Best and Worst

Best part of living in Rome...



Clara: having pasta and pizza. My favorite kind of pasta is spaghetti with cheese sauce and pizza margarita (it means cheese and tomato sauce pizza).

Elan: getting to know a lot about soccer, getting to know people from around the world, and learning about Roman and Italian culture. It was cool to learn that ancient Romans took over a lot of Europe.

Theo: soccer and Italian food. Soccer is intense, passionate, and fast paced here. Everyone gives their all. My favorite food is pizza: margarita pizza, pizza bianca, and anchovy.



Worst part of living in Rome...

Clara: bullies. There are a lot in first grade. They lie, mostly, and they twist people's wrists.

Elan: aggressive drivers. They annoy my mother, and it's annoying to hear her scream all the time.

Theo: soccer because it's so intense that people get mad if you mess up. The uniforms at school also are bad.

Daily struggle

Most of this blog shares our outings in and around Rome. I guess I have found a need to show the good things, our enjoyable moments. Truth be told, it's usually quite a chore to live here. As a foreigner and limited Italian speaker, I just don't know or have access to many of the charms of life here. I can't figure out how they make the artichokes taste so good; I can't negotiate a better price for fresh kiwis (or for repair of my gate); I don't know good places to buy shoes or how to play Italian cards; I don't know the difference between tripe cooked in Florence to that of Rome (I also don't like tripe)... I could go on.

I guess the fact of the matter is that much of Italy (Rome, in particular) is closed to me. I don't know many Italians, although my children go to a school that is more than 50% Italian and their classes have even a higher percentage. The few that I have me are busy with and keep to their families. They don't simply invite folks like us home for lunch. It must take years to really penetrate their rich, family-filled worlds. This is different for me, who has lived in other places 'round the world and shared many a meal with "locals."

So, I live like a pseudo-tourist. It's pseudo because as I site-see, I still must come home to negotiate with the man who fills our gas tank; I must listen to the indignant non-apologies of service people who fail to show up on time (or at all); I must interact with the caribinieri who stop me randomly as I drive down my street; I must try to convince the horseriding teacher that shouting, "You know how to ride a horse," doesn't encourage; I must cutoff other cars and gesture if I want to get anywhere... Strange existence.

I also don't have a strong expatriate community to help. We are scattered. Many of the women I do know have lived here for many years and repeat, like a mantra, "It's so much better than it used to be. You're lucky." They've been through the fire (inferno, maybe) and can't imagine why I feel lonely or legless in 2007. Well, I don't know what they've experienced, but a little help and extension of friendship never hurts, no matter how trivial it feels to the giver.

sigh.

Naples

Naples is very different from Rome and from all of the little Medieval towns we've visited--it's a city. It's bustling, busy, large, economically diverse, and dirty. We didn't bother to see the historical center and instead stuck close to the bay, which was beautiful. We loved Piazza Plebiscito, with is columns and live band.

We also enjoyed imagining life in the two large castles/fortresses on the bay.

Just before a dinner of pizza, we shared a mixed seafood antipasta. The kids learned that they like squid, mussels, and clams. Yum!

We spent Sunday exploring the excavation of Herculaneum (Ercolano). This seaside resort was covered in ash and lava when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. Because it was covered so quickly, archaeologists not only found the remains of buildings but petrified, organic materials. They discovered bread prepped for baking, beans, and, yes, skeletons. The eruption of the volcano was recorded by Pliny the Younger, who described the darkening sky, the ash and the wailing of residents. Listening to a reading of his letters on our audioguide made the tour of the excavation even more poignant.

It was very cool to see how people lived here. Most of the large homes were formed around open atriums, which contained private gardens. Homes also had plumbing--water was carried in lead pipes to the kitchen and toilets. Paint decorated walls and mosaics covered most of the floors. And there were large, public baths for men and women.

Cerveteri

The children and I visited the necropolis at Cerveteri on their day home last Friday. The huge, Etruscan tombs were made of tufa (a volcanic rock from which our home also is made). They were surprisingly inspiring. Similar to Egyptians, Etruscans built the tombs to prepare for life-after-death and often resembled very clean homes--they included chairs, vases and art. In Etruscan Places, DH Lawrence wrote of his visit:

“We went down the few steps, and into the chambers of rock within the tumulus. There is nothing left, it is like a house that has been swept clean, and the inmates have left. Now it waits for the next comer. But whoever it is that has departed, they have left a pleasant feeling behind them, warm to the heart. The tombs seem so easy and friendly, cut out of rock underground. One does not feel oppressed descending into them. There is a simplicity combined with a naturalness and spontaneity. Death to the Etruscans was a pleasant continuance of life with jewels and wine and flutes playing for the dance.”

The children were most fascinated with the florescent yellow water that flooded a number of the tombs. We never figured out what kind of chemical caused that or what it's for...

Etruscans were remarkable. They built sewage systems, arches and roads and, later, taught the Romans. Romans refined and spread many of these technologies all over Europe, North Africa, and the Byzantine world as their empire increased.

Settemana Bianca

Settemana Bianca, is White Week or ski week for us Romans. Instead of skiing, we enjoyed Rome a little and watched a lot of tv!

In between Disney programs, we went on a brief tour of the inside the Colosseum for the first time. The stories of fighting gladiators and animals was intriguing. Our guide likened the ancient fights to the death to our current fascination with violent entertainment.

We went to Ostia Antica to tour the ruins of a former port. It was really cool to see 2000 year old mosaic floors, statues, and paintings. After an initial glimpse at some old rocks, the kids enjoyed playing tag in the necropolis (tombs).

We also went to a nearby beach, which was filthy. Despite the trash, we had fun walking with Gaia along the water’s edge, collecting shells, and playing soccer among the rubbish.

At the end of the week, we celebrated mass at Santa Susanna Church instead of at our usual Marymount chapel. The church has a long history in Rome. It is located on the same spot as Susanna’s house, which served as a secret center for Christian worship as early at 280AD. The church also is home to the bones of 5 saints. It is full of elaborate paintings of bible stories and saints.


We also saw the remains of the Baths of Diocletian (huge complex!) and admired some of the many fountains in Rome, including the fountain of the playful nymphs at Piazza Della Republica.