Rome seems to have a deep soul.  They say for every bank in Milan there is a church in Rome.  The city skyline is lined with dramatic monuments and church domes.  You can feel the history

in the air.   Last time I was in Rome (2007) I threw a coin in the Trevi fountain to guarantee I would

return someday...let me tell you it works- I was back again!

Yum!

I checked into my ratty little room at a local youth hostel and headed out to the train station down the road to catch the bus to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. I know...how cliche'.  I just felt like a burger-what can I say.

After dinner I wandered around snapping pictures. The streets buzzed with frantic traffic.  Crossing the street was an act of almost suicidal intensity... I just followed the locals as they boldly walk right out into the road and hoped for the best. Down every alley there seemed to be another cobbled square, complete with bubbling Bernini fountains, in which the stream of locals and tourist families swirl around each other laughing loudly.  It's a city of contrasting streets; small dimly lit side streets suddenly end in 6 lane boulevards.  I fueled my adventures with frequent gelato stops.

The next morning I made my way slowly through those streets.  After breakfast I took the subway to the Colosseum.  Despite the hoards of tourists the drama of the Colosseum is hard to deny.  Coming up out of the subway the ancient arena blocks out

the sky.  It's not hard to imagine how overwhelming it would 

have been for a condemned gladiator from some faraway province in ancient Roman times. I put on my ear phones and listened to Rick Steve's tour on my iphone.  

  

   

   After the colosseum I had a reservation to see the Borghese Gallery, one of the most impressive

private collections of art anywhere.  The problem was I was running late.  I couldn't find the taxi stands anywhere...ugh!  I approached a guy in a bicycle taxi and asked him about getting to the Borghese.  It was too far for him but for 5 euro I jumped in the back of his cyclo and he pedaled me furiously through the ancient monuments and crowds to the other side where the real taxi's were.

I wish I could say I video taped our mad dash but I was to busy holding on as I bounced over the cobblestones.

**A word of advice: hit the restroom BEFORE you get in one of these things or you will regret it**

Another taxi ride and I was dumped at the entrance to the Borghese gardens about 5 minutes before my reserved entrance time.

Statue of David (internet source)

The Borghese Gallery is a huge private mansion with lovely gardens to stroll in.  Count Borghese was an avid art collector and entertainer.  It was one of the best gallery experiences I have had in Europe.  Crowds are limited to about 25 at a time so you really see the art in a very close-up and personal way.  Some of Bernini's best sculptures are here.  The techniques he used on the marble to show varying textures is amazing. Bernini is sculpting at the height of the Renaissance so his subjects are boldly human, muscled to perfection with expressions full of emotion. His statue of David was my favorite; it appears almost to move on the pedestal.   The only bad thing was you could not take pictures inside.

Cafes line Campo Fior

That night I went to the Campo Fiori (field of flowers) and had dinner at a little cafe lining the square.  Munching on pasta Bolognese and drinking a glass of the local red I watched families stream by on the evening Passeggiatta (nightly ritual stroll).








I finished my Roman night with a another visit to the Trevi Fountain for the fantastic gelato shop on that square.  Lovers and families swarmed over the
steps of the fountain throwing coins in the fountain.  I even saw a woman in a bridal gown on the rounds with her friends.  What a lovely time.

Leaving the scenic beauty of Lake Como behind was difficult, particularly since I squandered a day there by missing the overnight train. I arrived in Milan, only about
an hour to the south, and, after storing my luggage in the train station deposit office, I held on for dear life as a cab swerved through the crazy traffic to the main square and the Duomo (cathedral) with
nonstop commentary from the young driver in broken English.

When I arrived there was a huge metal stage being set up to the right
of the Duomo itself; stage lighting looming over it and stage hands swarming below.  Apparently it was Milan Fashion Week!  Great, swirling flocks of pigeons ruled the center of the square chased by giggling tourists.

The Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele are the two main
attractions in Milan.  The long entrance line moved pretty fast and soon
I was standing in the cool, dimness of a vast cathedral whose roof disappeared into the ether.  A towering altarpiece marks the center and is topped by one of the tallest domes in Europe.
It is supposed to contain one of the nails from the original cross, marked by a red light.

The aisles are lined with large, hanging canvas art pieces of various scenes from the life of St. Charles Borromeo.
There is also a grotesque statue of St. Bartholomew by a student of Da Vinci's. The saint was skinned upon execution and in the statue wears his skin like a robe.....ewwww!!!!

After the Duomo I bought some delicious strawberry gelato and sat on the broad marble steps enjoying it.  I wandered through the huge shopping galleria Vittorio Emanuele were they were also setting up fashion week stages.  I felt a little underdressed in my jeans and t-shirt.


