friends, romans, countrymen

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In 1964 I hitch hiked across the USA in four and a half days. I got to New York City too fast and had to find a place to stay for five more days before flying to Europe. I found a mid-town YMCA that worked. I only bring that up for financial reasons. That first trip to explore this continent cost me a grand total of $900. That included a plane round trip ticket from NYC to Luxembourg, a euro-rail pass for three months, lodging and food. I was traveling for ninety days. My math tells me that’s ten bucks a day
Nancy, our niece Kelly and I had a wonderful trip to Rome, that’s in Italy, not Georgia. It didn’t begin too great though. First of all the flight was about as smooth as the flight of Hoyt Wilhelm’s knuckle ball. Then entering the airport I had an attack of rapid heart beat. This sudden without explanation acceleration of the pulse can be really debilitating. I sat in a chair and my carotid artery leaped nearly out of my skin to find my fingers so I could count the beats per minute. I think 170 are too many, don’t you? My normal pulse rate is around seventy so I was in some discomfort. Kind of like running a quick 400 meters which of course I couldn’t do in my prime, whenever that was and certainly can’t now. It took about twenty minutes for me to return to a normal rhythm while Nancy, Kelly and everyone around me tried to give me some assurance that I wouldn’t be taken out on a stretcher. They were right. On top of my little heart thing my arthritic great toe began its throbbing trick and I had somehow managed to get a blister in the middle of my arch on the same foot. I was in a certain amount of discomfort and I must have looked like a cross between Walter Brennen and John Wayne as I limped sideways out of the airport to our awaiting taxi. Welcome to Rome. I believe it was Marcus Anthony who said, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me your ears”, at that point I could have used his chariot.
Fortunately after that auspicious beginning things got better. We located our hotel and moved in before heading out to find a day tour bus to get a quick overview of this beautiful city. We rode around in a Double Decker open topped bus borrowed, I’m sure, from London, and the first thing I noticed were a lot of police and remembered they were called Carabinieri as opposed to Carbinara, which is pasta. So when I order I’ll try not to ask for the police. It sort of has an alarming effect on the waiter.
The second thing I noticed was the Italians speak with their hands, even when using their handi phones. They all look like they are directing the Rome philharmonic orchestra and having a lot of fun doing it. After the tour we stopped for a late glass of Italian red before settling down in our air-conditioned room. We found our hotel courtesy of Rick Steeve’s book and it was a nice place even if its only occupants were Americans.
In the morning I went out for a cup of cappuccino which is a coffee and milk combination that sort of clings to the cup as you drink. Kind of reminds me of lusting teenagers clinging to each other. As in, if they let go the partner would disappear, just like the coffee. I was in a small café overlooking the Piazza Republica, I never found the Piazza Democratica, which wasn’t nearly as busy as I thought it would be. Guess Italians aren’t early risers.
Our first visit in the morning was to the recently opened Galleria Borghese, which features a stunning array of sculptures and paintings. The galleria is the former villa of Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Most of the work is by a guy named Gianlorenzo Bernini. He’s the guy who gets most of the credit for rebuilding Rome in the Baroque style, whatever that is. My favorite statue was of Apollo and Daphne. He’s got her in a tight clutch with apparent amorous thoughts but she frustrates his attempt by turning herself into a tree, sort of like some of my dates during my own lustful period, which lasted a couple of decades. My friends call them the lost years.
These guys depicted in marble are really ripped. I think most of them could play in the NFL if they can run. The detail of the sculptures is really impressive. This guy Bernini was really good. The galleria also had a few paintings by another famous guy named Michelangelo Merisi. Hell, I got an A in my history of art class in college and didn’t even know he had a last name. That might tell you something about that particular college. Anyway most of the painting is by Mike and a bunch of other guys named Guido, Giovanni, Giorgio and Giuseppe. I think I met all of them rowing boats in Venice one year.
Over our stay we managed to see all the hot spots. The Trivi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, the Vatican and the Coliseum. It was sort of a sensory overload but I do remember the guards at the Vatican were Swiss and wore costumes that made me think they had just come from a performance of Peter Pan. Also, they must have run out of fig leaves ‘cause a lot of the guys posing as statues didn’t have anything covering there private’s, which of course made them public’s. Oh well, Rome is really great, there’s all these cool old places and when you get hungry there are sidewalk café’s by the boatload, street venders selling knock off junk or red roses and street entertainers whose vaudevillian acts were mostly pretty good. For a while I thought I was watching Johnny Carson reruns while enjoying my pasta of the day. There were also some people posing as statues in all the piazza’s, which made me wonder if some of those guys in the museums might put some clothes on and go out at night.
The taxi rides are easy. They have a lane for taxi’s and busses which helps speed your arrival to your destination of choice and the price is right. The only problem is the ride over Rome’s cobblestone roads makes you think you’re in a vibrating bed. The subway, they call it the Metro, is ok as well if you don’t mind fighting your way into an already over crowded car. It’s sort of a metro for the masses deal I think.
I enjoyed St. Peters a lot. We managed to get there during a service, which was nice. The organ music was awesome and the choir gave a good account of itself as well. I’m not catholic, so I don’t know when to kneel, stand or sit but I followed along. I don’t speak Italian so I was somewhat lost during the head priest’s monologue but I recognized enough words, like dominoes, to think he must have been explaining the rules of the game. Some of the people in attendance must have missed breakfast because about half way through the ceremony a few of them got up for a piece of bread. I had already eaten so I didn’t join in.
The coliseum and the Roman Forum were great although at first I couldn’t help but ask myself why they didn’t tear down all the ruins and
build something that would last. Then someone told me most of these buildings had been here for about two thousand years and I got the picture. Another thing, there’s a place in the Forum called Palatine Hill that sits on some prime property and I know for a fact in American someone would buy the place and turn it into condominiums. Either that or build a small liberal arts college on the site. Yeah, the world needs more of those.
In 1964 there were no lines and no entrance charges. That’s changed to the benefit of the Italian economy. Other than the cost and the hand held information gismo’s nothing much had changed in the forty years sense my first visit. I did learn more about a guy named Rene Saunce who apparently had the period in which most of this place was built named after him. Now they call it the Renaissance period. Sort of like Cher or Madonna I guess.
On our way to the airport I bought a little gift for Joey. It’s a little tile thing, sort of a beware of the dog sign in Italian. It’s perfect and a great likeness, except the dog’s black instead of brown, has a tail and Joey doesn’t and his ears are floppy which is the opposite of Joey’s. The minute I saw it I had to buy it.
So, arrevia’ derchi Roma. Oh, I threw some coins in that fountain and remembered to do it over my shoulder, sort of like a Gary Payton assist, so I know I’ll be back. Now I’ve got to go back to Austria and look for Arnold although someone told me he was now living in California. Oh, about that 1964 $900, I just spent that same amount on a five day four nights trip from Vienna to Rome. That works out to $180 per day. Progress I think.

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