Rome

We landed in Rome earlier than expected, feeling victorious—until we entered the “Driver Sign Forest.” There must have been a thousand people waving signs with names, and naturally ours was nowhere to be seen. After wandering around like contestants in a scavenger hunt, we finally located our driver. Victory!
…until we saw the car. Let’s just say it was optimistically sized for our suitcases and a wheelchair. But after some impressive Tetris skills, a little pushing, and possibly violating one or two laws of physics, everything fit.

The drive to the hotel took an hour because Rome’s traffic was clearly trying to win an award for “Most Chaotic.” We checked in, but our room wasn’t ready—of course—so off we went to the National Gallery near Piazza Barberini. A “simple” 2 km walk with a wheelchair, which in Rome means cobblestones, hills, and surprise potholes. But we made it and felt like champions.

The museum itself was worth the trek: mostly 16th-century art, with appearances by Caravaggio, Bernini, and Raphael—basically the Renaissance A-team.

Afterward, we grabbed lunch at Piazza Barberini before returning to the hotel for a well-earned hour of collapsing. Revived, we took another stroll to the Borghese Gardens because apparently we enjoy testing our legs’ endurance.

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Hosteria PO, which was a delicious and well-deserved reward for surviving Rome’s traffic, cobblestones, and our own ambition.Read more