After catching an 8.5-hour flight from Toronto on Monday afternoon, and losing six hours to time zone gods, we touched down safely at Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome at dawn on Tuesday morning. The four of us - John, Julie, Jane and I - had set off on a two-week Italian adventure, a guided bus tour with Cosmos.
After arranging a taxi with some rudimentary Italian, we were soon off into Roman rush-hour traffic for our first glimpse of both Italy and vehicular chaos. Once in our rooms at Hotel Pineta Palace, on the northwest outskirts of the city, we enjoyed a fairly low-key afternoon to steel ourselves for the impending frenzy.
Forcing ourselves to stay awake, we took a stroll around the dense suburban jungle surrounding the hotel to walk off the jet-lag, and attended an orientation session with our tour group and tour director, Sabina. At her recommendation, we sampled local fare at a nearby restaurant, our first culinary experience of the trip. The pasta, pizza, and birra alla spina (beer on tap) did not disappoint.
Finally, after some 36 hours without sleep, we turned in for the night.......
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Passports and Euros at the Ready.JPG)
The Cosmos tour bus outside Pineta Palace
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Corner suite at Pineta Palace.JPG)
The view from our balcony
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