A Roman holiday

When in Rome, have gelato like the Romans do.

A Googler of the highest order, I had prepared for this trip by researching for weeks so that I’d know what exactly my husband and I were going to see in Rome. The Colosseum? Check. The Forum? Done. The Pantheon? Roger that.

Armed with a Roma Pass (which turned out to be a very good investment), we were able to bypass the long lines at the top tourist attractions. Additionally, the pass allowed us to hop on and off various buses and metros to get to our various destinations. This was an adventure in itself — running after the buses and nearly having our fingers crushed by the closing doors. We often found ourselves heading in the opposite direction from where we wanted to go, only to be informed by a stranger that the Colosseum was nowhere close to where we were — but then that was half the fun.

I played the part of a typical tourist by being smitten by the Pantheon, though it was not so much the interior of the place that had me love-struck as the ambiance outside it. The piazza around the Pantheon was filled with people who had come to relax and socialise with their friends over drinks, after a long day at work. Come evening, the locals head towards piazzas to meet up with friends for more drinks and to simply watch the world go by. While they sit there, musicians set up their instruments and belt out covers of famous songs. Along these piazzas, there are restaurants with outdoor seating, where mostly tourists have their meals, while soaking in the atmosphere of the city.

The Colosseum was as awe-inspiring as they show it to be in Hollywood movies. The moment you see the massive structure, you begin to imagine it at the peak of the Roman Empire and visualise scenes from Gladiator. However, the Roman Forum looked more like a pile of stones and the details of its past glory in the guidebook failed to impress me — piles of stone we have plenty of in my hometown of Karachi.

This didn’t stop me from taking tons of pictures though. As is every girl’s hope and dream, my husband did a very good job of taking good pictures, mainly of me with the occasional shot of him to show he was also there.

But it’s at night that the city truly comes alive. One can spend hours sitting around a piazza or a fountain, listening to music and having gelato. In the centre of the Piazza Navona is the breathtakingly detailed Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, depicting the four rivers, the Ganges, the Nile, the Danube and the Plate as men. The huge piazza is filled with artists, performers, dance troupes and vendors selling curios and souvenirs. Because I am such a fastidious shopper I had researched all the vendors and shops before I settled on a few souvenirs. These included oil paintings (gorgeous depictions of the Vatican City, the Colosseum and the Piazza Navona), miniatures of monuments, postcards, and some cute fridge magnets. My better half's forlorn sighs onlyspurred me on to buy even more!

The jewel in Rome’s crown is the Trevi Fountain which is a feast for the eyes. As per custom, we managed to elbow our way to the front and in a fleeting mushy moment, threw coins in together and, of course, took lots of pictures.

The highlight of our trip was the culinary magic of Rome. We tasted pizza as it is meant to be, sans the greasy, thick crust that kills the flavours. Every five minutes, we’d find ourselves facing a gelato shop, where rows of colourful flavours would mesmerise us. While the plain yoghurt could have been better, tiramisu, hazelnut, wild-berry and muffin turned out to be absolute favourites, deliciously creamy and with chunks of fruit or chocolate finding their way into your mouth. From austere nuns to savvy businessmen, we saw all kinds of Romans enjoying their gelato, walking along the streets with two scoops balanced precariously on their cone.

For the tourist, Rome has only one drawback — it has made me hate pigeons with a vengeance. They are like flying rats, crawling all over the place, ready to snatch food right out of your mouth if you let them. They refuse to fly away even if you kick them. In this regard, their Pakistan brethren are a lot more civilised.

Rome offers a lot to its tourists: food, ancient buildings, lively piazzas and more food. As far as my husband and I are concerned, we hope the coins we threw in Trevi Fountain work their magic and one day call us back to the Eternal City.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, July 17^th, 2011.