Rome, The city of the ancient, the modern and the Italiano

Finally the chance came that I embark on a journey to the land of the ancient (other than Egypt of course) Rome was waiting for me with its sunny spells, its historical places, its pasta and its pizza. For four days I walked and walked till my feet were sore. From East to West, North to South, I think I might have just seen it all. The beauty was in the colorful buildings that although showed signs of wear and poverty, appeared cheerful and charming. On the streets of Cairo the same buildings would be looked at as dirty, poor and most possibly inhabitable because of the build conditions, but it Rome they were simply a piece of the old city that once stood there and hence, charming. The pasta del mare was delicious, but not everywhere was freshly made. Yes, to my disappointment, frozen pasta still existed on the menu and frozen pizza was a higher possibility. The economy is clearly suffering and hence the quality. The people's mannerisms are no different from people of Egypt. The hostel owner, a grumpy yet helpful old man, huffed and puffed every time there was a problem with the windows that would not close properly or the doors that wouldn't open with the key that he provided us with. The building where the hostel was showed signs of wear too and yet the structure was solid and seemed strong enough for many more years to come. I thought to myself, how come on every corner there is a statue of a fountain or an old wall. It was as if the old would not let go for the new to take place... The old reclaimed the place at every corner and was there as a reminder of a civilization- if not many- that once lived strong and fought for the land. After walking between the narrow buildings and rejecting the attempts of sellers who want to sell flowers or others, we reached the fountain. Le tevere I think it was. The masses around it were taking pictures and some standing with their back to it to throw a coin and make a wish. I sat there watching for a while surprised at how I had no urge to do the same. Yes I took a picture, one or two, but I did not want to throw a coin in or make a wish. Could it be because I am content? could it be that my doubt in the fountain's ability to grant anyone any wishes be greater than the 1 euro I would have thrown? Or is it simply that I don't really know what to ask for since there is plenty of wishes that I would like to come true.... Well Rome in 4 days was more than enough to get the feel of that which is European and yet very Mediterranean...