Sitting in my apartment in Rome I can hear the sounds of passing cars, the occasional ambulance passing by screeching typical Italian alarm sounds and church bells. By these very small idiosyncrasies I know, without a doubt, that I am in a different place - though convincing myself that I am actually in Rome is another story completely. Since I was a child, I have dreamed of visiting the country that my grandparents immigrated from over 40 years ago, so the idea of actually being here... Well it's surreal to say the least!
So being in the city of my dreams begs a rather large question... What is one to do when they reach a destination they have dreamed of visiting for 20 years? Its funny, because you would think that I would have spent years mapping out everything I wanted to see, but landing here in Italy I have realised that all I ever wanted to do was get here and, until very recently, that never seemed to be anything more than a pipe dream - so I never really planned beyond arriving. And now the question comes to pass... What do I do with the 5 days that I have in Rome???
Being the organisation freak that I was, I had pre-planned our accommodation, booked a hire car (which, it turns out, was a very bad idea) and ordered Rome passes for attractions... so all in all, the trip was set, all we needed to do upon arrival was to figure out what order we were going to see everything in. We arrived in Italy after 5 action packed days in Egypt, 5 days of early starts and busy days - tour after tour, so our first day in Rome was low key. I found my way to a small deli near our accommodation and settled myself with a friend and a glass of wine in the afternoon sun and realised that after everything I have read about Italy and all of the movies I have seen, that I am quite content to do just that. To spend 5 full days enjoying Rome, but not necessarily seeing all that there is to see.
Now, I don't dispute that seeing the sights in Rome is a brilliant way to enjoy the city. Rome has some of the most magnificent sights in the world to see, but I am no history buff, so the meaning of something like the Colosseum to me may not be as special to me as it is to the next person. Slowly but surely my ways of travelling are changing; I am coming to understand that it is not the sights of a city that make that city what it is - sure, some of those sights encompass the history that has contributed to making that place what it is today, but they are not the be all and end all of what it is today. And what Rome is to me today is a vibrant city of beauty and elegance, in the food, the people, the streets - it is in the air! But how to you capture that feeling, the vibe that makes a place truly unique? I feel that it is safe to say that the answer to this question will be different for each and every person, but for me the answer is to become a part of it.
So today, instead of heading out on a 6 hour journey to visit the Colosseum, I had lunch. In a cute little restaurant on Via Gregorio VII, I ate gnocchi and I drank wine and I absorbed my surroundings. Not a vitally important day in the long list of days that this trip encompasses, nor did any life changing events occur today but I feel like I have added to the feeling that is Rome. I have contributed to my memories of this place. After all, there is always time to come back, right?
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