Monday, October 8, 2018

Come with me to Rome, Darling.........


Ah! Rome! 

There are no mortal words to describe this amazing city, 
but I will try......


This was the view from our hotel window, the first morning 
we arrived, jet-lagged after a 10 hour, overnight flight
from Seattle, with one stop in Amsterdam. 

We stayed in Rome for 4 days -3 nights
before driving up to Tuscany to stay 
in a 10 room villa in the little village of Montici
for a week.

I know.....a real villa.....all to ourselves. 
It was heaven.  
But more about that later......

All together, including my little grandson, 
 there would be 12 of us, to celebrate my son, Gabe's 40th birthday -
all close family, including Gabe's best friend since childhood, Mark.  

We (the Mr. and I) have never traveled 'abroad'
 so this was the trip of a lifetime for us. 


The hotel had a wonderful buffet breakfast each morning, 
where we would all meet before heading out on foot to explore. 


On our way! 
Left to right; son Dustin, wife Jen, Erica and B.F., Mark, 
headed for adventure. 


Grandpa helps with stroller duty. 






Every building was a work of art. 



Gabe, Erica and the little one pose in front of 
an immense marble monument. 
Everywhere, there are carved marble and bronze 
statues, and friezes on nearly every building. All of the buildings 
are constructed of stone, stucco, or marble, with tall, ornate 
windows. Some have balconies or fences fashioned from iron 
in intricate designs. 





Many buildings have large, carved, heavy doors, 
some arched on top, surrounded by amazing stone-work. 

It was a little unnerving to see the camouflaged jeeps and
soldiers holding machine guns at every famous site. 

o  o
^
0


Domes are everywhere. Courtyards and alley-ways are paved 
in cobblestones, many in complicated patterns and some in marble. 
Large fountains or monuments punctuate these courtyards, 
and most had lovely views. 





I wouldn't mind having a little apartment here :)


The roads are narrow and filled with people, 
so this is the preferred mode of travel 
for the young and adventurous. 


Everyone else was either on foot or getting around in the tiniest of cars. 

This vintage beauty was barely 4 ft. high and not much longer :)
They race around the narrow, cobbled alleys, revving their motors
and tooting their horns to clear the way, 
barely missing diners in cafe's, pedestrians, 
and the corners of buildings. 

We watched one young woman, who was almost bumped by a taxi, 
as she held up traffic slapping the taxi's hood and 
the side of the car as she made her way to the driver's open window, 
lecturing him loudly in her musical, Italian voice - long, 
dark hair and flowered scarf billowing 
in his face. With resigned hand gestures, and a shrug of the shoulders, 
he ended the whole affair. 

The whole intersection was transfixed :)

Especially when she walked away, head held high, 
swinging her hips, sure of her place in the world - the busy streets of Rome. 
It wasn't until then that everyone moved on, 
scooters, pedestrians, taxis and tiny cars, 
somehow making up their own rules and working it out. 


Our little grandson was fascinated with the tiny work-trucks. 


"We stopped in to a church we passed along the way"

(A lyric of a favorite song, 'California Dreaming' by 
the folk-group, 'The Mama's and the Papa's')



It was so amazing - so beautiful. 


Ramblin' Man and I lit candles for each of our parent's
looking down from Heaven. 



We arrived at the Pantheon, and went right in without 
standing in line, due to Erica's good planning -
getting tickets on-line. 



The beams of light originally illuminated statues of 
the Roman Gods and Goddesses that represent each month. 


Here they are empty. 

The ceiling is carved marble and the walls are mosaic tile.
The design in the ceiling was repeated through-out Rome
and serves as an excellent design for acoustics.  


Marble floors. 


Later we found this lovely little plaza
and stopped to have lunch. 


First course: prosciutto, melon and cheese. 
Of course! 


After a lingering lunch, we decided to find
 the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. 
The streets were full and it was very hot. 


We watched this shop-worker dress a window display 
while waiting for a light. 


Later, we came back this way and saw him taking 
photos of his work :)



Crowds and crowds of people of all nationalities fill the 
busy streets. Snippets of foreign conversations float by 
ahead of their speakers. 
Most are couples on honeymoons and holidays, 
 a few families with children and older 
women traveling together in groups. 

Young, Italian men are dressed very fashionably
 in slim-fitting jeans, expensive leather shoes, and fitted shirts. 



