Rome - Before the world shut down.

Rome.

February 26.

Before the world shut down.

I was happy to be back in Rome, even though I was supposed to be in Milan. My conference in Milan was cancelled very last-minute, and with Milan completely shutting down due to coronavirus, I changed my flight plans and flew from London City Airport to Rome on Wednesday morning. It was my first ever flight out of London City Airport. It was a great experience, and always a positive when I can avoid flying through Heathrow.

I just love seat-of-your-pants travel. On my way into the city, while sitting aboard the Leonardo Express, I grabbed my phone, searched online, and found a very affordable last-minute room. The Hive Hotel was within walking distance of my work events, and offered a large room (with a huge and wonderful bathroom) at a very affordable rate. Within 15 minutes of me booking my room, I was in the lobby, checking in. Having the rest of the afternoon at leisure, the streets of Rome were beckoning me.

Rome was not particularly busy, but there were plenty of people walking the streets. The restaurants were quite full, and everything appeared so very normal. Who would have known that coronavirus was marching its way through Italy. With a little bit of free time, I was able to do some exploring and meander through the streets and piazzas of Rome. I even had some time to relax and have a nice dinner with a friend in a traditional restaurant in an alley off of Piazza Navona. And for the next day's lunch, I was fortunate to revisit Pizzeria DiMatteo, a short walk from Castel Sant'Angelo. The pizza is superb, and the pastries are sublime.

After my conference ended on Friday afternoon, I hurried to Fiumincino Airport for a flight to Heathrow, where I would overnight at a local hotel before flying home on Saturday morning. My Rome=>London flight was my first experience seeing travelers wearing masks. I initially thought it was crazy! About 50% of the passengers were wearing masks. On my flight home from London, I saw just a few people wearing masks. Little did I know that mask-wearing was in my immediate future.