How not to stick to an agenda when scampering around Roma


As plans oftentimes do, my meticulously detailed agenda of gawking in appreciative wonder at a majority of Rome’s “Top 10” tourist sites, was derailed from the get-go. With less than 24 hours left in magnificent Roma, I still hadn’t seen St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps or the Villa Borghese Gardens.  Running late, I had somehow inadvertently strayed from my original itinerary of devoting only 30 minutes to each spectacular structure, squandering precious hours as I lost myself deep in contemplative musing whilst meandering along the decrepit paths of the once glorified Colosseum. Yikes!!


With the mid afternoon sun beaming its merciless rays upon my parched Canadian skin, my stamina was wearing low, my sore and blistered tootsies anxious to “put their feet up”  - more than eager to languish in a centuries old trattoria and rest up in anticipation of the next adventure.  No longer able to ignore my now incessant hunger pangs, my rumbling tummy reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  Figuring that I could quickly run into a pizzeria, grab a bite to eat and sprint towards Vatican City - still leaving me ample time in which to continue playing tourist.


 As all well-travelled globe-trotters know, the best dining experiences are inevitably found in random “hole in the wall” bistros located well off the beaten track.  Veering off the main road, my pink-sneakered feet hobbled along winding pathways and laneways in search of such an establishment. Criteria being that it had to offer delectable cuisine in a visually appealing venue reminiscent of a family run kitchen serving up five star Michelin worthy repasts, all for a reasonable 15 Euros or less, including vino, of course!!  Is that really asking for too much?  Apparently so, for such an eatery was not to be found, as either the ambiance was not quite right, or the menu was overly touristic, catering to the masses of hamburger loving foreigners.  Lacking the “quaint factor”, dismissed for not being “Italian” enough, possessing little ambiance and welcoming atmosphere, each prospective pizzeria was deemed unsuitable for my finicky tastes.  Wasting precious minutes scampering from café to gelaterie to pizzeria, my quest to stumble upon the perfect locale ultimately culminated in my getting hopelessly lost, sandwiched amongst the throngs of tourists haphazardly racing in every which direction. Yikes!!



Now what? To make matters worse and stopping me dead in my tracks, was the mesmerizing allure of a spectacular handbag shop, hawking gorgeous Italian leather satchels in a rainbow of kaleidoscopic colours, seductively tempting me with 50% off discounted prices. To my utter dismay, the boutique was padlocked tightly shut, closed between 1:00pm and 6:00pm, its proprietor most likely partaking in an extra long leisurely Mediterranean siesta. There was no question in my mind that I would become the exuberant owner of an exquisite “one of a kind” purse, a luxurious carry-on in which to cart my truckloads of souvenirs home in. 

As it was now only 4:00pm, I had another two hours in which to languish around this unique emporium in the hopes of rescuing my “handbag in a window”, squandering away minutes and hours camped out on its storefront sidewalk. Wasting too much time waiting, my gnawing hunger pains now affecting my ability to concentrate, I begrudgingly set out in search of any type of eatery, whether an exorbitantly over-priced tourist menu or an “ambiance-less” fast food joint. “Ambiance shmambiance”, who cared at this point, after all, food, was food and I needed sustenance now!!
Pizza as art work - only in Italia!

And this is fast food pizza?? - Yum!!

Confident that I would be able to find my way back to the handbag shop, I ran up one street, down another, turned a corner, sprinted past the ultra chic dress shop (the one with the headless mannequins staring at their reflections in the bejewelled mirrors – kind of cool, but freaky all at the same time), past the antique shop, the jewellery shop and a multitude of other storefronts.  Did I actually think that I would be able to remember how to backtrack back to the boutique – not!! Yikes!!



So far my plans to traipse on sacred ground in contemplative wonder at St. Peter’s Basilica were thwarted by my foolishly frittering away valuable sightseeing hours searching for a picturesque trattoria and even further decimated by wasting time hanging out on a random sidewalk in front of a padlocked storefront. 

Oftentimes the best laid plans do not come to fruition, replaced instead by another set of interesting adventures, the “Gods of travel” somehow mischievously forcing one to embark upon a different path than originally planned. Had I stuck to my meticulously detailed agenda, I would have missed the sights and sounds of Roma at play - the hustle and bustle of the comings and goings of everyday life - a spectator of the ordinary and extraordinary - a never to be forgotten memory of the afternoon that my pink-sneakered feet scampered along cobblestoned paths, carving out unique travel tales along the way.

Come scamper along with me as I veer off the beaten track in my quest for the perfect dining experience, inadvertently discovering a wealth of unique travel experiences along the way…


Pink Sneakers on the Go Helpful Tidbits of Info:
  • Read guide books, inform yourself about your destination, but do not despair if you are unable to see and do everything on your “Top 10” must-see list.
  • Oftentimes, the most-beloved travel memories are those that just randomly happen.
  • Experiencing the everyday ordinary is another way of connecting to the soul of a city.
  • If you must spend hours upon hours traipsing around a foreign city searching for the "perfect" dining experience, take a chance and let go of your artificially created vision, and venture into a completely different dining realm.
  • Remember to always let landmarks guide your way - you will not get hopelessly "lost" if you keep track of those "guiding" structures.  How do you think that I was able to backtrack back to my handbag shop and acquire my "soft as butter one of a kind" gorgeous satchel?
  • If, in a pinch, attempt to venture out and try the tourist menu that caters to the hamburger loving foreign masses – and experience a uniquely Italian spin on a foreign imported staple. You just might like it.

Next week– Where oh where do my pink-sneakered footprints end up?? Stay tuned!!


0 Response to "How not to stick to an agenda when scampering around Roma"

Post a Comment