Quando a Roma...

Auguri, i miei amici! Well, the “Capo del Mondo” was surely something, to say the least. My weekend in Rome was definitely something to write home about. I went to visit a “Roman-Student” friend. I truthfully couldn’t have chosen a better guide. Not only did he give me a personal tour of the città “gratis”, but he also happens to be studying classics. What better place to study? His lessons often take place in the Ancient Roman Forum! He tooted me all around “The Eternal City”, pointing out even the overlooked details and secrets. I saw Trajan’s Markets (and millions of other ancient Roman ruins), The Bolognese Gardens, The Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, The Vatican and oh so much more. A funny fact: among the plethora of famous sights there are about a billion free public drinking fountains (free water??!?! It’s unheard of!). Turns out the strange birds of “The City of Fountains” follow their avian instincts straight to these locations. Per esempio, just as I was wiping my mouth after a long cold pull from one fountain in “I Giardini Palentino”, I watched a frazzled old man, muttering Italian curse words under his breath, urgently use the basin of another for personal hygienic reasons. I’ll put it this way: he didn’t treat it as a urinal. I should have guessed that there was some sort of catch to the only free thing in Italy. Mamma mia! Sabato sera, we dined at an Enoteca called “Col De Sac”. Naturally (and solely in the spirit of learning), we tried many different types of wine native to Italy. We also experimented with food, trying tripe. (I mean Italians love it, so when in Rome….). It wasn’t that awful. But then I actually thought about it. My stomach was digesting a stomach. AND…cows have four. Basta! (enough!). At dinner, we met a couple from Naples and I spent two hours exchanging Italian with them. The wine helps my language skills, I’m certain. All and all, it was a weekend enchanted. This silly blog could never do it justice. I hope all is well in the States! -K p.s. I started a new libro (book)—“Harry Potter e La Pietra Filosofale” (Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone). I am pumped, but in all actuality it’s like reading two books. Harry Potter and my Italian dictionary. A presto!