Chie the Indescribable
Shown here holding her nephew Kaito, with her sister Kayo, who took me to the beach during my first week in Rome. Ever-smiling, upbeat, and caring, Chie is one in a million. We ended up seeing each other fairly frequently, and I hope to visit her someday in Tokyo - speaking Italian together!
Our class picture at ItaliaIdea. Our capable teacher Costanza is in the turquoise. A healthy mix of Japanese and Americans, a Spaniard, a German, and a Pole- you guess who's who! And yes, all women.
Alex the Aristocrat, Helena the Lovely, Sarah the Spritely
In front of the Villa Dora Pamhilij in the sprawling park of the same name. I teased Alex the posh Brit for wearing a ring with his coat of arms, until I realized that the English actually have coats of arms, unlike us in the colonies. Helena, my Finnish friend who looks more Italian than some Sicilians, was a frequent dinner and sightseeing companion. Sarah became my confidant (on our various adventures with men...), beach pal, girls' night, and hot-day companion, when we crept from one air-conditioned space to another.
Helena among the candy flowers at La Palma gelateria. They also had lollipops with images of the pope- pope on a pop?
Me and Sarah in front of the Colliseum, the day before I left. After this picture, she walked me down the pine-lined street towards the Circus Maximus. We both looked over our shoulders and waved as we parted.
Corinna the Generous (standing) and Natalie the Genius (in orange)
I didn't know Fabrizio and Marzia very well, so they don't get titles! I met Corinna through her roommate, a friend of mine, who invited me over during my first few days in Rome. Natalie was making dinner- she's French, getting her PhD in medieval art, and cooks like a goddess. Corinna brought me to her choir, which I sang in for a month and met more people. She also is quite a cook, and was kind enough to invite me back for another dinner at their place! This picture was taken at Marzia's beach house, where I was spoiled with spaghetti con vongole, white wine, prosciutto with melon, not to mention a trip to the beach. Afterwards, Corinna broke out sheet music and we - about 10 people in total - gathered round to read through Bach cantatas! They sang everything they could remember from choir, then we branched out to Beatles tunes and more, singing and lounging until evening.
Paolo the Elegant
Another choir member, Paolo often accompanied me to concerts and gave me a personalized walking tour of the city. This picture was taken from the top of the Campidoglio - see the rainstorm brewing in the background? This photo is perhaps the one exception, but Paolo was always impeccably dressed. On my second to last night we had a bite to eat along the Tiber, where we shared cannoli and cassata siciliana, which tragically didn't make it to the US with the Italian immigrants of yore. It's so good it makes you want to cry. When I suggested an American hug goodbye, instead of a dainty Italian kiss, he observed that American hugs seem to be rather pathetic, at least from what he's seen in movies. He set me straight with a big Italian bear hug!
Andrea the Charming
Look at him, isn't he charming? I spent many pleasant afternoons with Andrea (accent on the second syllable, per favore), having lunch on this beautiful balcony in the building where he has the fortune to be employed. Built to house Mussolini's Africa administration, it's now the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, or la FAO as the Italians say. These pictures don't begin to do justice to the spectacular view! My favorite place in all of Rome, or at least in my top 5. St. Peter's is seen in the top picture over Andrea's shoulder; in the bottom we have the Palatine, Circus Maximus between us, and that small dot is the balloon in the Villa Borghese. Andrea somehow managed to take very long lunches, and we would spend the time finding solutions to world problems and laughing at our language mistakes. La FAO is a fascinating little island of internationalism, and the best part: they serve decent sushi, although it slightly horrified Andrea when I ordered it. He showed me some hidden parts of Rome, and was the very last person I said goodbye to on my very last night.
Carla the Ambitious
Look at that face (hers, not mine). Carla's studied a bunch of languages, works for a place that has offices all over the world, and very much wants to move overseas. I have no doubt that she'll be able to do it. My Italian was just starting to come together when we first met for language exhange; I wish we could have seen each other more often. We saw a very disturbing movie at the outdoor cinema on the Tiber Island, and she invited me along twice on group outings. A native Roman and lover of the city, she's not so thrilled with the traffic, smog, and chaos. But one evening when we were walking in Trastevere, having sampled a grattacheca, (or shaved ice, which is actually hard to come by), she told me the name of the summer breeze that was blowing (they all have names in Rome), with the pride a New Yorker has in showing someone the Brooklyn Bridge. "Senti?" She said, brown eyes sparkling. "Questo è il sentito di Roma!"
Katrin the Queen
I wouldn't make it up, that's her title on her email address. Katrin and I met at my local watering hole in Trastev, where I was waiting for a friend who took his time showing up, and she was with fellow artists at their monthly gathering. Fortunate encounter! We ended up going to Hadrian's villa at Tivoli together, and to Ostia Antica, Rome's nearby answer to Pompeii. This photo is from the theater at Ostia, one of the many dramatic ruins of the colony. She also invited me to her studio show with other artists on year-long scholarships in Rome (lucky devils), and we went to some outdoor concerts together and a beer and sausage joint afterwards. That gentleman friend from the party tried to befriend her too, and Katrin and I had fun describing to each other exactly how we eventually blew him off! Full of German seriousness and good nature, Katrin was always good company.
