Rome Day 7
I just left Florence and already I miss it. It's so small that last night, I could point out directions to Mike, a new arrival from Tampa. He was surprised to learn that I'd only been in Florence for 3 days but I already know my way around so well (it's not that difficult with a map :).Being in Rome now, which is such a big city comparatively, is a little intimidating. Knowing the in's and out's of a city helps make me feel less lonely, less lost, in a sometimes maddening maze of crowds, sights and foreign languages. Having to learn a new city is giving me a huge bout of loneliness right about now.
Especially since walking around in Florence this morning was a quiet experience - the holiday + Sunday meant even fewer cars in the centro historico and much much less tourists (all sights were closed). This is in direct contrast to the gaiety that was Florence after dark on a Saturday night.
At night, musicians come out in full force at their own little spot - a violinist (playing the theme from 'The Godfather' no less) at Piazza della Repubblica, a cellist at via Ponte Rossi a few blocks away, and a guitarist for the younger set at Ponte Vecchio further down (that's where I was).
The party spills out to the street parallel to the Arno as the night wears on. But even in the midst of all the chaos, there's always a feeling of space, where the music and the singing seem to fade as you stare out into the river, beautifully lit by floodlights at night.
No such thing in Rome. Even taking the Metro, you'll hear sudden shouts for no apparent reason. There is always someone staring, saying 'Ciao Bella' or trying to hug you.
Today, all roads led to San Giovanni for the biggest annual outdoor Labor Day concerto. The energy was incredible - there must have been a couple of thousand people, some of them there since the morning (it's a full day concert of the biggest Italian bands).
Perini, Heineken and even wine in plastic bottles flowed freely. People were in various states of undress. Whatever little tops the women had on were tied or folded under their breasts to show off their stomachs. The men were mostly bare-chested with their pants down to their ass, exposing designer intimo. I even got flashed by one of them!!
That was still, if you can believe me, relatively tame. As it started to get dark, even more clothes started to come off, the dancing became more lewd and... I learned how to roll hash. I left soon after - a high Italian mob is not exactly my idea of a good time.
I went to Via Marghutto, haven of artists and bohemians, and stumbled into a cafe that was in the middle of a poetry reading. After a shot of espresso (they only serve cappuccino till noon, after that it's espresso all the way), I was more than a little awake listening to the beautiful cadences and rhythm of the Italian language.
The 2 poets, Antonello and Mario, had just each published their anthology of poems. Mario, who is primarily a painter, was also having an exhibition of his works at Piazza di Pietra and at a private gallery (which I got to see). Amazing for someone only a year older than me.
He kindly offered to take me through Rome on his Vespa (where I truly feared for my life) and the 1st stop was the amazing view at Avelino. The rest of Rome was pretty much at high speed (view from a Vespa below) though we stopped for gelato at Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto.
Rome is the only place where a modern building can be found right beside a 2000 year old edifice. Amazing. Rome is truly bella bella bella.
posted by moan @ 2:06 AM
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