So Rome – the Eternal City – Athens 2.0. Anyway, I’m digging on it, and here’s why. As you know, travels thus far have been adventurous and sometimes arduous. India particularly tested my limits physically and, as a result, emotionally. I often felt I was more or less alone trying to make my way without many of the comforts of the western world available. Whine whine whine.
Italy, on the other hand, is full of such conveniences – it rivaled Istanbul for restaurants and fun antique shops on every corner, along with quaint cobblestone streets in the center of a bustling metropolis. Rome not only has layers of history (sometimes exposed for our consideration), but it also has many quiet pockets where a person could sit down and feel moments of quiet and comfort with the pulse of the city waiting just outside. Maybe India set my appreciation to stun, but I think Rome might be a favorite city of mine, right there with Istanbul and Minneapolis / St Paul.
I give much of the credit for these feelings of comfort to my hosts, Paolo and Alessandra Morelli, the parents of Corinne’s classmate Giulia. They, without having met me, knowing me only as their daughter’s friend’s BOYfriend, agreed to not only take me in, but to give me keys to their house so I could let myself in because they were out of town! Incidentally they were visiting Giulia in Stockholm, so we did have a chance to meet and introduce ourselves. We talked over various routes from the bus stop to their house and a few brief plans for when they would be in town with me, and that was that – they passed over the keys and I was on my way.
Incidentally I still have the keys and here’s why. I’m writing this on the morning of April first, sitting at the airport, waiting for my mother to touch town from Frankfurt. I am ironically early because the Roman transportation is on strike today – buses stopped running at 9, and the metro is shut down. Trains are sporadic but running. When we found this out, Paolo not only called the city (whose recording told him he could check the train schedule by looking at the display at the station – very helpful), but offered me his car to pick up Mom at the airport! That is hospitality.
So I have been well hosted – my first night in Rome was spent on a car tour of the outer sights of Rome with Carla and Giovanna, who in addition to hills and concert halls and stadiums showed me several lovely views of the city, including the view with the locks – pictured below. I enjoyed a ‘typical Italian meal’ of (course one) sheep cheese, sausage, bread oil chips nuts and sparkling white win, (course two) pasta with red sauce and ham with a red wine and (course three) fruit and homemade lemon liquor. Hot damn.
The next morning I took the number 60 bus into the center of Rome, which is a beautiful as it is walkable. I mostly wandered around, saw the outside of sites like the colleseum, art museums and the insides of a dozen churches (including St Peter’s), piazzas, the Pantheon and several other wonderful sites. Everything was exciting – the shops with pizzas and paninis, squares with fountains in from of churches, each street sided by the dusty pastels of Roman apartments and offices. When I got tired I could sit in a church (never more than a block away) – and sitting in a church was a great way to spend time! These buildings were built primarily between 16 and 1700 and are ornately decorated. I’m currently overhearing southern American English being employed to complain about the broken TVs on an airplane.
ANYWAY – the next day and the day after were somewhat similar, exploring the Roman neighborhoods and finding cafes, churches, and piazzas that I hope to show my mother when she and I are back here. It has been particularly fun to explore knowing that I am plotting routes and sites to see again in only a few days; when I can share them with my mom who will be in Europe for the first time! How exciting!
A few highlights – Giulia’s cousin Adele offered to show me the ‘Protestant Cemetery’ in the south of Rome that houses several lovely tombs, most notably that of Keats (a favorite poet of hers – she is 18, I had to brush up on mine). She also showed me the Angel of Grief and several others (pictured below). The afternoon I met her, it rained and hailed for about 15 minutes, exactly the amount of time it took us to bus from the main Piazza Venezia to the cemetery. We enjoyd the cemetery in the afternoon sun while the rain tapered off, everything clear and cool after the storm. It was perhaps the best way to visit a cemetery with someone who knows a thing or two about it.
After the cemetery visit I made my way up the nearby Aventino Hill to visit Fr William Skudlarek, a monk from St John’s who had known my parents a million years ago. He had agreed to host me for dinner and show me around the famous Sant Anselmo’s monastery. I met him a early, around five, which gave us plenty fo time to explore the neighborhood where he showed me the most famous keyhole in the world which showed Rome, St Peter’s dome, and one other church that was its own country – three territories through a keyhole. We also saw Palatine Hill which is the south end of the Forum and was Nero’s palace, who continued on the wrong side of history (when he saw his palace he said ‘Now I can live like a man,’ classy). We also saw the Dominican Basilica, twelfth century, where St Dominican himself lived and prayed. It had a gravity of age that reminded me of the Pantheon. The space was incredibly ‘there’ – unalterably so. It felt like an airy indoor tomb, that if I sat down without paying attention I would soon be a pile of dust. Then, in a contemporary turn, we attended Latin vespers and dinner in the refectory. Outside of vespers and our moment in the basilica, William and I enjoyed ongoing conversation on a wide range of topics (politics, art, society, language, place, travel) – it was one of the first times I had participated in such an extended conversation since leaving home and I drank in every moment. Again, I had the luxury of knowing that I would be back with my mother in a few days – to see again the sights of Aventine hill and enjoy William’s company.
My host Paolo’s English was pretty strong, so he and I also shared some lovely conversation. We talked about art quite a bit, and of one of his favorite artists, Carevaggio. Carevaggio has several works in a few churches in Rome – you simply walk in and follow the crowds to see the master’s work with color and light. I found several of the churches he mentioned and made note of a few other spots to try to see when I am back in a few days. Paolo and Alessandra both grew up in Rome and know and love the city. In the comfort of their hospitality I thought often of the Twin Cities and how I might extend that gift to someone else. Of course, we do not enjoy the tourism of Rome (nor the sights or abundance of tasty Italian food), but we certainly have a lot to offer. My hosts have all taught my things about hospitality, what it means to share it and how incredibly powerful it is to receive it. My love for Rome comes from how welcomed and loved I have felt since arriving. I hope I can create the same feeling for my mom.
By the time I post this we will be ensconced in Florence, and I will already be behind on sharing stories and photos. I remain excited to come home (in about a month!), but this trip and my next journey with Corinne across northern Europe will be high notes on which to end, like that one perfect hole in golf that keeps my Dad coming back to the game. Thanks for reading!
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