My Roman Holiday

by Foteini Dimaki (Greece)

I didn't expect to find Italy

“Don’t insist Debbie, I go nowhere today!” I close the phone, open my laptop and start my usual routine. Studying, answering important e-mails and fooling around in the “magical” world of social media. It is a sunny Sunday morning, the birds are singing a beautiful tune and Romans are passing by wearing their usual fancy clothes and brightest smile. The city is awake and full of life. One hour passed and I start to regret my decision. I dress up, grab my bag and keys and head off to the Villa Borghese gardens. I get off at the Flaminio station at 12:30 and send a message to my friend. She is already in the gardens and I make my way up the stairs from Piazza del Popolo. The place is full of trees, flowers and little ponds. A true earthly Eden! My friend is greeting me and without noticing I find myself surrounded by young individuals, snacking, singing and smiling. After a while, I spend some time exploring the park and taking some photos. “Isn’t it beautiful?” I turn my head with surprise and I see a young Italian man standing next to me. I have seen him before in our gathering, but I didn’t have the chance to talk to him. “Is truly amazing” I answer. “You have to see the sunset from here, is breathtaking. By the way, I am Guido”. I am happy I found a local guide and decide to trust him. We start moving downhill and while he speaks about the Borghese Gallery, with the Bernini’s sculptures and the Titian's Sacred and Profane Love, I feel so mesmerized by the description that I promise myself to be less lazy and visit the place in the future. We arrive at Piazza del Popolo. Is early evening and is still sunny, but a light breeze makes the atmosphere very pleasant. The place is swarmed by people and full of music coming from the street musicians. We take the Via del Corso and he tells me everything. The most remarkable places I should visit in Rome, the love of Italians for pasta – he recommends Amatriciana- and the good classic gelato, which he insists to offer me. I accept the offer and is indeed the best gelato I have ever had. I promise to offer back and he smiles. We pass the Fontana di piazza Colona and turn right to the Via dei Sabini, moving towards the Fontana di Trevi. I have been to the legendary fountain a few days ago, but it was full of people and couldn’t enjoy much. Astonishingly, today is less crowded than usual. My local explorer is narrating and I listen to him carefully. He tells me that Trevi is one of the most ancient sources of water in Rome and that it has been constructed by the Roman Salvi and not by Alessandro Galilei, as it was meant to be because he was from Florence and people of Rome didn’t like that. Is always nice to learn new things. After that, comes a moment of silence. We seat on the edge of the fountain, looking at the surroundings. A beautiful day has come to an end and I feel joyful and satisfied. Suddenly, I see him moving and passing something in my hand. “You have to toss it into the fountain, is a tradition. Tossing one coin into the fountain means you'll return to Rome, tossing two coins means you'll return and fall in love”. We turn our backs and toss a coin each into the fountain. “So it equals to two coins” I reply. We look at each other and burst into laughs. Four years have passed from that day. I have been to many countries, visiting many cities. In those trips, I was never alone. Guido was always with me and together we visited Rome many times. It seems that the coins have made their magic, as I never expected to find my fellow traveller and life companion in the Eternal city.