As I was blogging our monthlong sojourn in Italy, I encountered difficulty uploading photos. I blamed it on a weak WiFi signal at our hotels but I finally realized I had run out of “space” on the WordPress site. So I needed to upgrade to “premium” status to free up more gigs for the photos and text. I am now set, at least for a while, and we’re off and running. Let’s see how much I can remember from almost four months ago.
On October 14, we packed up our belongings into our VW Golf rental car and departed from Ortygia. The weather was gorgeous – brilliant blue sky, cool but comfortable temperature and a light breeze. We were off by 7:15 am, headed to the Catania airport to drop off the rental car, more than enough time to make our 12:15 pm Alitalia flight to Rome. Since it was a Saturday, there was no significant traffic, and we were quite familiar with the route out of Siracusa. As we traveled north towards Catania, Mount Etna, which had been spewing steam and ash for the past week or so, was quite evident in the distance still smoking away. It is not unusual for this active volcano to interfere with flight departures and arrivals at the Catania airport and we were hoping Mama Etna (also known as Mongibello by the Sicilians) would be cooperative today. It was pretty straightforward and efficient returning the car (unlike the ridiculously inefficient process of picking up the car several days prior). Google maps brought us to the right place, and the rental company employee did a cursory inspection and we were off to the terminal, via a sidewalk and through a parking lot, to reach the mayhem of the departures area. Thousands of passengers crowded the terminal, waiting in serpiginous endless queues or staring at the departures board that listed flight after flight as “delayed” or “cancelled “. Mount Etna was being quite belligerent with prevailing winds causing poor visibility around the airport. Our 12:15 flight wasn’t listed yet as we were very early, arriving around 9 am. Since I was unable to check-in on line, we needed to do it at the gate – but WHERE? The lines for the Alitalia gates were a mess (no surprise) and we didn’t know which line to join. Luckily an Australian woman directed me to a kiosk where I could do our check-in. We got into a relatively short line and 90 minutes later reached the desk at 10:30 am, at which point we were informed that we could not check our bags before 11 am! We (as well as the Australian woman who had helped me earlier) were told to step away and to go to the back of the line which was much longer than the line we had joined ninety minutes earlier! There was no way that we were going to go along with that so we stood firm to the side until the clock ticked to the appointed hour and we forcefully approached the desk to check our bags.
By this time, Mount Etna’s effects had dissipated and flights were allowed to depart. Our flight was on time and we got through security with only the minor glitch of losing two jars of pesto trapanese that were inadvertently packed in a carry-on bag. Finally it was time for colazione (breakfast)!
The flight was uneventful, our bags arrived at baggage claim and we grabbed a taxi to the Hotel Smeraldo, my favorite place to stay in Rome. Its location is optimal – in the historic center near the Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona, and Pantheon, and across the street from an amazing bakery (Antico Forno Roscioli) that sells delicious pizza al taglio ( by the slice) and a gelateria (Fatamorgana) that makes its own gelato with creative as well as conventional ingredients. The desk staff is amazing and the breakfast is scrumptious and their pastries are brought in from the bakery across the street.
After setting in, we strolled around the aforementioned tourist sites. A stop at the Chiesa di San Luigi Francesi (Church of St. Louis of the French) to see the Caravaggio paintings was a must-see.
After the passeggiata where we discovered that Michael Jackson was alive and dancing on the Piazza Navona and chestnuts were roasting on open fires , we ventured up to the rooftop bar at the hotel for an Aperol spritz and a view of the Roman skyline.
Dinner was at La Ciambella, near the Pantheon, an upscale restaurant that was mentioned in the New York Times. A nighttime stroll completed our first day back in Rome.
Camino Musings 