Italy in Winter
Day One. Why the hell are we here in the dead of winter and during a political firestorm while the Pope is dangerously ill? I’ve never seen Rome. Aside from flying into and out of Fumicino airport and spending a single night during a heatwave in a hundreds year old house without AC, I’ve not seen Rome. While Caesar Caramanico was teaching, we always opted to travel during the summer and Rome in summer is huge crowds and unbearably hot. I despise crowds and CC hates the heat, so we always would say “next time” and end up next time on the beach somewhere on the east coast of Italy or visiting a hidden gem in a town high in the mountains without tourists. So, when I heard it was a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Chirch and Caesar’s first year not teaching, I planned our trip to coincide with Carnevale and Ash Wednesday. After sharing my ideas and plan with CC, who has already been to Rome, and doesn’t share my fervor about the plenary indulgence (more about that later) we will re...