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Published: January 3rd 2008
One of the many problems I have with traveling is finding authentic local life. I think that a lot of it is due to the limited time I spend traveling, but right now the it seems it's mostly in part due to the language barrier that makes me constantly feel like an outsider. I now have newfound respect to people back in America that can't speak English fluently. Today after visiting the Vatican, we crossed back into Italy (which is really just as simple as crossing the street, well, actually it's easier than that because crossing the street in Italy can be quite traumatic) and went past Castel Sant'Angelo and into the streets of Rome. I was starving, having only eaten a granola bar and a cup of coffee while standing in line for the Vatican Museum, and so we stopped at the first little shop we could find.
Who knew that the little Italian pizza/sandwich shop would be my greatest triumph in Italy. I managed to order a sandwich! In Italian nonetheless, albeit with a lot of hand gestures and nods. And there were a million mushrooms on it, which I hate, but I'm willing to overlook all that
because I was authentically Italian for roughly 30 seconds. I pushed my way up to the counter, told the hurried shopkeeper what I wanted, and a minute later I had in my hands the best ham and cheese sandwich in my life (minus the mushrooms which met the fate of being tossed into a garbage). It was soo good.
Actually that whole day was good. Besides viewing probably the most beautiful bridge in my life, Ponte Sant'Angelo with its many angels adorning it every twenty feet or so, we found that Piazza Navona was converted into an Italian carnival complete with a carousel, street performers, and of course carnival games galore. For the most part we just walked around and took it all in, taking pictures of 2 of the 3 fountains that live in the piazza. It was a great place to just kind of sit and people watch as well.
One thing that I love about Italy is how they just kind of stroll. And they stroll with their dogs. I've seen so many dogs that remind me of mine back home, except Italian dogs are disciplined enough to roam free with no lease most of
the time. Mine... he'd probably go crazy and start to terrorize every food vendor in the piazza. Regardless, we sat in the street for a while and just watched Italian life: a family with a small child showing him how to catch the bubbles the street vendors would blow their way, a group of teenagers trying their best at winning the Wii one tent had to win if you could shoot the narrow piece of string with a toy gun, other people just sitting and eating their pizzas or paninis on a rail in front of a fountain, or even people just doing what we were doing... people watching.
The carnival also had an impromptu Italian band, with a saxophonist and some bassists, an accordion and a guitar. It was so awesome just standing there listening to them play. I love Italian music so much. There's just something about it that is so romantic and "old world" to me. I don't now if that's the correct way to describe it, but I enjoyed it so much. I especially loved the happy bass player that would just thump on his instrument and smile. He looked like your typical Italian too.
I think it was listening to the band there in Piazza Navona that I really began to feel a part of Rome, at least as much as anyone can feel a part of a city as old and storied as Rome. I was doing my best, at least.
In order to also feel a part of Italian culture, one must try Limoncello at least once while in Italy. I did that tonight. It... was awful. Keith and I went to an Irish pub after our nap and night walk around some more fountains. It was pretty funny too, because in Italy it seems, an Irish pub is any pub that serves Guinness beer. That is the sole requirement. But the food was good and it was nice to sit in an actual restaurant for a change. I didn't order food and I regretted that decision after I took my first sip of Limoncello. It burned all the way down, and then some more. I was a good sport about it, finishing my tiny glass of it by time Keith finished his whole meal (minus the French fries I stole in order to absorb the alcohol pulsing through me now)
Angel with the Crown of Thorns
Ponte Sant'Angelo, Vatican in the backgroundeven though by that time it was warm, and consequently worse. But like many other things, I was glad to have at least opened my mind to try it. I believe that you can't go through life with your mind already made up about most things. So why not try it?
The rest of the night we walked around and took pictures of the fountains of Rome. I think I love Rome the best at night. It's still hectic in its own Roman way, but it's also serene. Especially around all the fountains. I especially loved the fountains we visited tonight, the fountain in Piazza Barberini and Piazza Repubblica. I loved them more than Trevi. To me, they seemed so much more romantic and alive. Maybe it was the limoncello talking, but they seemed to smile at me more when the water poured down across the stone. They seemed to welcome me more than Trevi or the fountains in Piazza Navona ever could. I was glad to be there.
So that's all for now. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve so we'll be taking it easy most of the day in order to make the most of the New
Year. Ciao!
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capsfan2002
capsfan
I understand
Oooohhhh....pictures! Am so jealous seeing them! Want to go back. Glad you're enjoying Italy! One of my nights in Florence I ordered a pizza. Ordered in italian and wasn't sure what I'd get-just said the heck with it-I'm trying. It was a delicious ham, pineapple, blue cheese and mushrooms (except for the mushrooms where I share your hate). It was something little but I was so proud of myself for trying. So...understand what you mean!