travelswithalice

May 28, 2018

Annette’s Rome, part 2.

Monday

Annette and I are back in Rome, and after the best-forgotten San Donato, we are happily ensconced in the Rome Cavalieri.

On the way to dinner at the restaurant downstairs, the sound of piano music in Tiepolo Bar draws us in. Never mind dinner, this is better! We order sandwiches and sit at the bar for hours, listening to one of the best bluesy jazz singers I’ve heard in a long time.

Tuesday

We’re to spend the day with Maurizio but he’s delayed by the rain and arrives too late to join us for breakfast.

It’s raining heavily and the hotel shuttle service goes all wrong, so the concierge has generously paid for our taxi into the Centro. Luckily for us, the driver takes a different route to the usual stop in Piazza Barberini and we’re conveniently dropped off at the Vatican. We pick up our tickets for tomorrow‘s Papal Audience and go to lunch.

We have gelato at Sublime while waiting for the rain to stop. It doesn’t stop; it starts to rain hailstones. Fortunately, we’re just steps from Hotel Conciliazione where we wait for our taxi away from the rain.

Back in Cavalieri, the weather perversely does a 180-turn on us; the sun comes out and beckons us to come out too.

Maurizio however has decided that all this is temporary. “Look at those clouds! They look white and harmless but they’ll soon turn into rain clouds,” he warns.

We have an easy lazy afternoon instead, holed up in the Imperial Club, watching the day’s highlights of the Italian Open on TV, talking about friends and family, and reminiscing happy times with our dear Margarita.

Wednesday

We set off early for St Peter’s with a packed breakfast courtesy of the hotel.

We’re in the presence of the Pope, we listen to his homily, we join him in praying the Our Father in Latin, and we have our various religious articles blessed. With the sun beating down mercilessly on the faithful, the Popemobile circles the packed square, causing the crowds to rush about, moving in waves like flocks of starling, drawn by the magnetism of this most beloved of holy men.

Later, we join the queue waiting to go inside the basilica. The vast square starts to empty. Wedding parties have photoshoots. Brides beam in full bridal regalia, tottering precariously on regulation white stilettos on the ancient paving stones. The more sensible ones are wearing sneakers with their frothy gowns.

All of a sudden, our orderly queue starts disintegrating and we’re being swept along by a mad rush as the basilica doors are thrown open.

It’s quite amazing, this Vatican side of the Rome experience. It’s also quite startling, seeing up close the changing nature of religious devotion. I was here with my mother several years ago. It felt different then.

Thursday

On our last day in Rome, a hotel limousine makes quick and easy, and luxuriously pleasurable, Annette’s much delayed tour of the sights.

Luigi, our driver cum history professor cum bodyguard expertly shoehorns Annette and me into the inevitable throngs massing around the venerable monuments of ancient Rome.

In the evening, we catch our flight home. Arrivederci Roma! ❤️

Labels: Rome Cavalieri

posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones # May 28, 2018

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