The (nervous, excited, regular?) Return to Rome

Rome is eternal and thank god for that.

Still standing, thank god.

I have to be honest, when we were touching down at Fiumicino I was a bit nervous about being back in Rome. After moving away and EVERYTHING that had happened in the succeeding 10 months (including giving away an organ and getting my PhD– it was a busy period) I wasn’t sure how I’d feel or if I’d be overwhelmed or if it would be like coming home. Thankfully, it just felt normal. As if it were the most natural thing in the world to head over to the train station, get the local train to Stazione Trastevere and trudge up the viale to our Airbnb apartment in Monteverde. So regular to order un caffè per favore, so typical to reply “sto bene, grazie, come va?” to the question “How are you?” I realized in those few moments how much Rome was a part of me and how much I missed it, but also how thankful I am that it will always be there and I can always go back. I like to go see a few particular places first thing when I arrive, one of which is the Pantheon because it doesn’t change, it’s always there, it’s eternal. The nuttiness in the piazza around it might change, but the Pantheon stands.

In Piazza Trilussa. The light kills me

We were only in Rome for three days (I know, so short, but Istanbul awaited!!) so we tried to fill those three days as much as possible with favorite and new things–as well as a skype interview that I had to spend an afternoon preparing for and I ended up not getting the job, so I would like those few hours back please. A huge part of my favorite things about Rome and more so than I’ve ever discussed on this blog is the importance of a few particular places to eat in the city. I’ll share a bit more about those places this time around. So prepare yourself to be hungry. I always am.

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