FORTY-SEVENTH DAY
KIKI, AUDREY AND GREGORY
October 29-30
After the fancy art opening at the Academy, going down into
Trastevere for the Kiki Smith opening was small potatoes. The crowd had exploded out into the street by
the time we got there. The gallery was
rather small, but they had commandeered the courtyard across the street as the
wine bar. It was Friday night and the
traffic was intense. We had been looking
forward to seeing the work, but even though we thought it was good it was too
busy to get a real look. Ms. Smith was
there and we met her. She was using Nepalese
paper for her drawings and it looked hard to draw on this medium. We bailed out early and for the first time in
recorded history, we decided to skip dinner.
It was a tough decision and took all of my will power and I hope I never
have to do it again.
It was made somewhat easier because we were among the first in
the TV room. I still don’t know how to
work the system and haven’t even seen the news for weeks. We talked our young fellow travelers into
watching “Roman Holiday” starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. It is the story of a princess who falls for a
commoner and I remember seeing it and thinking that Hepburn was so lovely and
charming. While that is certainly true the story is now dated, but the views of
Rome are unmatched. Kimberly was
shrieking with excitement every time Peck’s scooter got near the ruins of ancient
Rome or something she recognized. In
fact, there was a scene where the two lovers drove by the Theatro Marcello and
Apollo’s Temple with the old Synagogue in the background. We will literally be steps from these
monumental places in our new apartment.
Fortunately, Peck does not take advantage of Hepburn when she gets drunk
so her virtue is intact. Perhaps not the
way the movie would end in 2005. This
movie was made in 1960. The ruins were
made from 300BC to the present.
We were so excited by the film that Saturday morning we hopped
on the Motorino and went to the Roman Forum for our own self guided walk and
talk. The light is perfect and the
crowds are thinning. I take lots of
pictures in the incredible light and we lounge our way around the Forum. Rome exerts such a powerful historical pull
on us. Kim reads our guides and I
hangout and listen. A fine moment.
We remount the scooter and head for the food market at
Testaccio. We have heard from long term
Americans in Rome that it is a great place to shop. The market is a covered square block crammed
with every possible kind of food stand.
We walk the entire place looking for the best produce and meat. We end up loaded. This Sunday we will cook in and so we buy
ourselves a couple of steaks. The meat
looks perfect and reminds me of the old standby T-Bone. Here the cut is called Florentine. We don’t have a grill so this could be a
disaster, but the meat guys are funny and with the help of several of the other
patrons we get exactly what we need. I
am planning an American dinner, but of course we must include pasta.
Late lunch is a must.
Naturally, we miss the church on the Piazza Testaccio by seconds and
head for Anttica Forno, a spot given to us by one of the visitors who has lived
in the neighborhood. A great place for
any meal and priced right but not a giveaway.
Since we have come for lunch just after 1PM the real crowd is entering
about 2PM. It is all about the family
and they come together in large groups.
Grandfathers and kids, mothers and daughters, a complete assemblage
numbering anywhere from 6 to 10. Many
kisses and exclamations follow, wine is served and a two hour production has
begun.
We stagger back to the Casa with our groceries and our swollen
bodies promising never to eat again. It
is very quiet at the Academy. That means
really quiet; if the fellows are here, they are studying and working on their
projects. We saw the same woman who
advised on our lunch and she came up to the room to look at my paper samples
and the print catalog that I have with me.
She is working on a project about the way that water flows through
Rome. It is a complex project with topo
maps, ground water tables, and various other tools. Her project is scheduled to take about 10
years. She has won lots of prizes
including a Guggenheim and a Fulbright but scrambles to make ends meet by
teaching when she runs out of grants. I
would guess she is about 50 and totally engaged in this work. It made me feel better about my own lack of
progress on my stated task to do some work on the history of paper in Western
Civilization. I certainly know more then
I did when we came, but each scrap is hard won and it will take more time than
we have here to finish. I should be done
within the ten year frame, allowing for some golf and a few vacations.
We decide to walk into our little enclave of Monteverde for that
elusive light dinner. It shows up at a
place called Vascello, a favorite of American Academy folks because of the
friendly atmosphere and the good prices.
Light maybe somewhat of an exaggeration what with the pizza and all. I
resolve to do better about food. As we
walk home, the temp keeps dropping. Is
this the beginning of winter and rain?
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