Rome Reigns

“A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.”    – Francesco Petrarca

Perhaps it’s the wet, wintery Spring, or a tumultuous Italian political climate: Rome welcomes us refreshingly cleansed of the crush of wanton tourism.

We arrive for our annual European residenza at a lovely flat in Rome’s leafy Prati neighborhood. This is a welcome upgrade from previous select “gone native” accommodations.

Our theme for this trip is “no suffering,” which builds on last year’s very successful motif of “as and when…”  Having a spontaneous lunch when wind and rain sabotage planned excursions by foot, is putting our mantra into practice.

Energetic strolls in any direction from our post-war (WWI) apartment building yield abundant charms of the Eternal City. We are on the “other side” of the rising waters of the Tevere, seemingly distant from the teeming Center, yet just a kilometer from Piazza del Popolo, our former reference point for La Dolce Vita.

Needless to say, we casually take in the simple delights Rome so warm-heartedly provides. Our working vocabulary of “restaurant Italian” seems to open additional dimensions of hospitality and smiles.

To summarize: we walk glistening, moist cobbled streets, sip “molto calda” caffe lattes at revered cafes, eat modestly given the potential seduction of gluttony, navigate between unpredicatable showers with grace and good cheer, and most triumphantly, relax more than ever at the outset of adventure.

We will allow photos to provide most of the pertinent particulars…

All images captured on iPhoneX.   Click on any pic to ride the photo carousel: