R O M A

It's Valentines week and as promised, this week we will travel throughout Italy and France. I emphasize "week" because in my opinion, the celebration of love should last more than one day! I actually took this vacation with my husband during the months of September and October of 2011 as a second honeymoon for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.  It was the greatest journey of my life in many ways and while I loved every place I was fortunate enough to visit, this trip gave new meaning to the saying, "Happiness is a journey, not a destination"  The first part of that journey I'm going to share is actually the last place we visited... Roma.

So why start at the end you may ask? Well, it was here in Rome that I realized my destino, aka - Destiny.
My first impression of this ancient city was a delightful surprise, although getting around took some getting used to. Driving through Rome can make one feel awfully dizzy. Every street goes in circles and people weave in and out of them like swarms of bees, all ready to sting ya if you get in their way! Trying to find our Hotel was like trying to find the Queen Bee. Once we made our way down the tiny alleyways that took us to the Hotel Forum, I was back to feeling like a butterfly and I didn't mind being perched on the rooftop of this famous Hotel where you could see all of Rome.

Hotel Forum

We spent the next four days seeing all the usual sights of Rome including Colosseo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain,  Pantheon, Saint Peter's Square, the Vatican, and the Ancient Ruins, all of them remarkable.....

 COLOSSEO

 PIAZZA DI SPAGNA

FONTANA DI TREVI

PANTHEON

ST PETER'S SQUARE

THE RUINS

But there were two less traveled paths that brought me to where I am today, back home but continuing my journey. The first of these is known as Bocca Della Verita, "The Mouth of Truth".  I first became aware of this legend while watching the movie, "Only You" starring Marissa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. Their  characters were imitating the classic movie "Roman Holiday" starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. As stated in both movies, legend has it if you put your hand inside the mouth, that is immured on the wall of the vestibule of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin, and tell a lie, your hand will be bitten off.

 After much searching, we found the Church and approached the legendary mouth. From that moment on, my truth was known. I know this because I still have both hands!

I wanted to spend my final day in Europe at a place that I knew would stay with me even long after I was gone so I put my favorite walking boots on and headed straight to the Keats/Shelley House. I first fell in love with Keats work in a college literature class. "I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections, and the truth of imagination".  Walking through the library of this house and seeing authentic original letters written by one of the great Romantic Poets was truly inspiring and when I walked out of the room in which Keats wrote his final words, I knew exactly what he meant.

The Library, left

Me in front of the house, right 

John Keats desk
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: it's loveliness increases;
it will never pass into nothingness."








February is a good time to remember John Keats who passed away on February 23, 1821 at the age of 25 - not because of his passing, but because of everything he brought to the world of romance and love.

I left Europe knowing I wanted to write. Scratch that. I need to write! The journey continues as we visit the vineyards of Tuscany next which means wine, wine, and oh, more wine!!

Arrivederci! Until we meet again....