Take it right up the janiculum sir.

Tweet

Some of you will know from the title of this little report where I am, and you’ll perhaps think to yourselves, “Oh that’s nice for him”. Others may be somewhat alarmed, assuming that I’ve been undergoing an intimate and embarrassing medical procedure. The truth of the matter is that I’ve treated myself (and wife and daughter) to a surprise little autumn trip to Rome. It’s a surprise because Rome is a city with which I’ve had a difficult relationship over the years. The weather has usually been inclement when I’ve been here, the food terrible and the herds of tourists troublesome. But this experience has been pleasant. Mid October has seen off a lot of the tourists and anyway they are largely corralled in interminable queues outside museums, trying to pay homage to pretty pictures and rude statues in unquestioning obedience to tour guides who are adept at fleecing tourists of their money and making them feel that they are lesser people if they plough their own furrow and do whatever tickles their fancy rather than sedulously acquiescing to the dictates of those who know better. I hope you stopped to take a breath during that last sentence which was fart oo long and rambling and could use a semi colon or two. Eschewing the “must see” mentality we have wondered off piste and have happened upon a sight that costs nothing to enjoy, provides great exercise to counter the effects of too much tiramisu, and rewards the traveller with a magnificent view of the city - Janiculum hill. It’s a steep climb to the top but doable even in the company of our learning and physically challenged daughter and she loved it. The title of this piece is a quote from a lovely man who, when asked about ascending to the top, pointed at a bus and said “Take it right up the Janiculum”. I chose to walk instead. My worry now is that the ailing Pope might die and journalists will suddenly outnumber tourists and clog up the city. At least they should be concentrated in the Vatican rather that running around snap happy where I hang out. So there you are, and I’m not going to recommend that you ‘take it up the Janiculum’ because that would put me on a level with those who make money by writing otiose books telling travellers what they ought to look at.