Category: Rome
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Fathers Day
I have decided to take full advantage of Easter in Roma. I do not usually travel to la Bella città this time of the year. And, as with all my vacations, I generally don’t choose the dates for any other reason than “it’s been long enough without a break, pick some dates from the calendar”. Which is…
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On the Street
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The latest in street performers in Rome. What are these people looking at? This is a street performer unlike any I have ever seen on the street. Perhaps this pediatric attraction has been around for awhile, but not in my experience. I happened upon little big blue…
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American in Roma
Having missed my annual trek to Italy in ’05, I gave myself two full weeks this year for much needed R&R in my adopted città. So many missions: study, shop, mangia bene and explore my neighborhood. My first day in Rome, I wandered from my apartment near the Colosseum to explore another ancient site: the Roman Forum.…
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Il Mio Appartamento
Some very quick impressions about my little apartment — il mio appartamento piccolo. Things will be different, not because this is another time — but another neighborhood. I am staying in a tiny little apartment. Full of beams and slanted ceilings. Most of my attention has been focused on navigating my head around those beams, a…
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I Miei Amici Italiani
My Italian Friends. Walking around the familiar cobblestone streets of Rome for the first time upon my return, I felt like I was back among old friends. Ah, Roma. I ran into these little guys in one of my favorite piazzas in Rome. They were giggling and running together around the base of a circular…
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Back in the USA
That first view of my city was awe inspiring. Most sunrises are. But, this was no ordinary sunrise. This was the moment when I first looked for that hole in the skyline. It felt strange, yes, but as distant as if it were on television. I am not yet in my apartment because my subletters…
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Last Week in Rome 2001 Edition
GRAZIE E ARRIVEDERCI Thank you and Goodbye. This is the phrase printed on the bottom of every receipt you get in Italy. It seemed somehow fitting as I bid farewell to my ancient city. Writing my final dispatch from Rome was almost impossible. What could I possibly say to wrap up this adventure? That last…
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Festa del Ringraziamento 2001
During the week of Thanksgiving, folks back home were having their Festa del Ringraziamento. Back here in Rome, we were having our own festival, an international party of foods from our home countries. The international festival at school was a party to which we are all asked to share typical dishes from our own countries.…
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Sempre Diritto Part Three 2001
During this week, sempre diritto reared its head once again. Literally, it means “always straight” or, straight ahead. Italians often say this when you ask for directions. It signifies to me that I am lost. I had a revelation: getting lost is una metafora per la vita. It is not so much that we have…
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Due Ragazze from Marion Street
Two girls from Marion Street in Albany, Oregon, together in Rome. My best friend from childhood visited me with her family during my tenth week. It was, without doubt, my best week in Italy. I have known this woman since I was three years old. When Sandy found out I was coming to Rome, she decided, on…