This is our second trip to Italy. We visited last year and couldn’t resist returning. This year we visited Florence and Siena before settling into our rental in Rome’s Trastevere. My sister Holly joined us, and it was nice to share the experience as a family.
Siena is a two-hour train ride from Florence. The countryside is inviting, and we see many small towns and their people. Siena is a nice change from Florence. We’re still among fellow tourists, but I feel less threats from pickpockets. A polizia strolls alongside us on the Piazza del Campo, and her smile is welcoming.
We eat lunch on the piazza, and buy stationary and a soup ladle made of olive wood from the Chianti region. We take the train back to Florence, and stop at a small grocery store to take indinner supplies: bread, prosciutto, anchovies, tomatoes, and bufala mozzarella.
The next morning, a high speed train takes us to Rome’s Termini.
One of my favorite things to do in Rome is walk along the banks of the Tiber River. There’s magnificent stillness and light along the river like I’ve never seen.
Alessio is our favorite restaurant in Rome. On multiple occasions we’ve eaten there on consecutive nights. We take in obvious sites: the Coloseum, the Pantheon, and we stop in a number of basilicas to light candles and rest our feet.
Michael Castellon 
