Stanley vede le attrazioni di Roma

Stanley sees the sights in Rome

It’s funny to think that we are now starting to make our way back - the long way round - to England. When we reached Vico Equense, we were at the most southern part of our journey in Italy. Now was the time to turn the car away from the Italian seaside resorts and head for the big cities of Rome and Florence.

First stop Rome or Roma! Roma has held a special place in my heart since I first visited it in my mid twenties. Setting foot in a city, the feel of our adventure immediately shifted up a gear - we are in the big city and there’s so much going on. We’d intentionally decided to take in the sights on the first day as our plan after that point was to attempt to live like a local.

After the journey of the previous day, Stan was raring to go. It takes commitment to walk the main sites of Rome in one day. If ever there was evidence of the pluckiness of my lovely Sealyham, it was his efforts on this day. In total, he walked more than 20k steps - I was impressed with this achievement so imagine how Stanley felt! It wasn’t by chance that I chose Stanley as my companion. I knew he had that perfect combination of couch potato and fell walker - two of my favourite ways to spend time,

If you’ve never been to Rome, it is one of the most breath-taking cities in the world. We are staying in the Flaminia area of the city and so our entrance to the historic centre is via the Piazza del Popolo. In some cities, it’s hard to imagine how our ancestors may have experienced them. Not so in Rome and absolutely not so at the Piazza del Popolo. This wasn’t just the main route into Rome for us, it has been the primary entry point for centuries. As someone who grew up in the countryside, I can appreciate cities for their magnitude. Growing up in the Lake District in the 80s I can honestly say that whilst visiting London was within the realm of possibility travelling abroad to mega cities such as New York felt like a fairy tale. So, it wasn’t hard to imagine how someone back in the 17th century might have experienced it. Although back then it’s likely that there was significant building work going on, as many of the buildings were also being completed. Stan and I felt dwarfed in this square, humbled by its magnitude and excited for what lay beyond its majesty. We tried not to focus on some of the more macabre elements of its history including the fact that this ‘People’s Square” held its last public execution in 1826. Stanley raised an eyebrow when I shared this unpleasant nugget and remarked, ‘And people accuse dogs of being uncivilised!"‘

From there, we turned our attention to walking down the most popular of Roman streets - the Via del Corso. It’s similar to taking a stroll down 5th Avenue or Oxford Circus - with a couple of very important exceptions. Number 1; the buildings in which shops are contained are unfalteringly characterful. Number 2 strolling off the main road almost universally gives you a calmer, less chaotic and altogether more unique view of Roman life. We walked as if renegade members of an ant colony, who chose to follow and disengage with the tumultuous stream of tourists that slavishly followed the allotted path. It didn’t take long before Stanley shared that if we were to experience the city with joy we would need to plan an early morning start and get here before our fellow adventurers. Whilst I agreed, I also knew that there were some special spots where you could, in fact, escape the throng.

Escaping the throng was not within the realm of possibility as we entered that most famous of Roman sites, the Trevi Fountain. It was then that I turned to him and said, ‘Shall we come back at 6am and see this properly?’ It won’t surprise any Sealyham owners to hear that Stanley’s response was rapid, such was his determination to maintaining his position as my most faithful companion. As I write this, I appreciate the commitment we have made to all of you to go back at some very early hour! Oh well, I’m sure I won’t regret it. As you can see with the right knowledge, it is possible to get that uninterrupted shot without using that cool new Magic Eraser function of your phone. So, here we are, having our own private viewing of the Colosseum. You can get this same calm and clear view despite the chaos below by turning left and walking up the hill to Via Nicola Salvi. It was Leigh that knew this secret spot and its even more important gift - the restaurants and their infamous Cacio e Pepe pasta. We were not disappointed.

From there, despite my flagging limbs - no-one else seemed to be faltering with our escapade, we turned our attention to Travastere. Doing so led us behind the Colosseum and through the wide open expanse of the Circo Massimo. In ancient times, this was the location of games and events. It offered light relief for Stan as he traversed the wide open and largely grassy expanse on which Romans held competitions.

Having walked across the Tiber bridge we found ourselves in the cool part of town. Stan was taken aback by the size of the dogs he met there. He wanted you to know that he’s not ashamed to say he was somewhat afraid of their significant stature. The lack of knowledge about said dog made his feelings worse - ‘who was this dog?, what was his name and could I trust him?’ We reassured him that just because a dog has significantly longer legs than Stan that’s not a reason to be intimidated. I smiled as I wished I’d shared that same piece of advice with all the height afflicted leaders I’d worked for through the years!

Our final destination was the Basilica di Santa Maria. Like most churches, the current building is built upon the original place of prayer that dates back to the 4th Century. So ancient is its history that some cite is as the earliest place of worship in all of Rome. It lends an interesting perspective to our modern day dislike amongst some quarters of new architecture. Can you imagine if our ancesters had denied a planning application on this the most beautiful of buildings? Whatever your beliefs (architectural or religious), there’s no denying that there is beauty in these walls and a wonder in the artistry that adorns them.

Our first day in Rome was coming a to a close and so was our time with Leigh. She’d given us so many gifts that day in her knowledge of where to head in Rome and we’d be forever grateful. It wasn’t just me that was going to miss her it was Stan too. I’m not sure whether Stan felt it in his bones, but he seemed to consciously decide to show up in a new way for us from that point forward. Look at him showing up as his most mature self - whilst he’s no replacement, he’s a fantastic companion and we love him very much!

For the first time in almost three weeks we’re heading North

He was blown away by the entrance to the city

Stanley loved the coliseum

Dude, how did you get so tall?

The stunning Basilica di Santa Maria in Travastere

The stunning roof of the Basilica

We will both miss Leigh

But Stan is determined to be the best friend he can be!