Ahhh Roma.

We were up early in the morning to take the train to the Munich Airport to catch our flight to Rome.  We had to take the U-Bahn to the main train station, and then transfer to a train to the  Munich airport.  After a week abroad, we were already running out of travel toiletries, so my brother Sam suggested that we buy some in the Hauptbahnhof (main train station).  We found a treasure trove of cool European toiletries. (Eric particularly liked the Nivea deodorant we bought.)  All of our purchases ended up in my carry-on, which elicited a search at the security checkpoint in the airport.  (We learned after that to divvy the toiletries up in four plastic bags, one for each carry-on, and we were ok after that.)

We arrived in Rome’s airport from Munich and were immediately struck by the comparison (to Rome’s detriment) between German and Italian transportation.  The Munich airport has been voted “the best airport in Europe” for the last 5 years.  It is spotless, efficiently laid out, with well-marked locations.  In Rome, we had to find the train to the center of town.  A train station in the airport – should be easy, right?  Ha!  Finally, after wandering through multiple levels, “directed” by uninterested security guards, we found the correct train, which stood in stark, grimy contrast to the German U-Bahn and StraBenbahns.  An unshaven, rumpled conductor took our tickets.  As I said to Eric, the Germans gave us the freeway, and Italians gave us spaghetti.  Basta!

We arrived at the main train station, and, after getting turned around a few times, found our first Rome hotel, the Ariston, which was modern, hip and comfortable.  After getting settled and receiving a cheap map (now our well-worn “bible) from our hotel, we set out on our first Rome adventure, around 1 pm. 

We made our way down one of the main streets, Via Cavour, learning early on that it is easy to find your way around Rome as long as you consult your map every two blocks or so.  Just past the Santa Maria Maggiore Cathedral, we consulted a street map posted on the corner of the block, and met our new friend Sam, an Armenian by way of Glendale.  Sam is a media artist and was in Rome for a few days before he went to the south of Italy for an exhibit of his works. (Check out his website at www.samsaga.com!) Sam had to go to the Armenian Embassy in the Piazza della Reppublica, and then find the Geghosian gallery in the Quirinale, and he graciously allowed us to join him and explore the city together.

We took a circuitous route to the gallery, passing first the Santa Maria degli Angeli, one of the four main Basilicas in Rome, along with St. Peters.  Mass started while we were there, and the singing was beautiful.    Inside, the cathedral had a very interesting exhibit of the relationship between Galileo and the church.  We spent a considerable amount of time here, looking at the frescoes and the exhibit. Santa Maria degli Angeli also has a meridian line in the floor, which captures the light at a certain time each day and illuminates a design on the floor (those of you who have read the Da Vinci Code will be familiar with this).  We were too late to see it that day with Sam, but we promised to come back to the church and photograph it for him.  Little did we realize what a commitment we had made…..more on that later.

From there we made our way down the Via del Quriinale to the Quattro Fontane.  At the intersection of two streets, there are four fountains, one on each corner.  We also found the Fontana del Tritone, a fountain of Triton, which we came back to several times during our wanderings.  Rome really is “the City of Fountains”, with one seemingly on every corner – each one beautiful.  We also passed the Trevi Fountain, and resolved to return at night, when it was lit.

Eric and I have become dependent on having a cappuccino around 4 pm – essential after walking all day.  We stumbled upon a small café in an alleyway around 4:30. My stepmother had given us strict instructions NOT to sit down at any cafes or the prices would double, but we were so exhausted (it was raining) that we found ourselves sitting down with coffee and a Panini before we could help ourselves.  The price was very reasonable, fortunately, and we were able to see some of Sam’s artwork, which he had with him and which was lovely. 

We ended our day with a walk down the Via Corso, a main eating and shopping drag, and had a delicious dinner at the one outside table at a café.  At the Piazza del Popolo, we said good-bye to Sam, but are looking forward to seeing him again in L.A. and having one of his famous Armenian omelettes!