Returning to the magestic train station I recovered my bags (for 4 euro fee!) and headed out to Rome...

Despite my mishap on the night train it was hard not smile
upon arriving in Lake Como.  If you have ever seen it in the movies
(and they have filmed many there) it is even more scenic in
person.  George Clooney has a home there in Bellagio...they
filmed James Bond movies there...you get the idea.

After arriving on the train from Milan, and interrogating
several people on the platform for directions I determined
it would be a 15-20 minute walk dragging my luggage through
town....so I took a cab to the port.

A large, spacious boat chugs up and down Lake Como, stopping
at every inlet and hamlet along the way; a graceful water taxi.  The shores are lined with beautiful Villas and quaint fishing villages.

I fell into an easy conversation with a family of Brits, exchanging travel stories and gossiping about the Italians.

I was staying in the little town of Varenna.  The streets are old, dark cobblestones winding and narrow.  I walked along the shoreline for a good half hour before I found my hotel up some scary-steep stairs.

View from my room

In the small lobby I was greeted by Bettina, one of the owners.  Her husband Edgidio carried my luggage to their annex building just down the lane called "Casa Rosa".
My room was modern and comfortable; opening out onto a small lakeview terrace.


After a brief nap I ventured out to get lunch.  I ran into an older couple from Michigan I had met
on the ferry dock earlier and they joined me for a wonderful lunch and local Rose wine in a small
waterside restaurant.  I had a smoked Salmon appetizer that was sensational and a pasta dish with bacon.  We finished this meal off with gelato from a shop down the lane...yum!

our lunchtime balcony

The weather, which had been a bit misty early in the day, began to swing toward the dark and cloudy side as I wandered around snapping pictures in the late afternoon.  By the time I made it back to my

room and changed for my dinner reservations it was raining steadily.

The restaurant attached to my hotel was obviously the pride and joy of my hosts.  The lakeside balcony was closed off due to the rain, but the lights from across the lake twinkled in

Duck Appetizer

the darkness.  I was seated in a corner seat with about 30 other diners.  I chose a three course dinner menu and a glass of Prosecco.  I had an appetizer of cured duck with apple confit and aged balsamic vinegar. Second course I went with the sous vide(a special slowcooking technique

involving vacuum sealing with marinade and then over 10 hours at about 80 degrees Celsius) lamb with pecorino cheese and potato souffle.  Sous Vide makes the lamb sooooooo

tender.  I finished with poached pear dessert.

And now for the excitement...
satiated and happily drowsy from the
wine I walked through the rainy night
to Casa Rosa to my room to retire for the night.

Opening my door I was greeted by a waterfall streaming from the ceiling into the middle of my bed!  The roof was leaking badly...ugh!

I called the owners and Edgidio came over immediately.  Holding his head and cursing softly in Italian he tried to find another hotel room for me but everything in the town was taken due to some government convention. Finally, after frantic calls to his
wife, he graciously offered to put me up in his
own guest room.  I slept in a nice room at his
flat nearby, with my own bathroom.  It was very
comfortable and they were wonderful hosts, though his daughters, in jammies and wild hair, thought I was quite interesting.

The Ferry

Traveling sure is an adventure.  Here are a few pictures of the rambling streets of Varenna:

Try dragging your luggage up this!

Okay...despite all the fun and sightseeing there are a few
minor glitches in the traveling life.

my sleeper compartment

Here's the scenario:

I had (without really considering the consequences)
reserved a sleeper car on an overnight train from
Salzburg, Austria to Lake Como in Italy for 0140AM.

Problem is that I had to check out from my hotel at 11AM.
Leaving my bags in the hotel storage I roamed around
Salzburg all day until close to 11PM when it was time to
go to the train station.  I waited at the track for the train.
The actual indoor station in Salzburg is a hollow
shell as they are under construction so you have to wait
outside along empty tracks in the cold.

0140AM came and went with no train.  It
disappeared off the electronic board.  I went to
try to find out what happened but there were
no open information or ticket desks.  All the
employees were home asleep....lucky them.

Finally at around 430AM I called Elizabeth in
the U.S. and asked her to find me a hotel room
so I could get some sleep.  At this point I was
a ball of emotional jelly due to lack of sleep and food
and frustrated.  Elizabeth and Jim were
came through for me and I left to get some sleep.

Next night I left Austria on another night train
at 8PM.  I gathered that they had changed the track
number for my first train and probably made the
announcement in German...which I don't
really speak...especially when exhausted.

Oh well...the second attempt went fine.  I
had the entire compartment to myself
and got plenty of sleep, arriving in Italy
the next morning.