Hitting My Hippodrome Stride
My morning run route
Back in Roman times, the Piazza Navona was not a piazza, it was a hippodrome, a chariot racecourse where Rome’s fastest drivers competed for fame and glory in front of cheering crowds.
Two-thousand years of history later, I am competing with myself as I run the very same course as those chariot drivers. I have not their horses, crowds, or any real glory. Just the clear morning air and the joy of running seven laps around history:
Read MoreWater Fountain Wealth in Rome
Water from death
Image that you lived in Roman times. When clean, fresh water was a rarity in most cities of the world, cholera was a constant risk and dysentery was the norm. Now image coming to Rome where every city block had a fountain that ran all day and all night, gurgling with clear mountain water drinkable from the tap.
This water wealth was one of the defining characteristics of Rome, a stunning accomplishment before the advent of indoor plumbing or even urban sewers. And when the Goths broke the aqueducts that brought this water from afar, the city crumbled and fell into a thousand year disuse.
Trevi Fountain’s Tourist Traffic Jams
Too many tourists!
The Trevi Fountain is a famous landmark in Rome mainly due to a myth that says coins thrown in the fountain will ensure you return to Rome. While I can only confirm that means you threw your money in a fountain, I can predict that no matter if you return or not, there will be crowds at the Trevi Fountain.
Amy and I stayed at a hotel just around the corner of the fountain, and no matter the time, day or night, the Trevi Fountain was crowded. And not just a few tourists crowded, but mobbed by people watching the waterspouts. Check out the Trevi Fountain scene yourself:
Read MoreCongratulations Sean and Tara!
The wedded couple happiness
Hello everyone, a moment of your time, please, for this toast to Sean and Tara.
For those that may not know, I am Sean’s cousin, Wayan. Sean’s American cousin. And to the many who have asked me this Friday night before his wedding, yes, Sean has American relatives. In fact, here is a dirty little secret:
Sean is half American. I would suggest his better half. Certainly, like me, his better looking half.
Read MoreA Lake Como Water Taxi Lifestyle
Don’t miss the taxi boat!
Would you ever think there could be a “water taxi lifestyle”? After a long weekend on Lake Como, taking the water taxi daily, and twice on Sunday, I declare there is such a lifestyle, and its high living at that.
Dressed in a tux, my hot pregnant wife at my side, I step onto the gangplank of a Lake Como water taxi with a spring in my step. The boatmen, strapping young Italians, politely gesture to a fine wooden seat, where Amy and I retire to enjoy our ride.