Arrivederci, Roma

Well, another adventure is coming to a close. After 30 days in Italy, I’m packed and ready to come home. The weather has been pretty awful in Italy this past week, with hurricane force winds, torrential rainfall and flooding in north and central parts of the country as well as in Sicily. Today’s rain persisted until mid-afternoon. The temperatures have also dropped into a more typical autumn-type range. My morning was spent just relaxing in my hotel room as the simple act of venturing outside would result in a thorough soaking. The afternoon was spent with my cousin’s daughter at her apartment. I met her lovable but crazy dog (imagine a pup with ADHD!), she prepared lunch and we took the dog for a messy and muddy romp in a nearby park.

She drove me back to the hotel around 5 p.m. and I hung out at the hotel bar talking to an older couple schedule to start a repositioning cruise tomorrow (when a cruise ship moves to the Caribbean ports of call). I met up for dinner with a woman who gas been in one of my classes in Salerno. We dined at a small trattoria in Trastevere (Casa Mia) and I was struck by the view of St. Peter’s Basilica dome and the Ponte Sisto on the walk back to the hotel.