Buongiorno from the beautiful and sun-soaked Umbrian countryside!
I went to see an energy healer in Rome the other day, which is not something I thought I would ever do. I’m not a hater, it’s just not really my thing, and if I’m being honest, had the appointment not been made on my behalf, it probably never would have happened. Maybe not never, but definitely not likely.
But I’m glad I went, and not for all the schmaltzy reasons people say they like to do things out of the ordinary when they travel, like ‘pushing yourself out of your comfort zone,’ but because it was actually interesting and, dare I say a cathartic experience.
In addition to reading my energy — which the healer described as “intense as 100% fire,”— she said that my desire to see and experience as much of the world as possible would continue to have an impact, but the words I use and put into the world should be treated with great care. But, she caveated; while I’m not able to control how someone will react, I can control what I say and put into the world, and if I can learn to harness my fire and channel that energy, it will reward me and those around me in kind.
Words matter. That’s intuitive, but it was a good reminder nonetheless. She also gave me a 40-day breathing meditation regimen and rubbed a shitload of CBD oil on my neck, so there was that.
During my brief three-day stint in Rome, I thought a lot about what the healer said. The city was bustling and hot, almost overwhelmingly so. At dinner on one particularly stifling night near the city’s touristy area just off Via del Corso, a waiter, clearly exasperated, broke down and just started to cry. My heart broke for this person. We’ve all been there. When he came back around, I told him I appreciated him and that we’re all out here, just doing the best we can. I don’t know if it helped, I hope it did. He bought me a big glass of rosé and said thank you and that he was going through a lot. I gave him a big fat tip. It was the least I could do.
Words matter, and you never know what someone’s going through.
As someone who travels for a living and writes about these places so others can travel and enjoy them, I sometimes wonder if I’m helping or hurting the cause.
Every day, there’s another story about overtourism and travelers behaving badly. A few weeks ago, a guy was caught carving his girlfriend’s initials into the Colosseum. This morning, a plane from Houston to Amsterdam was diverted after an unruly passenger in business class had a temper tantrum when they didn’t get their first meal choice. According to The Guardian, the options were between seared beef short rib, seared lemon grass salmon, or ricotta salata and wild honey manicotti. It’s a ridiculous story, but the thought of this person getting so upset over not getting a ricotta salata is just so absurd it’s comical. Unless you were a passenger on that flight, in which case, that’s just one big fat annoying inconvenience. But that’s kind of traveling through the world right now, anyways. Is it worth it? In my opinion, 100% yes.
You can’t control how someone will react, but you can control the words you say. I have this mantra on repeat now.
While I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to harness my fire completely, I’ll still be out here, just doing the best I can.
Other Musings From Roma
Rome is easily my favorite European city (sorry, Paris), and every time I visit this beguiling place, I discover new and interesting places.
This trip was too hot to do much more than sit, spritz, and eat, so that’s exactly what I did, starting with a lovely lunch at Il Giardino Ristorante, whose turmeric Cacio e Pepe, burrata zucchini blossoms and Aperol spritz we’re the perfect post-red-eye remedy. Set on the rooftop of Hotel Eden, this was my first Dorchester Collection hotel experience, and it will definitely not be my last. If you’re considering visiting The Eternal City, I highly recommend this jewel box hotel which is up there with one of my favorite city hotel stays of all time.
I also managed to mix a bit of business with pleasure and visited some of the city's newly opened hotels, starting with the Six Senses Rome, which is doing some incredible things in the way of wellness and sustainable luxury. I also stopped for a quick lunch at the new Bulgari Hotel Roma and got a look inside the shiny new The Rome Edition. You can expect the full story later this summer.
In the meantime, arrivederci, and I’ll see you back in Beaufort in August with more Italian musings then. Take care, and maybe tip your waiter a little bit extra this summer in the meantime.
Ciao!
Michelle
Wonderful article about Rome.
Everyone should live by those poignant words "to be kind."
Unfortunately those who need to have these words repeated are not the ones who are reading this.
Oh Rome the beautiful! Rome is beguiling no matter what the weather is. Great article and love all the hotels mentioned,