Apparently yesterday I fell into a common tourist trap. A piece of advice, when in rome, do as the romans do, and take only officially licensed taxis. You will know because of their color (white), markings (taxi on the side), and the fact that they will not exit their car to try and solicit your business. Do not take a taxi whose driver has approached you! Mine ended up not even running a meter and trying to charge me for a ride to a location I did not go (a location about 30 minutes away), assuming I wasn't familiar enough with the geography of the city (there were only 5 prices, broadly defined by distance from the city center): of that, he was right. Had it not been for the helpful staff, I would have been in a very tough position.
I have settled some: slept and ate: a wonderful meal of risotto with radicchio in a cream sauce and steamed cauliflower. The hotel offered to pay for my taxi for which I am very grateful; it is truly a lovely hotel, even if I caught it during off season (the hotel and city are evidently intended for a summer stay).
I am ready to tomorrow morning encounter the others from my program, hopefully with no repeat of difficulty. I am set at ease by the help I've recieved at the hotel, but still a bit scared that the problems I first faced are bound to repeat, due to my lack of understanding of local customs, fear of speaking the language aloud, and a general fear of being cut off from everyone else, I'm sure a common experience for one in my position.
I am but a couple of hours from another wonderful dinner, and then a nights rest before heading off with the others. Probably I will be able to update in a couple of days, hopefully with news of relief and delight.
Some pictures:
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