POSITANO AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK / TRAVEL: Rome

The COLOSSEUM

ROME

ROME

Saint Peters Square

Vatican City

Rome

Rome was called the “Eternal City” by the ancient Romans because they believed that no matter what happened in the rest of the world, the city of Rome would always remain standing. Exploring the city centre by foot surrounded by glorious monuments and colossal remains takes you back in time to the “glory that was Rome”.

My first trip to Rome was in the Summer of 1985. I fell in love instantly. Actually, it was my first European trip ever. I was a young man of just 23 and infinitely excited to be in Rome, to be on my first European trip, and in my mother country, Italy. I just can't begin to explain how excited and happy I was, "Rome The Eternal City." It totally blew me away, the glories of Ancient Rome, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the beautiful churches and just the regular everyday life of Rome and its peoples in the 1980s. I sucked it all in, absorbed and loved every little thing. How the Italians took their breakfast, a Cappuccino, Espresso, Cornetto and chit chat with friends at the bar (cafe / caffe).

It so funny, my first time eating in Rome, in Italy was not lunch or dinner, but at breakfast. We had landed and Rome's Fiumicino Airport early in the morning. I had met a couple on the plane, sitting in the seats next to me on the PanAm flight from New York's JFK Airport bound for Rome, Italy. Everything was so exciting to me, the first and certainly not the least ws that after years of watching movies, many of which started with a Jet Airplane landing in Rome, Paris, or London and always the plane was either a PanAme or TWA jet airliner, and here I was aboard my beloved PanAm Boeing 747 jet on my first trip crossing the Atlantic Ocean, going to Rome, and I was just about literally in 7th Heaven, "I just loved it." So or PanAm 747 landed on the runway at Fiumicino and we were here, Rome Italy.

We were greenhorns to Europe (me and the couple) and some shady Gypsy Taxi Driver persuaded us to drive us into Rome. It was only later that I realized we were ripped-off he charge us too much, and it was the first lesson I learned on travel in Italy and how not to get ripped-off by people wishing to do so. It was a small price to pay, and since I split the cost with the couple, it wasn't so bad. Anyway, enough on that.

So, I had the taxi drop me off at the train station as I didn't have a hotel yet, and my plan was, after reading my Frommer's Europe on $25 a Day edition, and picking out a few pensione's and making a list of them, I would check my bags at the luggage check at the train station (read about it in Frommer's), I checked my heavy bags and went in search of accommodations. The list of pensiones I made were all close to the Train Station and it only took me about 10 minutes to find my place. I took a business card, went back to the station, got my bags and lugged them back to the pensione I would be staying at for the next 5 days, and making a through exploration of Rome, going to Saint Peter's Basilica, The Vatican, Trevi Fountain, St. Pietro in Vincoli, The Spanish Steps, trattorias, caffes, and everything the Eternal City Roma had to offer. I had one of the best times of my life on that first trip to Rome, before hopping on a train bound for Florence to visit with my high school friend Jonne at her home in Firenze where I'd stay for 6 days and have a wonderful time with JoAnne and her Florentine husband Leonardo for 6 days before moving on to Barcelona, Spain to meet up with my friends Ephram and Christina.

Anyway, back to Rome. Yes I did all the things I listed above, seeing all the major sights, but even more, just seeing how Romans, and all Italians went about their everyday life. I went to markets and got some tasty local cheese and fresh Apricots that blew me away, so juicy and perfectly ripe, I'd never had apricots like these. I ate all sorts of antipasti and different pastas, especially the famous Roman ones like; Carbonara and Cacio Pepe. I ate in wonderful trattorias, went to Gelaterias for tasty Italian Gelato, and went to Tre Scalini in the Piazza Navona for their famed Tartufo.

Yes I had a wonderful time, it was Rome, it was Italy and I was so young, way back in the Summer of 85.

Basta !

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke