Summations and Realizations

Rome Day 6: Boy O Boy O Boy!!! I could go on…The food here is dangerously scrumptious. Gnocchi with oxtail, Linguini with seafood, carbonara to make you tear up, and gelato to make you wish you had 5 stomachs. It’s as if I’ve never even had Italian food. As if everything that came before it was just an essence of what it should be. Tomatoes that pop in your mouth with sweet juices and varieties you’ve never seen. Peaches so big they look like small melons and juicy and fresh as off the tree. FYI- always eat your peaches warm, the juice drips down your cheeks with tasty goodness, sweet syrup and you can’t help but lick your fingers in delight.

You find these water fountains with flowing cold fresh water on nearly every street. They let them run because they say it's the best way to keep the water fresh and filtered.

 

I was fortunate enough to meet some really great people earlier this week. The Italians like the French are a bit of a tough cookie to break but in come the salvation of the plethora of foreigners and expats. All with the same appreciation and wonder of a land unlike what they’ve known. They are here purely because the love it and not just because they were born here. Not to mention they had to work their ass off to make it happen. Battling the visas and lack of employment for those yet not attained. English teaching and tour guides seem like the only option for people who may have spent their whole lives working at their dream jobs. Now they seek dream lands. That makes for a hell of a lot more appreciation. 

The Italian language sounds so beautiful. A sing song of words. And once you are introduced, they treat you with the utmost happiness and warmth. Did I mention the hand talking? It’s fantastic! They talk about food with movements of their hands and mouth and boy do they love their food. Ask any Italian and they will tell you it is the best in the world. No exception. And it’s obvious they are all on board. In most big cities you see a variety of restaurants. The Chinese place, the sushi house, the Mexican spot. Such is not the case here. You really have to look hard to find anything other than A Pizza spot, trattoria or Italian pastry shop. And they have these great little café’s where they serve up coffee, sandwiches and grilled veggies. They know exactly what to do with veggies to make them taste like a treat.

Complaints:

• It’s hot as hell!
•  So much graffiti in a place that could look like a fairytale with the ruins and historic buildings and at night it all lights up like magic.
• Public transportation is not so great for such a big city. They only have 2 metro lines but Paris has spoiled me.
• I miss my shoes! The cobblestone is a nightmare. The Italian woman are gods to risk their lives and their designer shoes.
• The bread has no salt and taste insipid but again Paris made me such a bread snob.
• Wifi is nearly impossible to find! Ahhh…frustrating as hell for the technology and communication starved.