I’m in Rome, updating my Rick Steves Rome guidebook — and I’m lucky to have Roman guide Francesca Caruso at my side. Here, Francesca analyzes a favorite statue — the Dying Gaul — in the Capitoline Museums. In this touching work, we see how an empire at its peak respected its vanquished.
Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick
Looking into the Marble Face of Rome
I’m in Rome, updating my Rick Steves Rome guidebook — an intense process. Updating a guidebook to the “Eternal City” takes a while. A theme for this visit was finding peace and cultural tranquility in a city that, in many ways, feels overrun with tourists. And that’s easy to do. Like voters tend to vote for whoever’s up in the polls, many tourists visit the same famous sights. Fortunately, Rome has lots of extremely rewarding sights that are cool, quiet, and give an intimate peek at an amazing ancient world. Over the next four days here on my blog, I’ll celebrate a dimension of Rome that is quiet yet rewarding.
First, let’s meet some of the people who made Rome, as portrayed in realistic busts. To see these yourself, visit the Capitoline Museums.
Pondering Hunger from the Terrace of the Sheraton Hotel
I just wrapped up a demanding, rewarding, and poignant 18 days of filming in Guatemala and Ethiopia. As the crew headed home with the footage for our upcoming hour-long documentary on fighting hunger with smart development aid, I found myself immersed in a microcosm of the gap between the rich and poor on our planet. I was sleeping in the same building as Ivanka Trump, in a $300-a-night hotel — having just learned about the reality of people struggling to live on $2 a day. When I paid my bill, I was struck by the fact that each night cost me the equivalent of what those struggling people earn in 150 days. A cocktail in the bar? Another five days of wages…
Ethiopia: An Inspiring Visit Comes to a Close
I just wrapped up 18 days of filming in Guatemala and Ethiopia for an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope,” airing this November on public television across the US. We were mostly in poor communities in poor parts of these poor countries, and everywhere we went, we attracted a crowd. And throughout our trip, the crowds were friendly, curious, and filled with smiles. Even though the children we met were extremely poor, they had a sense of humor and a spirit of joy. In this clip, we were in an Ethiopian village that was out of water, and nearly all the local moms were waiting with their yellow “Jerry cans” for the water truck to pull in. It was awkward at times in Ethiopia to be so rich and so powerful — with our state-of-the-art cameras, air-conditioned van, and driver. But our entire crew went home inspired by the struggles and spirit of the people we met. Thank you, Ethiopia.
Health Post in the Middle of Nowhere?
I just wrapped up a shoot for an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope,” airing this November on public television across the US. In the south of Ethiopia, my crew and I drove to a humble village with no electricity or running water, and a population that is unable to pay for any medical service. We were there to visit a health post run by the local government, in partnership with the United Nations World Food Program.
A child who does not get adequate nutrition in their first thousand days of life will forever be “stunted,” and will never reach their full potential to contribute to society — a tragic loss. But all over the developing world, health posts like this one help young mothers learn the rudiments of hygiene, health, and nutrition.
Some Americans are inclined to dislike the UN. I wish those Americans could witness this inspiring scene in person, as I did. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.