Sea Urchin, I've added to my list of must visits.... Now if you will just include "S's" phone number, I'll be all set.

I'd be happy just to see his picture!

Now I know why SU is being very mysterious about "S" and keeping him to herself - Mama Mia!!

You guys are making me drool.

SU, how and where did you meet your Italian "friend"?

Hi Sandy. A few years ago we were introduced in a casual way and we just clicked.

SeaUrchin 2 questions we have a6 hour layover in Zurich any suggestions besides bring a GOOD book?
The train to Florence from Rome, I am planning to purchase ours a couple of days before we go. Any advice? Can I purchase a roundtrip at that time since we will be coming back to Rome? Can I do this at the Trenitalia kiosk? Many thanks.

Hi Islandgirl, we bought our r/t tickets at this travel agency next to the Torre Argentina (where the cats are): Courtial Landoni Viaggi at via de Torre Argentina 46/47.

In my opinion it is easier to buy the tickets before I go to the train station, but there is a kiosk at the station. I would rather sit in the travel office and have the clerk do all the work, she can pick out the times and classes you want and it isn't that crowded, we just had one person in front of us both times we went there this trip and they are all very nice and patient in this agency. As I mentioned, the travel agency has to be authorized to sell train tickets.

In Zurich, there are many many nice shops you can browse in and then the duty free which is nice there. There is a little cafeteria down one level where they serve the best tomato soup. It is comforting to eat soup after the long agonizing flight! It has become tradition to eat the soup but this time we didn't have time!

You'll probably like the Zurich layover, it is a nice area.

Here's some more:

Friday, Barb pretty much covered in her own report so I will just add a few tidbits. She walked us over to the Mouth of Truth, I can't believe after all these visits I had never been to it. I had thought it would be in a more mysterious setting, but it was like just beside the road in a nondescriptish church loggia. We stood in a little line with some Asian tourists all of us waiting for our turn at the photo op. We three emerged with all of our hands intact, so we hadn't been lying lately.

Then we started our numerous figure eight walking tours of the day. At one point we were on a path that narrowed down to a curb with a main street on one hand and a high brick wall on the other hand - literally! We had to shimmy single file with our backs to the wall for a bit and wondered if we might end up on CNN in some traffic scenerio.

That evening as Barb mentioned we ate at Al Pompiere and all that went on there got me so rattled that when we went into the ladies room to freshen up after dinner I mistakenly put on my under-eye makeup concealer as a quick foundation redo - all over my face. I ended up looking like a Kabuki Dancer on my way out, great exit at least.

The next morning (Saturday) we uneventfully caught the train down to Napoli. "S" met us at the station and took us over to Sorrento so we could run around a little. Seashell bought some gold earrings at Erre Esse Gioielli on via tasso, 3. The jeweler/owner was very nice and changed the form of the earrings to suit her and then offered a nice reasonable price. I would rec. his shop.

We walked around town a bit and I greeted all of my old friends in the different shops. Barb had gelato at Davide.

We went to see our old friend, Corcione Ferdinando on Via S.Francesco, 10-12. He is a master wood inlayer and was commissioned by Pres. Reagan to do some tables for his home in Santa Barbara. They flew Ferdinando over to do the work. He also showed us a photograph of himself in the restaurant on the top of The Twin Towers in NY on 9/9/01!
He is reasonable, it is a strange little shop and he heads the effort to save the town's stray dogs and keeps a till for people to contribute. It seems like alot of summer renters just abandon their dogs when they leave Sorrento at the end of the season, so he helps rescue them.

"S" took us to lunch over by Positano, he ordered like he always does, by never picking up a menu. We had all these local ingredients that you can expect there:

A huge platter of sliced salami, pancetta and proscuitto, a plate of grilled peppers, a plate of eggplant, pumpking and zucchini drizzled with olive oil, a plate of fresh buffalo mozzarella, a cheese with little bits of ham and olive in little wedges, fresh ricotta slices. Then we had bruschetta and a huge platter of grilled pork, homemade sausages and the best grilled chicken ever!

A pitcher of red wine that frothed when you poured it like it had just been stomped (homemade), a pitcher of white that was also heavenly.

For dessert we split a plate with delicious semi-freddo with little pieces of pistacchio and drizzled with dark chocolate and sprinkled with cocoa, St. Joseph cakes and cannoli, cream on one end and chocolate on the other. Shots of a berry liquor and homemade lemoncello...and coffee.

We were the only patrons so we took our time and just spent the whole afternoon lingering over the delicious food, our company and the view.

