When in Rome...

A free afternoon
So we heeded advice.
We strolled by the river;
The streets did entice.

We wandered down alleys
In neighborhoods where
Unexpectedly, ruins
Cropped up here and there.

To keep us from flagging,
I turned to gelato.
My spouse had espresso -
He liked it a lotto.

But when we were ready
To hit the hotel,
We vetoed a taxi,
For back where we dwell...

We travel by subway,
By foot or by bus.
It's quick and it's cheap,
Which of course is a plus.

Yet we're tourists and don't
Know the routes, like at home 
But we figured - we'll ask.
After all, when in Rome...

So we purchased two tickets 
And made our way back
By bus and by subway;
The code we did crack...

With the help of some locals,
For at every station
Were "Grazies"* and smiles,
Which don't need a translation.

*thank you in Italian