Tempus Fugit!

Diario di Roma Tre

Wednesday March 29, 2017

Sunny 71°F/22°C in Roma, EUR, Italia 00144

Partly Cloudy 79°F/26°C in Cedar Park, Texas 78613

Buongiorno,

I’m past the halfway point in my current Roman Holiday, but there is still a lot to see and do

Up is THAT way, Mike!

before I board the big bird and wing my way back over the Atlantic. I had bailed on my Italian class at Austin Community College in order to make the trip, but I hope to convince il mia insegnante, Patrizia, that it was a worthwhile trade-off. Michael has arranged for one of his students to meet with me several times a week in a language exchange.  My new co-learner is una bella donna Italiana named Monica who wants to learn English in time for her U.S. vacation later this year. I, of course am il signore americano  who is trying to learn Italian. Michael has hosted our first two classes, but is leaving us on our own when next we meet over lunch.  I have given Monica my Kindle with the same English-Italian dictionary and phrase book that I have on my IPad.  My fail-safe is Google Translator, which I have on both my IPhone and IPad. But basically we are on our own. You might have noticed my inclusion of Italian words and phrases  in more of my blogs lately. That’s intentional on my part. It’s not because I’m a show-off, but, if these Rome Diary blogs are going to have any value in helping a future traveler, it’s always nice to know some of the local language, and besides, I need the practice.

 The language exchange scheduled for Monday had to be postponed because Monica had to travel to Milano for work. I walked around my neighborhood to hit the Bancomat and catch up on a bit of grocery shopping at the Elite Supermercato. It’s a daily trip for me, because, unlike back home in Texas where I go shopping only once or twice a week, but put all the stuff in the back of my pick-up, I am limited to what I can carry with me on the walk back to the apartment. One night after Laura dropped me off, I discovered to my absolute shock, that the front entryway lock had been broken. I was locked out of the building. My efforts to ring up my landlady via the apartment intercom, proved fruitless. She had also been locked out and had gone to a friend’s house for the evening. I was in a predicament that I couldn’t talk my way out of because I couldn’t speak Italian well enough. Fortunately, one of the neighbors appeared with two big bags of groceries. She saved the day by using the intercom to call upstairs to her husband, who buzzed us both into the building. This was a lock myself out scenario that I had definitely NOT anticipated.  All was well again by the next day after the lock had been replaced and new keys issued to the tenants.

My son has kept himself busy showing me around with new adventures mixed in to the tried and true. One afternoon, we went for a stroll along la via appia

, the first paved highway in the

Michael and MikeBo along the Appian Way

ancient world, straight as a die from Rome to Brindisi. The Appian Way was built way before highway engineers discovered freeway hypnosis, and built curves into their roadways to keep drivers from falling asleep at the wheel. The ancient roadway is a favorite of walkers and bicyclists, and an occasional farm vehicle or resident’s car heading home to one of the villas along the route.

Another afternoon, Michael picked me up and we headed downtown for a visit to the Musei Capitolini, the Capitoline Museum, which abuts what is now Rome’s City Hall. The museum dates back to Rome’s Imperial days and is Europe’s oldest museum, just chock full of artifacts and statuary including the famous bronze statue of the she-wolf

"Mom" with Remus and Romulus

nursing the infant boys Remus and Romulus. Just before closing time Michael took me to the terrace for a fabulous view of the Forum below and explained the path that triumphal path the Roman Legions would take on their return from victories on far-flung battle fields, passing through a series of triumphal arches en route to being welcomed home by the Emperor. Later, as we retraced our steps downward along what seemed to me to be the longest staircase on Earth, I made another wisecrack about the ancient Romans and their lack of concern for anyone with a physical disability. Dad! Said my son, with no small amount of disdain in his voice, in ancient times, the penitents would go UP these stairs on their KNEES! As I’ve noted previously, the Romans are bred from hardy stock.

As we proceeded down Capitoline Hill, Michael suggested we walk through Rome’s ancient Jewish Ghetto. As anti-semitism welled up  in the Middle Ages, Rome’s Jews were herded into this

Rome's Forum

narrow area along the Tiber. Here they lived in spite of the severe restrictions imposed on them. One example is the multi-storied synagogue at the center. Since the Jews were allowed to build only one synagogue, and there were several denominations among them, my son told me, they built ONE synagogue with several floors. By then it was after 7:30 p.m., the Roman dinner hour and the various restaurants were beginning to serve. Anyone of these places appeal to you, dad? Michael asked. One sign caught my eye, Bellacarne Kosher Grill, cucina ebraica! Our Kosher meal in the heart of one of Europe’s oldest ghettoes was delicious. Later, as we walked back to our car, we strolled by the spot were hundreds of people were massacred during World War 2 by the Nazis. The shadows of a dark past are always present in modern Rome. In one afternoon, we had strolled through a thousand years of Roman History.

Ciao!

MikeBo

[Mike Botula is the author of LST 920: Charlie Botula’s Long, Slow Target!  (Amazon Books)  MikeBo’s Blog is a wholly owned subsidiary of his web site www.mikebotula.com

© By Mike Botula 2017

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