A River Walk

I decided to break up my posts about my last day in Rome because, well, my last day in Rome was a bit broken up. They Mysterious Chinese Woman and her Equally Mysterious Sister decided to go back and revisit some of the places they had been before and visit a couple more historical sites. I decided to do something different and went for a bit of a wilderness walk right in the heart of Rome.

I took the free hotel shuttle to the train station and then headed towards the river, not quite sure what I would find. Much to my surprise I found a nice little walking and biking trail.

Country In The City


The walk is right along the river which is still a bit wild along this stretch.

Quite Pastoral


Well, it wasn't all pastoral, there was what looked like some kind of an encampment underneath one of the bridges.

Very Mysterioso


I am not sure if this was some kind of a storage area, or an altar.

Just Not Sure


As I walked along the river I noticed that there were very few places where you could actually get off the path and back to the city streets. There were a number of stairways leading up towards the street, but they all seemed to dead-end against either a wall or a gate.

Stairways To Nowhere




Obviously these stairways once led somewhere. In fact, if you got up to the top there is a narrow footpath that runs along the wall that blocks access to the sidewalk and street on the other side. The footpath is so overgrown with underbrush though that it is impassable. I am not sure why these stairways have been blocked off, but once on the river walk you either have to turn back to where you started or keep walking until you get to a major bridge with stairway access. I am guessing it is somewhere between one and two miles from my entry to the first exit.

I was thinking about trying out this culvert to see where it would lead me, but that would have been too much of an adventure. Based upon my earlier discoveries of encampments, who knew who, or what, might be living inside.

Ah, Not Today


The river looked to be at about its normal level to me, based upon where it was in relationship to the bordering vegetation. Apparently it does flood on occasion, at least if these markers are to be believed.

How High's The Water, Mama?


Although Rome is peppered with old buildings, it is undergoing a transformation. I thought this picture kind of caught the juxtaposition.

Something Old, Something New On The Way


I finally made it to a bridge that I could escape too. As you can see, the path I was on kept going, but I was walking, not biking, so I had gone far enough. Plus there were a few other sights I wanted to see.

And The River Flows On


There was a path on the side of the river opposite where I walked, but it really looked like country road. If I had another day I would have taken it to see where it went.

No Walk On The Wild Side


Tomorrow I shall post about the remainder of my last day, and I know you won't want to miss that.

Also, a friend of mine, Terry, pointed out that I was getting close having half a million hits on my website since I installed my counter. He asked me if I planned to celebrate that milestone. I hadn't planned on it, but I guess the afternoon after I hit it I will head to Pete's Waterfront Ale House here in Brooklyn on Atlantic Avenue and hoist a few. Maybe you can join me.