Isabel the International
I signed up for a continuing ed course of tours through papal villas, and found myself in a "class" of retirees. And Isabel. Afterwards, she (in blue) and her friend Abru (who was just visiting Rome) were off to the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, a wonderland Renaissance palace known for exquisitely beautiful gardens with dramatic fountains. "Wanna come?" said Isabel. I didn't hesitate! The day was magical. A long bus ride out, but a leisurely afternoon at the villa, where we must have seen four different couples getting married against the backdrop of one amazing fountain after another; here we are in front of the dragon fountain. The day we were there, several choirs were walking around giving informal concerts, and we spent some time indoors, gazing up at the richly painted ceilings and listening to the music. Isabel, from Spain, and Abru, from Turkey, know each other from an international studies program that brought them to Bologna and Washington DC. Isabel works in Rome (in English!) but unfortunately had to travel alot while I was there. We did have other outings in town though, and practiced our Italian together. (Hers is better than mine....)
Here I am in front of a wall of honeysuckle in the garden.
Life at the Café....
Romolo (as in Romulus, founder of Rome!), Chie, and Simone at the Elenbar, around the corner from the language school. The cutest café in town! The whole school would pile in there for a coffee break during class. This might be my favorite picture of all. Can't I just jump back in and finish my spremuta on the counter?
Davide, son of Romolo, at the Elenbar with my favorite breakfast: one of their freshly made fruit tarts and a cappuccino, of course. Note the travertine counter. A bar in Italy is what we would call a café, and the system works a little differently than it does here. You will not get a paper cup or plate unless you ask for it, and you can expect to drink your coffee standing up, as opposed to walking out the door as we do it. This is fine, as they serve you what we would call espresso, and it takes a second to drink. If you ask, you can have a highly sweetened but delicious glass of fruit juice too; my favorite was blueberry. Bars ring with the clatter of the clerks lining up the saucers and cups on the counter. If you're lucky, you'll be served by as animated a chap as Davide, who chatted with regulars and did a little boogie as he tapped down the coffee and steamed the milk.
Simone, Chie, Becky, Emiko (another student), and I after lunch near the Spanish steps.
Mom the International Woman of Travel
On a brightly painted bench at a rustic hotel in Köszeg, Hungary.....
....and in the shot that everyone in the world has from their trip to Rome! Yes, that's the Trevi fountain. We somehow managed to find a spot free from tourists- I look like I'm saying "did you take it?" to the kid I asked to take the picture.
Cinzia the Amazing
She writes novels, teaches ballet, and translates and teaches Japanese - amazing! Her eye makeup was also always exquisitely done! Cinzia (don't forget, 'ci' gets a 'ch' in Italian) showed me around her lovely neighborhood known as l'EUR, which was to be a community of the future under fascism but is now simply a leafy, peaceful neighborhood with great shopping. She kindly invited me over to lunch, and we met a few times for language exchange and laughs (although we did end up speaking mostly Italian...) Her husband Giovanni (no relation to the kids below!) is also a sweetheart, and I hope to see the two of them again soon- either here or there!
Giovanni the Horrible, Francesco the Pain in the Ass
Although I was happy to have a little cash from babysitting, I spent one too many afternoons with these barbarians. Francesco (Ciaci) had his sweet moments, but Giovanni (Giogiò) would call me names and hit me. Being with children improves your vocabulary, but I didn't appreciate learning cacca di cacca, puzza di cavallo, and caccone. I would walk in and say 'Ciao Giogiò!' and he would make a face and scream 'No!' The parents wanted them to hear some English, the only problem was that they didn't understand English. I was just some babbling skyscraper that kept them away from their babbo, who stayed upstairs furtively trying to work. Though one cute moment came when Francesco, wanting me to pick him up, looked at me and said "tirami su!" I looked down and said "panna cotta!" He didn't get it. Remember Giovanni's face; you'll see it again in 18 years in Italian tabloids, after he's gone crazy and committed some unspeakable crime.
Carla the Fabulous
Gorgeous, hilarious, and fun-loving, Carla was sadly my roommate for only my last 10 days. But we did have some adventures together, including this day on the Via Appia Antica, which is more amazing and evocative of ancient times than I could have ever imagined. Carla is pictured on a lookout point by the road with the ruins of the Villa Quintili in the distance. She was not only fun to be with, but when we went out together, the guys would look at her instead of me- thanks Carla! Maybe I will come down to Australia to visit her someday...
And your host, in the courtyard of St. Paul's.
Duck butts in the pond of the Villa Dora Pamphilij.
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