Ciao,Ciao L’Aquila
The morning went smoothly. We packed up and were ready for the taxi to the bus station. Our kind (but clueless) landlord arrived and carried our bags downstairs. The Flixbus was full but, we had reserved seats for a couple of extra euros. Initially the drive was through beautiful mountains and signs of spring. I enjoyed listening to music with the views, then I switched to Smartless–those funny guys!
We stopped at Tiburtina station and most people got out there. There were the inevitable traffic jams around Rome and our driver was driving as if it was a sports car instead of a bus. Finally we got to the Rome airport which like so many places we’ve been is a mess with construction, popped in there for a quick coffee and shared a panino. The hotel shuttle picked us up at 2:00 and we got checked in. Our hotel is called Fly Deco and it is right on the beach at Lido di Ostia.
Pasquetta or Easter Monday is still part of the major holiday in Italy. The beaches and the sidewalks were packed with people. I want to ask where they are from–Rome, probably. Ostia is actually the Western part of Rome, but it feels and looks like a beach town far from Rome centro.
We took a nice walk on the not so nice beach. The beaches in the Panhandle of Florida are among the top in the world and this one really pales in comparison. It’s pretty dirty with litter and the sand is dark, but it is redeemed, to me, by that precious sound and rhythm of the waves and the dark blue of the sea.
I was wearing my jacket, but there were plenty of people in shorts or bathing suits, of course. Photos were difficult in the glaring sun but it felt so good.
We came back up to the room to rest a bit. The front desk guy suggested a restaurant in the nearby piazza; we went in and made an unnecessary reservation and then walked out to the pier which was packed with people. This mysterious statue of Neptune apparently (from the internet) is of unknown origins:
After hanging out on the pier a bit, thinking of Amy, our intrepid ocean swimmer friend, we strolled back to the hotel.
Dinner at Antico Traiano was just OK. The best part was the Negroni, my first one of the trip. You and I both know I can be a harsh critic, but this food was nothing special. We had a nice conversation with a Danish couple sitting at the next table.
Back to the hotel–just 2 more sleeps and we fly home.
Oh, Ostia Lido, nice! We have friends who live facing the ponte/pier there. They have taken us to Insolito, Soul Kitchen and La Terrazza del Marchese for meals (all good, but was a few years ago now.) Ostia is a large enough town itself, but does draw crowds from Rome and surrounding areas to the beach. Have fun. The centro is nice to wander and enjoy a gelato.
On Monday late morning when our hire was driving us from FCO into Rome, he noted the huge amount of traffic driving out of the city and said Easter Monday is when goes to the beach. I was glad we were heading in the opposite direction as it was sit still traffic for miles.