When in Rome...

My family and I set out to experience the beauty that is Rome, Italy--and some much-needed gelato, of course. 

Gelato can be found even in the hungriest of times, Harry, if only one remembers that in Rome, there are gelaterias and patisseries every five paces. Even in winter, it seems, there are so many types of treats that you might get whiplash trying to look at them all at once. But we couldn't leave without hitting one of our favorite dessert stops: Venchi, a shop where they sell chocolates, fudge, crepes, gelato, and just about everything chocolate-related, for that matter. They have locations all over Europe (we stumbled across two different ones just in this trip to Rome), and it's clear to see why. The gelato has such a rich, creamy texture... and they have a chocolate wall, literally oozing with ganache. What's not to love?

Now, of course we wanted to be back in Rome someday, so we paid a visit to the Fonatana di Trevi, a massive fountain with winged hippocampi, and naked people (it's Italy). Legend has it, if you throw a coin backwards into the fountain, then you'll come back to Rome someday. Don't believe it? We threw some in three years ago, when we went to Rome the first time, and here we are again. Coincidence? I think not! We also got to see the Spanish Steps, a long, long, long flight of beautiful steps that lead down to the Spanish Embassy. Though we were too tired to climb to the top, they were breathtaking even without us dragging ourselves up hundreds of steps.

After some more traditional Roman sightseeing, we stumbled upon an amazing DC superhero lego exhibit, which was nothing short of amazing. A series of life-size (or sometimes bigger) constructions of every DC character imaginable, and then some, awaited us. My personal favorites were the ones where a picture of an actual comic cover was displayed next to the giant, 3-D, lego versions! 

However, my favorite part about being in Rome was just being in Rome. With a city so old, you're bound to see anything from funky-shaped ruins to intricately-engraved sewer covers, or ornate pomegranate orbs. Soon, the small notebook in my pocket, which I normally use only to write down interesting names and document on-the-fly book ideas, was soon filled with doodles and notes about the cool things I saw. Hey, a writer should never waste a good inspiration!

Cheers!
Lorena K.