Sometimes it feels as though it never happened…resuming life at home has a way of doing that if you’re not careful. It was only just a dream. But it was more than that, and it was in the details that the memories worth remembering were made.
Like the time we wandered through the neighbourhood of Trastevere, looking for an escape from the tourist crowds and overpriced food. We were greeted on the street by a lovely old Italian man who invited us to his family run restaurant for dinner and proudly showed us its listing in Lonely Planet…not in the pushy way like the others, but in a sweet manner that actually brought us in the doors. I ordered the good, cheap red wine and the pasta we enjoyed is the kind you travel to Italy for.
Then there was the surprising quietness of Sunday morning. We wove through the maze of empty streets with the early sun, led by a friendly waitress from our bus to the Pantheon. Not much later the skies blackened and rained poured and thunder rolled…we escaped to a museum of which my favourite part was either the fresh squeezed orange juice served at the cafe, or its roof top terrace with a beautiful view of the city. That was the day I wrote this post.
There was the history so rich you could feel it, the random kindness of strangers, marvelling at how women wore stilettos on such treacherous cobbled streets, and the satisfaction at the end of the day that you navigated a foreign city. Legend says that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, you’ll return to the eternal city of Rome. I did that six years ago, and Shane threw his in this time around, so we might just get lucky again one day…
laragilmore says
the hand holding picture is just perfect
Kim Spears says
*sigh* SO romantic !!!
Hannah says
As an Italian, I commend you on finding one of the locals best kept secrets in Rome – Trastevere is a personal favourite – full of genuine Italian food, kindness, and charm.