Rome: DAY 22 IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AURELIUS

TWENTY-SECOND DAY

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AURELIUS

October 4-5, 2005

Yesterday followed the pattern of many of our days in Rome.  There was a walk and talk scheduled by the Academy along the line of the Aurelian Wall.  A young fellow, Hendrick from the University of Michigan, led us. He sure knows about that Wall.  We started at the Pyramid, which one of the Emperor’s built to celebrate some kind of triumph over Egypt.  The Pyramid is about 150 feet tall with chambers inside and it is part of the wall.  The original foundation of the wall or its core is the same as when the first guy built it.  The entire wall over 18 miles encircling the city was originally built in less then 6 years.  It is hard to believe but it was the defense of Rome for over 400 years until some Goths sieged the city in the mid 500’s.  The only way they got in was that some Roman woman opened the gates.  She thought Rome had suffered enough or so the story goes. This walk, which I estimate, was about 3 miles ended at the Porto Appia in a light rain.  There are no bus stops at that place.  So Kim and I decided to hike back to the bus stop at Circus Maximus (the old horse track) and catch the bus there.  It rained steadily for the entire walk only letting up when we reached our destination.  Then the sun came out, and we quickly dried off.  One of the best things to do for lunch in Rome is to go to a bar where they several things you can’t get in a restaurant.  One of the things most of them don’t have is Pasta and Pizza.  That’s good, not bad.  They do have several very nice salads with either Tuna or Chicken, which together with a diet coke make a nice light lunch for about 8 Euro.  We have found several bars we like, but they are all over and the quality is pretty even. Before trying to get back to our place, we stopped in one of the ones we like on the Aventine.   They also have those fatastico sandwiches that are so good that they are bad.  Oh well, even with the walking it is hard to stay even calorically. Something happened in downtown Rome and our bus # 75 that runs about every 10 minutes, never came.  We lasted at the bus stop for about 40 minutes before I was able to persuade Kimbo to try for a cab.  I got one and as we passed stop after stop and there were at least 50 people at each stop. We do not know the cause but my guess is a small strike action by the drivers.  Whatever, very Italian.  

We got back to the cabin, finally dry and Kim starred studying and I began to prepare myself for picking up my motor scooter.  I bought the helmet Monday from a stand in the Portese market.  The guy was a friend of a friend of the motor mechanic who takes care of Kristin’s old Motorino.  That’s is the way Rome works, you have to know someone to get a deal on your helmet or anything else for that matter.  So after getting all my paper work together, copying my passport page, getting a letter in Italian that says I am using Kristin’s bike, etc., I had this feeling that they were not going to give me the scooter.  It was time to go.  Out the door, bus to the place, enter the shop.  Holy of Hollies, it is ready and on the floor.  A minimum of paper work, and I am out the door and on the bike in Rome, at rush hour.  With my vast knowledge of Italian, I ask the person who was explaining the features of the new Honda 125 if it had gas in the tank.  Oh yes, he replied, 6 liters.  Ok, not ok, the tank was basically empty.  What he meant was the capacity was 6 liters.   I am certain that I was on fumes from the second I left the shop.  Traffic was bad, but oh how those scooters love to weave through.  No more suspense, I found a pump and said filler up.  10 Euro later back and home with the great vibe of knowing where I was going and driving up the hill.  While we are at the Academy, I will be able to store the bike at night in their lot.  But I do have all the locks.  The scooter made me feel that I was finally in my comfort zone.  That has not always been the case here. 

Speaking of zones, we looked at yet another apartment Monday.  This one was dear, a five story walkup (it has an elevator but it is not working and who knows when) with lots of renovation that makes it interesting but really it didn’t work for Kim because none of the stairwells had railings and we’d be sure to fall and break something. The street was in Central Rome and cobbled.  That is one of her requirements.  Keep looking!

Just another heartfelt comment on computers, the process for me in not intuitive, and I have been trying to put photos on the blog since day one.  I caught up with the systems guy here yesterday and he agreed to give me a little time.  So, at 2:00 I showed up at his door laptop in hand for my lesson.  About 20 minutes later when he had figured out how to do it, he showed me as well.  I tried it a few times in his office and then came back upstairs to practice.  I am sure everybody that reads this will know that I immediately failed to be able to duplicate my efforts in the room.  So as far as photos are concerned, I will have to take another lesson or wait for Keith Unke in a couple of weeks.

