DAY 3 - 14

WOW! All I can say is WOW! I have had spotty WiFi so posting to this blog as been a challenge. Also, I have been taking in as much as possible so I have not made an intense effort to write a daily post. My apologies for the lack of info and pics to those of you who have been following (all 3 of you).

That being said, please visit https://www.instagram.com/jmperini/ for more pics from this trip....

Just a quick update, Sarah arrived on Monday September 11 and we have been in Firenze (Florence) since Tuesday September 12. We are still here with plans on returning to Roma tomorrow. We should be back in Seattle the evening of Monday September 18.

Hear are some highlights of this past week....

ORVIETO

CIVITA di BAGNOREGIO

SPRING by BOTTICELLI

SARAH on the ARNO RIVER

 

DAVID (with JEFF & SARAH)

DAY 2

Travelling is so much fun! The crew at Wiki Hostel has been great and super helpful. After being dropped off at the Zagarolo station I hopped a train for Roma. Well, I thought I did – note to self: it is important to check the platform schedule and not just hop on the first train that stops. I ended riding away from Roma and it only took me two stops to notice! I ended up in Colleferro Scalo. So, I had a quick shot of espresso before boarding the correct train…

Once in Roma I had some lunch which consisted of a Salami panino and pasta salad. The panino was on rustic bread and had some sort of truffle oil butter on it. The salad was penne, tomatoes, olives. Artichoke, lite basil vinaigrette and then topped with shave truffle (Tartufo). I did not take a picture of this because I really am trying to minimize my food photos – plus my taste buds and mind will always have the best record of my meals. After my quick bite, I went to the Museo Nazionale Romano. One of Roma's great unheralded museums, this is a fabulous treasure trove of classical art. It also includes the Baths of Diocletian which once spanned 3000 square meters, were up to 1-meter deep and the entire floor was covered in polished marble. What is left of the baths is equally impressive and visitors can roam freely in them – unfortunately they are not filled with water!

After spending a good two hours at the Museum, I began wandering the streets of Roma just soaking up everything possible. I visited the Forum of Trajan, the Roman Forum, the River Tiber, Vittoriano and too many other places to list. I ended walking just over 22,000 steps yesterday (according to my Fitbit that’s about 10 miles).

I found a great alley bar (Normale) and had a Negroni and Cynar Spritz.

I began realizing that I had better head back to Roma Termini to catch the second to last train home. Well, Roma at night is a little different and in some spots way more crowed. I stumbled into the massive crowd at the Trevi Fountain and immediately bypassed the onslaught – it is worth seeing, but I have seen it before so I will wait for Sarah to go see it again.

So navigating the streets and crowds was adventurous, but I made it back in time to have a beer, watch some soccer and catch the correct train! Once home, I had some wine (of course) and then a late-night thunderstorm hit. A great deal more lightning this time was just awesome and little hair raising. Sunday I’ll be in Ostia on the Tyrrhenian just outside Roma. Until then…ciao!

JM Perini 

DAY 1

I was recently reminiscing about Italy with a friend, doing my best to describe how wonderful the country is, and I think I totally put them in a state of boredom. Not surprising since I can talk hours on end about the different regions, cities, people, food, drink, museums, historical sites, parks, statues, churches, plazas, artwork…. oops, there I go again…rambling.  However, it is such a fascinating and incredibly life altering place that I have no apologies putting anyone to sleep with my stories.

That being said, let’s get this new story going…

I left Seattle the morning of Thursday August 31 and arrived in Rome (Roma) the morning of Friday September 1. After passport approval (which consisted of a nod and a stamp), I made it to the Leonardo Da Vinci express to Roma Termini. I immediately stored my backup and began wandering the streets not really looking for anything in particular.

After sometime, I stooped and had a beer partnered with a Mortadella and Gorgonzola cream cheese panino. Super tasty. I was close enough to the Colosseum that I decide to take a quick peek. I continued my walkabout until finally I realized how tired I was, so I head back to Roma Termini. My next destination was 25km outside Roma in Zagarolo. This is where the WikiHostel & Greenspace is located.

A brief thunderstorm hit, which was super refreshing because I sweating in the Roman heat all morning. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Michela who gave me a tour of the grounds and walked me to my room. This place is off the beaten path and feels like a deep woods retreat – perfect for getting away from crazy Roma!

I freshened up, got my bearings and bought a bottle of local Passerina wine. I always try to get adjusted to local time by staying up until the late evening before crashing for the night. This has always helped me avoid jet-lag and I swear by the practice. Anyway, on Fridays there is always a pizza party here and even the locals attend. There are probably less than 20 travelers at the hostel, but the party was attended by at least 75 people. The pizza was cooked in a wood-fired oven and lightly topped with local fresh ingredients. Tasty, but not nearly Bar Del Corso perfection.

I finally had to crash, which was good because I think my poor Italian language skills was turning into my mediocre Spanish. Woke up this morning to another thunderstorm and now I’m off to Roma. I will probably hit a museum today and find more panini. Just taking some solitary time before my crew and lovely partner in crime show up…Ciao!

JM Perini