Italian women are rarely in jeans - most wear short, knit dresses, 
or slender slacks and skirts, with long, straight hair, or chic short cuts. 
Scarfs are worn in ingenious ways, especially by older women 
who use them as draped shawls or tunics over longer, slim skirts
or tucked into belts over slender knit pants. 



The sound of the water and the cool, white marble 
of the Trevi Fountain
was so refreshing on a hot, Roman day. 


Shadows grew long as we made our way to the Spanish steps. 



Patient horses rest with their carriages in the shade 
of the courtyard. 

It was a long, busy day, and Ramblin' Man and I left 
the younger members of the family, who were not 
done exploring, and took a cab back to the hotel. 


Our first day in Rome .......

Bellissimo! 

xoxo

Next time we will go to the Vatican. 

xoxo

Thank you for coming along, Dear Friends! 



15 comments:

  1. Hello, what an awesome trip! Rome is a gorgeous city. The buildings and churches are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your photos and trip! Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful trip, Karen! How nice to have family along and to share in your son's 40th birthday in Rome. I look forward to seeing and reading more about your wonderful getaway! xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. ROME! Oh Karen, what a fantastic trip! Everything from the light fixtures on the streets, the quaint alleys, the statues, and the food! The Cathedral is beautiful, and that was nice that you both lit a candle for your parents. The Trevi Fountain looks so peaceful with the water flowing. I love the picture of your grandson by the truck.

    It is a dream of mine to visit Rome, but at least I got to come along with you and see all the sights. When Jess went to the Vatican, she brought me back some rosary beads. I look forward to
    seeing your Vatican pictures. What a fun and memorable trip, and one you will always treasure, Karen.

    ~Sheri

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, Karen. Thanks for taking me along on your wonderful vacation. You described it so well I thought I was right there, Almost!! Wish I was. I have never been abroad either so it was such fun to see it through your eyes. How wonderful that you could all go as a family. What a beautiful city..Looking forward to more and thanks for your visit to me..Happy Fall..Judy

    ReplyDelete
  5. Trevi fountain was famous from the movie THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN and LA DOLCE VITA. It is so wonderful to see Rome through your eyes. Reminds me a bit of Paris. Thank you for sharing!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's a vacation of a lifetime. It's amazing how different life is in different parts of the world. The cultures, the way of life, the transportation. It's all so different. It appears you had an exciting day taking in the sights. So much to see I imagine. A beautiful historic place.
    xx Beca

    ReplyDelete
  7. Incredible Karen! I so enjoyed your thoughts and descriptions of your first day in Rome! I felt as though I were walking alongside you, and experiencing all the sights and sounds just as you did! I loved the description of the lady in the intersection making a scene, I can just imagine how curious that must have been to see! Such small cars! Such incredible architecture! So many people! And I also enjoyed hearing about the culture, and how the men and women who live there dress. I look forward to reading your next installment of this amazing trip! So wonderful to be able to go and experience this with your family too! I've never been overseas, and I am enjoying this armchair traveling very much with you :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's been 22 years since I was in Italy on my honeymoon....waiting for a chance to go back! Thanks for refreshing my memory with the beautiful tour. There were armed police everywhere back then too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful day out in Rome, It was great to be able to share it in a small way :) Makes me want to visit as well.
    Diana

    ReplyDelete
  10. dear Karen,

    So happy that you were able to visit Rome with your family.
    It looks like an amazing city and thanks for showing us around with your wonderful photos.
    The only Italian city we have visited was Venice and that was gorgeous.
    Thanks for sharing and hope you are having a great week.
    Hugs
    Carolyn


    ReplyDelete
  11. Karen, WOW! I am speechless. The photographs are stunning and I so enjoyed your descriptions. What a wonderful one in a lifetime holiday! xo

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Wow Karen, that is a once in a lifetime trip and it was so nice to let us come along. So wonderful that you were able to spend it with your family, so sad they have the need to have armed soldiers at all the important areas, but I guess that is the world we live in today. Look forward to your other posts!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ah what a fantastic city and cannot thank you enough for making me part of your tour dear Karen :)))

    absolutely loved each image ,marvelous architecture ,beautiful doors and windows .
    so glad you managed to spend your days in such gorgeous place !

    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh my goodness!
    What an amazing trip and experience.
    Your photographs are so wonderful to see.
    Such a lovely post :)

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hello Karen, I went back to your first post of this wonderful trip.
    You've made your photographs all the more splendid with the excellent narrative. I love all the details you've included, even to the local clothing styles.
    Thank you for part one of your lovely getaway, Sue :D) xx

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...