Dany Ciampino

... continues as to who won.

Rome is an amusing background for pop culture, a role it has played for 25 centuries. Spectacles in the Colloseum included wild animals and exotic, though unwilling, people from all parts of Europe and Africa. Mussolini made culture a key part of his political agenda, striking deals to save treasures even as he fled for his life at the end of the war. Berlusconi has managed to balance the most stable ...

... don't.

My departure from Carlo's hospitality was reluctant. Again I am at a loss for words to thank him for everything he's done for me. His generosity will not be forgotten.

The trip into Rome was relatively stress free. I had to catch one connection in Genoa; shockingly both trains were on time, and I arrived in Rome by 6pm. Despite Carlo's recommendation that I make a reservation at a hostel, I didn't. It's December I figured, how busy can the ...

... not forbidden anymore, it's packed with 1000 Chinese people. Tienanmen Square we find out is like the first gate to the Forbidden City so we were able to find it no problem after that. Tienanmen Square is great. Mr. Mao looking down at you and red everywhere. Tons of people are everywhere. Pictures are taken. I ask if Deborah can have her picture with a solider who is standing guard and the solider replied with a very ...

... then, I knew my thirst for knowledge, adventure, and exploration would not be easily quenched! I was hooked! We are planning on travelling via ...

... it is and not to pay the €75, but too late! Italian bureaucracy is amazing: go to line 1, now go to line 4, wait for 30 min, then they send you to like 6, and back to line 1. When you get to line 1 you are denied and have to go make a photo copy and start all over! By the time you get back they are on a 15 minute break. When it's all finished, you're document is submitted, it takes them 2 years to send you back your Permesso di Soggiorno!!!! Ha, you must be ...

... Klien Matterhorn Cable Car- the Klien Matterhorn the run from the top can take 3/4 of an hour to the bottom station!) flanking the Klien Matterhorn- Plateau Rosa. It was a ...

... in line with you. We met a couple - Kerry and Kathy Deangelis (Oswald) (There is a story there - but probably shouldn't write it in this blog...ask if you want to know). They had just gotten married last week in Sorrento and were out for their last evening in Rome. We ended up being seated together as well....what an establishment - the waiters are definitely not the friendliest - but - you get your menu - they take your order - bring your drinks out - and if you want to see the ...

... On Wednesday morning Mark and I have our last two delicious 80-cent espressos in the city center, pack our stuff and Monica drives us back to the airport to catch our SwissAir flight to Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. I catch the train into town to stash my stuff at the 420 Café and then duck back to the station and catch the train for Rotterdam to catch up with Mark and spend the next couple of days at his place until I can secure lodgings in Amsterdam for the Fall.

... We walked four blocks to our hostel and checked in. We couldn't get into our rooms until 2:00, so we left our bags and searched for a place to eat. Around the corner was a little Trattoria, so we decided to eat there. I got spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce. It was perfect. Cooked al dente, and with an actual red sauce, which I've only had once before since I've been in Italy. After lunch, we explored our area for a little bit before heading back to the ...

... were so many people that it felt like we were on a conveyor belt. The last stop before the giftshop was the chapel. It was smaller than I thought but then we learned that it was meant to be a private chapel built in 1473 for Pope Sixtus IV. Michelangelo's artwork is as amazing as we heard. The ceiling, including 'The Creation of Man' took 4 years to paint. The front wall which depicts 'The Last Judgement' was painted 24 years after the ceiling was completed. We spent the rest of a really ...