I want a Vespa

Spent the morning pretty much doing nothing hanging around for 4pm for my tour on my Vespa. Literally couldn't wait. Sat outside hostel on the pavement waiting for my tour guide. He turned up just on time, dead on 4pm. His name was George, a 59 year old Roman. He was incredibly polite and incredibly lovely. Shook my hand, checked my name and then gave me a helmet.

Nervous was not the word.

Didn't he want to check if I'd rode before? Didn't he want to tell me something important, like always lean into the bends? Didn't he want to tell me where to hold on? To him? To the bike? I had no idea what on earth I was doing, but just before he set off he said, hold on to the hook here (he indicated just in front of my crutch) and just as my hands gripped around it, he set off.

Good lord this was fantastic! I soon realised I in fact didn't need to hold on. George drove incredibly carefully, not slowly, but very considerately. I soon had my hands on my camera, not on the loop.

We shot out of Rome up the hills which I had only had nightmares of climbing. The Vespa was beautifully smooth.

George was taking me out of Rome to the Appian Way, the Roman road from Rome to the coast.

It's over 40km of straight road. And so beautiful. On the way, George took me through a small walled field which belongs to the Vatican. You go from the middle of the city to the countryside in seconds. It's beautifully peaceful. There's an abbey here where monks and nuns go to teach. There were young people sitting on the side of the road, reading bibles and making notes. It felt like Italy.

We continued onwards towards the 'best spot to walk from' which turned into the beginning of a 2 hour round trip, but I didn't mind; it was a beautifully warm afternoon.

George explained how the Romans always built roads exactly the same width. From India, to Rome, to Bath, they were all 5 strides from side to side. Incredibly, by the end of the Roman empire there were around 36,000 km of roads. This incredible feet was achieved legion by legion. A legion, or a group of soldiers, could walk 7 miles a day. The road workers made roads, and at every seventh mile mark, they built a fortress, for the legion to rest at night. They did this ALL across the empire. Outstanding. As George explained, the Romans were walking along the same road we were today, to the exact same scenery, minus the fancy cameras.

George's enthusiasm was incredible. He had a sort of beautiful optimism about the Romans. He was incredibly anti church, despite his Catholicism. He said 'the church decimated the Roman Rome. They destroyed it. They took away all that was Roman and replaced it with their rubbish like it didn't exist.'

He was such a lovely man.

We walked for probably an hour when we came to a bend in the road. As George explained, this was the only kink in any roman road anywhere in the world and was made so, so that it went past the burial ground of the three brothers of Roma. (Google it, it too George 40 minutes to explain)

This road has more history than I can blog about. You'll have to google it yourself, or come. Either way. It's beautiful

Back into Rome, and George asked me if I wanted to see all of Rome, I of course agreed.

He took me to a hill (picture attached) where you can see the entire beautiful city. Literally, the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. It was breathtaking. George and I stood and stared over the balcony for a good 40 minutes, with George pointing out all the sights, one by one.

There really is no comparison between a guide book and a guide. Really. There isn't.

The Vespa ride up the hill was incredible. I've used that word already about thirty times already but....

DAD. I know you're reading this, Mum makes you. I want a Vespa. Seriously. Automatic. White. Pretty. Start eBaying it. Consider it my homecoming present. Thanks.

(I'm being deadly serious, seriously)

That aside, the cobbles got to me. While I can't be crude, as my family and mother and father read this blog, I can tell you that my bum..... Well actually, perhaps we'll skip that one. Perhaps I've already gone too far

Sorry Mum.

I've decided I will keep a Vespa in the garage and ride it when Henry gets too much for me. It'll be my mid life crisis, at 23.

I got George to drop me in Piazza della Rotunda, outside the pantheon where I went to Cafeè Claudia again. Mainly because the waitress, Romana recognised me the other day and welcomed me in. The free limencello didn't have anything to do with it. I promise.

Dinner was meatballs. Oh my fuck, the best meatballs I've ever tasted. I can't even describe them...

And dessert. I had the special. No idea what it was but again, picture attached. Oh lord.

It was sensational.

Made friends with an American/Brazilian family (actually two families). We talked for hours about wine and food and me and them and their kids and what their kids wanted to do at university and what they were doing tomorrow and what I was doing tomorrow. I have them loads of hints, I felt like quite the guide. Perhaps I could do that as a job? In London obviously.... Hmm.

Their eldest son was starting college in the autumn, doing a hospitality management degree. We spoke for a whole hour about this and then his sister, who it turned out wanted to do the exact same trip as I was, started asking me thousands of questions about London and England in general. You'll all be very proud, I answered every single one... Naturally.

Anyway, tomorrow is my last day in Rome. Spending it packing and planning for Naples. No really, might pop out for lunch. Probably will.

Ta-ra sweeties