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Jan. 31, 1960
Dear Annie and Folks,

Another combined letter about the first day in Rome. We arrived at 10:10 AM after a trip from Stuttgart in a private car - jam-packed compartments in which 6 people tried to sleep in a 6'x6' space (the chairs pulling out to make "one big mattress"). After getting to the hotel and having lunch, we took off at 1:15 for 4 1/2 hour bus tour of the city, supposedly for orientation, but also to see many things we won't see again in the next 4 days. My over-all impression is one of being completely overwhelmed by the scale and grandeur. Rome is a real city, and makes even Munich, one of the big ones in Germany, look tiny. I wish I could speak Italian (our tour guide speaks fine American, is studying here in Academy of Arts, I think), because I can't catch or remember names of churches, buildings, etc, to find out more about them later. Hence though we saw a fantastic amount, I could only name a few specific things - the Roman Forums and baths (one remodeled by Michelangelo into a lovely, huge church), the Coloseum of course, St. Paul's, St. Peter's and several basilica. We saw fountains, churches, palaces, statues, etc until the impressions were jumbled on top of each other. Fortunately, we will have much time to walk around and see thigns again, slower, more thoroughly. In the mornings we have guided walking tours in groups of 20. The group I'm in goes tomorrow about "Ancient Rome", Tuesday about the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's and Wednesday about "Renaissance - Modern Rome." So far I find ancient Rome the most interesting, because it is so completely different from anything I've ever seen. The main element is sheer size. Building was on a different scale - the public baths (for example of Diocletian, one of several) are absolutely huge, the rooms being equal in size to the inside of a large church (in fact Michelangelo's church is a remodelling of one), and there being acres of such rooms. The ceilings are high, the columns of slim marble, the rooms gigantic, the sculptures 5 times life size of times. There is still much of the Roman wall, though a lot of it was rebuilt in Renaissance and later times. The old castles, mausoleums, temples columns, obelisks, etc are still alive and present. It is simply overwhelming as I first said.

Our hotel here - the Casa Palotti - is run by a Catholic order and serves partly as a monastery for monks of the order and otherwise as a moderate priced home for travelers, especially those from Germany. The facilities are very nice, the food excellent, and we are located half a block from the Tiber River, in the middle of downtown Rome. And this is one big difference from the Burg - on the Burg silence reigns; here (even at 7AM, now Feb. 1) one hears cars moving and honking, hi-fis playing, etc, etc, all the noises of the city.

Well, it's time for me to get going now - breakfast and then morning walk through ancient Rome. Hope I have time again tomorrow morning to write about today's experiences, because things really come fast here.

Love,
George