Days 312-315 - Rome like a tourist

I have been here in Rome for almost a week now and I still cannot get my thoughts together. Rome is…

Rome is huge

It’s not only the size of the city, but also the multiplicity of historic layers, the number of centuries. I don’t think it is humanly possible to take all of this in. Well, maybe if you live here all your life. Although I still don’t think so. You can absorb little pieces of it here and there, but it would be way too ambitious to try and grasp all that is Rome…

Rome is tiny

When you distance yourself from the vastness of the abstract idea of Rome, you will see that it is tiny, really. You can walk everywhere, through its maze of the narrow streets, little piazzas, and microscopic largos. In fact, there are very few metro stations here, making walking everywhere a necessity (if you are a bus-hater like me, of course).

Rome is a labyrinth

I don’t mind walking. I love it. Walking in Rome is a challenge. First of all, cobblestone streets are no good friend for any type of heels (and although my shoes are very comfortable for any other pedestrian occasion, I wish I had brought sneakers with me). Secondly, the seven hills of Rome are not helping either. And last but certainly not least, THE MAZE. The stupid little crooked streets have the audacity to cross themselves several times! You should never be surprised to encounter an age-old stone wall right in front of you in the place where a pass should be running according to the map you are desperately trying to follow. And how can you possibly not laugh at the directions that read “go straight on Viale Aventino, turn left on Via Aventina, cross largo Aventinio”. Seriously?

So I gave up Rome maps. I started using “intuitive navigation”. You look up your destination on google maps in advance, try to remember (or write down) the names of the main milestones on the way, pick the general direction and set on your journey. The most important thing is to believe in yourself. Never get weak and whip the map out trying to match your real location to the drawn one, it will only make everything worse. Just believe in yourself, remember the name of your destination and walk ahead bravely. Eventually, whatever you are looking for will pop right in front of your eyes. I have lived on that for almost a week and I haven’t gotten frustrated once. When I hear the worst swear words in all possible languages, I know those are coming from lost tourists who gave in to the map. I see their doomed eyes, their tired annoyed faces, their fingers desperately flying over the stupid map, and I want to sneak behind, snatch away this useless piece of paper and set them free. Trust me, your eyes really need to be free while you are roaming Rome, so that when you take a “wrong” turn, you don’t miss something awesome like this:

Rome is pine trees

Rome is food

http://www.parlafood.com/a-few-of-my-favorite-restaurants-in-rome/

Rome is caffé corretto

According to Wikipedia.org, it is an Italian beverage, consisting of a shot of espresso “corrected” with a shot of liquor, usually grappa, and sometimes sambuca or brandy. It is also known outside of Italy as an “espresso corretto”. It is ordered as “un caffe corretto alla grappa (alla sambuca) (al cognac)”.

According to me, it is a recipe for immediate attitude adjustment.

Rome is campari spritz

I think campari is the best drink ever, although many will not agree with me because of its bitterness. Well, it’s an acquired taste, I guess, but I’m so pleased to know that here my favorite campari orange is “corrected” with prosecco (substituting the orange juice that isJ).

As a tourist I stayed at: Grand Hotel Via Veneto (5 out of 5)

As a tourist I dined amazingly well (and several times) at:

• Tuna (offering the best oysters on this planet and the delicious lobster alla catalana)
• Al Ceppo
• Da Remo

Do NOT go to pizzeria La Fontana! You'd think it's impossible to get a bad pizza in Italy. Well, think twice... That was the only bad (horrible, really) meal I had in Rome.