Roma Over the Top

Greetings from Italia!
I am sitting at the kitchen table of the most amazing Tuscan farmhouse, drinking a glass of Vino Nobile and listening to Martin Sexton while my husband and Cinda are cooking up what I'm certain will be one of the best meals I've had in Montalcino. That being said, the food and wine here are completely over the top. I'm pretty sure we'll have to dedicate a whole section of the blog just to the food and wine.
Anyway, after a very long, but fairly uneventful flight, Mo & I finally arrived in Rome. Thanks to Maddie, we were greeted at the airport by our driver, Fabio. I often forget how thrilling and terrifying a cab ride in a foreign country can be. I have to say, of all the countries I've been in, Italian drivers are, by far, the best. Who needs speed limits or dividing lines? As long as everyone knows the rules ( biggest wins, and faster is better) and follows them, it works out well. We were in bunches when we finally reached the Hotel Centrale. Franco directed us to Rm 14 on the 5th floor, next door to the Reeds(supposedly). After getting on the smallest “lift” I've ever been in, we realized that there were only 3 floors and the Reeds were on the 2nd, while we were on the 1st, at opposite sides of the building. Ah, but how could we be angry with Franco, he sold us a bottle of vino rosso to take to our room. As luck would have it, as soon as we opened the wine, our compatriots knocked at the door and joined us for a glass. After a very short sleep we had breakfast in the hotel and met our guide for the day, Maria Teresa Ferrari (if only they could have gotten us a true Italian guide :-)). Again, we owe deep thanks to Maddie for hooking us up with, undoubtedly, the most knowledgeable and friendliest guide in Rome. Our tour started at the door of our hotel, where we chose to walk, rather than cab around Rome. Teresa knew about the history of every building, street, you name it. Unless you've been to Rome, it's hard (impossible, really) to describe the beauty and history of this place. The best word I can think of is “vast”. To stand where people lived, fought, died ...thousands of years ago, and have someone like Teresa to tell you the stories was just fabuloso. A bit of a mind trip to walk down a street with Prada, Gucci, and Jimmy Choo (eat your hearts out girls) then turn the corner to see the forum, coliseum, or the balcony where Mussolini gave his speeches. One of the most fascinating things that I learned was how many things changed and how frequently they changed in Rome based on which Pope was in power. One particular pope might like Bernini as an artist, while the next liked a different artist. At that point, whole buildings might be torn down or changed to reflect the interests of the reigning pope. One of the popes (sorry Teresa, I can't remember which one) was very much into bees and had bees sculpted onto buildings in Rome and in the Vatican. As you can imagine, we thought that was very cool.

Carol and Robb sharing a laugh with Maria Teresa

After touring classical Rome, we cabbed to Vatican city. Again, unless you've been here, it's almost impossible to describe the beauty and grandeur of this place. The art, the sculptures, the things that you've read about or seen in books....are truly unbelievable in reality. The fact that there are so many concentrated in one place was overwhelming. The Sistine Chapel, while spectacular, was so crowded and humid that it was difficult to enjoy. Apparently, Wednesday is the day the Pope gives his sermon and also the day the cruise ships arrive. St. Peter's Basilica, on the other hand, was amazing. It was getting a little late when we arrived, so not too crowded. Mass was just beginning as we arrived, so the choir was singing. It even gave Maurizio goose bumps! As I made my way toward the front to get the perfect picture dialed in, our camera battery died :-(. Shortly thereafter, Robb's died, soon to be followed by Cinda's.
I think our tour with Teresa was supposed to end at about 3:00pm. We finished at St Peter's at around 6:30, then had wine at the top of the Castle San Angelo (sorry if I messed that up, Teresa) with Teresa. We would have brought her along for the rest of our trip if we could, and I think she may have considered joining us! If you ever come to Italy, you would be foolish to not contact Teresa and Maddie.
Okay, so we've moved on to Brunello and Grateful Dead (I was corrected.. it's not Grateful Dead, it's “Old and in the Way”). Whatever, Cinda says dinner is almost done. Just adding the fresh herbs to the lentils with Italian sausage, red peppers, radicchio, pancetta, and fusilli. When Cinda says the dinner is done, so is my blog! Ciao

We're having problems downloading our pictures. Will post them tomorrow.