OUR NIGHT IN ROME

Mary Ann: I want to write about our first day in Italy since we spent it in Rome, an ancient, fantastical city full of richly-textured sights, sounds and smells. The Hotel De Artistes was in a perfect location, only 5 or 6 blocks from the Roma Termini train station where we came in from the airport. This was especially convenient because we had to walk that distance pulling two 40 pound suitcases, with each of us toting an 11 pound backpack. Our room was lovely and overlooked a central courtyard surrounded by a couple of tall, light, stuccoed apartment buildings with plant-filled balconies, and laundry hanging on lines strung between windows. After arriving, we took a short nap, and then began exploring a little. In the span of 3 hours, we learned to ride the subway, found the bus station, bought tickets for our bus trip the next day, tracked down a gelateria and sampled their wares, and wandered around our area a little just to see what was there.

The best was waiting for us though. Around dusk, we decided to head for the closest piazza which in this case was the Piazza De Repubblica. What a good choice! It was filled with evening strollers, strolling as only the Italians can do, and lots of shops and restaurants and noise and tons of traffic all swirling through the rotondo. “Bookending” this piazza was a beautiful set of 19th century government buildings, all lit up and a perfect backdrop for the activities. Then, not more than a couple blocks away were the ruins of the Baths of Diacletian from the 1st century A.D., and beside it, a darkened garden, filled with ancient carved marble statues, crypts and columns, and a giant marble urn fountain in the center. I felt like I was in a sacred place, in the middle of holy ground where precious and ancient memories are preserved in stone. I was truly moved to tears as I accepted these treasures as a gift which continues to inspire and awe us. We took pictures and whispered awhile in the garden, wondering about their history and the culture that produced them.

Then it was time to move on to a really important thing…finding a place to eat. There were lots of choices along this busy avenue, but we settled on U. Guiliani, a rather small caffe and pasticceria and are we glad we did! It was a wonderful and memorable experience. The meal of tortellini and lasagna was luscious and the owner/waiter was a national treasure himself. He bustled around between tables, occasionally saying to himself “Mamma Mia!” chatting and greeting everyone, and in between he made sure the wait staff was tending to everyone’s needs to his satisfaction. There were lots of customers---some buying delicious pastries from the glass case, some wanting caffe at the “stand up bar” and others sitting down for a long and leisurely meal. We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, a perfect ending to our first night in Roma.