Vi sposate a un vecchio italiano che hai incontrato due minuti fa? Quando a Roma...

Colosseum I

St. Peter's Basilica I

Rome has come & gone, & now it’s Florence's turn. I had a lovely 4 night stay in this beautiful, blood sweltering hot city. Of all the places I’ve been to, this one wins the most attractive people award. Young, old, the men & women are drop dead gorgeous with an immaculate tan & great fashion. These people know how to dress. I spent my day on Friday hitting up 2 free walking tours that covered the history of the Vatican, Roman Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, & plenty more. Most of the sites were already covered in the first day! Not a cloud was in the sky allowing my farmers’ tan to solidify even more (proof below).

Arch of Constantine

Best sculpture ever.

Get some popcorn ready, because I have a nice, LONG story about my first encounter with an Italian man that morning. I woke up running late for the first tour, so it was a walk & do my make up kind of morning. Challenge accepted. As I was concentrating hard on not tripping while putting foundation dots on my face (because I'm a classy lady), an Italian man walking beside me was smiling up a storm & started talking to me in Italian. I figure what the hell, if he doesn’t feel awkward talking to me looking like this, might as well & tried to tell him “no Italiano.” Didn't matter. He decided to chat up a storm at which point, after several more attempts to tell him “NO ITALIANO,” I let him talk his heart out. I nodded & smiled, occasionally letting out a fake laugh which is what I usually do when I’m not paying attention & continue with my makeup.

Colosseum II

Roman ruins

Now it goes downhill. He grabbed my arm affectionately, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt thinking it's an Italian thing to be friendly. After getting lost due to my failed multitasking, I showed him where I needed to go on my map assuming he would take me there...nooo. He wanted to go on a little walk with me down these random side streets going who knows where. When I told him my name, he stopped me, swirled me around, & kissed me twice!! Right on the lips! I thought he was trying to do the friendly side cheek kisses you see in the movies. Nope. After continuously trying to get me to sit at a restaurant with him, I told him I had to go because I was late, late, late & ran off. As I was tra la la-ing down the street, guess who pops up behind me a few minutes later? It’s my new boyfriend. Long story short, he sneaked in another kiss, but I finally lost him. I'm thinking he either asked me to marry him, to adopt him, or for him to be my escort during my nods & smiles. Lesson learned. It’s every girls’ dream to have a handsome Italian man woo her off her feet after knowing him for 2 minutes, unless he’s 70 years old. ಠ_ಠ Somehow, by the luck of the gods (Roman joke), I managed to run into the tour half an hour late, ditched the old hubby, & continued on with my day. I ended the night by gawking at Pierce Brosnan as he strolled by me.

SPB II

Trevi Fountain

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day until I reached the Colosseum. Halfway through my tour of the gigantic amphitheater, a thunderstorm engulfed the arena giving us a fantastic, rare view of this monster. Hearing the thunder outside of the walls made the visit

Pantheon

more exhilarating as people were scrambling to find shelter. Personally, I love the rain so I enjoyed a nice stroll through it finishing my tour. It’s surprisingly smaller than I perceived it to be based on the pictures in books showing it eating everyone. I was surprised to learn that when the pope ended the barbaric gladiatorial fights in the 5^th century, the marble & other materials were scrapped throughout the next few centuries & used to build other buildings such as St. Peter’s Basilica giving it the look it has today. Beside the Colosseum is the Roman Forum (city center) showing the barely intact Roman ruins, but a sight to see nonetheless. That night, I met some lovely Scottish men from the hostel, went out, & then ended the night laughing hysterically as one of them was locked inside the bathroom for about 15 minutes in his drunken stupor trying to get out (he made it out alive thankfully).

After

Before

I was hoping to make it to the Pantheon church service, but realized too late that it’s on Saturdays, & there was no way I was going to attempt mass at the Vatican that Sunday. After being awaken by my loud hostel landlord slapping my bed saying I overslept & should have checked out (she didn’t realize I was staying another night), I made my way over to the Vatican to see St. Peter’s Basilica & was able to go to the 4 pm mass…didn’t understand a word they were saying, but the church & service were beautiful. Climbing the never ending stairs, I made it to the top of the dome where I made a Turkish friend, & guess what happens once again...a thunderstorm comes rolling in. It was amazing watching the dark clouds come closer as the gray haze slowly obstructed our view of the streets right before us. The lightning in the distance with the thunder booming was perfect. My Turkish friend, Alepen, & I scrambled for cover & accidently found a secret passageway (not really secret, but tucked away in a column) that led to the Popes’ graves underground…creepy, but neat to see.

One of my favorite paintings in the Chapel

The sculptor really must have hated this guy

Although I was hoping to make it to one of the beaches near Rome, I decided it was time to head out, but first made it to the Sistine Chapel today since I didn’t have enough time yesterday. Incredible. Seeing the work of Michelangelo in person makes me appreciate the hard work & years it took to paint the intricate masterpiece. Rome...you have been a wonderful host of a city. One of the things I love about the people here is how social strangers are (excluding my old hubby). Even with headphones in, strangers would try to talk to me which threw me for a loop. Back in Boston, EVERYONE keeps to themselves on the streets or trains. The food is impeccable & lives up to the Italian name, the men are extremely charming, PERSISTENT, & a tad egocentric (the fake boyfriend thing does NOT work), & the fashion is as expected, lovely. I'm sad to leave, but I'll be back! For now, I've got a great book to read (Wuthering Heights) & a train to catch.