Set the Wayback Machine. A post from Rome in 1987

Sheraton Roma Hotel

Viale Del Pattinaggio

00144 Roma – Italia

My Trip To Rome

(Note from BF, December 2018.  I took this trip in 1987 only about 2 years after I had moved from Marlboro (MR3) to Nashua (ZK1) to work for VMS Engineering.  The trip was to attend the European DECUS Symposium, the Digital user society where my group had a big presence. I wrote very little about my work stuff in this, but mainly things that were interesting in my time off.  This was hand-written on Sheraton Roma paper, but I am transcribing it.  The handwriting is way better than what I would do now, but still requires some work to read. Occasional italics are my current-day comments.)

9/1987

Saturday-Got on Hudson Limo for the trip to Logan.  No problem—we got there in no time.  Nothing very exciting.  Checkin smooth.  Flew to NY in an L1011.  Waited in NY for a couple hours + finally boarded the 747 for Rome.  The upper deck is nice! Only 16 people up there. Lots of room, including big bins beside the seat. Not sure how I managed to get there. I was seldom able to fly business class!

My seatmate was an engineer-turned-salesman working for Fujitsu.  He was an American, but was European sales mgr or some such.  Going to a conference on Microwave equipment. We left 1hr late (“ground baggage handling equipment broke down”), but arrived in Rome only about 20 min late at 9:00AM.  At customs, I dutifully took the Red Line.  There was no one at the customs window, so I went into the office.  They almost laughed at me when I showed my slides and export documents.  Changed money at the cambio in the airport ($300 = ~L380000).  Found place to wait for the courtesy bus (I thought). Wrong—it was down the road a piece. Anyway, got to the hotel- they had a room waiting even though it was only 11:00AM.  Took a shower and a 1.5 hr nap (No problem for “jet lag” since it was early).  Got up and got a call from Dave Solomon.  We met and took a hotel courtesy bus to see our first glimpse of downtown Roma. 

Bus normally goes into the middle of town, but tonite there was a big marathon being run for some worldwide sport event and the center was all closed off, so they let us off in Piaza di S. Pita e S. Paola.  We walked along Viale Aventino, past Circus Maximus, M. Palatino, and finally to the Coliseum.

Coliseum is truly amazing. It would be a large undertaking now with modern tools and equipment, but in the time just after Nero?  The floor of the arena was raised so that things could be moved underneath it.  I am planning to go back again alone so I can explore better.

From there, I’m not quite sure where we went, expect that we went into the church which holds Michelangelo’s Moses.  Said church also had some chains claimed to be those of St. Peter.

We searched for some time for a restaurant “Ninoi”.  (So many things like this are easy to find now on the internet!!) We found the street, we thought, but no signs of the restaurant.  Finally we settled on a restaurant just around the corner from the Pantheon.  Very nice choice—not a word of English spoken, no tourists.  Good food.  I had antipasto, tortellini , saltimbocca ala romana (fried veal with ham + rosemary). Good, but not great.  Too salty for me.  The tortellini was fabulous.  BTW, the pasta seemed intended to be the thing that fills you up.  It is the 2^ndcourse (after antipasto). The meat course (3^rd) is generally lighter or at least there is not so much.  I like that setup.

Came back by subway. Got in ~ 11:30 and soaked in tub for a while + went to bed.  

Next AM, breakfast at 8 (orange croissants and coffee + juice.  Dave had something to do, so CW (Hobbs)and I went into town.  Took the hotel bus in to Piazza Venezia (Actually Via di Teatro Marcello 42, a small bar near P. Venezia).  Walked to the Pantheon.  Made as a tribute to the gods.  Very impressive building.   Of course the R.C.s (Roman Catholics)stuffed it full of statues of saints and virgins and what all, so there is little left of the original interior artifacts. However, the building itself is quite something.

We then went on to the Vatican, and St. Peter’s Square and Basilica.  I thought the plaza was very architecturally pleasing. Not so the inside of the church.  It is too complicated. You can’t take it in.  Of course, that may be the object.  Saw the place where Charlemagne was crowned (stood in it).  Saw relics of St. Peter, etc.  Michaelangelo’s Pieta—very crowded, glassed in, hard to see. (Then) a museum of papal relics—mitres, capes, etc.  Most labels in Italian only.  Not too helpful.  Went to the roof of the basilica by elevator and then up 333 steps to the cupola. Nice view, and interesting to see the constructions.  Steps very narrow and winding—goes right up under the skin of the dome—have to bend slightly to fit the curve.  Looking down over the dome, there appears to be candle holders to outline the portion of the dome visible from the square.  I would not want to be the poor priests who had to light them!  Went back down to the roof.   You could go into the balcony of the church, which we did.  Actually, I think we did that before climbing the stairs. Took some pix.  (Camera not allowed inside main church).  Wrote postcards and mailed them in a mailbox on the roof (with stamps bought in a souvenir shop on the roof run by nuns.)

Went back down and out. This was interesting and I would not have missed it, but it just does not compare with the Taj (Taj Mahal in India), which seemed nothing worse than a material, but artistic expression of an incredibly strong emotion.  St. Peters, on the other hand, did not convey emotion.  All I saw was the gaudiness.  It seemed to emphasize the contradictions between vows of poverty and the great wealth of the church.  Two sort of random thoughts—the Pope must be sort of a benign Reagonesque figure to me. I kept thinking to myself that he would not allow this if he saw it.  (Duh, he LIVES there!)  I also have visions of Jesus walking in + turning over the tables of the money lenders when I see how many things in there are sold!

