The Eternal City

(Distance from home 58 km). It is very difficult if not impossible to judge which is the most beautiful city a traveller has visited. One thing is certain: Rome, seen with the eyes of a tourist, is something marvellous, it is a continuous surprise inside every alley, a treasure chest open to the sky, a living museum; it is the eternal city because what it guards is of a timeless beauty that almost seems to be resting there by chance without any pretence.

On this walk we visited the wonderful municipal rose garden, enjoyed the view from the garden of the oranges, peeked through the keyhole of Rome, strolled through the streets of the Jewish ghetto, climbed to the Capitoline square and admired the fascinating beauty of the remains of the Roman forums, admired the sculptures of the Galleria Borghese (I have never been a fan of sculpture but I had to think again), climbed to the terrace of the Pincio and descended among the Popolo in the square of the same name. Back home, our heads dazed and a little depressed at having to return home and find not the slightest pleasure in seeing what we normally have around us.

Rome is Rome for this reason: the wonders of the world are before our eyes without anyone making us pay a ticket...and the even more incredible thing is that it has all been there for centuries, since before the world as we know it today was born!