Rome: DAY 20 GOODNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

TWENTIETH DAY

GOODNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

October 2 and 3

Well, Saturday was a blur; we managed to do what is common in Rome and not just for us.  We missed three different things because of either not reading correctly or misjudging time and how long it takes to get anywhere.  We were joining a group from the Academy for a visit to the convent atop the Spanish Steps.  It is part of the Church called Triniti de Monte.  The church itself is lovely if unremarkable by Roman standards.  It is the convent that has all the hidden treasures.  We were 10 minutes late because we left too late from our place.  My fault, the bus did not come soon enough and our connection was poor for bus #117.  117 winds through the back streets of old Rome right to the foot of the Spanish Steps, still a stellar place to be.  We ran up the steps (impossible) and got there 5 minutes late.  The group had already gone in and we could not find the entrance.  Kim was nice about it, but we probably will not get another chance to tour this closed spot.  Oh well, back to the 117 and a ride down to the Piazza del Popolo.  The piazza is a very large egg shape with three of Rome’s main streets coming in from different angles.  The main drag Via del Corso in the middle and Ripetta on one side and Baubuino on the other.  It was nice and warm and we sat down to read the Green book.  We learned a lot about the square.  Then we made our way to the Church of Santa Marie de Popollo where a wonderful wedding was in progress.  The main item in the church and there were many are a pair of Caravaggio paintings in one of the side chapels. As we were walking over to see them, the janitor started throwing people out.  It was 12:30 PM and the church was closing for 4 hours.  I caught a glimpse of one of the paintings as he was shoving others and me out the door.  Another miss.  Finally, beaten and hungry we consulted our Red Italian food book that has places listed in no discernable way and found a small Trattoria nearby.  Another miss was in store as the food was ok, but the service was poor and long.  So being 3 for 3 we headed home to the Supermarket and slept and read the night away. We cooked at home and the food was fresh, good and without a conto (bill).  The service was better, too.

We woke up to a splendid day and walked down the Gianicolo to the Vatican.  There is this neat way to get to St. Peters through a bus terminal and escalators and elevators down to the entrance to St. Peters.  All the tour buses let their passengers out there.  We saw the Pope’s Mass on big outdoor screens and then waited until 12 when the Pope came to the window of his apartment to speak to a huge, roaring crowd.  He spoke in five different languages although I sense that Japanese is not his first one. The ceremony of the Mass is quite extraordinary and the vestments and pomp make it a real event even on an outdoor screen. Kimberly loves this kind of pageantry, and I just think it is hard to stand in one place that long.   The day was turning wet and we just made it into a bar on our hill and had the best Sandwich of the trip.  A little confection of egg, ham, tomato and cheese all heated up and slathered with mayo.  One of those can set you back about 350 Calories but who’s counting.  Sitting outside in the pouring rain, wed decided to go to a movie.  We went to the room and managed to leave late again.  I don’t think I get it yet.  Ended up in a cab.  Most of the cabs we have taken have been expensive and the drivers have seemingly never been in Rome.  They have no idea of where they going.  This time I had Norm, the gate guy, give him the directions.  (More about Norm another day) Then Kim told the driver to step on it in Italian.  He got it and we were in our seats in plenty time.  More confusion and the steepness of learning curve ensued.  Movie seats are assigned.  We had no idea of this assignment and went directly to our normal movie seats on the aisle where we were climbed over until the movie started.  We managed to stay put but will now request where we want to sit.  It is always the little things that get me.  Am I just so old that this kind of thing bugs me?  Oh well, Clooney has made a splendid movie, Good Night and Good Luck, about Murrow played by David Strithern - black and white with lots of cigarette smoking, close-ups and actual footage of McCarthy and his ranting.  A good look at the era, and I remember it well.  Murrow kicked his butt and so did the Senate. Eisenhower really hated McCarthy because he was an embarrassment to the Republican Party and Welch was smarter and quicker.  Where is that America? The movie was only about 90 minutes and there was a subdued feeling of tension throughout.  Make sure you get your seat assignment first. 

