“I’m feeling really overwhelmed and I want to leave and never come back to this square!” Sennen said in the Piazza Navona. One of Rome’s busiest squares in its already busy historic center had a Christmas market lining the center – running between two giant, famous Bernini fountains. Police had formed barriers on each side of the square to control foot traffic in and out of the square – often forcing people wanting to enter to wait until enough visitors exited. A square that would be busy enough on a normal day was extra flooded today.
This was compounded by St Stephens Day. The day after Christmas is St Stephen’s Day – which in Italy is also a public holiday (much like it is in Britain under the banner of Boxing Day). As a result, a lot of retail and services were closed and a lot of Romans were out in the street – often with their dogs – enjoying a crisp sunny day. To my surprise, locals enjoy the historic center as much as tourists – and there seem to be Italian tourists in the mix – so, the narrow streets running between giant churches, ancient buildings, public masterpieces, gelaterias, cafes, bakeries torrafaziones and tourist souvenir shops were packed.
As we first walked around the district, both kids were fine with the crowds. We got in the 25 minute line for the Pantheon and all was fine. They liked the Pantheon, didn’t love it – but appreciated its significance. Trying the nearby and incredibly crowded torrefazione – famous for its spectacular granitas – recommended by Ailyn’s pediatrician of all people, was a welcome experience. Both kids dove into a truffle shop. Ailyn marked stores she might like to return to when they reopen. They reluctantly went The Church of Saint Louis of the French to look at the Caravaggios (it had no line and was free – where else are you going to get a better deal on Caravaggios?).
So, it didn’t seem like checking out the Piazza Navona with its two famous Berninis would be a problem. If anything, it seemed to me like a two-for-one: walk a central square with shopping while taking in two priceless pieces of Baroque art without a fuss.
Both kids paused as soon as we made it through the gates of the piazza and we pulled over to orient ourselves and discuss what we were seeing. We broke down the church, the fountains, the Christmas market, the shops, the dogs, the carousel, the police-guarded gates and why there are so very many churches in Rome. With our foundation laid, I thought we were good to walk the Christmas market and enjoy the square. Thankfully, I made a point of seeing the two Bernini fountains early in the game because halfway through the market, Sennen’s internal alarm went off. It was too much stimulation – too much stuff – and it was time to leave. Ailyn was a little less overwhelmed, but harbored no more enthusiasm for the piazza than her brother.
So, we left.
Only, leaving meant crunching into a crowd to pass through a narrow police-operated exit checkpoint. The crush of bodies and the worry about being separated had Sennen in tears. When we finally got through and got some room to breath one the next street, Sennen blamed Rome.
“I hate Rome! This is not how I wanted my first day walking around Rome to be!”
I encouraged him to breathe and reminded him how much of the day he was enjoying himself. He didn’t want to walk down any of the streets near us because they all looked too crowded and he was done with the crowds.
One thing I’ve learned traveling with the kids is that sometimes, a kid hits a wall and the best thing is to find a situation that feels safe and catch a breather. Luckily, there was one restaurant across the way, on a calm side street. Despite the earlier granita stop – which didn’t come in decaf – I suggested a little coffee break and we headed to the nicely heated outdoor patio of the restaurant and cafe for some respite.
A few decaf cappuccinos, bottles of water, souplis and fresh fruit salads later, everyone was themselves again and we were able to resume our exploration of the historic center, eventually finding our way to the Tiber and taking in the Palace of Justice, St Angelo’s Palace (which Sennen LOVED – at one point proclaiming his favorite historic site ever) and eventually a solid view of St Peter’s and the Vatican before we extracted ourselves via Uber. It was a solid six and a half hours out and about and clearly, if Rome wasn’t built in a day, it also can’t be seen in one.
The day had begun much more practically. Not having realized St Stephen’s Day was significant here, I left the kids in the apartment to go scout the laundry service around the corner and make sure it was open before we hauled our now voluminous stash of dirty clothes over there. I learned something from Venice. I was wondering if what seemed like being unlucky at laundry in Venice was actually some kind of curse cast on us.
However, we have reached a point where our laundry has gone from push to shove or as some college friends used to say – from bad to hearse – and I became determined to find another option. Last night we walked around our neighborhood after dinner and discovered another laundry a few streets down. I went there. No sign saying they were closed, but clearly, they were not open. I turned to Google Maps – the oracle in the sky who guides wayward travelers through the labyrinth that is the San Marco district of Venice – to find me an open laundry. Google seemed to know more about St Stephen’s Day than me and showed many laundries being closed – but one, just a few streets down, adjacent to our neighborhood open. I texted the kids to inform them I was in pursuit and went to investigate.
As I passed meandering tourists and locals walking dogs, talking in streets, I noticed a shocking number of businesses were closed, but more than yesterday were open – mostly food service. Even in my determined state, I took note of the highlights. When I arrived at my destination, I was grateful to The Great Google for leading me to an unlocked door where inside a very nice man from Mali seemed surprised to see me and spoke almost no English. Fortunately for me, Mali is in the French zone and the man did indeed speak very good French. He could have our clothes washed by the end of the day. It seemed to me we could come for them tomorrow – which clearly took the pressure off him. We had an understanding and I went to retrieve the kids and the laundry.
The three of us towed one wheeled duffle and carried three large bags of laundry across the neighborhood and handed them over with gratitude. Then we took inventory of the cafes and bakeries we had passed and felt compelled to try one at the corner which had a large number of locals. Giselda was more of a gourmet shop with counters with everything from pizzas, to prepared foods to a bakery and an espresso bar. It was clearly our brunch spot. Besides being fantastic, Giselda had an incredible looking candied chestnut pannetore which I would have bought had it not cost 40 euros. So far, no sign of an After-Christmas Pannetone Sale.
Feeling refreshed and enjoying the beautiful day, we walked the 22 minutes to the Pantheon – which was only five minutes more than had we used public transportation because there’s no vehicle traffic allowed in the oldest parts of the historical center. I convinced the kids that between the delights of Roman cuisine and that walking is the best way to see the city, going on foot was our best choice.
I think it was, because we observed many things, had many great discussions and enjoyed a really fun time.
Until the Piazza Navona situation. Now we’ve come full circle.
Sennen is coming to like the “Gritty Paris” aspect of Rome. He likes the range of ages of the architecture and history embedded throughout the city – while also having the pretty, cosmopolitan feel of Paris. Except for the graffiti – there’s a lot of it which he hates, just as in Athens. But he compared walking along the Tiber with strolling the Tuileries – which I found to be a bit of a stretch – but showed how much he was enjoying because if there was one place in Paris the kids liked most, it was the Tuileries (and maybe Au Printemps for Ailyn).
Along with everything else, I think we’re still adjusting to being in a big city. Rome has a lot of urban energy – which Venice did not.
Is it fun? Yes. I can see the kids absorbing a lot. Rome may not be a party every minute, but it’s enjoyable and a continual learning experience – for all of us. We’re growing. And that’s the best part.
