May 1, 2006
We had an amazing winter in Italy exploring Rome and taking side trips to southern Italy in early February and northern Italy in early March. We also took a tour to the Holy Land with our church group in late March. In just those two months we ended up �playing tourist� a total of 31 days.
Rome, one of the most pre-eminent cities in the world, was wonderful to explore. This city was the heart of the ancient Roman Empire and is now Italy�s political capital. Within its boundaries is Vatican City, the headquarters of the Catholic Church. Rome is host to some of the greatest works of art in the world, and the magnificent ruins of the Roman Empire and the impressive architecture and sculptures of Rome�s grandiose Baroque period can still be seen.
During our stay in Italy we lived onboard our boat at the marina, Porto Turistico di Roma, in Ostia, a large working class suburb of Rome. The marina was almost three-quarters of a mile long and consisted of 810 berths with lots of shops and restaurants along its esplanade. On weekends, especially on Sundays, families would come down to stroll along the esplanade and patronize the many shops, especially after the midday family meal. In winter there could be as many as 1000 people strolling. Just before we left in late April there were at least 3000 people strolling along the esplanade. It was an amazing sight to see. Many women were stylishly dressed; fashionable high heel boots with very pointed toes were the in-thing this winter. |
