Roman Beach House

We spent a long weekend at my sister-in-law's summer house just north of Rome. They have a beautiful historic villa right on the beach.

Imagine staying at a luxury 5-star hotel where everyone loves you and bends over backwards to make you and your children feel special, comfortable and happy. That's how we were treated last weekend.

Their garden is spectacular, so well-cared for and full of bright flowers.

The perfect place to relax at siesta time.

This is the view from the back patio down to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Their backyard gazebo is completely covered with ivy growing on its trellised walls.

A fish out of water...

Another view down to the sea from the patio.

This is the patio where we ate all our meals. Except on a few occasions when we were invaded by wasps. Proof that even paradise can have its imperfections!

A nice corner for relaxing.

My lovely sister-in-law spent far too much time in the kitchen, cooking us delicious lunches and dinners every day. She was so good about preparing special dishes for me (since I am gluten and lactose intolerant), I really felt spoiled.

Cooking would seem like more fun with a window like this to look out of.

At work again in the kitchen, that woman never stopped!

This painting is by my brother-in-law, Gaetano Grillo.

Another lovely corner of their beautiful beach home.

Rome - Luxury Fashion

There's a street in Rome called Via Condotti where every shop sells luxury fashion goods.

It starts in Piazza di Spagna and is only three blocks long.

But in the space of three blocks you can find the most important international luxury fashion brands in shops one next to the other.

Kind of like an all-luxury fashion mall.

Hmm, where should I stop...Bulgari or Cartier? Decisions, decisions!

Would you wait in a line that wraps around the block for the chance to buy something Louis Vuitton on sale?

I love clothes and fashion and these clothes are unquestionably lovely and of excellent quality.

In one store window the prices were displayed for menswear.

A suit cost €3,000, a polo shirt was €650 and a leather belt cost €800.

Personally, I have a hard time justifying spending enormous sums of money on fashion...

...when there are so many people in the world who have nothing.

They sure are pretty, though.

But the truth of the matter is...I can't afford any of this stuff!

I wonder if I would buy designer labels if I could afford them?

Would you?

Rome - Street Scenes

Walking through the center of Rome over the weekend I took lots of photos of interesting nooks and crannies that caught my eye around the city.

This notice (dating back to October 19, 1761) warns passersby not to dump their garbage in the street in front of this house. I guess littering is an eternal problem, even in the Eternal City!

This woman is begging for spare change. While Rome has always had beggars, I had never seen anyone prostrate themselves with their face down on the sidewalk like this before.

I love both the ivy-covered walls of this shop and the outdoor fruit and vegetable stand.

Another woman begging while face-down on the ground. The three women captured in this photo (counting the woman in the advertisement) are an amazing study in contrasts: east vs. west, have vs. have-not, etc.

Many alleys seem to be designated for parking endless lines of mopeds.

Another common site in these narrow alleys are outdoor cafès. For me, the pleasure of eating outdoors would be pretty much ruined by the smell of the fumes and the noise of passing cars.

There are a lot of these really tall columns in Rome. This one is located in Piazza di Spagna and a statue of the Madonna is perched atop it.

This is Montecitorio, the building that houses the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian Parliament.

My family posing under a giant photo of three Italian politicians: Schifani (President of the Senate), Napolitano (President of the Republic) and Fini (President of the Chamber of Deputies).

My older son has a funny expression on his face because Schifani is not his favorite politician!

A picture of the column that Piazza della Colonna is named for.

Tomorrow I'll show you my photos of Via Condotti, where all the top Italian designers have their shops.

Roman Holiday

Just back from a long weekend with extended family at their summer villa at the beach near Rome.

We got in a day trip to Rome for some sightseeing with the boys.

These photos were taken in Piazza del Popolo.

This Statue of Liberty was neither Italian nor American, judging from its accent. We marveled at how he or she (how can you tell under that long robe and blue makeup?) managed to hold his/her arm up like that all day...

My guys, taking pictures of me while I take pictures of them.

Can you see Romulus and Remulus suckling at the she-wolf at the bottom-center of the statue? The legend is that they were the founders of the city of Rome.

Public fountains are a wonderful tradition all around Italy.

Detail of a large wooden door that once served to close off the piazza.

These giant doors closed a gate in the walls that surrounded the city of Rome, designed to keep out besiegers and other undesireables.

I wish I could tell you the date here, but I can't read it, can you?

Where did I put my reading glasses?

Nobody ever remembers to take a picture of the photographer.

Here I am, doing my photo thing.

More photos to follow in the days to come, including Rome's top elite fashion shopping street Via Condotti, and views of the beautiful villa we stayed in.