Ruminating About Rome

I really love Rome. Everywhere you look there are ancient ruins, and many of it's streets and neighborhoods date back to the Middle Ages. I took the photograph on the left of my sister Susan while we were taking Rick Steve's Night Walk Across Rome. It may look like there were very few people around, but right behind us were the Spanish Steps, the terminus of the walk, and it was packed with tourists. Far too many people to comfortably walk up that stairway, and so we turned around, and headed back to our hotel, with a stop for dinner along the way.

While we were in Rome, we stayed at the Hotel Smeraldo, just around the corner from the Campo de' Fiori, one of the nicest piazzas in the city. I took the photograph on the right in front of our hotel. Many of the streets look just like this, filled with people and surrounded by atmospheric buildings. I wouldn't mind living here, but I suspect that like Paris, it might be on the pricey side. On the other hand, a number of small towns in the Italian countryside are offering houses for sale for $1, although fixing up a house built in the 1500s might be problematic, and expensive, too. Does that sound cynical, or just realistic? I suspect both.