

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Gasping for Air

It has already been clear that many more folks smoke cigarettes – almost everywhere there was the pervasive smell of the offensive incense. Although I am a self-proclaimed food addict, I have trouble understanding the attraction addiction to this smelly fiend of cigarettes.

Luckily there are many piazzas and glorious gardens with plenty of fresh air and amazing views!

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Lost on the first day…yep, really!

We walked into town trying to find the illusive fountains of Trevi. Instead we wandered and guessed where we were.  We found amazing plazas or piazzas that were filled with cafes, restaurants and even a Zumba flash mob! The delicacy of grilled vegetables and cheeses were savored with some homemade focaccia bread. No need for children to be plugged into electronics here. They simply run free in the small courtyard under the watchful eye of their relatives – especially when the precocious toddler tries to pick up pigeon poop!

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Castel Sant’ Angelo –I am famous!

Although this might be my namesake, I am not related to this amazing castle. The main use was as a fortress and escape for the Vatican.  Built in 123-139 AD, the circular architecture is a stark contrast to the right angles of so many buildings.

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How a mini-series brought me closer to the Pope.

My Catholic upbringing (I am now a Unitarian Universalist) and the vast history of the smallest country with a 2 mile radius within Italy (along with watching the fantastic mini-series The Young Pope) heightened my connection to the Vatican’s gardens, the beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. I have never painted a ceiling. I never want to. But, I do admire an artist who takes four years to paint multiple masterpieces on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Gardens had stone grottos (like the Lourdes Grotto) and ageless fountains, well-trimmed mazes and plants from different parts of the world. All of this flora has provided an outdoor sanctuary for popes for centuries.

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Only 2% survived.

Circling the Coliseum, I learned that only 2% of the gladiators survived and that there were ditches dug so that the blood had a path to flow. When you think of the barbarian ways of yesterday and compare them to the barbaric violence in our news, it makes you wonder about humanity. Is our DNA wired for such atrocities? Possibly, but we are also wired to create artistic beauty and peaceful solutions. Hopefully we are collectively wired for 50/50 ratio. I prefer to be hopeful…

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How many people does it take to make homemade pasta?

For our cooking class in Rome with wonderful chef, Federico A. from “Chef in a Day,” he started by taking us to the local Fiori market to select tomatoes, spices, veal and more. The advice he gave was to create dishes that would not just feed but delight your guests so they would never get bored, include a variety of textures, tastes and surprises. He succeeded as we created a 5-course meal from freshly smoked salmon to squid ink pasta with shrimp and Pecorino Romano cheese to homemade mushroom stuffed cappalletti (little caps).  We finished with fresh peaches with mint and wine.  Delightful!  By the way it took 5 of us to hold the long strands of homemade spaghetti!  

 

The MOST creative way to connect with ROME!

Pincio Promenade Gardens arise from the stairs above the Popolo Piazza. Greek hieroglyphics adorn the obelisk in the center. Poseidon with his trident are at one end and vendors selling bubble wands seem to be at each corner.  (The magic of bubbles will never subside at any age!) Trattorias and two Santa Maria churches surround this large circular plaza. At the top are public gardens with plenty of delights. We joined a sketching class with Kelly Medford to stretch our creativity skills. My skills have a long way to go!  A hydrochrometer (water clock or clepsydra) clock at one end and headless sculptures at another flank, but the view…ahh the view of the Roman rooftops, basilica domes and Italian sounds drifting up to the stone railings were all memorable. Of course you could always connect by just eating gelato!

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