In fact we spent so much time that "S" had to speed us back over the mountains from Amalfi in order for us to catch our night train! He drove like a madman over the curves, but I trust his driving so I was relaxed, but I didn't look in the back seat at the others!

When we got to the station in Naples we literally had to run again to catch the train. "S" stamped our tickets and ran with us to the first car. He said jump on and walk inside to your car, as the train was revving up to leave. We said our goodbyes quickly and jumped on! We tried to get to our car, but one of the car's doors were locked and it was too late to get off, the train was moving. A conductor told us to get into a certain compartment which was dimly lit. All of the other one's were brightly lit. Three men were dozing so we gingerly stepped over them and settled in. "S" called to see if we were all right (so glad to have my cell phone!) and I assured him we were.

We talked with the men in the compartment as Barb mentioned, got back to Rome and ended another perfect day.

Oh SeaUrchin, you make me long for one of those 4 hour Italian lunches.

I love your description of the long lunch with your friends and the mystery man "S", the huge platters of grilled meats, vegetables, homemade sausages, and the ambience reminds me so much of La Tagliata! Thanks again for a nice trip report!

I am enoying your adventures SeaUrchin. Are there any photos?

regards Ger

Thanks! Stay with me, I have one more day to report! I'm lagging behind on my pictures but they will be up on pbase soon, I hope.

Today, Sunday, April 3, is a sad and mournful day at Vatican City, but two weeks ago, on March 20, it was full of joy and celebration.

Palm Sunday:

Saturday night I didn't sleep well for a few reasons: I was leaving "S" once again; I never sleep well on my second to last night before the flight home. The last night I sleep because by then I have resigned myself to leaving; Rome is lively on Saturday nights and we had groups of happy people below our windows, laughing, talking and singing. I don't mind noise if it is positive and happy.

I got up fairly early and made a frattata using up all of our remaining food. We ate early listening to the early morning silence in our neighborhood. The sun was just rising above our buildings and the sunbeams shone down our street. I love the morning light on the cold grey cobblestones. Early morning Rome is like a secret time that is private to those watching from the shuttered windows. Every morning I had a routine of opening and latching all of our ancient shutters while they creaked and complained that I was moving them from their resting ledges.

Later, we walked over to Barb's apartment and as we were leaving we all got into her tiny elevator, it dropped a few feet and then stopped! The lights went out in the little metal cage and we all "eeked". We took turns reaching around each other to push the wobbly buttons and went back up to the floor. I pushed open the doors and we jumped out and decided to talk the stairs down (Barb said it didn't happen again during her stay).

We strolled over to St. Peters and past the metal detectors, we opened our purses for inspection then sat on the marble steps in the shade, it was warm by this time, about 11:30 AM. The square was full but not packed tightly and there was alot of breathing room. People were carrying olive branches and some palm fronds and waving them or tucking them under their arms as they knelt in prayer on the stones.

There was a feeling of high emotion in the air, the Pope had just been released from the hospital, seemed to be rallying and it was hoped he would appear at his window. The red flag was draped outside his window so it was a good sign that he was well enough to appear before us.

A Cardinal was saying the mass, the choir was singing and some of the crowd were responding to the mass. People would break into laughter and cheers looking up at his apartments.

I decided to call my other lifelong friend, who is a devoted Catholic, back in California and surprise her. It was 3AM her time but I knew she would have loved to have been there with me at such a joyous occasion, she hasn't been able to travel overseas yet. I dialed her on my cell phone and when the answering machine answered, I was overcome with emotion knowing her devotion matched the devotion of the crowd around me. Once again I let go to the moment and started sobbing into the phone, so I held the phone up so she could hear the choir and the blessings. I hung up, collected myself, and hoped she wouldn't think it was a particularly obscene phone call of anonymous gasping with a choir in the background!

I asked an Italian lady next to me on the steps, in Italian, if she thought the Pope would appear. She said, in Italian, yes she was sure, touching her heart and smiling assurance. She said to wait until the end of the service, we had our olive banches we had picked in Sorrento so we held them up and waited. None of the three of us are Catholic so we had no idea of where we were in the mass.

All of a sudden the Pope's window curtains parted and there he was! All of the crowd cheered, crossed themselves and waved their branches, the Pope looking down on us. We knew he was weak from his illness but you could feel his strength and determination shining through. My Italian seatmate tapped me on the shoulder, pointed to the Pope and touched her heart again as tears came to her eyes. Her husband was wiping his eyes and smiling.

