Musing with Max: Roman Holiday

We seem to have added Rome as an afterthought which I know sounds a bit kooky considering that...well, it's Rome. We may have been a bit planned out at that point but how can you go to Italy and not got to Rome? Really! But two days? What were we thinking? By the time I realized it all plans were made, tickets bought, reservations, etc. etc. And there was too much else going on to rethink the whole thing. So as the saying so obnoxiously goes, "it is what it is". We took the high speed train from Florence which only takes one hour...and it was a half hour late. Rome was the first stop so we clamored towards the door to grab our luggage and jump off. And suddenly we're not in Kansas...or Florence...anymore. As much as the crowds are all over Florence, it is small and very intimate. Rome is not. It is BIG, bustling, a metropolis. We take a taxi from Tiburtina station and it takes about a half hour to get to our hotel through very fast crazy traffic. We are in a pedestrian zone in a wide cobblestone street lined with big name fashion stores. A little boutique hotel which recently opened and you can tell since the entire family comes out to greet us. We have the top floor which means we have the roof terrace,

which gives us fun views of Roman rooftops.

Down the spiral staircase is our breakfast terrace.

Hmmm, maybe we can extend this! After settling into our very pretty but very cramped room we go out to canvas the neighborhood. Just down the street and around the corner, the Spanish Steps.

Pinch me, am I in a movie? I've seen this place sooooo many times and here I am. Marcello!!!!!

We climb up and look at the views,

not bad. We do a little more exploring and then some cafe life to take in some serious people watching. And there it is. You always hear how well Italian women dress and frankly I had not seen anything special at all anywhere. Venice has a ton of tourists but I was happy to see that people dressed up at night, especially at the opera which were mainly Italians. No shorts, no jeans thank goodness. Florence had a lot of Americans and Australians, the men seem to have a hard time grasping the concept of long pants so Frank and I were always overdressed. I have mastered high heels and cobblestones! The women in Rome are dressed to the nines; oozing style and confidence. The high heels will fit right in.

I decided that while in Rome (when in Rome?) I would only eat Roman food so our first dinner on our first night we made a reservation at what is supposedly an iconic and very traditional restaurant, Armando al Pantheon, walking distance from us (about 10 minutes!) and half a block from the Pantheon. I wasn't prepared. We walk a few blocks down a main street, make a right, walk down some very challenging cobblestoned streets, past a darling little square with a beautiful church and outdoor cafes and suddenly, Piazza de la Rotonda, and...the Pantheon.

I'm in complete awe. It is a massive, magnificent structure. Beautifully preserved. It's late so there's hardly anyone around and the lights around the piazza give it an ethereal glow. Am I in a movie?

Armando al Pantheon is a darling little restaurant just up the street with this view from the front door,

crowded and happy. Reservations are essential, they're turning people away all night long. I can see why. Not only are they in a very coveted address, but the food...