Rome tourist trap tip

Ok, that aerial shot at 0:13 of Castel Sant Angelo reminded me of something I meant to warn y'all about.

When you're in Rome and you've walked across the Angel Bridge over the Tiber and you're heading over to meet up with friends in the Borgo for the after-Mass lunch, you will turn left at the end of the bridge and walk past the castle. Before you get to the street, there will be the entrance to what looks like a really lovely park.

You will say to your friend, "Hey, that looks nice. Look at all those nice shady trees and things. Let's walk down that nice park lane instead of walking along the horrible roaring street with all the terrifying traffic. It's bound to have an exit at the other end and let us out back onto the street further down, and closer to where we want to go."

WARNING! WARNING!

This will not work.

You and your friend will walk along the nice shady lane with the lovely trees and it will be lovely and will go all along to the place you want to go, but you will be CUT OFF. You will see that there is a big moat thing, about 20 feet deep and 50 feet wide, guarded by railings that you're pretty certain someone will yell at you if you climb over. You will walk around and around in circles in this evil, sweet-smelling, fly-trap of a park.

You will waste 30 minutes trying to find the back exit, climbing over railings and walking down steep banks sparsely covered in grass only to find yourself deeper in the park, surrounded by inexplicably happy-looking people with baby prams and sinister-looking smiling, laughing children, none of whom show the slightest sign that they are all in on the wicked plot to make you lost in an inescapable park-vortex while your friends are having lunch without you.

Not that this has ever happened to me. I'm just saying... Stay out of the Castel Sant Angelo park. It wants to eat you.



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