Home sweet Rome

We arrived in Rome quite late on a Sunday.  Last year we also arrived late in the evening after a stay in Ireland.  Last year I was a wreck of nerves and anticipation.  It took awhile to get settled and get used to being here.  This year the circumstances are similar, but I feel like I'm coming home.  It also helps that we brought a little bit of Dublin weather with us.  Our first full day was cool and rainy.  So nice.  Last year was hot, muggy, and buggy.  Instead of a new apartment and neighborhood to figure out I came home to a full pantry and a new washing machine.  Still no dryer, but so glad for the quiet new machine.

The kids are also glad to be back.  They have the normal back-to-school feelings, but they are happy to be back in this chaotic, noisy, dirty, beautiful city.  We need to buy books and school supplies.  To get the books we took the Metro to Piazza di Spagna, stopped at the Anglo-American book shop then wandered past the Trevi fountain and on to Piazza Barberini.  

Is he really going to read ALL of Emily Dickinson's poems?

My Girl enjoyed seeing her old school bus route.  She had quite the scenic ride last year through the historical center of town passing near the Colosseum, by Santa Maria Maggiore, and through Piazza Barberini with Bernini's Triton fountain.  The route will be different this year.  New things to see.

We need to eat gelato and visit some of our favorite restaurants.  Indoor seating is more limited so there is a lot more outdoor sidewalk seating which is lovely this time of year.  We even have an in-person scout meeting this Friday.

 Before school starts My Boy needs a COVID test.  I was able to navigate the whole process pretty well including finding the place, setting up the appointment, and figuring out how to get the results when the online system didn't work.  All in Italian.  I felt quite accomplished.  It was my win for the day.  This would have been overwhelming last year.

One piece of happy news is that the school bus will pick up My Girl right in front of our building.  Last year it was a 15 minute walk/hike/sprint to get to the bus stop rain or shine.  Boy did it rain in November!  Then a wait in front of a bank on a busy street.  Twice we took a taxi to the school bus stop when crutches were involved.  Knowing we won't have to do this, I'm already missing the walk and the time to talk and see the city in the morning when it is quiet.  I remember walking down the empty side walk during the winter sunrise singing to the Beatles,  Here comes the sun do de do do...  We watched the birds, especially the starlings, and the sky change color.  We filled her water bottle at the sidewalk nasone, one of the water fountains that dot the city.  After school the ups and downs of the day tumbled out on the walk home.  By the time we got home it was all out.  We stopped at our favorite gelato shop at Piazza Re di Roma.  It was a real accomplishment when My Girl could order her own cone in Italian.  It was a script they had worked on in class.  She didn't need to say much, since she got the same thing every day, but it was a real breakthrough for her to be able to communicate what she wanted.  She is much more confident now.

• Cono piccolo per favore.  (Small cone, which is plenty big.  I usually get stracciatella/chocolate chip, and strawberry)
• Due Euro. 
• Fior di pana, solo.  (Only flower of cream, the closest thing they have to vanilla.)
• Con pana?  (With cream?  You can get whipped cream on top of your gelato if you want.)
• Si, Grazie. 

 We'll need a new routine for this year to make sure we still get our time to talk about the day.  Maybe we will take a walk and get gelato.  But only if it isn't raining.

John and I went for a walk last night and went through Campo di Fiori, a beautiful piazza in the historical center.  We saw the statue of Bruno, the heretic burned at the stake in that spot.  When we left you couldn't find a face mask anywhere.  I had to make the masks we wore on the plane home.  Now there are shops that sell all sorts of fashionable fabric masks and disposable masks seem to be pretty available.  What really struck me is how delightfully empty it all was.  There were enough people that it felt lively with cafe tables all around the edge of the piazza.  But there were none of the pressing crowds you would expect on a warm summer evening in a famous piazza in the middle of the touristy center.  I imagine the Italians and others who live here full time are glad to have their city back, but it has been a heavy price to pay.