Cara Professoressa Patrizia: Mia Vacanza ѐ Meravigliosa!

Rome Diary IV:
Il Mio Ritorno a Roma!
Friday February 2, 2018
Mostly Cloudy 53°F/12°C in Roma, EUR, Italia
Fair 57°F/14°C in Cedar Park, Texas
Buona giornata amici miei!
     Di Mercoledi, (On Wednesday), my son took me for a personal, private tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and Basilica San Pietro right under the noses of the Swiss Guards.

My son, the Tour Guide

Michael is a licensed tour guide in Rome, but he is not sanctioned to guide tour groups through the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel or St. Peter’s Basilica. After all, Vatican City is a separate, sovereign nation whose Prime Minister, Papa Francesco, is not elected by any earthly voters, but reports only to The Almighty!  And so, as we walked along through the Medieval wonder of it all, my son cautioned me, I’ve gotta keep my voice down, Pop! If one of the Vatican guards thinks I’m giving a guided tour, they can ask us to leave. My excitement level rose. I wasn’t just on another guided tour, I was on a clandestine operation deep inside the Vatican. Nervously scanning the crowds of other tourists, looking for secret agents of Opus Dei, we plunged onward.

January is the slack season of year for the tour industry in Rome, so we had ample time to contemplate the treasures on display at the Musei di Vaticani. When we arrived at La Capella Sistina, we easily found a seat on the benches that skirt the periphery of the large room and gazed up at the ceiling and Michelangelo’s magnificent fresco. Ever the art scholar, my son, described in great detail how Michelangelo had created this masterpiece along with the personal anecdotes and insights into this medieval artistic genius that made Michelangelo come to life for me.

     On the second day of February most Americans are thinking, Hooray! It’s Ground Hog Day! The day set aside to honor that furry, little critter Punxatawney Phil, and contemplating the prospect of

Perseus & His Groundhog!

six more weeks of Winter. But, not this Americano. I’m in Rome, Italy, thousands of miles away from the clack and clatter of domestic political turbulence back home in Texas and vicinity. I’m in the middle of a five week stay in Italy, but I’m already thinking about when I’ll be coming back.  Let me see… My high school class reunion is in October in New York… Maybe I could just leave from NYC and fly back to Italy.  Oh well! Let’s think about it. Now then, I’ll get around to some travel advice in a moment, but, I would like to digress for a moment to insert a short note to my Italian language teacher, Patrizia, back in Austin, Texas:

Cara Patrizia, vorrei riprendermi un momento dal scrivere il mio blog per raccontarvi la mia vacanza.

Sto soggiornando in un appartamento che ho affittato in EUR, in Viale dell'Oceano Atlantico vicino a Laurentina. Mio figlio Michael e sua moglie Laura vivono nelle vicinanze a Colle Parnaso. Io sarò qui per un mese. Ho mio traduttore di Google e praticare il mio vocabolario con DuoLingo ogni giorno.
      A presto.
      Arrivederci, MikeBo

(Dear Patrizia,

I would like to take a moment from writing my blog to tell you about my vacation.
      I am staying at an apartment I have rented in EUR, on Viale dell’Oceano Atlantico near Laurentina. My son Michael and his wife Laura live nearby in Colle Parnaso. I will be here for a month. I have my Google Translator and practice my vocabulary with DuoLingo every day.
See you soon.
Goodbye,
MikeBo)

      So there. I like to keep la mia insegnante-my teacher - up to date on my progress. Learning a new language is a challenge for me, but, I am beginning to feel comfortable in my new surroundings, in no small way, my thanks to Patrizia Papi at Austin Community College. Grazie mille, mia Professoressa!
      I’ve mentioned that the more frequently I travel to Rome that I have been feeling less and less like a typical American tourist but, as every visit concludes, I feel more and more like an expatriate. Not quite Mike Botula, International Man of Mystery, but no longer a Californian or even a Texan where I happen to live now. (Full Disclosure: Since I was born in New York City, I must state that people like me who are born in NYC, are New Yorkers, regardless of where they choose to live, until they die. And even then, their epitaph will usually read, Here lies a New Yorker!)
      One aspect of my transition from tourist to ex-pat is my effort to learn the language. Prior to my first trip to Rome in 2005, I signed up for a class at the Italian Cultural Center in Sacramento entitled: Buon Viaggio! Conversational Italian for Travelers, taught by Patrizia Cerruti. The trip itself became what I have since come to recognize as the typically overly ambitious, over-planned, over-tiring first time overseas journey by a typical American. I deluded myself into thinking that I could visit Rome and Pompeii; go on to Naples, visit Florence, Milan and take a gondola ride through Venice and do it with days to spare.

Cue the cold splash of reality!  We never left the city limits of Rome. In fact, I never past the confines of the Aurelian Wall except for a few trips up to Selci, in Sabina to Laura’s parents’ home in

I Due Mike Botulas

the mountains. So now with numerous vacations and extended stays in Italy under my belt, I would advise my friends: Sure! If you’re a first-time traveler, book yourself on a pre-planned tour and have someone make sure you get where you want to go. Then on your NEXT trip, start exploring! Work with your travel service and surf the internet. I’m a fan of Rick Steves’ travel shows on PBS. If you’re a PBS subscriber, you can stream Steves’ entire repertoire of travelogues, then select a destination that catches your eye.

I haven’t said much about Michael and No Funny Stuff! But, I will after I see the band play Saturday night at Mahalia here in Rome.  With the pace he’s going these days, a geezer like me has to make a real effort to keep up with him.

I’ll keep you posted along the way.
Ciao,
MikeBo

[Mike Botula is the author of LST 920: Charlie Botula’s Long, Slow Target! He is a retired broadcast journalist, government spokesperson and media consultant.   Mike’s book is available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble Books. You can follow his blog at: mikebotula.blogspot.com, or visit Mike Botula at www.mikebotula.com]