A roman
holiday
Tracy Pretorius
I
n the life of an American Expat
in a major European city, there
are benefits and drawbacks. As
someone who prefers to dwell on the
positive, I wake up every morning
with the wonders of Europe foremost
in my thoughts. Thanks to cheap air
travel and quick transit times, I’ve
been able to take on much of western
Europe and have traveled more in the
past four years than I ever dreamed
possible. Even better, my son and trusty
sidekick has seen castles in France,
the Colosseum in Rome, the Tower
of London and the canals of Venice,
all before the tender age of twelve.
Seeing Rome with a ten-year-old is
an experience I can enthusiastically
recommend. It involves persistently
repeating “get down from there”,
“don’t touch that, it’s 2000 years
old”, and “I won’t go to jail for you”.
Putting that aside, there is a deep
satisfaction in experiencing the
Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the
Trevi Fountain and Saint Peter’s
Basilica with someone completely
awestruck by every ancient inch of it.
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
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OCTOBER 2018
Thanks to Alessandra Jatta at VBRO,
we were comfortably installed in a
small loft situated in a building that
dates back to the 17 th Century. Only
a block from Palatine Hill and the
Roman Forum, the streets came alive
each night with tourists and locals
alike, out for dinner, a glass of wine,
or just a stroll past the beautifully
showcased Colosseum. My lovely
sister, Angie, came on this trip as well,
and gave me a hearty shove out of my
comfort zone. As much as I wish I were
the adventurous type, on occasion, I
need a little encouragement.
With excellent travel companions
flanking me, I set out to explore the
Roman Forum. This was, by far, my
favorite part of Rome. In the middle
of a busy city, much of the architecture
is intact and the natural beauty of