I love Rome – its ancient buildings, art, beautiful gardens and umbrella trees that poke the blue sky everywhere. Several years ago I visited Rome with a friend. Our modest hotel was comfortable and the hospitality almost fawning.  Our savvy travel agent hired  knowledgeable guides who picked us up each day and took us on “forced marches”  to sites such as The Vatican, the Coliseum, and the Roman Forum. After our tours we would slip away and visit cafes, sip espresso while poring over guide books. We were looking for secret places in the city. It turned out the places we ended up with were not very secret, but they…