Ah, bella Roma! No other city in the world can quite match it for depth of history, art, culture and vibrancy. Jeremy and Rachael had forgotten how beautiful it was – the endless cobbled streets, the colorful painted houses with wooden shutters, the flowering plants at every window and doorway, and the inviting alleyways lined with enticing little storefronts and restaurants. It was fun to watch the hustle and bustle of the city with its designer clothes, Smart Cars, and motor scooters buzzing everywhere, but just a block or two from the main thoroughfares, we could completely forget we were in a busy metropolis, and lose ourselves in the enchanting maze of quiet back streets.
Beckie and Luke have really enjoyed seeing firsthand the places they've read about in their history books. It's hard to take in the incredible amount of history and craftsmanship present wherever you turn. There are ancient monuments on almost every corner, and each building is practically a work of art in itself, often embellished with spectacular carvings, statues or fountains. And a visit to the “Time Elevator” show helped put it all in context, presenting the story of the city from Roman times to the Renaissance through an exciting Disney-style ride.
Then of course, there's the food! Wherever you go, you are bombarded with the delicious aromas of coffee, pastries, pizza and pasta emanating from the cafes, bakeries and restaurants on every corner. Rachael has been experiencing severe sticker shock from the European prices, but with a little help from Lonely Planet, we managed to find some fabulous affordable meals, including huge amounts of flatbread topped with ripe tomatoes and mozzarella from a bakery near the Colosseum, and one of the best thin-crusted pizza we've ever tasted, hot from the oven and served with a jug of house wine, at Pizzeria da Baffetto, as recommended by Lucas' school friend, Nico.
Of course, we couldn't resist several servings of world famous Italian gelato, and Lucas also finally got to taste a much anticipated Italian cappuccino, and found it very much to his liking! Even the meals we prepared ourselves from produce at the local supermarket (including peaches, apricots, tomatoes, and of course olives and mozzarella) were absolutely delicious. And after avoiding tap water like the plague for a month, we relished being able to quench our thirst at will with delicious mountain water from the numerous drinking fountains around the city. The only disappointment was the cafe at the hostel, which was totally vegetarian with several very appetizing dishes on offer, but had a “suggested” price list that was well beyond what we were willing to pay. (Apparently it was all negotiable, but this was too reminiscent of the stresses of haggling we wanted to leave behind in Egypt!)
As mentioned already though, the hostel was perfect in every other way, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, whether we were eating among the fruit trees in the garden, relaxing and checking email in the den, or hanging out in our dorm room. This was actually the first time since hiking in New Zealand that we had slept in a shared dorm with other travelers, and it was interesting to have different roommates each night, thankfully all very quiet and considerate, though some with amusing sleep schedules! On our first night we met a woman and her 15 year old grandson from Minnesota – she was taking him on a two week trip to the country of his choice, a treat she planned to repeat for each of her grandchildren when they reached the same age. It was fun for Jeremy and Rachael to have a rare opportunity to share experiences of traveling with youngsters. 
Oh, and in between all the eating, we managed to see some amazing sights, including the Colosseum, the ruins of the Roman Forums, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and many beautiful piazzas containing amazing architecture, sculptures and fountains. We also encountered a surprising number of Egyptian obelisks, looking quite out of place here. It was amusing to see several of these that had clearly been stolen from temples we visited just a few weeks ago! And it was a relief to discover that although Rome appears to have a systemic problem with graffiti, which covered every wall and every train visible from the railway as we arrived in the city, the historic monuments have so far somehow been spared.
We also spent an afternoon at the Villa Borghese museum, where we all particularly enjoyed the sculptures on display, especially the commissioned works by Bernini of the pagan myths (Pluto abducting Persephone and Apollo grabbing Daphne) and the famous work by Canova depicting Napoleon's sister, Paolina Bonaparte Borghese. And exhausted from all the culture, Beckie and Lucas enjoyed a relaxing few hours playing in the beautiful parkland surrounding the museum, while Jeremy went to sleep on a bench.
On our final day in the city, we had to rouse Beckie at 9 am (she is acquiring the sleeping habits of a teenager!) for the obligatory pilgrimage to the Vatican, including a tour through the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and of course, St. Peter's Basilica. The enormity of the museum complex and the volume and intricacy of artwork covering every wall and ceiling was absolutely staggering, and the Chapel was of course amazing as billed, but the crowds were totally overwhelming, making the day rather an exhausting slog for all of us. We were relieved to finally make it back to the hostel and collapse into bed!
