Some things are cliche for a reason.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I visited Rome. I had a lovely hotel room with a view of St. Peter’s, and in 48 hours shopped my little heart out, had an amazing breakfast at the Vatican (story to come) and even got caught in an August blizzard.
But the city was just, well, uncomfortable to me. At first I thought I was just off my solo travel game, or maybe it was the jetlag (note: going from DC to Seattle to Rome was a DUMB idea). But I was just in Mexico City and did fine there and have had jetlag in Asia, so eventually I had to admit that Rome just didn’t fit me.
Like any gorgeous dress, I really wanted Rome to fit. However, between the crowds of stereotypical tourists and the constant vigilance against scams I had to admit defeat. In my first 24 hours I got into a cab that had its meter set at 11 euro, had change “mistakenly” counted back to me, got sucked into buying bread for 3 euro that was just placed on my table (rookie mistake!), and was charged 8 euro for wine that was listed at 4. That level of shenanigans puts the Buddha’s Birthday scam in Bangkok to shame!
As I boarded the train to Bari I began to worry that the entire trip would be colored with the same lens. However, upon entering the Bari train station to transfer to Matera, I let out a sigh of relief. It just fit. And in my 1st hour in Matera I made a friend out of the local trattoria owner who insisted the wine was on the house.
Ahhhhh.
Have you ever had a destination not quite fit? Please share in the comments.
I spent about six hours in Rome between longer visits in Sorrento & Venice, and from my short visit, I had many of the same impressions. I chalked it up to not being there long enough to give it a fair shot. If Bari is the opposite, though, maybe I should add it to my visit list 🙂
I’ll let you know about Bari, but I can definitely say Matera is a MUST.
I felt the same way for the first 18 hrs or so I was in Rome. Got a taxi where the meter was “broken”. Once I got used to it, it was alright… but nothing like Florence where I had just spent a week.
I loved Rome! We were with a tour group so we might have been sheltered from some of the shenanigans. Our guide warned us about a bunch of stuff on every turn. I loved exploring all of the outdoor ruins in the city.
As for your question about a destination not quite fitting…for me it was Nahodka, Russia.
Thanks for chiming in, Nancy. Can you put your finger on what it was about Nahodka? For me it was a general uneasy feeling: not that I was in danger, but that I was ripe for the picking.
You just need to drop some weight 😉
Lol. I think maybe visiting off season might help as well to lose the bulk of the crowds.
You know, I REALLY didn’t like Rome the first time we went. Some of it was the reasons you stated, and we made a few bad choices combined with bad circumstances.
Having been there half a dozen times now, the city has really grown on me. It’s not the Amalfi coast, the chic Milan, designer Florence or waterfront Venice. It doesn’t have the charm of Sicily.
But, once you get to know her, and take in context what Rome WAS hundreds of years ago, I think she might grow on you. She has on me, by getting off the beaten path and digging deeper into her history. She’s industrial and commercial while historical and that can take some navigation.
Rome will always have a special place in my heart. Not a designer gown, but a blanket passed down from generation to generation, with each adding some more fabric to it.
I’m glad to hear that. I think an off season visit is in order. That said, Basicilata and Puglia fit perfectly!
That’s exactly how I feel about Paris. Everyone else is in love with this city but we just didn’t feel any of it. Vendoming was out of this world but we weren’t impressed with anything else in our 5 days of being in Paris.
Hi Kadence,
Thanks for sharing. I like Paris, but I have to admit it’s for my favorite (plus size) store as much as the city itself.
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Same! We love Italy, but Rome not as much as other towns.