Day 2 pt 2 Oggi Io Sono Romana

So, I decided to go to the Museo Risorgimento which is down near the Cavour Metro stop… back I went.. and wow, I got off the train and here was ROME.

Turned the wrong way (again) but found this really awesome trattoria.  I decided to eat some protein so had some roast chicken and my favorite salad… oh, and a beer.  The restaurant was very Italian.. most of the people picked items off the buffet which had lots of gorgeous homemade dishes and sausages and ham.

The music they had playing was great fun… every once in a while someone started clapping and singing along… I mean seriously, these folks are just there having lunch and having fun.  The waiters fussed over a bella bambina who kept waving to me and occasionally danced around and sang.  The music was really catchy.  It would be fun to know what it was so I could get it on CD.   Oh, yeah, the food was good too.

I turned the right way this time and started walking.. and ran into the Forum (I'd forgotten it was on the way).. Sort of a cool surprise to come upon it.

Il Colesseo

Julius Cesare

Finally, I found the museo.  But I walked into the wrong entrance where they had a special exhibition.  I asked: Dov`e Museo Risorgimento?  She replied: Fuori e Sinestra…. HA.  I KNEW WHAT THAT MEANT and she didn't automatically switch to English..  Did I feel good.  What she didn't say was after you turn left, you need to walk up LOTS of stairs, and more Stairs and more stairs.  The museum was all in Italian.  I liked seeing the busts of people I had read about… Garabaldi and Massini etc.  But I didn't understand much of it.

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Here's Garabaldi

There were also two other exhibits.. One was of World War II and I thought about Uncle Don Sanders trooping through Italy.  As I was just about to leave I saw an exhibit on Italian Immigrants.  There were so many pictures of those coming to the USA or … some pictures of them saying goodbye to their families.  I got a little teary eyed.  There was a film which I sat and watched and sort of understood.  It was about the stigma of being Italian in the USA… first, the predjudice, and then later about the Mafia.  The exhibits descriptions were all written in Italian.  I had a tough time with it so it's good I went alone.  Interpreting AND explaining history to Maggs & John would have been too much.

Then I found another bookstore and asked again about the book I want.. still no luck.

Then I took another train… 1 ½ hrs to Viterbo where my teacher , Alessandra and her husband picked me up.  We arrived at their amazingly beautiful home, built in the 1600's.  Humungus antiques everywhere. I have the top floor (3 rd floor) all to myself.  A gorgeous bedroom, a big study/den area, and a bathroom.  I arrived about 7:30pm and Nonna (Alessandra's mother) was making dinner.  She is 83 and full of energy.  Made a delicious homemade creamed minestra (soup, not minestrone), caprese salad,plus insalata misto, sausages, ham.. yumm.  I wasn't hungry after that big lunch but she kept pushing more on me.  For dessert we had a persimmon from their back yard tree.  Alessandra's daughter , Marianna, and her husband Eric (I think that's his name) and their baby Taese (15 months) are staying for a few days.  Taese likes me and can already call me Mary.  She gave me a kiss goodnight.  Alessandra mostly spoke to me in English but I tried to speak Italian.  Tomorrow she says no English!  It's a family with a talent for languages.  Eric speaks Portugese (he's from Brazil) and Italian and a little English.  Marianna speaks Italian, Portugese, and French.  Papa speaks Italian and French.. and I think Nonna just speaks Italian.   Tomorrow I'll take pictures of the house and family.

They unfortunately have no wireless so I'm not sure how I will post this monster blog but I'm going to try to write once a day.  On days when nothing happens but lessons, I'll give you all another history lesson…. Unless you want language lessons… Here's one you know:  Ciao!

A Presto (see you soon in blog land)

Maria Catrina Rosa DeGrazia