For me, even in beautiful Rome, life is about people...

For me, life is all about people, really.

Connecting.  Becoming a part of someone elses memory...

I am in Rome, Italy.  Grand, historic, legendary Rome. 

 My day today included St. Peters Basilica, The Pantheon, Fontana de Trevi, The Borghese Gardens...

And yet.. it was the people...

These cute little nuns were checking out this Louis Vuitton window in Rome...

I find that the Italian people are always ready to connect.  

As I began my walk towards the Vaticano there a ruggedly handsome, hard-working man at the produce market, moving baskets of fruit.  We catch eyes.

  

The Italian way is for me, the person coming to him for help, is to greet him with a respectful buongiorno, 

a slight nod and wait.  When he is ready to answer, he says prego. 

 I said 'Vorrai una banana per mangiare oggi, per favore'  meaning I would like a banana to eat today, please'.

 I say this, instead of choosing the fruit myself because it is considered more respectful

 to let the vender choose the fruit with his expert eye.   

 Then I ask 'quondo costa?'...how much cost?...

  Naturally he has accessed that I am American and so says in heavily accented english... "You take" :) 

 I am delighted and say with respect Grazie, lei e molto gentile 'Thank you, you are very kind' and a huge American grin shows up on my face.  I turn to continue down the street, he glances as I go and I say over my shoulder 'buona giornata' have a good day.. 

we exchange a look that says: it was great connecting with you, I wont forget this exchange,

 thank you for becoming a part of my experience... 

a part of my memory...

This is my hairdresser in Rome, on last years trip when I brought a small group...

.

 Wow.  Each and every day, no matter where I am, I have the power to become  a positive part of someones life.  It doesn't cost me anything to give this gift... and yet the payback (and payforward) is priceless. :)

Wonderfully fresh, light bread, fresh olives and the best cheese ever bought at the ourdoor market...

 Oh, ok, back to my day in Rome today :)...

The Vaticano is surrounded by the great wall...

This is the entrance into the Vatican Museum...

If you are willing to climb about 25 minutes up a winding staircase, then up and around inside
the dome, you are rewarded with this view...

The interior of the Basilica of San Peitro is amazing...

Ciao St. Peter's..headed to the Pantheon..
.

This is the bridge of Angels.... Ponte de Angelo...

Look!  The little buds on this tree are trying to open :)

Random beautiful church ...This city truly is a feast for the eyes...

The Pantheo, the best preserved building in Italy...

Inside the Pantheon...

A Roman side-street...

Beautiful horses riden by mounted police in the Borghese Gardens in Rome.


I talked to an Italian taxi driver about whether he liked living there and he said that Rome was good for tourists, 
but that it was a difficult place to live because it is so congested.
I find the old center to be a nice place to walk, but I can that the outskirts are not near as pretty...
the buildings are boxy, boring high-rises and the streets are busy...

The centro storico, is the original part of Rome that was surrounded by a huge wall. 
This old center of Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
It is not very large.  It takes about 35 mintues to walk from one side of the
round-shaped center to the other.
(No metro here because when they would try to dig for to make room for it,
they kept finding historical ruins!)

You see people from all over the world there.  Italians too, seem to love this city.
I recommend May/June or September/October
because the hot air gets trapped in the city July/August and not even the Italians who live there
want to be there.  The ones who can, flee for the beaches.

And now, I will leave famous Rome in search of the un-famous places in Italy...