Anyway, then we had a nice lunch at a nearby place.  I don’t have the name, but it was right on Via Della Conciliazone (I think) which leads straight away from the Vatican.  Can’t remember now what we had, but it was good. (I know—it was pizza. No choice of topping (ham olive, artichoke…).  Thin crust.) Very weird waiter.  Grabbed our cheeks, made fun of our moustaches, etc. Seemed to do it to everyone.  Did not bother me.  

Next went through the Vatican museums on the shortest route to the Sistine Chapel.  Sorry, but I was still not blown away.  Very nice paintings on the ceilings and all but I guess I don’t appreciate it as much as some.  (2018 comment:  I think they were in the middle of restoring it then.  I’ve not seen it in person since, but appreciate reproductions of God reaching down to Adam more now than I did then).  Maybe it was the crowds.  Anyway, we came “home” by the Metro, registered for the symposium + ate in the hotel.  Have to remember not to do that again!  Very expensive and not that good.  And this was the cheap restaurant.

Tuesday, I was busy all day with work.  In the evening, I accepted an invitation from some of the folks I had met, and we went into Rome for dinner again, this time at Toreina Trilussa at Via del Politeana 23 in the Trastevere district.  We had what I thought was a very good waiter.  He put up with our Italian + answered in Italian usually.  It made us feel good.  However, he slipped a couple times and answered English questions in OK English.  I had Antipasto Russtica—nice things including red peppers, eggplant, etc. with breading + garlic.  For pasta, I had the house special-I did not catch the name, but it was a squash pasta with cream sauce and peas. Very nice.  For meat, I had another veal dish-veal wrapped around sausage and served with pieces of bread + sauce, all of which had been baked together.  Had a strolling musician-and old guy playing the guitar and singing.  We went in by Taxi (#&# marketeers).  When the time came to return, it was 23:30—no metro.  Malcolm and I finally found a taxi.  The rest decided to wait for a bus.  Malcolm said the busses did not run all the way to the hotel at night.

9/13  I later found out that the rest of them had also taken a taxi.  Stu (not my current friend Stu) and Colleen showed up Wednesday afternoon during by booth duty.  Turns out his passport had expired.  He did not notice till he tried to leave Friday.  No getting it fixed till Tuesday because of Labor Day.  How embarrassing!  Wed nite was the “social event” which consisted of the hotel putting on this bizarre “Roman Celebration”.  Must be a standard thing they do.  Wheeled out big “marble” columns on dollies, had “centurions” “welcoming” the guests and (I kid you not) one cow and one calf, alive in a little stockade (dare I say manger?) on one side.  Buffet food (not too bad for mass produced, but not great) and a 4-piece band.

Thursday-Work again, including the VMS Q&A session from 8:00 to ??? at night.  Europeans usually don’t seem to be big on questions, so CW and I (and Jay and his friend whose name I don’t remember) decided to wait till after to have a good meal rather than rushing thru a hotel meal before. They asked questions forever! Finally done at 11PM!  CW had the concierge call ahead to Ristorante Picar at Lumeur park in EUR (kind of a nearby amusement park--Google it!).  When we got there, they were empty and the door locked.  We went to the back door of Lumeur and told them the Sheraton had called for us.  They let us in, gave us the menu, and went away.  After we decided what wonderful things we would have, they came back to tell us the kitchen was closed and all they could give us was pizza!  Better than nothing.  At least they still had an antipasto buffer out, and the wine cellar was not locked.

Finally the exhibition closed early (at 12) cancelling my 12:30-2 booth duty.  Unfortunately, I had already eaten the DECUS lunch. Still went to Picar with CW and ??  Had tortellini in brodo.

Then went with CW to downtown.  First stopped at St. Paul Without the Walls cathedral.  A big contrast w/St. Peter’s for me.  Still vast, maybe even gaudy, but not so ‘smack in the face’.  Had mosaic plaques of  all the popes from Peter to J.P.II along with the years, months, and days of their reign.  No mention of dates.  I suppose that could be embarrassing when they try to show the continuity (it worked!)

Spent most of the afternoon in the Palatine.  I was really starting to get a good idea of what a place Rome must have been (if you were a priv. class, of course).  We wnatered about the emporer’s bedrooms, the forum (meeting place for senators et al) Finally got kicked out at 6:15 or so. Met Stu and Colleen for dinner (Ristorante La Campona—can’t remember what I had but it was great).

Saturday, I went into town all alone (finally).  Three purposes: 1. Wanted to see the coliseum and absorb it better.  2. Wanted to buy some presents + 3. Wanted to “own” the city—be able to get around, read map, find things myself.  I spent the AM at the coll.  Then went to McDonalds at P. di Spagna for lunch.  Not much different  except they had beer and a salad bar with pasta.  Turns out I planned wrong.  Should have gone shopping in the AM since things close down 1-4.  Got some stuff for E+Kids, however.

I apparently never wrote up my trip to Pompeii.  I booked a day bus trip from Rome.  It was absolutely fascinating.  As I recall we also stopped kind of briefly in Florence (Fiorenza) but I remember pretty much nothing about that.