The sun started to rise and the view was incredible. Italian countryside littered with farms and red stucco buildings. Or maybe they were brick. Whatever they were, the contrast against the green land was beautiful.
The landing was rough and I felt anxious right away. For me, being in another country not knowing the language is terrifying. I felt like a kid lost in a mall—big doe eyes on the verge of tears, wanting my mommy. Just kidding (I think). There is a lot of English, written and spoken, but still a lot of things aren't. And the airport was huge and unfamiliar. Luckily we just followed the crowds and they got us where we needed to be. First, immigration. Then baggage claim. Then to pick up our Roma Passes, and finally us being picked up by our shuttle to our hotel.
Aldo said he was 63, but I wouldn't have believed it if it didn't come directly from him. He was stylish, wearing silver rings, black skinny jeans and a black top with a light, black puffer vest over it.
Walking to his shuttle was the first taste of the vehicle/person dynamic in Italy. Cars came zooming by, inches from us. I followed Aldo's lead. Pushed my chest out, shoulders back, and walked with confident step, refusing to lose pace.
The drive from the airport to the shuttle was a blur, both because the driving is like nothing I've ever seen before (and I think that means a lot since I hail from Memphis) and because fatigue was getting the best of me.
Aldo was kind to us. No one in our group speaks Italian and he did not speak much English. But we made it work. He shared his suggestions on what to visit and where to eat and we listened intently.
When we finally got to our rooms, the introvert in me wanted to crawl into our king size bed and curl up in a teeny tiny ball. But the want to not waste a second queued up a second wind and out we went to explore.
After our first espresso (and a pistachio muffin to die for) at Eliseo, we found the place Aldo had told us about: Il Mercato Centrali. The place was buzzing with people from everywhere. It was so much to take in, and it was beautiful. There we ate paninis and pasta with gelato for dessert. Me, marscapone and T, pistachio.
From there, we were all hit with a third wind and walked the way to the Trevi Fountain. Let me tell you, I quickly found the cobble streets are gorgeous, but inconvenient and a little painful if stepped on the wrong way. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the authentic experience of walking the tiny, rich streets of Roma.
The fountain itself was everything I expected. Crowded, but beautiful. We also got our first taste of panhandlers. Luckily, YouTube had prepared us for this and taught us to look right through them or emphatically respond with a loud NO.
We're in for the night now, but looking forward to tomorrow.
We're in for the night now, but looking forward to tomorrow.