Rome: DAY 19 KIMBERLY STEALS THE KEYS

NINETEENTH DAY

KIMBERLY STEALS THE KEYS

October 1, 2005

It is fall here.  We woke up late last night and put on a blanket for the first time since our arrival.  The studio is much quieter with the windows closed.  I always wonder where everybody is.  In general I do most of my writing around 6PM and the 4^th floor of the Academy is very still. 

Yesterday seemed like pure pleasure.  We met an artist from Oakland by the name of Abraham Elterman. He and his wife Bonnie are here for two weeks.  I am always surprised when the artist is from the bay area and I have never seen his work.  He is mid career and among other things, he and his wife have a son at Northwestern as well as three other boys.  Nice couple, great lunch at Il Cortile in Monteverde, the neighborhood behind the Academy, and is reputed to have the best Antipasti in Rome.  I would say it is very good and a nice walk from our place. None of our meals have been terribly expensive, yesterday was about 45 Euro but add about .25 to every dollar spent and all of a sudden 40 is 50.  Two years ago when we were in Rome, it was exactly the other way so it all evens out. 

We went to a big dinner party last night in Trastevere at the apartment of Kristin Jones, my motorino friend.  She had a bunch of artists and friends over for a wonderful meal of some sort of stuffed pasta.  You take large sheets of pasta and coat them in some oil and then stuff large quantities of spinach and ricotta cheese into them and roll.  They are about 5 inches in diameter.  Before baking you slice them and put a little more oil on.  They bake up in about 20 minuets and then you serve with a lovely sweet red tomato based sauce.  One of the guests brought some homemade bread.  I think that in Rome that is like bringing coals to Newcastle.  The bread that we buy is outstanding, equal even to the great Acme and other Bay Area breads.  It’s too bad I don’t like food.  I could have a hell of a time over here if I did. 

The guests were charming and as we were leaving we collected some of the names of people we thought we might see again.  Little did we know that my great editor and the head of the style section of this blog would take some guy’s coat instead of her own.  In his coat he had his car keys.  What a surprise that when I picked up the phone this morning to see if we had messages that indeed we did.  They figured that I had taken the coat instead of my own.  Of course, we missed the message when we came in about 1AM last night.  So we basically stranded this couple down in the heart of Trastevere.  I called the girlfriend, Lucy this AM who lives very close, so we met them for coffee and exchanged Kim’s coat for her friend’s model.  They were fine with the coat fiasco and friendly, glad it all worked out.  I wonder how my humor would have been at 1AM   I am working on my meditation and will soon be in a Zen state where nothing will bother me. 

Friends from home start arriving soon; we are ready.  We now know buses, three star monuments and lots of good places to go either to sit and watch or sit and eat.  It takes longer then we had thought to get the rhythm down.  It is very different from touring.  As many of you know, Northwestern has the week off, that may be considered a win.

Rome: DAY 18

EIGHTEENTH DAY

September 30, 2005

It is hard to believe that September has shot by.  We have been in Rome almost three weeks; time flies when you’re having fun.  We are having a great time, but it is worth mentioning the things I seem to miss the most.  Early morning ESPN, Tim Russert’s Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Football, the American Dollar, golf with pals (sometimes), the light lunch, dogs and kids.  There is probably more and I probably have seen more TV Football then I should have anyway So enough said about missing.  Let’s talk about getting.

Yesterday I bought the scooter, and if all goes well in the Italian licensing system, I should pick it up next Tuesday.  I have learned a lot about Italian business protocol and even if I never get the damn thing, the experience of just making up my mind and making it happen has been a good one.

We went from the scooter shop to the Church at San Clemente.  It is another of those 3 Star do not miss places.  We were supposed to go to Nero’s Gold House, but as with so many of these antiquities we didn’t read the fine print.  You must reserve a place.  The Domus area where Nero lived is in a beautiful park above the church of San Clemente  and so while we waited for the church’s three o’clock opening, we read our Green Michelin guide and waited it out.  The church is really a 3 for l deal.  On the lowest level four stories down, it was an old Roman Villa dating from the 3rd Century where a small cult met to worship the god Mithras.  On top of that is a medieval Christian Basilica from the 4^th C, and finally the present Christian church on the top layer, like the icing on a cake. It is a wonderful example of 12^th Century austere architecture.  The Frescoes in the church are dramatic, gilded and and beautifully restored.   The restorers are a Dominican Order from Ireland who still maintain the church.  The floors on all 3 levels are still viewable as well as a few frescoes deep under present day Rome.  It is a perfect place to get the full shot of what Rome was doing through the ages literally walking down through the layers.  Kim is a great Shepard for me and pushes us to keep going.  We are attempting to do something historical everyday.  I am being force fed lots of churches and Renaissance art, but when the day ends, I am glad we did it. 