I called my friend again and this time was able to leave an intelligent message before I held up the phone and started tearing up again. (I really am not a crier usually!!)

He stood there looking at the crowd for a long time for him, waving and blessing us. There was such joy sweeping over us that you could feel it like a warm mist.

After the ceremony, the crowd, which had grown, filed so peacefully around the barriers that we all remarked that how serene everyone was. People were greeting other strangers and saying happy Palm Sunday in whatever language they used. We walked peacefully with the crowd down that main street towards the river.

A cardinal was walking next to us and I asked him if I could take his photograph, he said si si and posed, laughing and talking the whole while to me in rapid Italian. I said to Barb and Seashell as we continued walking, that in time he could be the next Pope. I could say I knew him when he was a Cardinal. Little did we know that those events would occur so soon.

We walked on down the street towards our Grande Lunch at Orso.

Sea Urchin,

Have enjoyed your trip report so much!

You state that you're a "corporate drone" in your real life, that is, when you're not travelling and writing about it, but I suspect you're really a TRAVEL WRITER in at heart.

You have a wonderful style and descriptive narrative.

Equally fun to read is your side-stepping those personal questions about EXACTLY what you actually do for a living, and who "S" is and the background of how you two met!

A woman with an air of mystery...hmmm.... so I'll not trouble you with any questions in that regard, but I would like to know the origin of the name SeaUrchin and your friend Seashell! Dish!

Regards,

Melodie

Leila87137 - I'm planning a trip for our family of 5 in October, and came across this one that's in a fantastic area of Rome, IMO. Stayed in this area (@Hotel del Senato) when we were there 2 yrs ago, but am interested in getting more for much less $$ this time. You might want to ck it out too:
http://www.accomodationsrome.com/apa...ail.asp?ID=351

Hi Melodie! I thought I was a blabbermouth not a mystery woman!

I got the nickname Seaurchin from when I used to spend summers at the beach dressed like a skinny (at that time!), tanned, sunbleached beach bum. I thought I looked alluring in my strategically ripped gauze clothing and someone called me an urchin! It stuck.

Now that I am here I might as well finish the last day of the report.

As we left St. Peters with the crowd walking towards the river another priest walked alongside of us but this one was tall, lean with slicked-back salt and pepper hair and wearing a long black cossack which flowed as he strode. He turned and smiled. Seeing his white teeth on his tanned skin, I said "my goodness" to Seashell, "is it getting warm out here?". She said to me, "two words.....The THORNBIRDS". This started us on a mile long discussion of Rachel Ward and the various attributes of Bryan Brown.

When we got to Orso we had worked up quite large appetites. We were seated at a table for four, Barb and I thought we would order the appetizer plates then two pasta dishes and then split one chicken dish. They agreed to order me some white wine and I left for the ladies room. I was gone a few minutes and when I came back, the waiters had added a table and now both tables were loaded with dishes of food! Barb and Seashell smiled sheepishly and said the waiter stopped her from ordering more and like a flash he added the table and brought the dishes. It was like a banquet table now! I said "how long was I in there, was I in a time warp?" They didn't answer or see the humor because they had begun to dig into the food. Every item was absolutely delicious.

We went shopping the the warm sun after lunch, going in and out of the small shops and started to buy too much. I was concerned about repacking that afternoon. Seashell said I have an idea, and bought another suitcase in one of the shops.

That is about it for my trip. It was wonderful as usual. Thanks for all the replies and encouragement, ciao for now.

Wasn't it a great time we had!! It was so wonderful to finally meet you and SS. I hope we get to meet up again in Oct. and that we will have many more fantastic times together - maybe in "the house" on the AC.

Thanks for the great report. I am smiling at your description of the meal at Orso 80. When I went there with my daughter we ordered the antipasto and a main dish. By the time we were "finished" with the antipasto we certainly didn't want anything else. I was too embarrassed to cancel the order and I didn't know whether it was acceptable to have the antipasto alone, since it was so inexpensive.

A year later, when I returned with my husband, I knew better.

Thanks for your report Seaurchin, with all the food descriptions, my mouth was watering a few times...!
I laughed at the little story of your "due tavole" meal at Orso 80.

And it was nice that it included a description of the Pope in what turned out to be the last public appearance of his life.

Only one comment confused me-not travel related though...
wasn't it Richard Chamberlain in the role of the tall, handsome Priest in the Thornbirds, rather than Bryan Brown ? I think BB played Rachel Ward's husband..?

Hope to enjoy the photos sometime soon.