SHOULD YOU GO TO ROME?

Rome sports the reminders of 2,70 years of continuous 
human habitation.  Through the grime and bustle of a modern, 
crowded city, there's a special aura arising from walls that 
have witnessed 135 generations of the great and the humble.  
You can find the roots of Western civilization from behind the 
Palazzo Senatoro.

You'll be riveted by the view before you of the Roman Forum 
and the Palatine, with the Colosseum in the distance.  This is 
the birthplace of a city, and of a civilization - our 
civilization.  What the Greeks dreamt of doing, the Romans 
did.  All that comes after in the Western world, comes from 
here.  This is the heart and soul of Rome.  Those 135 
generations have been sliced many ways by scholars.  For most 
of us, though, the history of Rome has three high points: the 
Ancient Era, the Christian Era, and the Renaissance.  If you 
want to see the source of much of our language, literature, 
art, architecture, governments and habits, you must see Rome.

I group people into those who hate Rome and those who love 
it.  There are few indifferent.  It's dirty.  (Oh for an 
Italian Charles DeGaulle!)  It's crowded.  Its streets are 
narrow, and its alleys crooked, crowded and sometimes smelly.  
The residents seem in perpetual motion, and half the language 
is "spoken" with eyebrows and hands, a skill that takes years 
to learn.  They have four rush hours and once ate dinner at 
9:30 at night.  (Though fewer now go home for lunch, and some 
restaurants are open as early as 7:30.)  The traffic is 
dizzying.  Strikes disrupt your plans, plans that are almost 
impossible to map out because of the crazy quilt of opening 
days and hours.

Why, then, visit Rome?  Beauty.  History.  Charm.  Sights.  
The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's.  The cradle of Western 
civilization, much still evident.  A sidewalk cafe.  Sun-faded 
pastel buildings glowing in the sunset.  Lovers strolling 
arm-in-arm.  The Colosseum and the Pantheon.  Nowhere in the 
West brings all these wonders together so intimately.  And, 
finally, the food.  If you think you know Italian food, but 
haven't eaten food in Italy, you're in for a wonderful treat.  

We've visited Rome often over more than 30 years.  We invite 
you to experience the enjoyment and wonder we've found.

If you'd like to know more about Rome, let us know.  We can 
provide recommended hotels and restaurants, ideas for 1/2 day 
tours, and a narrative about sights, food, and much practical 
information on getting around, weather, safety, and more.

Saluti!