Bad Weather Everywhere – Dolly Travels

Venice storm - DollyDid you think I have forgotten how to write? I have not forgotten; however, I have been distracted. Venice, with all its antique charms, also had some weather problems that made sightseeing a bit difficult. Venice is indeed charming, especially when the sun is shining on those red tile roofs and illuminating the white buildings, making them shine. But wait. Do you see that black cloud coming in from the west? That cloud means trouble. We carried umbrellas with us at all times. One never know when the rains might come, and when they do come , they can be spectacular. My tour group of last year can attest to that. Last year, we were in Murano when the black cloud appeared over the lagoon. We got onto the vaporetto for the trip back across the lagoon as quickly as we could. While on the boat, the rain came down in buckets. At times, we could hardly see the lagoon. That was pretty scary. This year, Frank and I did not encounter such a magnificent display of rainfall, but we did get wet and then cold. It was surprising how fast the temperature would plummet. We could be warm, enjoying our gelato and within a half hour we would be wet, chilled, looking for a restaurant that had hot soup. We did get to see most of the places on our agenda. We were scheduled to leave Venice on Saturday and go to the Dolomites. Unfortunately, for us, rain and thunderstorms, more cold weather was predicted for that area, so we cancelled those plans. For me, that was the most disappointing part of our entire trip. I love going to the Dolomites, especially the Alpe di Suissi area, which was our destination. I did not, however, want to spend all our time in the hotel. I could not bear to be in the Dolomites and not be able to walk on these trails. That would be torture to me. With all the weather problems in northern Italy, we decided to go back to Rome. It is warm and sunny here, and Rome is Frank’s favorite city. I wanted to go back to Florence, but it was raining there, also. Italy’s weather problems are mild compared to what we see is happening in other places in Europe. Paris has been flooded by the River Seine overflowing its banks; there is reported flooding in Bavaria, a rock concert was cancelled after 47 people were injured by lightning. Outside of Europe, I saw on the news that some places in Australia were suffering from major flooding. So here we are, in Rome again. Frank and I took a long walk up the Via Veneto this morning. When we got back to the hotel, Frank said he had had enough walking for the day, so I went to some of my favorite places by myself: the Spanish Steps (closed for repairs), Piazza Barberini, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon area (Pantheon was closed), Trevi Fountain. I threw another coin into the fountain to ensure that I will return. I can only hope and pray that this global warming and the subsequent disasters will not continue. We were fortunate that we only had to endure some rain and some cold. I am thankful for that. More adventures await us. We just have to be patient and flexible. Until next time, Arriverderci, Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

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More Adventures in Rome – Dolly Travels

Ostia Antica Rome is such an interesting place to be; so much to see and do that we are out and about early every day. We stop at a bar for cappuchini and pastries, go to our selected site for the day, then we usually return to the apartment for an hour or so of relaxing and resting before we go out again. We have seen so many ancient sites during this stay in Rome. I never get tired of coming back and seeing them again. There is so much history here that it seems incongruous to see busy boulevards running alongside ancient ruins. Traffic is ridiculously chaotic, tourists are everywhere, although it is fairly early in the vacation season. Being a pedestrian, I know I take my life in my hands every time I cross the street; however, there are very few accidents. It is exciting to be part of the melee. We went to Castel Sant’ Angelo, which is connected to the Vatican by an elevated walkway, to provide an escape for the Pope, in the event the Vatican was threatened. I do not believe the walkway has been used in the past few centuries. The structure was built by the Emperor Hadrian in the year A.D. 139, to be used as his tomb. Other emperors are also buried here. PantheonAnd the Pantheon. Another amazing structure built centuries ago and still standing and secure. We walked around the entire structure the other day, and to see such a huge edifice with the original small bricks used in building it, was quite awe-inspiring. Our last day in Rome we went out to the ancient city of Ostia Antica. This had been a thriving seaport city more than 2,000 years ago. Merchandise was offloaded from ships, taken to warehouses, then put on smaller boats and taken up the Tiber River to Rome. Somehow, the Tiber River changed course, and that meant the demise of this city. Some of the remains of the Baths of Neptune in Ostia Antica. Apparently, the people of this city were very athletic. We saw mosaic floors depicting wrestlers, as well as large fields that had been used for games. There was also a theater, built in the same design as the Colosseum in Rome. Each of these places deserves far more explanation and exploration. I was continually in awe of the engineering, the architecture and the building of these ancient places. But, as a grand finale, there is a gelato waiting at the end of the tour. I will say Arriverderci for now, as we are leaving Rome. Our next stop is Florence, my favorite city. I will try to keep up with the posting better. Ciao for now, Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Rome Gay Travel Resources

