Ritorno a Roma
July 9, 2015
After two years, I have returned to Rome. As the previous time, it feels oddly normal to be back in the Eternal City, but this time it is hot as hell. I remember feeling like I was going to melt at various points in my Roman summer days, but this is a new soupy experience. It is apparently unseasonably hot and muggy in Rome and coupled with the fact that my friends and I are now used to "chilly" Sicilian nights, it has not been an easy adjustment. I think I sweat more while exploring the centro storico than while excavating in long sleeves and pants in Sicily. Anyway, the residual heat has forced us into the more normal Roman lifestyle: get up early and enjoy the city before it becomes steamy and gross, head back to the apartment in the afternoon for sleep and hiding in the shade (i.e. sitting in the living room in the dark because the light generates too much heat), then take your third or fourth shower of the day (I've given up on these and resigned to one shower and just feeling gross most of the day... Does that make me more Roman or a dirty American?), then head out for dinner and drinks when the temperature drops to a "manageable" 80-85 degrees, during which you will still sweat profusely and should not try too hard to look nice. Eventually everyone is a sweaty mess, except for the Romans... I still don't know how they do it.
Since my friends and I have seen and done most of the standard tourist stuff in Rome we are able to hide out in the afternoon, whereas other tourists who only spend a handful of days in the city are probably compelled to keep chugging along in the sweltering afternoon hours. But I guess that's what separates us travelers from the tourists - we know when to give up! Although I feel a little guilty being cooped up in our apartment for a good portion of the day (but not that guilty - this place is swanky!), it seems a better alternative to wading through a sea of sweaty afternoon tourists and being too exhausted to enjoy the "cool" evening hours. Despite not having mastered the nap (it will forever allude me), my fellow Roman travelers and I are determined to stay awake enough to enjoy some of the real Roman life along the Tiber tonight... which may or may not involve a trip to the Pompi stand (the most amazing tiramisu you will ever eat!) on the Lungotevere.
My return trips to Rome always involve hitting up my favorite old food haunts, most of which include gelato, of course. We got pizza a taglio at Pizzeria Florida, at Largo Argentina, and actually spoke with the owner for the first time, who informed me that his grandfather had opened the shop 90 years ago, and at that time it was a quiet side street since rows of palaces occupied the current street between his shop and the four Republican temples. He also informed me of the ancient Roman rooms beneath his shop, which is not surprising. As I had expected, it was too late for the crema di zucca pizza, but there was plenty of mozzarella di bufala pizza, which is a close second. We also made a trip to Giolitti, which I know is a typical tourist hot spot, but I can't resist it anyway. There is something about their pear gelato... The banana gelato at the Old Bridge gelateria, however, takes the cake. The Old Bridge is just outside of the Vatican and has condensed their portions considerably, but I think this is for the best. Their small used to be a softball sized globe of gelato, whereas now it's a typical Roman cone/coppa. Regardless of the change in sizes and prices, I was pleased to see that it was just as good as I remembered it. On tonight's food agenda is the prized deep fried artichoke (carciofi alla giudea - Jewish style artichokes - holy shit, these things are amazing!) in the Jewish Ghetto. I think I have dreams about these things. They are too delicious for words. I don't care if you hate artichokes, you will love these babies. Also on the docket is L'Archetto, which my friends know as "the spaghetti cave," which boasts over 100 different types of pasta sauce. I miss the zucconi so much! As I recall, I think there is a beer pasta sauce, too, but I have never been brave (or stupid?) enough to try it.
As much as I enjoy visiting all my old favorites (which are not just limited to food, but the food is what I am most excited about... good thing we walk all over the city, otherwise I'd return to the USA as a blimp), exploring new places has been fun, too. We are staying in Monteverde, a neighborhood I had visited once or twice before, but knew little about. It's a little out of the way, but perfect for us since it's quiet and, most importantly, HAS A WASHING MACHINE! Yes, this is the thing we are most excited about. That and having a decent internet connection. The heat and humidity has rendered our clothes one-time-use only (whereas in Sicily I exclusively washed dig clothes, socks, and underwear - our evening attire was relatively sweat free due to the livable temps), so we have formed an intimate bond with the lavatrice. Anyway, back to new things: Monteverde is pretty nice and close to the American Academy in Rome, as well as a bunch fancy houses and "real" places to eat - ones without pictures on the menus. It's also incredibly close to Trastevere, which makes my wallet and stomach happy. We also ventured to the Aventine hill for the first time to see the famous Knights of Malta keyhole. When you look through the keyhole you have a perfect view of the Vatican dome. It was pretty neat, but I think I enjoyed the overall experience of the Aventine hill with the nice park overlooking Trastevere and a view of the Vatican, and the quiet streets with nice looking homes. We also visited the Campo Cestio, the non-Catholic cemetery near the Pyramid of Cestius. It was incredibly beautiful and definitely worth a look. Afterwards we sweatily trekked (it was getting to be about noon) to Garbatella, my old home, to show my friends Mussolini's creations and another "real Roman" neighborhood. It felt right being back in my old home neighborhood, but not right enough to endure the heat of the day, hence we left to return to our Monteverde apartment to hide inside.
Although it's hotter than hell, it's nice to be back to see/do all my old favorites and see/eat new things in Roma. As long as I don't melt in the next few days, I will be quite content in the Eternal City, my home away from home.
There really is no point to this post... It's really just me rambling... I probably shouldn't write things after I've been out in the sun all morning. Oh well.
