Program 554a: Why I Love Rome; Garden Lust; Mountain Switzerland

There's something about the city of Rome that lets you know you get to be part of its incredible history. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we'll hear how the locals love their city, even with all its flaws.

The author of "Garden Lust" tells us about his favorite contemporary botanical gardens around the world.

And we get advice for hiking and touring in the Swiss Alps.

Fall in love with the world, each week on Travel with Rick Steves.

This is a re-edit of a program that first aired Feb. 9, 2019. Rick mentions that it was recorded prior to the pandemic in the segment A open, and in a reset at 32:13.

• Nina Bernardo, Francesca Caruso, and Susanna Perrucchini, tour guides based in Rome
• Urban botanical expert Christopher Woods, author of "Garden Lust" (Timber Press)
• Tour guides Don Chmura

• Francesca Caruso provides photos and commentary from the Borghese Gallery in Rome in the blog section of her website.
• Nina Bernardo offers private guiding and Pilates sessions in Rome.
• Francesca recommends the Basilica San Clemente for viewing the archeological layers of Rome.
• Christopher Woods wrote the book "Gardenlust" as a botanical tour of 50 of the world's best contemporary gardens.  He has posted blog commentaries and photos from garden visits in New Zealand, India, Costa Rica and Oregon at his UrbaneHorticulture.org website.
• The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens are near London.
• Chihuly Garden and Glass is located next to the Space Needle in Seattle.
• The Rick Steves online guide to the Bernese Highlands in the Swiss Alps.
• Maisie Hitchcock is a co-host of the English-language Radio Spatkauf podcast about news and events from Berlin.
• Don Chmura wrote a detailed hiking guide to the Lauterbrunnen Valley of Switzerland in 1994.
• A guide to farms that offer sleeping in the hay as an option in Switzerland.

• "I will be in Rome soon for 4-1/2 days. I haven’t been to Rome in ten years and this is my husband’s first trip.  Besides seeing the obvious - Ancient Rome, the Vatican, Trastevere — what do you recommend for must-sees?"  (Cheryl in Portland, Oregon)
• Family of four (two daughters age 9 and 6) are taking a trip to Rome. "With our home base around Piazza Navona, what are experiences and local areas we should not miss visiting, along with the main attractions like St. Peter's, the Coliseum and the Pantheon?" (Matt in Libertyville, Illinois)
• Caller is planning a month-long trip through Switzerland. "We plan to tour the entire country by train. Starting in Zurich, what would be the best route to follow going from city to city, town to town, taking all the various named trains, i.e., Golden Pass, Bernina Express, William Tell, and standard trains. We have taken the Glacier Express several years ago and plan to do so again, but we want to avoid St. Moritz." (Mike in Kennewick, Washington)
• "My husband and I hiked part of the Mont Blanc trail last June. It was both awesome and terrifying as we ran into some bad luck with some horrible weather — freezing temps, driving wind and rain. We don't regret going one bit, but definitely learned some lessons for the next multi-day Swiss hike! We finished the Switzerland part of the trip in Chamonix." (Diana in Westmont, Illinois)
• "After living in Fribourg, Switzerland for a year, I maintain that traveling there can be less expensive than people think.  Speak about 'sleeping in the hay' as an unusual way to save money on lodging." (Julia in Beverly Hills, Michigan)

• Travnicek Quartet, "String Quartet in F major, No. 35, II: assez vif (Ravel)," Impressionist Masterminds (collection) / X5 Music Group
• Tin Hat Trio, "The Quick Marble Tremble," Memory Is An Elephant / Angel
• Adriano Valle and Gabriella Piccinini, "Chitarra Romana," Le Canzoni Del Ricordi, anni '40 (collection) / Duck Record (Italy)
• NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini, cond., "The Fountains of Rome: The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset (O. Respighi)," Italian Orchestral Music / RCA (1949 performance)  
• Pompon Finkelstein, "Lost in Reflection (based on Verdi's 'La Forza del Destino')," Buddha-Bar, vol. 8 (collection) / George V Records
• I Musici, "String Concerto in G Minor, RV 319 - Andanta molto (Vivaldi)," Vivaldi for Valentines (collection) / Philips
• * Han-Na Chang, cello, "'Sicilienne,' from 'Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme' (Faure)," The Swan / EMI Classics
• David Arkenstone, "No Rain, No Rainbows," Echoes of Light and Shadow / Domo Records
• Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Richard Studt, dir., "Two Aquarelles for Strings, 'The First Cuckoo in Spring' (Delius)," English String Music / Naxos
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustavo Montesano, cond., "Tango Serenato de Schubert," Buddha Bar, vol. 3, disc 1 (collection) / George V Music (France)
• John Denver, "Garden Song," John Denver (1979) / RCA Records
• Deep and Wide, "Easy Rider," Café del Mar, vol. 7 (collection) / Musicrama-Koch
• L'Ensemble Raye, "Ska Tagliatelle," En frac! / Label Usines (Switzerland)
• * L'Ensemble Raye, "Ska Tagliatelle," En frac! / Label Usines (Switzerland)
• Les Armaillis du Gran Muveran, "Ranz des vaches des Ormonts," Folk Music from Western and Southern Switzerland (compilation) / Swiss Radio International
• Peenie Waalie, "Nice Time in Swiss," The Return of Peenie Waalie / Mensch Music (Switzerland)
• The Women's Philharmonic, Gillian Benet, harp, Jo Ann Falletta, conductor, "'Rondo' from 'Concertino for Harp and Orchestra' (Germaine Tailleferre)," The Women's Philharmonic:  Boulanger, Tailleferre, Mendelssohn, Schumann / Koch International Classics
• Rentrée Tardive, "Pervenche (schottisch)," Folk Music from Western and Southern Switzerland (collection) / Swiss Radio International
• Noldi Kung, alphorn, "Frohsinn (In High Spirits)," 23rd Swiss National Yodelling Festival Thun (collection) / Musica Helvetica-Swiss Radio International
• Festmusik Strättligen Thun, "Schweizer Radio International Festmarsh," 23rd Swiss National Yodelling Festival-Thun / SRI-Musica Helvetica

• Rick says that today's interviews were recorded prior to the pandemic in the segment A open  and in a segment B reset at 32:13.
• At 23:54, Christopher Woods describes a May meeting with a garden designer in Sweden when the weather was still cold.
• Caller Diana says at 48:43 that she and her husband hiked Mt. Blanc "last June" during sometimes perilous wintry weather conditions. Don Chmura adds that Alpine hikers need to always be prepared for rain or snow, and should check for local advice on trail conditions. 
• Caller Julia says at 57:52 that she plans to revisit Switzerland "this summer."

Riga collapses
green nets hold it together,
keeps buildings intact.
— Rebecca Saffron, San Diego, California 

Greece was calling me
Where history was first taught
Civilization
— Nick Popolo, Staten Island, New York

I'm half Italian
My blood is from Vicenza
You're in big trouble!
— Chris White,  Marlborough-on-Hudson, New York