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Rome – The Eternal City

Piazza Navona Once again, we returned to Rome. We arrived on Sunday afternoon. We found our apartment, which is very near Campo di Fiori, one of my favorite places in Rome. This piazza has been a fruit and vegetable market area for centuries. Now there are more booths selling touristy spice packages, pasta and other food souvenirs, but the fresh fruit stands and vegetable stands are still thriving. As well as the central portion of the piazza housing the fruit and vegetable market, all around the perimeter of the piazza are cafes and restaurants. Street musicians come out in the evening, and some of them are quite talented. About 4:00 in the afternoon, all these stands come down, the owners of the stands cart away their produce, the shelves, everything. These people have to store their equipment in sheds around the area. After all this merchandise and equipment has been taken away, the street cleaners come in and by 5:00 the piazza is clean and empty. Then Happy Hour begins. (My term, not theirs.). Cafes have drink specials and light food fare. The street musicians start their serenades, people come from everywhere to enjoy this atmosphere. By 7:00 p.m., the cafes and restaurants start their dinner service. Later, the party crowd comes in, and we can hear the chatter, the noise, the sound of people enjoying theirselves for hours. In the morning the piazza needs cleaning again, so the street cleaners are there again, getting everything clean and ready for the fruit and vegetable vendors to set up their operations one more time. To me, this cooperation of the vendors, the restaurants, the city street cleaners simply amazing. I enjoy staying I this area because of the bohemian atmosphere. I do wish I were young enough to stay out and enjoy some of the evening entertainment, but alas, that is not to be. By the time we finish our dinner, around 8:30 p.m., I am ready to go back to the apartment and relax. Many of the fruit vendors are foreigners, not Italians, and are very hard workers. This morning I watched two of the vendors as they brought their canopies and produce to the piazza. I heard a sound as if someone was revving up a motorcycle, I looked out our window and saw one vendor who was driving a very loaded small Ape truck, trying to hitch another vendor’s loaded push cart. These 2 guys had tied a rope to the cart and the back of the truck, but an Ape truck does not have the power to handle that much weight. They finally gave up: the man with the truck took his load into the piazza and the man with the push cart had to continue pushing by hand. For those of you who have not heard me talk about Ape trucks, I will explain. These are tiny little vehicles, built for the tiny alleys, hill roads of Italy. They have a motorcycle engine, a cab big enough for one person and a tiny truck bed. They look like toys. We went to the Piazza Navona, with its fountains designed by Bernini, my favorite Italian sculptor. This is another area that is perfect for people watching. We walked from Piazza Navona to Trevi Fountain, going past the Pantheon, St. Ignacio church, down the Via Corso, over to the fountain. This is another Bernini masterpiece. The fountain has just been re-opened, after being cleaned and repaired for the past 2 years. Tradition says that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you will return to Rome. Both Frank and I did this, and I am sure we will return, We followed some back streets and found another favorite restaurant, the Abruzzi, and had our dinner there, then walked back to our apartment, joining many other people out enjoying the balmy Rome evening. I will end this blog post now, although I have only covered our first day back in Rome. I have so much to talk about, way too much for one blog post. I am sure that you have noticed, perhaps counted, how many times I have used the word “favorite” in this post. Rome is magical; therefore, there are many places here that have become favorites. If you have been to Rome, you will understand. If you have not been here, I strongly encourage you to visit. Who knows? If you ask me, I might come along with you. Stay tuned. You will hear more from me soon. I am not finished with Rome yet. Ciao for now, Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Rome Gay Travel Resources

