In my emails back home, I told my friend Conrad that I loved wandering - sans map - and seeing where I ended up. Once, I looked up in the middle of my wandering, and Behold! The Pantheon!

Conrad shared my enthusiasm for the magic of Rome. He replied,

As sprawling and messy and touristy as it is sometimes, you’re right, wandering around Rome is so much fun because of all the amazing things just left sitting around with so little fanfare, like the Pantheon. The roof of San Giovanni del Laterano is gilded with the gold Christopher Columbus brought back from his second trip. Imagine! And there are all those obelisks that Romans dragged back to Rome from Egypt long before Christ… and they just stand around! With no signage! Awesome. It’s like 4,000 year old objects are a dime a dozen to them. If we here had a Forum, we sure as hell wouldn’t let hordes of cats live in it, but it’s great that they do.

That, my friends, is Rome. It’s like meeting someone who is charming and nice and super hot, with absolutely no idea that they’re super hot. Kryptonite, right?

Monday, December 17, 2007 | general