When in Rome, with my mom!

First, I apologize for the delay. It has been a busy two weeks since my last post. Keep reading for a recap!

Another weekend in Rome started off with no agenda, but yet another undiscovered path. While in class, the previous Thursday, one of my Italian friends had told me about an orange garden that was on a hill and supposedly had “the best view of Rome”. Here, is where I found the most breathtaking view of Rome and a typical Italian couple doing what they do best….

The rest of the weekend I was busy preparing for my mom’s arrival on Thursday. On the day of her arrival, I picked her up from the airport and we began our daily gelato outing. After showing her around a small part of Rome, we got a good night’s rest for our following day’s travel to Venice.

Venice was beautiful with its endless winding canals and beautiful, handmade glass jewelry. We spent two days touring the city, visiting the countless shops and enjoying cappuccinos on a canal while people-watching for hours.

Our next stop was Florence. Although we only stayed one night, we were able to see the leather market, the Duomo, the city center market and Ponte Vecchio (one of Europe’s oldest stone bridges filled with jewelry shops). Here in Florence, I purchased my first leather bag while Mo enjoyed shopping for scarves.

Ponte Vecchio

Our final stop was Orvieto, a small town just outside the Tuscany region, yet still famous for their white wine. This town was perched on top of a cliff that was formed years ago by the eruptions of nearby volcanoes. Because Orvieto was a much smaller town hardly anyone spoke English. As well, the town practiced their siestas religiously. In Italy, a siesta is a short afternoon nap. As a result of siestas, in smaller Italian towns, most shops and restaurants close for the afternoon before opening up again in the evening. During this time we were able to walk through most of the town.

These are pictures of towns surrounding Orvieto

The following morning we returned to Rome and had a day of recovery and relaxation. On my mom’s final full day in Italy, I gave her a walking tour of Rome. I showed her our favorite market, had her try different jams and balsamic vinegars, showed her where I shop, where I eat, where I go to school and my favorite places in Rome. We finished by eating dinner at a restaurant that was known to have over 100 different types of pasta sauces. The following morning I dropped her safely off at security in the Fiumicino Airport where she quickly made friends with American high school chaperons touring Italy. I was so lucky and happy to have her visit. Not only was it a great break from school for me, but it was also almost exactly 40 years since the last time since my mom had been in Italy.

The rest of my break was filled with sun, homework and the Orto Botanical Gardens. With the temperatures in the mid 60’s and no one at home, I decided to visit one of the two botanical gardens in the heart of Rome (the other is part of the Coliseum um and Roman Forum and is also the oldest botanical garden in the world). Although hardly any of the flowers had sprouted, the garden was absolutely beautiful. It had amazing views of Rome and although it was in the city, I couldn’t hear a single car (a rarity in Rome). Here are some of the pictures:

Most recently, Sarah and I went for out for some drinks and decided to take a walk through Piazza Navona (where she previously played guitar and sang with a street vendor) and here is some of the street entertainment we found:

Unfortunately, the uploader for videos is not working. The following man had Barbie puppets that he attached to his hands and used his fingers for their legs. His hands danced to Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson. While the puppets were fun to watch, he was the real entertainment.

Marcel, who happens to look like...

Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka