Setting aside the grand monuments and vistas of Rome (that's another blog post), here's a sampling of gorgeous building after gorgeous building. What fascinated me was that the upper floors of these buildings were mostly residences. Can you imagine? Not much different from Manhattan, I suppose... except more graceful and colorful. Look at these streets! Imagine a third- or fourth-floor apartment in any one of these...
Even the alleys where they park their Vespas and SmartCars are picturesque...
(It's obvious why a large Ford truck or Expedition would be ridiculous over here. Besides the high price of gas, why try to squeeze into one of these alleys in an over-sized vehicle? Some of the cars here were barely longer than they were wide. Very convenient, as they could fit into a parking space facing any direction.)
And here's a vignette worthy of an Italian movie - a lovely building...
But look closer (you can click on this, or any photo, to enlarge) - in the upper right, you'll see three young guys hanging out the window, just relaxing. I watched them for several minutes... they seemed to have no agenda and be in no hurry. Exactly what I would do, if I lived there.
Next blog post... "Why don't our grocery stores look like this??"
Ciao,
Lisa