In escaping the greyness of London Prince Charles didn't exactly find sunny weather in Rome but he did receive a very warm welcome from the citizens and reception committee.At Roberto Naldi's Hotel Parco dei Principi the Prince of Wales defended the steak, banned due to Mad Cow disease, and hoped for its hasty return to the Italian dining table. On what was to be a very rainy day (one of the rare 65 wet days out of the year) the future King of Albion paid homage to the Romantic poet Keats visiting the Memorial House in Piazza di Spagna. He still found time for the customary meetings with illustrious citizens (including Gianni Battistoni, President of the Associazione Via Condotti) and.... the unknowns, like the Neopolitan lady who had the honor of kissing the royal cheeks twice.
It was then on to the Non-Catholic Cemetry in Testaccio to celebrate the memory of the great English poets buried in the shadow of the Pyramid of Cestia, followed by a trip to the Centrale Montemartini, one of Rome's most innovative museums in which Greco-Roman statues are on display in an unused power station. The prince said he would be back soon, Rome still has many wonderful suprises in store for His Royal Highness......