Anybody have advice for me about Rome?

Excellent advice from everyone - you will have a fabulous time - Rome has always been one of my favorite Italian cities - but, get off the beaten track and enjoy the non-touristy stuff. IF you get a chance - try to take a tour to Florence (Firenze) - happy travels!!

Oh Sally...I'm so excited for you...have a wonderful time....take in everything so you can tell us about it when you return. Praying highway and airway safety for you!!

Sally, thought about you watching TV last night. If Mr Bean can make it to Cannes on holiday, I'm sure you won't have any problems flying by yourself :)

happy- check check check check and will do!
Bec- yes we go to Florence for two days!
Chantell and miata-hope to have something special o bring back for you!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Oh heart be still -- you are going to Florence. I love love love Florence. You are so lucky!

Oh Sally - you will love Florence - it is a beautiful city :-)

Be sure to visit the Boboli Gardens in Florence. And eat risotto every where it is offered. Lemon risotto is fabulous. And drink limoncello. Eat the fabulous sausages and cheese. And Italian ices. Buy lots of souvenirs -- you won't regret them. Even the museum shops have great souvenirs. If it were me (I realize I am a bit crazy on this point), I'd bring back olive oil. Have house wines everywhere. Use your camera. We will expect photos!

Ahhhh you just worry about having a Mah-vel-ous time, my friend...enjoy yourself!!!! Bring back pics and more pics!!!

Boy did that fly by~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have about 350 pics. It will take me a little time to get them up here...
First one for Becky. Book your visit in 2009 you should be safe

Hold on- I have to go turn abunch of sideways pictures

Bentornato Bella!

Welcome home! Was it everything you hoped?

Oh yes, looking forward to hearing stories and seeing pictures.

Ruby

What did you think of the food? And the driving? What did you bring home?

Welcome home Sally - and THANK YOU for the picture!!!!! Wuhuuuuuuuuu Jimmy Choos (one day I WILL own a pair!!)

Note - she goes to Rome - it has all this truly neat stuff, ruins and whatnots - she sees a Jimmy Choos advert and she thinks of me LOLOLOL

Buon giorno--(well I worked on pronunciation more than spelling...)
Phew- everything in the yard grew like crazy while I was gone.
Note one---do Not land in a foreign country with only 20 euros, knowing that would not get you to the hotel in a taxi----my AMEX card would not work in the cash machine! So after that little hitch, I did meet up with Sue and Joel (sister and BIL)
First day- took taxi to Piazza del Popolo in north Central Rome, to walk down to Piazza de Spagna,(Spanish Steps) and Trevi Fountain. People walk all over the narrow streets, with motorcycles and small cars squirming past you.

I felt much better- richer- after finding an AMEX office near Spanish Steps !
Trevi FOuntain is so huge in real life, like three swimming pols huge. Didn't get back after dark though.
First dinner was somewhere near Trevi-- I wasn't crazy about that carbonara- the bacon tasted more like sausage or salt pork and the noodles were chewy- but Sue had awesome lasagne with really tender thin pasta in it- and the first of the trips many glasses of house "rosso"

day two- Palatine Hill which is like a huge park with some ruins in it, and a museum which we didn't get to, near Coliseum. I loved Palatine Hill-views of Coliseum and Forum ruins, and flowers- these red poppies were in bloom all over the roadsides and waste places- do we have any such beautiful abundant weedflowers?

Now I was watching out for Chantell too- this guy was friendly if a bit sweaty and sunburnt!
They roam around the Coliseum area for pix.

We had taken the metro to that area--you come out of this sea of people onto the street and there in your face is the Coliseum- Its impressive

A view- there are these huge odd pines all over- I guess I just never saw pines this old and trimmed like this before- I took a pinecone from the hotle grounds

Well I had think of wrightie when I saw this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carriages avalable at many tourist places.

am I boring you yet? I have about three hundred pics ...LOL the digital age

Dinner this night was better- fantastic! Somewhere in thecoliseum general area but after looking at a few menus, and passing up at least one guy trying to talk us in,we went to another side street and the guy didn't even try to talk to us until we approached him. He was the nicest young guy! We were first in the place, they do eat late, some don't open til 7:15 for dinner. After taking this picture for us, he said in a strong accent- I think you need to adjust your white balance- LOL the last thing we expected was technical photo help!!
Risotto with radicchio and cheesewas sooooo good. We all liked this place- The locals all came and filled it up while we were there- Obviously the guy didn' try to talk us in cuz he knew they'd fill up. For us three- we usually got vino, two primas(pasta) and two secondis (meat) to share and spent about 50 E

I must be boring you by now--I have tio still fix some of the pictures- For now- happy-
Heres Pont de Vecchio in Firenze Yes Florence was nice, more sane than Rome, and people on bikes all over, not sure if that was any safer than the cars and scooters driving by you in Rome, and FLorence had those too.

