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See
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to listen to Italian music.
Here is how we spent our three full days in Rome:
Tues - Drive from Cinque Terra to Rome via Pisa (this page)
Wed - Appia Way bike ride and Trastevere walk (see Map below). The Via Appia Antica is an ancient road full of ancient entombments. Our plan was to ride rental bikes on the Appia Antica, a very popular tourist outing as noted on the internet. However, the taxi driver didn't know of a bike rental anywhere near here. Disappointed, we got out anyhow and started to walk. Luckily, we found one after walking a short distance on the Appia. Download the park leaflet describing the ancient ruins.
Thurs - Forum, Colosseum and more.
Friday - North Rome and Vatican.
Sat. - Fly home---booh!!
We left the Cinque Terra at 11 am, a 90 minute drive to Pisa, about an hour there, then another 3.5 hrs to Rome. If everything goes perfectly, we should be into Rome about an hour before we need to drop off the car at the rental return at 6 pm. Everything did NOT go well. First, I entered the wrong place into the Garmin, weeks earlier. The Garmin does not recognize, the Leaning tower of Pisa, but ' Piazza dei Miracoli'. So I had forgotten that I was not positive about the location until we pulled into (what we thought was) town. As we looked around at the location, it was obvious we were in the wrong place. I asked a guy who pulled into a parking spot right next to us, and he said, 'Oh, you want to go to the leaning tower of Pisa?' Yes, that would be in Pisa, about 10 km back north.
Also, as we got closer to the real Leaning tower of Pisa, we were fully entertained by dolled up and scantily-clad women standing along the side of the road or sitting in cars with the door half-open. Not quite what we expected. It took us awhile, but we finally figured out what was going on. This same scene played out when entering the outskirts of 'The Eternal City'.
June tried calling the cleaning girl at the flat where we were to be staying, but she was not responding. We pulled into a gas station, and after quite an ordeal with language differences and phone differences, we eventually convinced the attendant to make a call to the girl for us. He said we were about 20 minutes away. But we were now going into Rome at the height of rush hour, and it was a nightmare. I was driving, Bruce was navigating with the Garmin (this time I was sure I had the address in there), June and Maryanne were in the backseat. At one time, June was curled up and Maryanne was screaming - a virtual free-for-all on the streets and alleys, driving fast and reckless. I learned to drive in San Francisco, and Bruce was calling the shots.
We arrived at the flat about an hour after we called. I stopped in what I thought was an alley, but it was a popular street for car traffic. I pulled off to the side long enough for June and Maryanne to jump out and go looking for the flat. Some official guy was yelling NO, NO, NO! I tried to beg for 2 minutes, but he wouldn't hear of it. After enough stalling, we saw the ladies waving their arms down an alley to our right. I somehow managed to back up and get close. In a mad rush, we all hauled the bags out, and Bruce and I quickly took off to return the car. After another crazy drive through the alleys, we finally got to the place very late. They attendant made it painfully clear that we could take the car cross town and drop it off at a different garage, or pay him 50 Euros and he would do it. Just to show how frayed we both were from driving, Bruce immediately said, 'Fine!' and I didn't argue. We cleaned out the car and walked 30 minutes back to the flat.
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The flat is by the white taxi under the backwards 'Porno Pizza' sign. Bruce and Maryanne are walking from the flat. I failed to mention the one-way streets. If you miss a turn, it could be another 20 minutes before you make it back to the same spot.
Then zoom in the map to see them on the satellite image.
