I realized that I have spent so much time talking about James and chronicling our days that I completely forgot to include what I thought about Rome!  Going to Italy has always been at the top of my bucket list.  Some people may or may not know this, but I am 50% Italian (I know, I know….red hair and fair skin– I don’t exactly look the part).  I have a Nonna (Italian for grandmother), pasta and red gravy was a staple growing up, and we made cookies for the St. Joseph’s Day Alter.  We ate Parmigiano reggiano, genoa salami, and big green Italian olives for as long as I can remember.  Being in Italy is a dream come true.

As we drove from the airport the first thing that I noticed is all the graffiti all over the place.  Seriously? We are in one of the most beautiful, historic cities in all of the world.  How could someone do that?

Another thing that I noticed is that the doorways are very narrow! There can’t be many fat Italians because they could never fit through the doors!  Trying to go through doorways with James in the carrier or stroller was almost laughable.  We could usually make it, but it was a very tight squeeze every time.

The people are all lovely.  They smile and talk to James and call him bello bambino.  If he is fussing, they try to sooth him.  I love it.  They are so warm.

There are alot of scooters in Rome.  The streets are narrow cobble stone and you can always count on a scooter or car to come whizzing by.

There are alot of smokers but not as much as Paris.

Everyone told me that Italians only wore black, white, and grey.  So far that isn’t true.  Perhaps Rome is a more touristy area and things will be different in other cities, but I have seen every color of the rainbow.

One thing that I disliked about Rome is that there wasn’t anywhere for James to really run around outside and play.  There were always too many people or cars/scooters that made it too dangerous to let him be free.

Overall, I enjoyed Rome and especially have enjoyed being in Italy in general.  There is just something about the food, culture, and people that just feels like home.

Ciao

Alyce