We spent what is becoming our customary month of June, in Italy. This summer was the first time we were able to be in our own home there, in lovely Arpino, other than ten quick days at Christmas. Honey Man was with us for two of the four weeks this time, and we were able to get some projects done that make the house more functional. Once he came home, we were able to slow down and get into the rhythm of life in a hill town.
The first of that week was quiet, as we know people in town, but didn’t yet have any particularly close friends, and I was on my own for the first time, unless you count the teenager that would much rather hide out in his room that wander about with him mom. By the end of the week though, I was thoroughly caught up in the social whirl. That week brought a lovely wine tasting event, a casa crawl with a friend from Canada, and a potluck supper, where I introduced many to southern style potato salad, (made with Duke’s mayonnaise, of course, because there just isn’t any other kind!) and bread pudding with whisky sauce. The bread pudding was enough of a hit that it was repeated, by request, at another dinner the following week.
Late June is the kickoff of festival season in Italy, and I was able to witness my first religious procession, for St. Anthony’s Day, complete with fireworks, and a live band that turned the piazza into a dance party. Italians LOVE a party, and they do it with tremendous style. Unfortunately, I left town on a Thursday, to spend a night in Rome before flying home that Friday. Had we stayed another week, there would have been multiple bonfire parties around town, and a blues festival at a town down the mountain from us. Next year we will make a point of being there for those.
So this post is really about Rome. Traveling with children and teenagers is something I love, but you have to find ways to pull them into being interested in what you are doing. I’ve heard everything from, “History is boring,” to, “How many tiny peenies do we really need to see?” while trekking through museums and such. Now the current child I am dragging around the world, is going to melt into a puddle on the floor if I waltz him through too many museums and churches. I know this, and I can work with it. We bargained in Venice last year, and one snack got me three churches. Probably highway robbery, but it got me into the things I wanted to see, without him being annoying. If you have a teenaged boy, food is a powerful bargaining chip.
My giant Great Dane puppy boy is more of an action person. Standing in a museum doesn’t do it for him, but if you put him in an archeological site where it is more active and physical, he will get interested, in spite of himself. I love ancient history, so this is not a problem for me!
So, back to Rome. We have started the habit of seeing Rome in bite sized pieces. We go to Rome the day before our flight home, have one or two activities planned, find a place for dinner, and grab a taxi back to the hotel. It works well for us, especially in summer when the city is so overwhelmingly crowded. We went to the Baths of Carracalla, and the Castle d’Sant Angelo, when we went to Rome to see Honey Man off. This time we ended up having a side trip adventure, for a lovely lunch at the boardwalk in Fumicino, by the marina.
My one event I had planned for Rome was The Pantheon. Kiddo has an unusual name, at least in the US, and I wanted him to see that his name is literally above the door (through it requires translation) of one of the greatest monuments in the world. It was hot, and he was tied, by that point though, so he threw in a little negotiation of him own. He said he was fine going, but could we please not go in, which would require waiting in a very long line, for about 40 minutes. Deal. We went, we saw, we walked all around the outside of the building. Then we went wandering to find a dinner spot.
We had an excellent dinner, though prices always shock me in Rome, as it is 2-3 times the costs for food and drinks, compared to the smaller towns. Venice and Florence are the same, so be ready for that. We finished our dinner and set off to just have a wander in that area, with the plan of getting gelato somewhere. Kiddo was in a much better mood, having just been fed, so I was taking advantage of it.
As a side note here, our town of Arpino is DECIDEDLY anti fascist. They were before the second war, as the fascists rose to power, and there are enough old people, with long memories, that they continue to be now. The current Prime Minister’s government isn’t necessarily popular there. It didn’t help that the fascists pulling them into the war, on the wrong side, meant areas all around them were heavily bombed. The older people in town were apparently quite vocal on Election Day.
In our walk, gelato happily procured, we happened upon a very official looking building, with an assortment of heavily armed personnel outside of it. I don’t have any idea what it was, but it, or some visitor inside, was obviously deemed important. This led to a discussion about the current government in italy, and that led to a conversation about the history of Fascism in the country, and the current resurgence, though they are working very hard to rebrand into something less obvious. This was maybe a ten or so minute conversation, but you have to pick your moment with teenagers. He asked thoughtful questions during, and I know he often mulls over things later, well after a conversation or experience ends. I’ll take it. Every little seed of knowledge and curiosity I can plant in his brain is a win.
Vagabond.Belle 