The Greening of Portland

Basilica of St. PeterClimb up to the dome. The stairs will seem infinite, but if you persevere, you'll feel as if you've reached heaven. The views of the city, of the piazza below, and Bernini's colonnades are spectacular. You don't fully appreciate the colossal size of all those stone saints until you're standing beside them. Mangia BeneSince it's almost impossible to have a bad meal in Rome, there's no need to spend your euros in expensive restaurants. Trattorias are everywhere, moderately priced, and often family-run. Siesta TimesRomans have not sacrificed their afternoon siesta to 21st-century speed. Many smaller stores and churches close for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Be sure to check open hours. Loll on the LidoIf you're suffering from an overload of lovely churches, art, and ruins, spend an afternoon on the beach at Ostia. It's a short trip from the center of Rome--you can even take a boat from the city--and the water is warm enough for swimming from May through October. In a PinchPinching posteriors is very Italian. Don't take offense if you feel a too-friendly hand. Instead, take it as a uniquely Roman welcome. Pinching purses, on the other hand, is a danger. Beware of ride-by grabs from thieves on Vespas. Tourists carrying shoulder bags are prime targets. Keep credit cards, cash, and passports in your pocket, money belt or fanny pack. The Ultimate GelatoOne of the sensory delights of Rome is the ice cream. It's even better than the pasta. While my favorite flavor is espresso, the chocolate is also rich and dark, and the sorbetto (sherbet) is unforgettable. Two of the best-known gelato spots are in Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona. If more (blackberry) is in season, order a scoop for me.

Excerpted from Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's by R.A. Scotti: The modern city of Rome is the patrimony of the popes who built St. Peter's. They commissioned the fountains, gardens, palaces, churches, piazzas, and avenues that make the Eternal City a place like no other. While it would be daunting to include every commission, these walks suggest how profoundly the popes and architects of St. Peter's shaped the city. Be warned, though, these are substantial tours, and what elevates the soul can exhaust the soles. Walk I: Starting Point: The Janiculum 1. Begin at Donato Bramante's Tempietto, the "little temple" that inspired the monumental Basilica of St. Peter. Located on the Janiculum hill in the shadow of the Church of San Pietro in Montorio, the Tempietto is a flawless miniature--the Renaissance ideal in microcosm--and its perfection moved Pope Julius II to bring the architect to the Vatican. In October 1505, Julius chose Bramante to build a new Basilica. 2. From The Tempietto, follow Via Garibaldi to Villa Farnesia once the riverside estate of Agostino "il Magnifico" Chigi, Julius II's favorite banker and confidant. Baldassare Peruzzi was the architect. Raphael frescoed the interior and designed the elegant stables where Chigi entertained Julius's successor, the Medici Pope Leo X. The celebrated stable dinner party was an ostentatious display that ended with the Chigi ordering his servants to toss his solid gold dinner plates into the Tiber. 3. Crossing the river at Ponte Sisto, picture the tumult of gold dishes cascading into the water. The bridge is named for Julius II's wily papal uncle Sixtus IV, who also built the Sistine Chapel. Turn left to Palazzo Farnese, the immodest house that Cardinal Alessandro Farnese was building when he was elected Pope Paul III. It is now the French Embassy. Three successive architects of St. Peter's also followed each other as architects of the Farnese palace. 4. At the northern end of Piazza Farnese, follow Via Vivolo del Gallo past Campo de' Fiori, Rome's boisterous open-air market, to Palazzo della Cancelleria. This massive palace was built by Julius II's cousin, Cardinal Raffaele Riario, the Vatican's chief financial officer, with money he won from another cardinal in an evening of gambling. After Julius died, the fortunes of his cardinal cousin turned. Leo X arrested Riario, charged him with conspiring in a papal assassination attempt, and confiscated his palace. The oak tree of the della Rovere-Riario coat of arms that once adorned the front of the Cancellaria was replaced with the three balls of the Medici. 5. In Piazza della Cancellaria, stop for a lunch at Ditirambo--the pasta and salads are excellent--or try Caffe Farnese in Piazza Farnese, good for either a full meal or a light pick-me-up. 6. Return to Palazzo Farnese, noting the single arch in front of the palace. This is one span of an unfinished bridge that Michaelangelo began for Paul III to link to Palazzo Farnese with Villa Farnesina across the river. By the time of Paul's papacy, the Farneses had bought Chigi's estate and renamed it. 7. From Palazzo Farnese, walk up Via Giulia, which runs parallel to the river. Bramante laid out the street for Pope Julius to create a direct route from the heart of Rome to the new St. Peter's. Although Via Giulia was never completed, it became the best address in town in the sixteenth century. Both Raphael and Antonio de Sangallo, who became wealthy men as chief architects of St. Peter's, bought land there. Raphael's House (so named even though it was built after his death) is No. 85. Sangallo's now called Palazzo Sacchetti, is No. 66. Almost five centuries later, Via Giulia remains one of the choice neighborhoods in Rome. 8. As you stroll along the avenue, note on the right the Church of Santa Caterina di Siena built by Baldassare Peruzzi, and across the street, the Church of Sant' Eligio by Raphael. Also on the left are the Sofas of Via Giulia, the beginnings of a never-completed courtyard designed by Bramante for Pope Julius. 9. Via Giulia ends with the Basilica of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, built by Leo X for his fellow Florentines. Leo rejected the plans of both Raphael and Michaelangelo. Instead, the architects Jacopo Sansovino, Antonio da Sangallo and Carlo Maderno all worked on the church. If you require sustenance again, there is an attractive terrace restaurant called Coccodrillo at 14 Via Giulia. Reprinted with the permission of Plume Books. For more information, visit author R.A. Scotti's official website, rascotti.com.