Not boring at all! It brings back many memories. Thanks for sharing.

As Andidandi said, it's not at all boring and is bringing back some great memories.

So what did you think of the limoncello, cafe, hazlenut chocolates, mineral water, MEN, etc. etc.?

Btw, I for one like slightly chewy pasta. I wonder if I would have enjoyed that restaurant. How about those aqueducts, eh? Did you take any trains (you mentioned a taxi from the airport)?

Did you buy yourself any special trinkets? What did you pack to take home? I loaded up on local olive oils, wine, coffee, and hazlenut products. Oh, and pasta, semolina, blah blah blah ...

Did you go to any produce markets? Did you have any stuffed squash blossoms? Mozzarella di buffala? Caprese salad?

More pictures, please!

Oh, and I want to know what flavor gelatto you had while by the Trevi Fountain?

Sounds like you had a good time - I am so pleased you got to enjoy Rome, Firenze and al dente pasta!!! Please, please post more photos - I miss Italy - it is one of my favorites in Europe - I just might head to that side of the continent next year, Greece, Athens and one of the islands - anyone wanna join me? LOL

Not sure which street in Rome this is- maybe off of Piazza Barberini where the shuttle dropped us every day- but anyway there are blocks and blocks and blocks of streets like this...

Oh. only so much we could do in that time-- my poor BIL had heel spur and was really hobbling but a trouper in spite of it...

MM- something with chocolate in it was the gelato nr Trevi

So shoot me- after the wine w dinner we didn't get any limoncello!!!!...

The men??? the young ones favored the slicked back long hair with four-day-old beard. I didn't see too many attractive men except there was this guy in the subway...

oh yeah, this guy...certainly brightened up the gloomy subway!

oh I found a cute little blu car for a certain miata

Quite a few of these little Smart cars- they cost 18,000 or 20,000 E according to the taxi drivers. Wow those taxis- sure know their vehicle dimensions to the centimeter- squeezing thru places and zooming on the open road. Can't accuse them of going slow to make more money!

Another night was a great dinner at Alle Fratte de Trastavere- turned out to be one in Lonely Planet guide- very good- had orrechiete with a white sauce, the one mentioned in the book. I loved it, Sue wanted the orrechiete thinner -- wrightie you probably would have liked that. We also loved some thin tender fettucini there.

Next day went back to Coliseum area to walk past Forum ruins and go to Capitoline museum. Why do I think Chantell would like this too?
It is kind of funny how you get used to seeing nude male torsos after awhile.
The weather was awesome- sun every day and about 20 degreees C high- we wore a light jacket early and late and carried it in mid day. And carried water bottles filled from the fountains

HA HA at Palatine there was water in the garden-- some less suspecting tourist was drinking from one that was the overflow from a nice slimy natural pool just above that I had been looking at, full of algae and plants!

I got to see the cat sanctuary- didn't take the tour but looked from above. This cat was in the Coliseum. I can only imagine the rodent problem Rome would have if not for the cats

trains? yep, I rode one from airport to Termini that first morning, standing with suitcase the whole way looking out the window at the poppies and the little gardens people had crammed in next to the train tracks.
And subways all week in town. Train to Firenze and back, and train back to airport late Wed--I dd not plan well, we went to the Firenze station at 6 but train to ROme was sold out until the 7 30 one that I had to buy first class seat to get on. Then missed the airport train by minutes so had to wait almost half hour for the next.. Not experienced with this kind of thing! glad my guardian angels were lined up. There were some twentyish boys in the train station late that night whooping it up

No problem with pickpockets- course I did wear my sling-pack on front in the crowds and subway- it was just easier anyway, for pulling out the map or camera. I am so glad I took four pairs of shoes to switch off with, kept the feet in good shape!

Thank you so much for sharing the great pictures of your trip. I am looking forward to seeing the other 300 plus that you have. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Lots of good food, wine and men's torso's. ha-ha

Glad to have you home though Sally.

Ruby

Oh yeah, the poppies! I had forgotten all about them.

trains - I must have misunderstood your taxi story. Need caffeine!

So. Was there any one single moment that you could call the best? Dumb question, but...

OMG SALLY....can't wait to see more...just amazing...some day!!! Now you'll have memories for a life time!!! Everything sounded absolutely incredible....except the guy drinking the slimy water...LOL

Sally, it looks like you had a wonderful trip. I'm really enjoying your photos and stories.

I love the horse hat with the ears.

I saw a Victory Garden episode in Italy and they were at a nursery that grows all those trees, including the pines. I'll have to let you know if I see it's going to be on again. This nursery had trees that were hundreds of years old for sale.

The horse's ears were covered to keep flies and insects out; also, there's a chance that they stuffed some cotton in his ears under the netting in order to soften the sounds of all the street noises and help keep him from getting distracted. That's the same rationale for putting the blinders on his eyes - safety & all that...