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Bella Roma – Dolly Travels

Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, Rome Early Tuesday morning, under leaden gray skies that seemed to hover over the nearby fields and the tarmac of Roma Fiumincino airport, our plane landed. The pilots had done a fine job, getting us to Rome 45 minutes ahead of schedule. After gathering our luggage, we took a a cab to our hotel. We were too early to check in, so we put our luggage in the hotel storeroom and set off to see the city. We walked to Piazza Venezia, found a table at an outdoor cafe and sat down to enjoy the never-ending show of traffic, pedestrians dodging the vehicles, a policeman blowing his whistle that no one heeded. We had a good view of the Vittorio Emmanuel Monument as well. Many Italians say that the monument is too ornate for this area, right by the Roman Forum and the Capitoline Hill. I like it, though. One can go inside, pay to go to the roof (Roma dal Cielo, Translated as Rome from the Sky). This is one of the best places to get a view of the entire city of Rome. There are plaques around the walls of this rooftop, to tell one what you are seeing, and remind you that you are right in the center of Ancient Rome. All those piles of rocks inside the fenced-off areas below are the remains of the buildings of the greatest empire of all time. When we tired of people watching, we walked back to our hotel. We stopped for lunch along the way, had a pizza and a salad, and a large bottle of water. When we arrived at our hotel and got checked in, it was almost 4:00 p.m. We had been up for about 30 hours by then; therefore, my rule to not take a nap on the first day went right out the window. We showered, got into our jammies and never left the hotel again that day. The next day, we were up early, had breakfast and kept our touring to the neighborhood. I needed to buy train tickets for the rest of our trip, so we spent a couple hours in the train station. Then we went to the National Museum, walked around neighborhoods that were familiar, and found some new places. In the evening, in one of the newly discovered (by us), we walked down to the Monti district. This area had some trendy boutiques and many restaurants. Eventually, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant in the Piazza dei Monti. We enjoyed pasta alla Vongole, a delicious salad of beet, strawberries, ricotta cheese on a bed of watercress, plus a glass of red house wine. DollyI was delighted that the house red wine was Rosso di Montepulciano. So many good memories of the month I stayed in that town, attending Italian language school. However, when I saw the bartender pour my glass of wine from a huge 2-liter jug, I was a bit concerned. No worries, though. The wine was delicious and inexpensive. We had enjoyed a good meal and a memorable evening and almost stayed within our budget. After dinner, we walked the 2 miles, more or less, back to our hotel, stopping once for a gelato. We did not attempt to see any of the major Roman attractions in these 2 days. We simply rested, got ourselves acclimated to the time change. Next, we will go onto Sorrento for three days, then return to Rome for a longer stay. Life is good in Bella Roma. Ciao for now, Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Rome Gay Travel Resources

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Gay Italy – Planning the Best Trip

Gay Travel Even though the country sometimes gets attention for its conservative character, the gay aspect of the Italy is widely popular and very attractive to LGBTI travelers around the globe. Who hasn’t dreamed of spending the holiday season in one of the sexiest Mediterranean countries, with its endless natural beauty, rich food culture and some of the sexiest people in the world? As Italy has a wide range of destinations and choices to offer, the gay travel experts of Destsetters have made a selection of the best tips and travel ideas, that are able to satisfy everybody – from gay couples in love to single travelers looking for fun and adventure.

Gay Rome

Rome is definitely one of the most attractive cities to visit in Italy, especially for gay couples! With a little research, you’ll find many references to homosexuality in ancient Rome, a fact that might make your trip event more interesting.

Full Story at Gay Star News

Italy Gay Travel Resources

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City Sundays: Rome

city-sundays-rome Hey all, Welcome to our weekly series on the blog and our Facebook travel groups – City Sundays. Each week we’ll select a different LGBT friendly city to talk about, and we’ll invite our innkeeper and travel agent/tour operator friends to come talk with us about it as well. Rome is one of our most favorite cities in all the world. The people there are very friendly, and it’s one of the most walkable cities, too – just get out on foot and explore. There’s something new (or something really really old) around every corner. Rome even has its own gay district, though it’s small by most standards – right in front of the Colosseum. There are many adventures within easy distance by train or car, including the ruins of Ostia Antica, where you can actually walk inside the old structures of what used to be Rome’s port city. Have you ever been? What did you do while you were there? Do you wanna go? Let’s chat! Join the conversation here: Gay (Men) Travelers: Gay Travel Club Lesbian Travelers: Lesbian Travel Club Transgender Travelers: Transgender Travel Club Bisexual Travelers: Bi Travel Club LGBT Families: LGBT Families Travel Club Check out our Rome page here: https://www.purpleroofs.com/europe/italy/itlazio.html And our Rome articles on the blog here: https://www.purpleroofs.com/gay-travel-blog/?s=Rome]]>