When in Rome

Where to begin...The Sistene Chapel? St. Peter’s Basilica? The Colosseum? Let’s start with the train ride out of a gorgeous yet not very commonly known part of Italy called Bari. I know I’ve already blogged about it, but I was so impressed by it that it deserves another note. Now, if you’re looking for the touristy haven, you won’t find it in Bari. Now if you’re anything like myself and you like to immerse yourself in the nitty gritty local scene. then please make a trip to Bari. Tell them Gino sent you....haha. Ok, back to business. The ride on the train to Rome was magnificent. So much so that I didn’t even bother to pull out the camera. Sounds circular I know, but follow me here. What good would it be to try to capture something that only the naked human eye in conjunction with the brain can process? Instead, I took the time to take it all in. Mountains. Rolling hills. Sun-kissed valleys. Before I knew it, a voice abruptly came through the speaker(in italian of course). Not quite sure what was said other than Roma Termini and considering my fluency in Italian, I knew instantly that we had arrived. Rome. Once only familiar to me by way of pictures in textbooks or the travel channel. There it was, live and in color and I was experiencing it. Now forgive me b/c I’m about to bitch for a moment. One, it was hot as slavery in Rome. I mean you could feel it as soon as you stepped off of the air conditioned train. Second, we decided to walk to the hotel from the train station. Bad move. Factor in the heat, the humidity and the fact that we were all toting about 80 pounds of luggage, it was pure misery. Lastly, once we arrived at the hotel (Hotel Baltic which is by far the biggest sh*thole this side of the Colosseum) we found out that the hotel was located on the 2nd floor. “What’s wrong with that Gino?” How did I know you’d ask that. Let me paint this picture for you. You have to climb a set of stairs to get to the 1st floor b/c in Europe the first floor is actually floor zero. Once you reach the landing, you’re met with a circular stair case (did I mention the fact that we were all carrying around 80 pounds of luggage?). Option B? an elevator, but not your run of the mill variety. This one was large enough for one average European adult and a pack of cigarettes. So what did we do? We loaded it with bags and Gino walked up to the next floor to unload them. “That’s only one floor Gino, why are you bitchin’?” You ask the best questions! Once check-in was completed (and by completed I mean that we were told the rooms wouldn’t be ready for an hour), we had to haul the luggage up two more floors. YAY! By this time, we were SOAKED with sweat. Once we got to the room, it wasn't all that bad. So I’m done bitchin’.

Where was I? Ah yes, Rome. Honestly, I could go on for days about the sights, the food, and feel that is Rome, but to be perfectly honest, I would do it absolutely no justice. I found myself sitting on the skeletal remains of a wall in the Colosseum and asking myself, “how did I get here?” I mean really, there I was, sitting in a 2000+ year old building which has seen so much. Death. Slavery. Unrivaled misery. It has served as a shelter for Romans in times of distress. It has even served as a quarry. Best of all(at least in my selfish book) it played host to my thoughts. It opened to doors to a time of self reflection. It allowed me to see just how small I am in this world and how big my dreams are. It’s sheer size may be amazing, but what is more amazing is that it has withstood the test of time, the destruction of man, and the development of a nation. I’m at a loss for words even just trying to recount the experience. Of course, everyone’s experience will be different. I also had the opportunity to see the Sistene Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, The Spanish Steps, the Forum and many more places. However, I will spare you the long drawn out blog and just invite you to check out my pictures on Facebook. Besides, I’m sure my pictures tell a much better story.

So what else is there to Rome other than monuments to the Gods, ancient arenas, and opulent places of worship? Pub crawls of course! For 20£, you too can have access to an open bar, pizza, and a pub crawl t-shirt! Sounds sexier than it really was. Not gonna lie, I had a great time, but that will definitely be the last time I consume cheap booze. I mean let’s be honest, an open bar on a pub crawl is not gonna provide top-shelf liquor. The least they could’ve done was given us real Coca-Cola. What did we get? Not sure, but it definitely was not coke! And the pizza? Well, after 10 back alley brewed rum and generic sodas, anything tastes good. At least the t-shirt is comfortable haha. Oh, while on the topic of liquor, when in Rome, you HAVE to partake of an apertif happy hour. Let me break it down. During happy hour, for between 5 & 8 Euros, you get a cocktail or mixed drink AND a buffet of Italian sampling foods such as polenta, vine ripe tomatoes on toast with basil and olive oil, or meat filled pastries etc. It’s the best deal running! The drinks are poured strong and the food is fresh. Ok, that brings me to the food. Up until I visited Italy, I absolutely HATED italian food. However, after having real Italian food, I’m officially a fan (you were right mOn, it’s different over here dude). If you don’t like tomatoes, I GUARANTEE Italy will make you a fan. Trust me, I watched a non-tomato eater get converted. It really does happen. Overall, the food is just out of this world. Just to give you an idea of the dishes that I had the privilege of tasting, here’s sample: Spaghetti with wild clams, Pasta Carbonara (homemade pasta with eggs, bacon and cream sauce), and homemade tiramisu. Do I even need to go into detail? Forgive me if there’s a typo, I just drooled on my keyboard. Verdict on Italy? Must see! Like I said, if you can swing it, make a stop in Bari. It’s in the south and away form the heavily trafficked tourist areas, but it’s well worth the time. Besides, you can catch a ferry over to Dubrovnik for less than $80 USD from there. I’m definitely gonna miss Rome.