Hello Italy, I am here to learn you.: Reflections on Roma

12 years ago, I went to Rome and Florence with my mom and brother. We only stayed for 5 days, so everything was in fastforward, but I do remember the magnificence and grandeur of the half-modern, half-ancient city. During my trip to Rome this past weekend, I was able to appreciate the significance of the art and architecture more than I was able to when I was 10 years old. However, I noticed other things about the city as well. Quite noticibly, graffitti lined the walls of the bus terminal as we rolled into town. And on the Metro trains. And on various buildings around the city. Even the Coloseum had some tagging on it.

The city was abound with street hustlers, knick-knack pedlers and gypsies all soliciting their "Frada" bags or pleading for loose change. (Note: Be careful about how free you are with your change in Euros. Using American change like Euros would be integrating silver dollars or double-silver dollars into everyday use.) I did not, however, get a baby thrown at me in some wild scheme to steal my bags. That would have been interesting though.

It is a shame to see the beautiful melange of cultures and time periods that is Rome, defaced and laden with the social refuse of many nations. (Illegal immigrants who could not find work in their contries of origin have found that the fraudulent designer bag industry in Rome and other urban Metropoli is quite profitable.) I am not going to turn this blog into a discussion of social welfare and humanitarianism, so here, enjoy these pictures:

Battillions of sunflowers stand at attention in the fields of Tuscany