ROMA

20 Days in Italy: Part II - The Eternal City

By Joey Pasco

It was 8AM local time. We had just departed the overnight ferry from Sicily, and were standing in the parking lot of the Civitavecchia Port, 45 miles northwest of central Rome.

Now, which way do we go?

With our luggage in tow—including a rolling suitcase, a duffle bag, a backpack, a carry-on tote, and supermarket bag filled with 10 softball-sized lemons from Christina’s cousins in Sicily—we began the walk from the port to the train station, where we’d catch first a train and then a taxi to our hotel, The Corner Townhouse, located almost exactly at the center of the city.

It was a longer walk than we’d anticipated, made longer by the luggage we were, um, lugging, but soon we were in a taxi, zig-zagging through the European streets and peering out the window at the sheer age of this place. (In case you weren’t aware, this city is ancient!) Around every corner, crumbling ruins appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The juxtaposition of the modern alongside the archaic felt like Manhattan had been somehow overlaid on top of Game of Thrones’ King’s Landing.

When we arrived at our hotel, our room was not yet ready, so we dropped our bags, and used the time to sample some caffè freddo from the outdoor bar downstairs. We took a walk and then just sat down for some people-watching.

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Our hotel was a short walk from the Colosseum, so after we were checked in, we set out to see some of the most popular tourist sites in the world…

Maybe it was travel-weariness, or perhaps it was the dull, overcast weather, but I had a lot of difficulty appreciating the magnitude of what I was seeing. There were just so many tourists, and so many street vendors constantly approaching to sell things. I couldn’t take it in. No, I don’t want a selfie-stick. I expected to feel inspired by these amazing, beautiful structures, but I couldn’t muster up enough excitement to shoot with anything but my iPhone. I was disappointed in my lack of excitement, and frustrated with myself for feeling disappointed. I tried to mentally take a step back and just enjoy the city for what it was, rather than how I’d expected it to make me feel.

Our second day, by contrast, was incredible. We had our breakfast in the hotel, and then took a walk up to Aventine Hill, one of ancient Rome’s “Seven Hills.” We peered through the Knights of Malta Keyhole, a literal dime-sized peephole through which the distant dome of the Vatican is perfectly framed. We strolled beneath the orange trees of Giardino degli Aranci and stood at the wall next to the River Tiber and looked out over the city.

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In the early afternoon, we were picked up by my cousin Rica (technically she is my “first cousin, twice removed”), whom I’d never met, but through the magic of Facebook we were able to connect. Rica drove us around the city and we spoke of how we were related (Rica’s father, Victor, is the brother of my great-grandmother), trying to determine the various family connections.

She brought us to Victor’s house in the suburbs of Rome, where we met more of my extended family and shared a wonderful meal that Victor and his wife Pina had prepared for us. Meeting and spending time with family—both here in Rome and back in Sicily—truly was the highlight of the trip.

(To Rica, Victor, Pina, Erika, and the rest of the family: Thank you again for welcoming us so warmly and treating us so well!)

In the evening, we wandered the area between the Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Popolo, stopping to take in the view of the city at sunset from the Pincian Hill. We capped off the evening with a twilight walk down Via Cola di Rienzo to see the Vatican at night.

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For our final morning in Rome, we decided to simply wander the neighborhood near our hotel, followed by lunch at the hotel restaurant before catching an Uber to pick up our rental car.