Roma, La Citta Eterna

Roma, non basta una vita! A lifetime is not long enough for Rome … but we definitely packed a lifetime worth of memories and experiences in the dreamy week we spent there, in a hotel right around the corner from the spectacular Trevi Fountain.

Surviving the challenge of handing Luigi back at Leonardo da Vinci airport and taking a shuttle into the city, we arrived on a steamy Sunday and both the temperature and our love of this Eternal City just kept rising from there.

The Spanish Steps, the Coliseum, the Island of Tiber, the Vaticano, Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia and Circus Maximus and so much more. We lazily made our way through the cafes and gelati shops of Trastevere, and took in the charm of relatively unknown spots like the suburb of Monti. We sat in ristoranti near the Parliament and watched politicians and protests come and go. Each area of this city takes your breath away with its juxtaposition of places made famous by romantic ‘dolce vita’ era films against ancient Roman ruins exuding power and greatness even today. Modern and the ancient past live and breathe today side by side in Rome, and the pizzazz and personality of its locals give the city such flair.

Some special moments here included taking an evening stroll to the gorgeous Piazza Narvonna to find Bellini’s magnificent fountains lit up with bright colours and smoke machines, with the shards of light dancing to the sound of Italian opera. Every night in Rome during the time we were there, end of August, was packed fill with incredible and mostly free events and performances. We caught the end of an opera and dance performance on the Spanish Steps, just in time to view the incredible fireworks display here which celebrated the Italian holiday of Ferragusto or Assumption Day. We spent an evening at the outdoor cinema festival, which took place along the sides of the river, watching Italian films under the stars and enjoyed the bars and nightclubs along the banks which had relocated here from the city centre for the summer. Shabbat was spent under the shade of the trees lining Villa Borghese, and we saw our week in Roma end by standing on the steps near Via Popolo and watching the pink and purple hues of sunset rise above the roofs, domes and monuments of this city.

I particularly loved the Pantheon, such an ancient building that still remains a marvel of engineering and ingenuity today. The resting place of famous artist raphael, the Pantheon has so many layers of history - Roman, Christian and modern Italian. We also spent time in the Jewish area of Rome, with its beautiful synagogue and chequered history.

One of the amazing moments Gary and I shared in Roma was sitting together on the pavement along one of the avenues cutting through Villa Borghese's gardens, cheering on the local inline skating crew and their Saturday tricks and performances. A motley crew if there ever was one, the young teens flaunted their strength by jumping over beacons and twirling between the cones to the blaring sound of dance music, whilst the older men skated under ropes precariously balanced just above the street itself. The showmanship, camaraderie and competition between these old and new friends was quite something. What a wonderful hobby and a quite touching spectacle to watch!