A Daytrip to Rome – Traveling Within Italy
by Tina Ferrari
A Roman street
Something I like about living in Italy is that it’s relatively small and you don’t have to go very far to see something new. Perugia is particularly fortunate in its location, being right in the middle of Italy. I can get to Florence in just two hours on the train and Rome in three (two and a half by car). Not only that, Umbria itself is full of interesting and beautiful towns like Orvieto, Todi and Spello to name just a few.
Saturday morning we woke up ready for a day in Rome, as I wanted to see two friends from the States who were staying there. Since Europe had been overcome by snow overnight, we spent much of the morning wondering whether to take the train or drive to Rome. We opted for driving, realizing we could just come back early enough to avoid icy roads. Driving is faster and you have much more freedom to choose when to come and go.
After contending with Roman traffic and finding a parking space in the Villa Borghese lot, we met our friends at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. There was no snow in site, and the sky was overcast with rain clouds.
I already knew where I wanted to eat lunch, so we darted underground and into the Metro (the subway), and in little time we were at a warm, crowded no-frills eatery in the neighborhood of Monti. The waiter was the same one we’d had before. A straniero, foreigner, upon first site, but with an accent so Roman he must have been born there.
He asked if we’d like anything to drink. We said we’d like red wine, and he disappeared and about 5 seconds later he zestfully placed a liter of red wine on the table. This place is no nonsense. I ordered my favorite thing, a most Roman dish if I may say so, cacio e pepe, followed by polpette in tomato sauce – just perfect for this cold almost-winter day.
After laughing and catching up, we decided to take a walk. We wound up at Piazza della Rotunda, where the Pantheon is located. I forgot how much I loved this piazza. The timeless presence of the Pantheon itself almost makes you forget what century you’re in. That day, there was a group of four female musicians in the piazza, playing music and singing in Roman dialect. We soaked up the music and looked up in marvel at the flocks of birds and how they moved together in a strange mass, almost seeming like a stipple painting that kept changing shape. It was a singular magical moment.
The domed ceiling of the Pantheon
We decided to enter the Pantheon, and I had to catch my breath when I looked up at the dome with its skylight. I forgot how magnificent this piece of architecture is. The ceiling design is so modern-looking you forget that this structure was built 1800 years ago. A large bird flew past the skylight, slowly, and for a minute I thought I was in ancient Rome. Well, I *was* in ancient Rome, but you know what I mean. I find that Rome, despite being a large, bustling city, maintains a connection to nature, always. You’re inside, but you’re outside. This was one example.
We walked our friends to their tram stop so they could go “home” to Trastevere, and meandered through various streets on our way back to the parking garage, peeking into shop windows and eventually deciding to buy some roasted chestnuts from a street vendor to keep our hands warm before we made our way back to snowy Perugia.
What are your favorite spots for daytrips?
Tina Ferrari is an Italian-American translator, tango dancer and part-time writer based in Umbria, Italy. In addition to AffordableCallingCards.net, Tina also writes at her own blog, Tina Tangos. Comments are welcome!
