On Vox: Arrivederci Roma!

Back from the long weekend in Rome. This was our first time there, so the impressions are a bit muddled. Okay, I'll make it simple - cool and uncool things about the city.
Cool stuff :

• It's usually easy to read signs in Italian. If you know English and a bit of French (or Spanish), you can guesstimate what's written, and often get it right.
• There are little drinking fountains all over the city. Water of excellent quality, just dripping away. No need to carry water with you, just get a drink wherever you are.
• Amazing ice cream sold on every corner.
• Excellent coffee. Our favorite was "caffè latte" (milk based).
• Statues, monuments, squares, fountains, big beautiful buildings, such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and our next door neighbour - Fontana di Trevi.
• Tiny little cars for just one or two passengers, little buses, lots of scooters everywhere, bustling traffic that's packed but moving.
• Fake Prada bags sold in the streets for €15. You cannot tell the difference unless you're an expert.
• Street performers dressed as Roman legionnaires, others as 'living statues', an occasional street jazz band.
  
• Smartly dressed Italian men that look as if they just came out of Armani ads, just walking around, riding their scooters, and talking on their cells. Women's clothes fade in comparison.
  

Not so cool stuff :

• Annoying flower peddlers, that keep shoving their roses in your faces and not taking no for an answer.
• The metro doesn't cover the entire city (yet), so you've got to walk a lot, or look for the bus.
• The museums are a bit expensive. The Musei Vaticani cost €14 to enter.
• The pizza in Rome has very little cheese in it. It's tasty, crispy, but kind of dry.
  
• Italians aren't very good with English. The young generation is better, but the old timers never bothered to learn the lingua franca of our times.
• Lots of pigeons in the piazzas, and seagulls (where do they come from?) that occasionally drop a load on your head.

Well, that's about all for now. Next time we'll get more organized and look for shows, and more specialized attractions instead of just walking around trying to see it all. But the place is definitely worth another visit. Watch out for pics in one of the next posts :) 

Originally posted on wildernesscat.vox.com