The sun seems to play hide and seek, alternating between hot days and those that almost resemble the gloomy autumn. Despite numerous obstacles, a warm Sunday morning and a clear sky leaves hope for a favorable afternoon.

The desire to escape from our commitments is strong, it gives those who can, without thinking twice, the temptation to drop everything and see friendly faces.

We meet along the banks of the river Tiber. As we wander aimlessly, we pass the entrance to Parco Savello Aventine, also known as the “Orange Gardens” because this little rectangle of land, which overlooks the skyline of Rome, has all the appearance of a garden and is largely covered with by Orange trees. It is said that the tree which stands near the cloister of the adjoining monastery has been brought directly from Spain and still resists weathering, centuries on.

A steep climb along the ancient walls leads us to the park, where we relax on the grass to talk about this and that. Actually, we hoped to find all the trees ripe with oranges to pick, but we realize that someone with naive astonishment, so to speak, had been there before us and all the finer fruits dangling on the highest branches, unreachable, except through perilous attempts at scaling the trees.

We do not lose heart and we successfully grasp an orange. Honestly, when then we tasted it, we realized that we should avoid future efforts, given the considerable bitterness of the fruit!

One hundred meters outside the park you can find Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, which owes its success to the imposing view, where you can see the lock, perfectly framed in a frame tree, the dome St. Peter's.

Transported from the romantic childhood memories of when my grandparents took me to see the view for the very first time, I convince my friends to join the trailing line of tourists queuing outside the door. When it comes to my turn to look inside the lock, the sight of the dome evokes that sense of wonder and magic that only a child can experience when learning something new for the first time.

My desire to take the perfect photo irked the tourists waiting behind me, I immediately come back to reality. Anyway, it's probably time to give way to the friendly visitors from across the Alps. I turn around showing off the best of smiles and half-heartedly apologizing. Rushing, I catch up with my friends who already knows the next stop: Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere.

The sun is going down and the air is wonderfully warm. Walking along the path that follows the Tiber could not be more pleasant. There are moments in life that I would like to capture forever, which makes me think that I am extremely fortunate to have people so close and special to share with them the beauty of one of the most beautiful and historically rich cities in the world ...