I was last in Rome in 1987 on a 3 week trip around Italy with my family - we were in Rome, Florence, San Marino and Venice. Or at least those are the places I remember. I had been at Oxford for the year, and flew back to Bangkok to meet up with my family - and promptly turned around and got back on a plane for Rome.
My father borrowed a diesel Mercedes from a work colleague, and I think it was in Florence that we ended up on a street too narrow to pass, and he had to back up a long way to get us out of there!
I remember Venice clearly, since we have a family photo on a gondola where I had especially tragic 80s permed hair. I also remember it well because I took my younger sister out to ride the vaporetto (boat-bus) one evening and it turned out to be a super long ride since I didn't realize it was going all around the Grand Canal. My parents, who don't usually do this kind of thing, really freaked out and my dad went hunting for us. Boy did I get in trouble. It was memorable because I very rarely got in trouble ;)
I've been to Italy multiple times since so why am I reminiscing? Well, this is the first time I've been back in Rome since 1987. I remember going down the Via Veneto and thinking how fancy it was. I remember the Roman Forum and the enormous columns rising into the sky, no longer supporting anything. I remember taking the bus and having my butt pinched (no, I didn't say anything - I was barely 19 and confused about what to do). I remember throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain while my dad sang the goofy song.
Most of all, I remember a boisterous, fun family vacation - I hope my kids will have the same happy memories from all the places we have taken them.
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That was a super fun trip - I can't believe how long ago it was. My most vivid memory of it is getting yelled at for the Venice boat trip, tho I suppose you did get in the bulk of the trouble. Oh and the goofy pictures holding up the tower of Pisa.
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