We ate at the Academy last night and while the food is ok, it is the conversation that makes it special.  There was a lecture before the meal by Mia Fuller, a specialist in Fascist Italian architecture.  She talked about Mussolini and his planned cities particularly the Italian colonies in Northern Africa.  In Italy, lots of people liked what he did and the pictures we have seen of him here are of a really handsome buffed guy - he had quite a press agent.  He was very decisive and brought modernity to some very poor sections but really cost these people a lot freedom and hardship.  Politics in Italy are very hot stuff and the guy who controls the country today is the richest Italian, Berlusconi.  He owns lots of media and TV stuff.  The system, as usual, is not without corruption.  More later

Rome: DAY 17

SEVENTEENTH DAY

September 29, 2005

I experienced a slight energy dip yesterday when doing my daily journal but today, today, I feel really good.  It is worth mentioning for the last time that in September the weather has been benign, lovely, although sometimes hot and humid in the late afternoon.  All that said, the light is going away earlier each day and the cool down comes faster.   I understand, that it gets very wet in late October and November.  We await the Gods. 

We have been picking a new spot to go sightseeing everyday.  Because it has lots of stairs, I have been avoiding the Campidoglio for the better part of this week.  Last Sunday, however, because the Capitoline Museum is on that plaza, I went to see an exhibit and found the steps were not too bad.  Three amazing buildings, all designed by Michelangelo surround the Piazza. It is a must for any tourist coming to Rome, three stars in every guidebook.  The old Senate building has been turned around to face the Piazza (it used to look down on the Roman Forum) and it was built according to Michelangelo’s plan after his death.  The intricate design on the Piazza floor is his as well. And from the back of the Senate building is the most famous view of the Imperial Forum.  It is so elegant and striking as to be beyond my power to describe.  The Museum is made up of the two other buildings on the Plaza and they are look-alikes They house the Capitoline collection.  From the roof of the museum building on the right, there is a terrace that overlooks most of the ancient ruins and churches of Rome.  I would call it one of the great romantic date places in Rome.    If my description doesn’t suit, you should come and see it for yourself.  We hung around for about an hour and decided that the museum collection was for another day. 

Walking back down the graduated steps of the hill we consulted our little red Trattoria book.  It is almost impossible to use as it is not divided by any sensible method, neither geography nor type of food.  Anyway, too tough for me to figure out, so I must look at almost every entry and finally found one that we thought looked good. It is in the Piazza del Pigna between Gesu and Chestini, very near an apartment that we like, except we have to sell our unborn children to pay the rent.  In case you are worried, Kimberly says no children are on the way.  This is a sweet little place and the food was as good as I have had in Rome.  I had the Antipasti and Kim and I split a great Clam Pasta.  In a moment of madness, I also ordered a Capressi Salad and was rewarded with the best Buffalo Mozzarela since we arrived.  Too Much, I need my Precor.  We walked all the way back to our bus in Trastevere in order to feel better about lunch.  We included the Campo de Fiori on the way.  Lots of legwork. 

Another new friend. Mario Teleri, teaches printmaking at Temple University in Rome.  He invited us to his studio and out to one of his favorite Pizza joints.  The studio was great and reminded me of mine in Sonoma, not too clean but very usable.  He has two intaglio presses much like mine but much more room for it all.  Still, his presses are in the basement and mine in the light of our garden.  There were lots of artists working and finishing up.  Mario’s partner, Luce, does not speak English.  She too is an artist, teaching print in Milan and making Jewelry in Rome.  Kimbo that great social wonder, kept the conversation all going and the pizza was tasty.  It was an early evening for everybody by Italian standards, and they drove us all the way back up the hill to our cabin.  Mario has been very generous, and I have been offered to teach one of his classes at Temple on the subject of papermaking.  Last night I wished I spoke Italian.