Last Sunday morning we got up at 5:30 to make it to the airport by 6:30. At 7:00 the group headed to the gate and I headed to the train. I was half way home when I got a call from My Boy saying that the trip was cancelled. The Italian ministry of health had cancelled all educational travel inside and outside of Italy. While private schools are not compelled to comply they decided it was prudent to do so. Several trips to more distant locations had already left on Saturday. They continued their trips as planned. With a good share of the teachers and students already out of the country there was no reasonable way to hold classes with the students suddenly at home, so an unexpected week at home.
The reason for the cancellation is the outbreak of the coronavirus or COVID-19 in Northern Italy. The virus was first noticed in China and has slowly spread around the world, first to several Asian countries and now to Europe and Iran. There are two cases in Rome, Chinese tourists, but it is not spreading in the community yet. The main outbreak is in Northern Italy in Lombardy and Veneto. Towns have been quarantined, schools closed, and major events cancelled including the famous Carnival in Venice. At this point hundreds are sick and several have died. The numbers will go up I'm sure. The virus has spread from Northern Italy to other European countries, the Canary Islands, and now Brazil and the US. Still no new cases in Rome thank goodness.
People are worried. Stores are running out of hand sanitizer and face masks. People in town are stocking up on food. Friends and family are reconsidering travel plans. The schools are making plans to teach remotely and pestering students about hand washing and hand sanitizer. Hospitals are setting up triage tents. I have been buying extra food and washing my hands a lot. We had so little food in the house that it was probably a good idea to get more anyway. Somewhat unintentionally I have mostly been staying away from the crowded city center. Yesterday, when we ventured into the center in search of Froot Loops at the American Minimart we found relatively sparse crowds and a few people wearing face masks. There is an undercurrent of tension and uncertainty, but other than that life goes on.
With an unexpected week off of school I've been having a good time with My Boy. We've been having a relaxing week. Between all of the grocery shopping we have been taking long walks in some of the open spaces nearby. Monday we walked to the Appia Antica park. It is open and huge and lovely and a little bit wild on the east side where we walked. It is nearly spring so the grass is green and the sun is out. There were just enough people so that it didn't feel abandoned, more like we had all found the same secret.
Another day we went a little further to the Aquaduct park. Also open, huge, lovely, and a bit wild, but with the added interest of rows of repeating arches in the aquaducts and blossoming fruit trees. They are both a nice escape from the concrete canyons of the city.
It is easiest to tempt the kids out of the house with food, so we also went to the Testaccio market in search of meatball sandwiches. We found them at Mordi e vai (bite and go). It is an old place where they serve traditional Roman food sandwich style. If you like tripe, heart, and lungs, this is the place for you. We stuck with the boring, but delicious, meatballs.
After lunch we wandered south into the Ostiense neighborhood. This place is a bit more industrial and hipster. This part of town is known for its street art. We found a bakery/cafe I had heard served sourdough bread. We found the market and the sourdough. My life in Rome is now complete! The bread was amazing. The cinnamon twists were just so so. If you need your fix of hipster avocado toast I know where to send you. Please bring me a loaf of bread.
Last week was Settimana Bianca or ski week for My Girl. We didn't go skiing since My Boy was in school, but we had a nice week anyway. It might have been nice to have both kids home instead of one at a time, but I also really enjoyed having the one on one times with them. We talked about things we might not have other wise. It has been really nice to connect with them individually.
My Girl and I ran errands in the neighborhood and did a little shopping. One day we went to the big mall in EUR. We hadn't been out there before. What can I say, it's a mall. We went to the Lego store, ate hamburgers, and watched the teenagers. Earlier in the week we went to Decathlon to get things for soccer. She has decided to join the school soccer team. This is a good thing at a good time. She thought about joining in the fall, but we had just arrived and it was all a bit too much. Now she is more settled into life here and can really enjoy it without being exhausted by it.
We also shopped for food. We found lambchops at Eataly a "food emporium" near the Ostiense train station. We also found fun pasta shapes and enjoyed looking at all the unusual food items available. The baguettes there are worth the trip.
We spent an afternoon at Trajan's market near the Colosseum and Roman Forum. It wasn't really a market, more like an office building with some market stalls. It has recently been turned into a museum. It was fun to see the marble statuary in this ancient setting and walk around the excavated ruins.
It's hard to get a sense of the scale of these figures in this picture. It was maybe 3 feet tall. Imagine what the whole thing would have looked like. The standard human is 7 heads tall. That would put her at about 20 feet tall. That's one tall statue. Check out the detail in the curly hair. These large figures would have been made to be seen from quite a distance, so the level of detail is amazing.
I really loved the room with all the amphorae. They were so beautiful with their variety of shapes and colors. I watched a pottery show on pit firing. These look like they have the same marks. Amphorae are shipping vessels for wine and olive oil, so not pieces of fine art at all, but their rustic simplicity really appealed to me.
Up on top we counted church domes. So many. I love visiting off season. It would have been a completely different experience with a crowd.
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