The journey from Venice to Rome was straightforward. We took a high speed train at 8:30am from Venice and arrived at noon in Rome. While on the train, we each caught up on the things we wanted to do and had our collective down time. When we got to our hotel, we were able to check in (ahead of time) get unpacked and settled. Yay!

So that meant, we were ready to meet up with Stefano Pardi and his wife, Daniela for our first adventure through Rome and our first culinary exploration. As I mentioned in my previous post, Elena is most excited to be here in Rome. She’s a history buff and especially a lover of all things Egyptian. So we had to stop and get a picture in front of this obelisk.

*Violet, Elena and Bill in front of the obelisk built by Ramesses the Great know as the “The Flaminio Obelisk”*

Quick side story. When Elena and I first got married, she told me that before having kids, we must go to Egypt. Why? Becuase she had too many friends who dreamed of going places only to settle down and regret never going. That wasn’t going to happen to her. So we went. In October of 2002. As in about one year after the September 11th attacks.

I can easily say that we were never safter in our entire lives. Why? Becuase Elena designed this trip to Egypt by hand starting with selecting a Ph.D Egyptologist and then several minor temples in addion to the paramyds and the majors temples you might have heard of. I share all this for context. Now that we’re in Rome, Elena has done her homework and she’s SUPER excited to dig into the Roman history with Violet and me and we are the happy benefactors of her passion here.

*Elena meets* ***Stefano Pardi*** *and his wife, Daniela as we begin our tour*

Now, having Elena in Rome would be cool enough, but tonight we are going to be exploring the streets of Rome with our two local guides, Stefano Pardi and his wife, Daniela.

As we walk around Rome, each of them point out so many things that I know I would have missed entirely. I’m not the kind of traveller who studies travel books extensively nor do I obsess over the neuances in the various buildings, architeture, churches and the like. So here are some fun facts that were shared with me on our walking adventure.

*Famous architect who had the “last word” about a church building*

Imagine you and a rival architect are both commissioned to build lavish churches across from each other. And then, after both are built, you get another commission to create a fountain in between them. Somehow, you get away with putting yourself in the fountain with your hand up looking like you’re scared for your life. Why? Because you’re facing the rival architect’s church and you’re convinced it’s going to fall on you!

Yep, that’s really petty and yet there is stands hundreds of years later. Of course, the church never fell — far from it. The building is incredible — especially on the inside.

In another museum, Daniela pointed out that this particular structure was used to share when Rome was at war and at peace. When the doors were open, Rome was at peace. When the doors were closed, Rome was at war. It was symbolic and yet a reminder of what was happening at that moment; the state of the country as it were.

*Doors are open as a symbol that Rome is at peace*

And, of course, Stefano and Daniela took us to the bridge of angels (or, more accurately, Ponte Sant'Angelo. This was originally the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian, to span the Tiber from the city centre to his newly constructed mausoleum, now the towering Castel Sant'Angelo. It is stunning to behold and we arrived just as the sun was setting on Saint Petersburg.

One last local insight I would have totally missed is about the many statues and paintings of the Virgin Mary on the corner of so many buildings in Rome. I was totally blind to them until Stefano pointed one of them out, then I saw them everywhere.

*Virgin Mary on the corner of buildings symbols of protection*

And after a wonderful exploration through the city of Rome, at last Stafano and Daniela guided us to the dinner spot they selected. And I’m so glad they were in charge of choosing where we ate. In truth, I don’t think it’s possible to have a “bad” meal in Rome, but Stefano helped me understand a few core principles when dining in Rome.

First, the meals should be relatively inexpensive. Food in Italy is delicious because it is fresh and locally grown. In some more densely populated tourist spots, demand is higher so like any business entrepreneur the prices are raised, but that doesn’t make the food any better — just more expensive. So sure, you can pay more, but you don’t need to.

Second, when you see a “price fix” menu, that’s usually a red flag. Having choice is one of the great benefits of Italian food. Being locked in can mean several things, but none of them are usually a benefit to the customer, so beware.

Third, and lastly, the longer the restaurant has been around, the more likely the recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and the better the reputation. It doesn’t have to be “ancient” but for example the place Stefano selected all the recipe for the food came from the owner’s grandmother. He has followed them explicitly and the quality shows up in every bite. I can attest to this one, and so could Elena and Violet.

*Bill, Stefano and Daniela … (I had to take two selfies)*

*…and the other side of the table with Elena and Violet.*

I enjoyed everything about this meal. The food. The conversation. The company. The location. The weather. Being outside. Even all the people around us enjoying their meals and evening out together. The community aspect enriched the full experience and it was lovely all around. I’m deeply grateful to Stefano and Daniela for introducing us to this restaurant:

*Rosina: “Don’t start your diet today!”*

Stefano pointed out the tagline printed on the placemat, “Don’t start your diet today.” He then explained that while few follow the “traditional” Italian dinner, if you were to do so it would be a full 7 course ordeal. It’s much like an American Thanksgiving meal in that you don’t eat until you’re full, you eat until you wonder if you’ll ever need to eat again.

And that’s easy to do here as the food is so delicious. When you’re no longer eating to sustain your health, but rather pleasure eating, it’s easy to get lost in all the bounty that Italy has to offer.

I wanted to ask Stefano how he and his wife stay so incredibly fit with all this incredible food available, then I remembered that Stefano is an avid marathon runner as well as Ironman athlete. He also has the discipline not to eat for pleasure even with all this incredible food all around him and I saw that Daniela was in exactly the same boat.

Abundance is having the option to eat like this and choosing not to. it’s something I witnessed throughout my journey in Europe. Most Europeans are NOT part of the “clean plate club.” This was something I had to unlearn. That, contrary to my childhood upbringing, there was no direct correlation between world hunger and food left on my plate.

Now that Elena is with me, we are splitting meals that that’s a wonderful thing. Eating half an entree is really going to help me going forward. This is how we were doing it when we were together in the US and I’m excited to get back into this routine.

I tell you, despite walking more than 20,000 steps (on average) per day, doing yoga and working out, it’s easy to put on weight when you’re eating out so often and exploring the food of other countries. This week has had me recommit to my own health goals and see where I’ve slacked off in the past 90 days. It’s a great reminder to recommit to myself and my health.

Seeing Stefano and Daniela was more than a wonderful evening out, it was a powerful reminder of my commitments to myself despite my travelling around the world for a year. Another thing I’m truly grateful for. So glad to be here in Rome!

Rome (September 28, 2025)

Roman Colosseum (September 29, 2025)

Venice, Italy with ELENA! (September 27, 2025)