We wake up Sunday morning to the sound of thunder and rain. Ironically, it is raining and blowing here in Rome while hurricane Irma blows it’s way through Tampa. The main news story on local Italian TV as well as Russia Today and the BBC is hurricane Irma.
The hotel we are staying at has a nice continental breakfast (makes sense) so we stay dry and go have breakfast. One thing that is different in Italy is the bacon. They actually have something called speck. It is MUCH saltier than regular bacon. After going back to our room I start looking for a plan B as the rain keeps coming down harder and harder. I run across a food/marketplace that is adjacent to the Termini train station. Since we are only a block from the Cavour Metro station we grab an umbrella and make a run for it. Once on the metro it’s only one stop and we are at Termini.
Centrale Mercato (Central Market) is kind of like a mall food court turned up to 11. They have one food stand that just sells arancini. Very impressive looking arancini about the size of the racket ball.
By the time we finish lunch the weather has lifted and we decide to head off to the Spanish Steps. The nice part is that the Spagna Metro station is right next to the steps. The escalators down to the Metro are very steep. The signs on the wall are actually level.
We walk out of the station and run right into Piazza di Spagna and the Barcaccia fountain built by Bernini.
Turning left we look up at the Spanish steps.
Due to all the rain in the morning it was a little too wet to actually sit on the steps as is the custom. We had to settle for walking around and people watching.
After consulting my Rick Steves guide I see a reference to a portion of original aqueduct a few blocks to the East. So we are “off to find the aqueduct”. As we hike through the piazza we see this tall column up ahead. Reading a nearby plaque we find out that this is Colonna dell’Immacolata. It turns out that this Column is decorated with large wreaths each year by the Pope as a start to the Christmas season. If you look close you can still see what’s left of a wreath at the top of the column.
Continuing our treck to find the Aqueduct we come across an unmistakable sign of the USA. A McDonalds “Cafe”. This is not your average American McDonalds. It has a coffee bar/cafe on the street level and a full restaurant up some very steep stirs on the second level.
And, for the record, a double cheeseburger in Rome tastes the same as it does in Tampa.
After our successful foray at McDonalds we pressed on. After a little searching we found the Aqueduct! The engineer in me was happy.
One more story.
We’re heading for the Barberini Metro station after our successful adventure. As we approach the via Di San Nicola de Tolentino (street) there is a crosswalk sign. It shows red and there are a dozen or so people on each side of the road standing there waiting. I look left. I look right. No cars are coming. At this point it is quite obvious that these people are tourists, standing there waiting for the light to change. By this time we’ve been in Rome for four days. We did what any Roman would do. We just crossed the road regardless of the crosswalk light. You know what they say: “When in Rome…….”
The Traveling Hippogators 