The Hardscape of Rome

Rome’s streets are harder than any other streets I’ve ever walked on. I’m sure since Rome sits on top of many older, ancient layers of Rome; that could be a contributing factor. However, I’m convinced the Romans created a construction technique that’s evolved over the centuries to produce streets that are the hardest of the hard. The only way I can prove this is via my bones.

We had been to Rome a few times prior to our move, but we’ve never stayed longer than two weeks. In June, we were here for two weeks - house hunting, finalizing our kid’s school admissions and of course, sightseeing. During those two weeks, I was experiencing foot discomfort like no other, but I blamed my shoes.

Right before we left for Rome in spring, I went to a shoe store that sold European shoes. I bought a few pairs of sandals, with a more substantial sole than I usually wore. The majority of my sandals are thin soled, which tend to get chewed up by the cobblestones commonly found throughout Europe. My theory: if I wore European sandals, surely my feet would be comfortable walking the streets of Europe.

Dumb theory.

By the time we reached home, my feet were badly in need of a massage and pedicure. I had acquired various blisters on my feet (thank goodness for New Skin!) and there were specific aches I could pinpoint to different pairs of sandals. The brown ones made the top of my feet ache, the blue ones…

Then I was immediately faced with the task of packing up a year’s worth of clothing and shoes. It took weeks to figure out which items were going to make the cut. I decided I would bring the shoes that I wore on a regular basis. If they worked at home, then they would work in Rome.

After being in Rome for a month, I was in trouble. My bones ached. From the soles of my feet to the tippy top of my head. My whole body was unhappy. Thankfully, no one else in our house was experiencing the same ache! I guessed the source was all of the hardscape walking we were having to do, just to live our lives. We had to walk everywhere – to the markets for food, the bus stops, library, church, dry cleaner, plus, our continual sightseeing adventures. Our apartment floors are covered in stone. I also thought my aching may be a result from the shoes I wore.

And it wasn’t like I was wearing shoes that would typically be labeled as uncomfortable. I was in flat sandals and Converse! I missed wearing my girlie high heel sandals and cutie-pie pointy-toed flats.

I decided to try to solve this issue. I went to a few sporting shoes shops and tried on shoes. I found a pair of Nike Air tennis shoes that were super cushy and comfortable; it felt like walking on fluffy pillows. My theory: cushy shoes = comfy bones.

Another dumb theory.

We went out of town that weekend, down into the countryside region of Campania, so I broke in my tennis shoes. I looked rather silly traipsing through Greek ruins in a skirt and running shoes, but I didn’t care. My feet and bones finally felt relief!

We returned to Rome and I kept my tennis shoes on. However, after just a couple of days, my bones began to ache again. Then I realized, there wasn’t a shoe made that was going to solve my ache. My bones were going to have to be broken in.

I’m happy to report, a few weeks later, my bones were finally broken in. I don’t know if it’s all of the natural Calcium in the water, or if my bones toughened up. It doesn’t really matter - it's time for some girlie high heels!