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According to a recent study by the Conde Nast Bridal Group (the folks who publish Brides, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride) the number of destination weddings has grown 400 percent over the last 10 years. And considering I've made travel arrangements to attend three this year alone--in Florida, Colorado, and Italy--it seems that the 1,600 brides who were polled for the 2006 survey were on to something. Destination weddings are a big business, and a big headache if you don't have the right people working for you. So we had a chat with Kelly McWilliams, a professional wedding planner in Cape Coral, Fla., and owner of Weddings by Socialites. Ninety percent of her business is planning destination weddings, and when she's not tracking down photographers or tasting cakes, she blogs about her wedding-planning experiences. Are you in the market for a far-flung celebration? Read on for some tips. What's the best way to save money when planning a destination wedding? McWilliams: There are two ways to look at this: Do you want it to be cheaper for the hosts or cheaper for the guests? If you want to make it inexpensive for your guests, plan during the nonpeak weeks. Meaning, avoid spring break (including Easter), the winter holidays (Thanksgiving through New Year's), and the summer holidays (Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day). These are times when a longer stay is required and flights cost more. To save yourself money, plan a midweek wedding when you'll be able to save on site fees, music, and possibly photography. Also, it's important to consider the off-season and slow periods. In Florida, for example, if you plan your wedding in January, February, or late-June through September, you'll save oodles. What are some of the major pitfalls that couples run into when planning a destination wedding? McWilliams: First of all, marriage rules vary drastically. In some regions, you have to reside in the area for up to six weeks before you can legally get married there. Then there's the new passport law: Any U.S. citizen traveling to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Canada needs a valid passport. This can be a big hassle for your guests, so it's important to find out all the rules before you decide on a location. But the biggest issue is finding the perfect location only to later find out that it can't accommodate the number of guests you want. So before you make any reservations, decide what's more important: your guest list or your dream location. To avoid all these issues, however, start with a destination-wedding planner who can do the legwork for you and narrow down your options to places that will best suit your celebration. How important is it to scout out your location beforehand? McWilliams: Very, very, important. I can't stress this enough. As wonderful as the Internet is for researching, websites can be extremely deceiving. What looks great on the Internet does not always give the full picture. Also, reviews really throw people off. You might come across one bad review and cross a location off your list, and really, that isn't fair. There could be 250 fantastic reviews to that one bad one from a guest who came down with chicken pox the week of her friend's wedding and held a grudge because she couldn't go in the pool. Again, call and talk to a local wedding planner. It's worth it to pay for a one-hour consultation and get the truth before you waste $1,000 traveling to a venue that would never work. Do you recommend using a travel agent? McWilliams: If the majority of your guests are traveling from overseas or are going to be traveling out of the country, then yes. Also, if the majority of your guests are not Internet savvy, or you're planning a big wedding, take this route. However, if you're having a smaller wedding (under 50 guests) or planning in a major metropolitan city that's easily traveled to, your guests should be fine without a travel agent. Planning a wedding in Italy is especially difficult. Do you have any advice for folks who'd like to get married there? McWilliams: Italy. So gorgeous, yet so complicated. When planning a wedding in Italy, not only will you deal with extensive legal issues, but you'll also be faced with complicated travel issues (and let's not forget about language barriers!). You would be insane not to hire professional help when planning a wedding in Italy. But you know what? It's totally worth the hassle. Where are your top three picks to have a destination wedding? McWilliams: All three for the same reasons: They have amazing local sites and great food, and provide equal amounts of romance and fun. 1. Captiva Island, Florida 2. Tuscany, Italy 3. Paris, France Besides your website, where can folks go to learn more about planning a destination wedding? McWilliams: I like DestinationBride.com. Also, be sure to hit local chamber of commerce sites for cities you're exploring. There are some great books, too. Hit the travel section at Barnes & Noble and then go to a travel agent and grab all their books on the locations you like best. If you're looking for a photographer, the Wedding Photojournalist Association website is a good place for finding photojournalists in the area you're considering. (See here.) Don't forget to look at their wedding pictures to see what the weddings in the area actually look like. Finally, peruse the local wedding planners' galleries so you can see what some of the venues you're considering look like in a real wedding. Just keep in mind that not everyone's vision of a beautiful wedding is going to be like yours! You'll find more good tips on McWilliams' website, Weddings By Socialites.