27-30 August 2022
We are ensconced with cousins—Luciana, Marta, Francesco, and baby Liam. They live in the Montesacro neighborhood of Rome, about five miles northeast of the historic center. San Franciscans may recognize this as the name of a SoMa restaurant that serves a type of pizza called pinsa, distinctive because of a puffy crust of mixed grains. Pinsa is easily found here too. Around the corner from the Sabbatinis is a small commercial district, Piazza Adriatico, with a bank, grocery store, newsstand, salons, and a myriad of other establishments including the cafe where Robert has his morning cappuccino and another where we enjoy a spritz with Luciana. Even with the hot weather, Bonnie managed to make it to her favorite local chocolate store nearby. Farther down the road, a 10-minute walk, is Bonnie’s favorite gelateria—Gori.
Montesacro was developed with small villas (villette) in the 1920s as a garden suburb for railroad workers. Today about 70 percent of the small villas are gone, along with their expansive gardens, replaced mainly with condominiums built in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The small apartment buildings, amid the mature trees, are about four stories, with parking under the ground floor. A few remaining villas house embassies. Some house groups of priests; some house nuns. Zio Alfredo and Zia Santa, Adriana and Luciana’s parents, purchased their apartment in 1961, a year before Robert’s first family trip to Italy. The typical apartment has marble floors, big walls of storage cabinets instead of closets, and long hallways. Heavy metal window covers pull down and a few rooms have small air conditioning units high on the wall.
Adriana, Luciana’s sister, is in Sardinia with her partner Gino Second, where they enjoy their small flat every summer. It is close to the water for a swim and for fresh seafood that Adriana proudly displays on Facebook—a habit shared with her cousin Robert. We are staying in their flat in Montesacro while they are away.
Getting There
We arrived after a 10.5 hour flight to Zurich and a 1.5 hour flight from Zurich to Rome. We were pleased with Swiss Air. Very good service. After Bob Colegrove’s urging to fly business class, we splurged just a bit for economy plus. Much more leg room. Bonnie actually got some sleep, so after we arrived in Rome she only slept 19 hours, less than the 23 hours in 2019. We were impressed with the handsome new international terminal in Rome that opened in May, named poetically Boarding Area A. Luciana met us there with a driver and a plush BMW SUV. Lovely entry into Rome. Luciana prepared a dinner of pomodori con riso (tomatoes stuffed with rice alla Zia Santa)—a required staple for Robert every time he visits.
Porta di Roma
While Bonnie slept, Robert started his morning routine at the local cafe—Rosati. They have a pleasant outdoor space constructed pre Covid. After his cornetto and cappuccino, the day’s adventure began. Luciana and Robert drove to Porta di Roma, a mega shopping center that rivals any in the USA. Multi-level, large parking area, and air conditioned. Did we mention that Rome is hot? In the 90s F with high humidity and little air movement. Our target was SIM chips at Vodaphone (for Robert’s phone) and TIM (for Bonnie’s phone, just in case the reception and service differs from one to the other). We didn’t do much comparison shopping because the prices were very good. About $52 for four months, unlimited gigabytes, with nominal costs for additional gigabytes outside of Italy. Much improved from 2019. We also stopped at the Conad supermarket in Porta di Roma. HUGE place with about 30 types of prosciutto and wine that averages five euros a bottle.
After lunch, we took a nap (actually Bonnie was still asleep) and then had a nice dinner at Luciana’s. All fresca—perfect for the heat of the day. Later in the evening, Luciana’s daughter Marta came by with two-month-old Liam. Adorable. By this time Bonnie was refreshed and ready for a coppetta of vegan chocolate gelato so we strolled to her favorite gelateria.
Rome, Covid, and Other Observations
Luciana and Robert had the same observation. It does not seem like three years have gone by since we were here. Only a few days. Luciana just retired from teaching (official tomorrow, 01 September) and just became a grandmother. A new phase in life for her. Her daughter Marta, partner, and grandchild just moved out of her apartment to another nearby owned by Luciana and Adriana. Visits to Nonna and Zia Adriana are easy to do. Note: Adriana and Luciana are Robert’s only first cousins. But there is a vast number of second, third, and . . . throughout Rome, Central Italy, and the Veneto.
We arrived in Rome toward the end of the Italian vacation period in the last two weeks in August. Handwritten notes on many shops let you know they are closed until next week, the first week of September. With so many shops closed for vacation it is hard to say how much has changed since we were here in 2019. Some shops and restaurants remain. Others are new. Most people are not wearing masks. About 50 percent of merchants are wearing them. We always put them on for indoor spaces. The New York Times stated today that 80 percent of Italians have received two doses of vaccine and infection and death rates are in decline. Still, Italy is one of Europes’s Covid hotspots.
Several times Luciana let us know that energy costs have tripled since the war in Ukraine started.
Bonnie is delighted to understand almost everything in Italian, as opposed to Robert who THINKS he understands everything in Italian. Soon she should be speaking more actively too. Oh, as a reminder, when you greet and kiss your cousins, you start on your RIGHT and then move to the left.
On the garbage front, at least in Montesacro, the City of Rome is keeping up—so much better than in 2019 when recycling pickups were weeks apart and garbage was piled higher than the dumpsters. Parking still consumes local plazas. Space in front of a parked car is an opportunity for temporary parking. And, in case you are wondering about parking bans for street cleaning, no, they do not exist. Gutters are cleaned by hand—working around the parked cars.
Dinner Out
We had our first spritz of the trip with Luciana. We requested the spritz with Select (not Aperol or Campari). Select is from Venezia. Not too sweet. Not too bitter. We recommend it.
We finally met Francesco, Marta’s partner, when we convened for dinner at a restaurant. (Nice fellow. Age 32. Very hip. He and Marta have a small bar in the heart of Montesacro.) Our restaurant dinner started at 8:30 and ended at 11:00. Baby Liam, very tranquil, was the center of attention. Bonnie survived the late hour but warned Robert she would sleep in. Robert treated everyone to dinner and left a tip in cash. A few minutes later, as we were wandering down the sidewalk, a waitress came rushing out, waving the cash, which she thought Robert had left behind on the table by mistake. American tips. Italian tips. Very different. We will cut down the amount next time. They tell us 5 to 10 Euros is plenty. Tomorrow we go to Francesco and Marta’s bar, Pisto, for the evening spritz and heavy snacks. Their bar is conveniently close to Gori, Bonnie’s gelateria. (Chuck Byrne: This post commences our food porn photos for your viewing pleasure.)
PISTO – FRANCESCO AND MARTA’S BAR
After some small errands, we spent the afternoon in the apartment trying to stay cool. Some nap time intermingled with our effort. Robert spent time on reacquainting himself with the mechanics of the blog. He had some success. At 8:30 we met at Pisto, Francesco and Marta’s bar. Luciana treated us to a spread of food and of course sprtiz. Marta was there with Liam. The big surprise was seeing Gino Primo (Luciana’s x). Gino retired two months ago and enjoys going to the beach when the weather permits. He had a few Christmas cards written by my parents to his parents in the early to mid 90s. In one, my father commented that Gino and Robert were like brothers. A grateful reminder to Robert. It is always great to see Gino Primo on our visits.
Next stop Serra Sant’Abbondio!