Rome In May

By Laura Kissel

I have the good fortune to have a job that requires me to attend an international conference every other year. The Polar Libraries Colloquy meets in Europe and then alternately in a North American location. This past May, we met in Rome (I know, it’s a tough gig, but somebody has to do it). My husband Mike has gone with me on a few of these cool trips, but the timing for this one wasn’t good for us. Somebody had to stay home and push the kids through those last few weeks of school, so my Mom came with me on this trip. She had never been to Europe before and since my Dad passed away in January, she was ready to get away for a while.

We had an uneventful flight and arrived at Fumicino, the airport in Rome, on Saturday, May 6th at about noon. I travel with the expectation that at least one bag will be lost, so I was pleasantly surprised when all of our luggage arrived when we did! We got a very expensive cab ride from the airport to our hotel, which was in a working-class area of the city. I was taken aback by all of the graffiti in Rome - it is everywhere – and Rome is a very dirty city in general. There are political ads everyplace, and they seem to change them daily, with the extras or the old ones just left on the sidewalks and streets. A trash can well placed would really be a good idea there… you just don’t see them anywhere. And like all big cities, there is a significant homeless population with make-shift shelters and the like in various areas of the city. It took me about a day to get over the grime of Rome. It just wasn’t what I expected. In contrast, the beauty of the fountains and churches and ancient ruins literally in the middle of everything was just overwhelming. It was so cool to have the cabbie drive us into the ancient city, past the walls and right past the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus and the Roman Forum.

We took several organized tours during our week in Rome. On Sunday, our first full day, we took a tour of ancient monuments. This was wonderful, the tour guide was knowledgeable, and a bus took us from place to place. The best part was the extensive walking tour of the Roman Forum. I am not really a big fan of ancient history, but this made me a convert. I bought one of tourist books that shows a picture of the structure as it looks today, and then has an overlay that shows what it looked like during the time of the Roman Empire. It was simply awesome. After the conference Monday evening (yes, I did attend my conference!), we walked to Via Condotti, which is the equivalent of the Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive. We could barely afford to breathe the air there, let alone buy anything, but it was fun just the same. We got a little bit lost getting back to our hotel that night, but finally we figured it out. The streets in Rome are not logical or in a handy grid pattern like they are in big U.S. cities (generally speaking), so it is easy to get very confused. Giving directions in Rome seems to be based more on various piazzas (little “town squares” where the roads come together) rather than the actual streets. After that evening of walking (and walking, and walking), my Mother told people that she thought I was trying to kill her! I did offer to get her a cab, really I did!

On Tuesday evening, we took a tour of Rome by night. One of the most beautiful sights ever is the Colosseum at night. The Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps at night are gorgeous. This tour also took us by Saint Peter’s Basilica and up Gianicolum Hill where we were treated to a lovely view of city at night. On Thursday morning, we toured the Vatican Museums. I was very surprised at the sheer numbers of people visiting these museums. If one was so inclined to try to use the collections for study, I’m hard-pressed to see how it could be done. It was truly wall-to-wall people. Our tour guide said that this was a typical crowd. I still managed to shoot some wonderful photos, though, as they allow photography every where there, with the exception of the Sistine Chapel. Yes, I was really in the Sistine Chapel! It was amazing to see the work of Michelangelo. And I am not religious or artistic, but you just can’t help but be impressed by all of it.

I guess one can’t travel to Rome without commenting on the food, which, by the way, was delicious. The Romans like to eat dinner late, with most restaurants not open for dinner until 7:30 p.m. That worked out quite nicely with our daily gelato snack in the afternoon. The best food we had all week was at a restaurant called Armando’s, which was a short walk from our hotel. The carbonara was to die for. The week ended with a lovely banquet at the American Academy in Rome on Friday night. Those who are lucky enough to be accepted to study there truly enjoy one of the most magnificent views in Rome. It is situated on the Janiculum, the highest hill within the walls of Rome. It has a lovely garden and banquet area in the Villa Aurelia. This was a meal of multiple courses, many glasses of wine, and splendid company, and one of the few areas in Rome where I did not see graffiti. (Even the Vatican walls have graffiti!)

I found the Romans to be friendly and communication in Rome was very easy. I have minimal foreign language skills, but many Italian words are commonly used in the U.S., and there are many similarities with Spanish also. Most Romans speak English, and don’t seem to mind doing so. I would most definitely return to Rome and I’d love to get the opportunity to visit other Italian cities as well.