Who could ever grow tired of Rome? Certainly not our friends Barbara and Derek, who have spent so much time there that they can almost find their way around the city blindfolded. When we hear that they will be renting an apartment in Trastevere until mid-April, we decide to stop in Rome on our way to Sicily. Because after all, the only thing better than spending time in Rome is spending time in Rome with friends.

As our cab driver nonchalantly backs his van down the narrow street in front of Barbara and Derek's building in the Trastevere district, we realize that we don't know the apartment number. No worries needed; Barbara is leaning out of a window on the second story, and Derek quickly appears to help us lug our large bags up the stairs. We feel like we are in a movie scene, especially when we curl up with glasses of wine in their cozy living room, savouring the "first day of vacation" feeling. But it is growing dark in Rome, and that means it is almost late enough for dinner. Pizza at Dar Poeta sounds appealing, but there is a long line-up, so instead we go to Ristorante Il Fontanone, a small trattoria that reportedly has struggled a bit during the economic downturn. There is no struggle about the food though, and the fried artichokes (a typical Roman dish) are especially good. On previous visits to Rome (click here if you'd like to read about them) we have not found the best restaurants, but this time we are benefiting from Derek and Barbara's local knowledge.

The next morning starts with toast, marmalata and big bowls of cappuccino, brewed by Derek in the apartment's tiny kitchen. He has really gotten the hang of brewing coffee as most Italians do at home, in a stovetop mocha maker. The stains on the wall of the kitchen, evidence of an earlier mocha explosion, give evidence that this requires not only skill, but courage.

Fueled by caffeine, we plunge into the streets of Trastevere and head across the Ponte Sisto to the bus stop. We are on our way to the National Museum in the Palazzo Massimo, to see Barbara's favourite thing in Rome, Livia's room. This was the dining room of Livia, wife of Octavian (Caesar Augustus) and mother of the Emperor Tiberius. Livia may or may not have been an upstanding Roman matron. She divorced the father of her two children to marry Augustus, and is suspected of murdering Augustus as well as his nephew and grandsons in order to ensure her own son's place on the throne. That said, she obviously had very good taste in interior decorating. Her beautiful subterranean dining room, the walls entirely covered by an enchanting fresco of a garden, was removed from its original location in the Villa of Livia outside Rome, and has been reassembled within the Palazzo Massimo.



Other sections of the museum contain frescoes from the Villa of the Farnesia (another residence from the Augustan era) ancient sculptures, and some beautiful bronze fittings from the Lake Nemi ships. These pleasure barges, built in the first century AD, were huge ships with nowhere to go, as Lake Nemi is only about a mile in diameter.



Nearby is the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, which I want to see because our son-in-law Martin had been so impressed with it during a brief visit to Rome. Designed by Michelangelo and built on the remains of the Baths of Diocletian, it is an unusual and beautiful building. An interesting feature is a meridian line, on which the noonday sun shines at varying points at different times of the year.

Our next stop is the much smaller but exquisite baroque church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane designed by the brilliant young architect Francesco Borromini.



Sadly, in spite of his genius, Borromini's life was an unhappy one, ending in suicide. Barbara also wants to show us the nearly church of Sant Andrea al Quirinale, designed by Borromini's rival Bernini, so that we can decide which we like best. Unfortunately, we find it closed. Oh well, that must mean that it's time for lunch.

We've been looking forward to visiting Il Vinaietto, the bar/enoteca where Barbara and Derek have met so many friends. We are warmly welcomed by their friend Matilde, who is on duty behind the bar, and we are soon joined by fellow-Canadian Leslie, who is also renting an apartment in Rome. Lunch will be pizza from a nearby bakery. Barbara orders a huge strip of red pizza, to be brought back to the bar and shared with anyone who happens to drop in. The pizza is delicious, as is the wine, but the friendly atmosphere is the best part.

After lunch, we walk to the church of San Luigi di Francesi to see three Caravaggio paintings. The paintings represent scenes from the life of St. Matthew -The Calling of St. Matthew, The Martyrdom of St. Matthew and St. Matthew and the Angel. All show the realism and amazing use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro) which define Caravaggio's paintings, but the calling of St. Matthew is particularly fine. Then we go just around the corner to Sant'Agostino to see one of Caravaggio's more controversial paintings, the Madonna del Loreto. In it, barefoot peasants kneel before the Madonna and Christ child. It is a powerful painting, but in Caravaggio's time many people disapproved of it due to the dirty feet of the peasants and the portrayal of the Virgin as a common woman.



On the way home, we walk through the piazza Navona, with its exuberant baroque architecture and a Bernini fountain with an obelisk in the centre (the Fontana dei Quattro Fiume).



That night, Leslie joins us for dinner at Barbara and Derek's apartment. The first course, prepared by Derek, is pasta with "Trapanese pesto" made with tomatoes and ground almonds. For the second course, Barbara prepares fish served with a creamy fennel sauce. We are being thoroughly spoiled by our hosts.

The next morning, Derek heads to the gym, Rick relaxes with the news and I walk with Barbara to see another apartment in Trastevere that is available for rent the following winter. We meet Susan, an American artist who is currently renting the apartment while she teaches art classes at the American Academy. The apartment is so nice that I immediately begin to dream of spending a winter there myself. But surprisingly, Barbara tells me that she has seen another apartment which is even nicer. It is clear that the range of comfort and prices in Rome apartments is extremely wide.

Rick and I decide to walk across the river to the "Tim" store, where we will set up our phones and internet for the season. We arrange to meet Barbara and Derek later at Il Vinaietto. After a long wait at the Tim store, we finally get everything connected. The kind senore behind the counter even bends the rules to give us a 20 GB internet plan that is normally available only to clients with landlines. In the process, we meet an American woman currently living in Rome, who regales us with a litany of everything that is wrong about the city. Apparently, some people do grow tired of Rome after all. But I am very sure that we never would.

We take a wrong turn on the way back, so we are late arriving at Il Vinaietto, where Barbara and Derek are patiently waiting with glasses of wine in hand. We have a glass of wine ourselves and buy a couple of bottles to take back to the apartment. Then we head to Dar Poeta for lunch. This time, we are able to get a table, and the pizza rivals any we have had, even in Naples. But alas, by the time we finish our lunch, it is raining very heavily, confirming the forecast that had predicted the rain would be "abundant to intense". It's the perfect excuse to go back to the apartment for naps.

We relax until dinnertime, when Derek serves us a wonderful pasta carbonara made with guanciale, a special type of pancetta made from pork cheek. As is often the case, the best meals are to be found not in restaurants, but in the homes of our friends. The next morning, we will fly to Sicily. Thank you Barbara and Derek, our Roman holiday was very special!