US Airways - March 2013 - (Page 58)

It had been a few years since my last trip to Rome, and I arrive amid the usual noise and chaos of Termini, the city’s main train station. I hail a taxi and direct it west, clear across town. En route, I travel wide boulevards passing Rome’s well-known landmarks — the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the blinding-white wedding cake monument to Victor Emmanuel. Tourists crowd the sidewalk cafes. Cars and double-decker buses jam the intersections. More noise. More chaos. Then, just past the Pantheon, the scene begins to change. My driver turns to navigate narrow cobblestone alleys shaded by four- and ﬁve-story stone buildings of 16th-century vintage. Deeper in we go, shedding the landmarks and the crowds. We are in the same city, but suddenly, a different place. My driver stops at Via di Panico, 9, with its arched entranceway and heavy wooden door. I jump out, heart pounding, and call up to an open window # MARCH 2013 usairwaysmag.com MAP ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES LAISH 58 on the second ﬂoor: “Luciano! Io sono a casa!” Luciano! I’m home! Luciano Pascucci leans out the window, as he can be seen doing each day as if surveying his small kingdom. A smile lifts his drooping silver mustache as he calls back: “Giustino! Dove sei stato?” Justin! Where have you been? Rome is my favorite city in the world. I travel there often. But for all the glories of the Eternal City, you can leave forever disappointed if you stay in a part of town that’s too frantic, too shabby, or too touristy with in-your-face vendors hawking cheap wares outside your hotel. I’ve made that mistake before. Never again. When in Rome, I do as the Romans do. I stay where they live. And also where they shop, where they dine, and where they linger outside in intimate knots to talk and laugh as the afternoon light casts a golden glow on stucco walls of burnt orange, yellow, and beige. I stay in the Rome less traveled. The city has many famous neighborhoods in and around its famous attractions, such as the Spanish Steps, with its international ﬂair, or Via Veneto, with its pricey luxuries. For the budgetminded, you take your chances staying near Termini or the Vatican, where the odds, quite frankly, are stacked against you. http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - March 2013

US Airways - March 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Musical Pilgrimages
Hub Crawl: Denver Airport
Wine & Dine: Chef's Tables
Wine & Dine: Artisan Cheeses
Great Escapes: Cypress Inn
Adventure: Washington, DC by Bike
Great Escapes: The Gathering in Ireland
Adventure: Puerto Rico Golf
Charlotte EDC
Great Escapes: Barcelo Hotels and Resorts
Gear Up: The Smart Kitchen
Travel Feature: The Rome Less Traveled
US Airways Feature: Order Up!
Great Tastes: Phoenix Dining
From Philly, With Love
Route of Discovery: San Luis Obispo, California
Atlantic 10 Conference
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - March 2013