First in a series of occasional stories

Arrivederci, anemic dollar. Au revoir, air rage.

JILL VEJNOSKA/AJC (ENLARGE)

The Capitoline Wolf, presented to the city by order of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1929, is an exact replica of a piece of art on Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy.

Photos: the other Rome. Georgia travel stories Westville: Pre-Civil War town is living museum  Allman Bros Band's 'Big House' to open as museum  Town is artisan-friendly  Five romantic spots for the newly wed  Art, music and scenery  Photos: Travel / Southeast Galleries Latest deals! Back to: Travel | Southeast destinations Travel Guide Powered by

I'll have nothing to do with you this summer. Rather than reach the end of my rope (and budget) in the real Europe, I'll be doing my vacationing in a place we'll call Fauxrope.

In this alternative to the continent, I've already been to Rome, for instance, where I saw St. Peter's, the Forum and a certain revered military figure's elaborate tomb.

Julius Caesar? Mark Antony? Nope, Charles Graves, aka America's "Known Soldier."

Like many people, I yearned to spend part of this summer traveling in Europe, walking in the footsteps of the ancients and snapping les photos with Goofy at Disneyland Paris. But these are tough economic times. How could I possibly go abroad and continue to pay for life's necessities here: Food. Shelter. Showtime, now that a new season of "Weeds" is starting?

Happily, the solution was as close as my handy map of Georgia. From Berlin near the Florida line to Dublin in Middle Georgia to Rome up north, I could go to "Europe" without ever leaving the state. What this budget-minded approach might lack in jawdropping moments, at least I wouldn't have to worry about Hartsfield security confiscating my Herbal Essence shampoo as a possible smart bomb.

So pack your bags (no charge, unlike the airlines) and follow along over the Rome offers a slice of "Faurope" in Georgia.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

Founded in 1834 by five men who reportedly threw possible names for the new town into a hat, Rome soon became a thriving port due to its location along three rivers. Today, this city of 36,000, home to a college and a Class A baseball team, is a convenient day trip from metro Atlanta, making it an excellent place to start a Grand Fauxropean Tour.

(Unfortunately, because all Atlanta roads also seem to lead into construction tangles, a 75-minute drive can take closer to an hour and a half. Still, it would take you that long just to find parking at Hartsfield.)

On a happier note, consider the breakdown of my one-day Roman Holiday:

Distance

Roundtrip to Rome, Georgia: 143 miles

Roundtrip to Rome, Italy: 5,035 miles

Travel Cost

To Rome, Georgia: $61.66 (gas, plus $2 fee to park all day at the 6th Avenue Deck, right by the Rome-Floyd County Law Enforcement Center). I spent more on postcards — $3 — than to nestle my little VW securely in a spot between two burly Rome Police cars.

To Rome, Italy: $1,545 (cheapest 21-day advance roundtrip, mid-week flight found on Travelocity.com). Not having to pay for therapy after flying 10 hours each way wedged into a middle seat with only mini-pretzels for sustenance: Priceless.

Exchange Rate

In Rome, Italy: Unfavorable. Currently, one dollar is worth about 0.65 Euros. It costs 14 Euros just to get inside the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.

In Rome, Georgia: Extremely favorable. Most must-visit sites are free and easily walkable. The "Between the Rivers" Historic District is anchored by the Clocktower on one of Rome's seven hills, and boasts dozens of beautifully maintained Victorian "cottages" on tree-lined streets. The Rome Area History Museum costs $4, but is free on certain days this summer — including the Wednesday I turned up.

One block away, Suzanne Gay exulted "Welcome to Rome!" and refused any payment for the homemade fudge she sells in her children's store, Ginger's Dollings & Cattywags. Yes, even after I 'fessed up to being a reporter.

JUST LIKE ROME, ITALY?

There: St. Peter's Basilica is the burial site of popes in Vatican City.

Here: St. Peter's Episcopal Church was seized by the Union Army in 1864 as a hospital for its soldiers. In fact, Atlanta's so-called "Jesus Junction" has nothing on downtown Rome, where the circa-1884 First Methodist Church and the First Presbyterian Church (dedicated in 1849, it was used as a storehouse by Union troops) inhabit the same corner of East Third Avenue.

There: The Forum was the seat of government, law, politics and social life in ancient Rome. It was located by the Colosseum, which hosted gladiator battles.

Here: The Forum is the sprawling site of trade shows, weddings and concerts. Located near a pedestrian bridge affording panoramic views and access to footpaths along the Oostanaula River, it will host modern-day gladiators for ultimate fighting's "Battle of Rome V," on June 28.

There: Benito Mussolini was the longtime prime minister who aligned with Germany during World War II. (Some of his countrymen later hung his body upside down at a gas station.)

Here: The "Capitoline Wolf," a sculpture Mussolini sent to "New Rome" in 1929, still stands outside historic City Hall. (To avoid offense early on, the nude twin figures of Romulus and Remus were sometimes diapered.)

ONLY IN ROME, GEORGIA

I arrived in Rome the ultimate outsider, but by the end of my six-hour stay, I felt like I'd lived there all my life. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Here's a few reasons why:

Known (If You Know Where to Look): Local boy Charles W. Graves died fighting in World War I, and was buried three times. First, in France, then at Rome's Antioch Church and finally at the city's grand Myrtle Hill Cemetery. I spent half my time looking for him in all the wrong places, but then I wandered into the city planning office and got the whole story:

Coming home on a troop ship between burials 1 and 2, Graves' body was chosen (along with Arlington Cemetery's Unknown Soldier) by a blindfolded soldier running his finger down a list. But his mother insisted he be buried in Rome. Graves' final final resting place is in Veteran's Plaza, as are monuments to Civil War Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Women of the Confederacy (thought to be the first war monument to women).

The Ultimate Goal Line Stand: Arguably the state's most valuable football "player," Rosalind Burns Gammon lost her son to injuries suffered during a 1897 UGA game. The state legislature immediately banned the sport, but Mama Gammon wrote an impassioned letter supporting the sport and the governor vetoed the bill. She's memorialized as "The Woman Who Saved Football in Georgia" in the sidewalk at the corner of Broad Street and Fourth Avenue.

History by the Numbers: The Rome Area History Museum covers everything from the Georgia Land Lottery that "distributed" Indian lands to white settlers and the origin of the city's name (picked at random out of a hat, Rome beat out Warsaw and Hamburg) to the fifth-ever showing of "Gone With the Wind" at the DeSoto Theater (still thriving, a few blocks away). Most intriguing, in a weird way, is the Civil War section's breakdown of amputations performed on Union soldiers: At 7,902, fingers made the, um, cut the most.

Chow, Baby: Eating out in Rome, you can go authentic al dente (La Scala, Provino's) or authentic "y'all dente": The only thing better than Honeymoon Bakery's cannoli is its sweet potato muffin, for instance. Meanwhile, the excellent fried macaroni-and-cheese at Jefferson's restaurant (located at the "Woman Who Saved Football" corner) comes with a choice of ranch or marinara sauce.

Please! Who goes all the way to Fauxrope for ranch sauce?