A rest day

My parents left this morning. The weather turned blustery outside. I stayed home, caught up on admin. and rested. At night, it began to pour and pour. I guess my parents trip to Rome was perfectly timed.

Finally! The Colosseum and the Foro Romano

We'd been promising Charlotte a visit inside the Colosseum since we arrived here at the start of September. Now that the heat has receded and the crowds have thinned, the time was right. We booked a guide and met him at 10am in front of the statue of Marcus Aurelius at the Campidoglio. We really wanted to have a guide to help bring the history of ancient Rome alive for the kids. It worked for Charlotte, but Olivia and Avery just played "grab-ass" or whined for most of the three plus hour tour.

Our guide was terrific, very-knowledgeable, and had many interesting facts about Roman history to impart. The city was founded in the 8th century BC. We learned so much I can't even begin to summarize it all. First we walked down the Via dei Fori Imperiali -- on Sundays the wide boulevard becomes a pedestrian avenue closed to traffic. We noted the features of the various Emperors from their replica statues that line the Street, and then we entered the Foro Romano. This entire area was once marshy and mosquito infested as it was originally at the level of the Tiber. The ruins you see here today are ruins as a result of the Romans' own destruction of the magnificent temples. After the fall of the Empire, and subsequent conversion to Christianity, in the 16th century the Romans pilfered the pagan temples and reused the marble to build churches -- Saint Peter's chief among them. At one time, at the peak of the Empire in the 2nd century, there were two million people living between the Palatine, Capitoline and Quirinale hills in the heart of Rome. Today, the residents of Rome proper within this same region number approximately 160,000!

First, we visited the Curia which was the site of the ancient senate..it's beautiful orignal marble floor only discovered more recently due to excavations of the last century. (It had been used as as church with the entrance 30 meters higher than the original senate floor). Then, we moved on to see the tomb of Julius Caesar, the Temple of Castor, and the house of the Vestal Virgins. Several well preserved arches also lie in the Forum, The Arch of Septimius Severus, The Arch of Augustus and the The Arch of Titus. The latter, with the relief of the Jews carrying the Menorah after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

We then we walked up to the Palatine Hill, home to all the Roman Emperors, where we had a great view of once massive Basilica of Maxentius in the Forum. Up on the hill, we saw the elaborate home of Augustus with it's central courtyard. On the other side of the Palatine, we had an amazing view of the impressive oval field that was once Circus Maximus - where the four-horsed chariot races took place - as well as the beautiful Aventine hill.

Finally, we walked down to the Colosseum entrance where the first thing we did was go to the bathroom! We had been "touring" for three hours. Avery had already had a brief nap at the top of the Palatine Hill, and things were looking up. The fits of "I can't walk anymore" had dissipated and he was now happily playing with the stones on the floor. We listened to our guide give us an overview of the construction and scale of the Colosseum while we were looking through one of its 80 gates, and then we went in. Our guide was regaling us with tales about the numbers of lions and other exotic beasts that were killed here, along with the number of fallen gladiators when all of a sudden there was an announcment on the loudspeaker. It was alarming. "Will Josh and Anita Rosenberg report to the ticket booth!" We looked at each other, then we looked around...where was Avery?

As it turns out Avery was at the ticket booth with a smile on his face. Apparently, he never followed us in to the Colosseum. The ticket man told Josh that Avery wanted to make the announcement on the loudspeaker himself! He was never afraid and he never cried. Amazing. That announcement was the only one we heard come over the loudspeaker the entire afternoon! (We would never have known a loud-speaker even existed)

Now, having compled our tour at the Colosseum, we were faced with the long, arduous journey back to the car. Or, as it were, the long, arduous wait for Josh and Charlotte to walk back and retrieve the car!

All starving (who forgot the snacks??), we beat it home for a make shift lunch at 3pm!! Afterwards, I took my parents to shop near the Castel Sant'Angelo.

My Mom made pork loin for dinner; I made the potatoes. It was nice to have a family dinner on the last night of their visit (Charlotte had been at swim practice on our other evenings at home). We celebrated the trip with a "spritz" cocktail -- although my Mom preferred the Prosecco straight up.

We had some fun before bedtime. It had been a very full and rewarding visit.

Catacombs of Priscilla

We couldn't get out of bed this morning, everyone slept in. After Josh's ride was scuttled due to wetness (it had apparently rained at night although I didn't hear a thing), he set Olivia and Avery up with a snack and the Disney channel, and came back to bed too. Before we knew it, it was 10:30am. After a late breakfast we were off to visit the Catacombs of Priscilla.

These catacombs are off the main tourist track -- actually around the corner from our home -- and so it's a rather low key affair. After we bought our tickets, we stood around for a while waiting to see who and how we'd be escorted to the cemetary. It's a brief 30 minute tour but once we were in the depths of the catacombs, both Olivia and Avery had to go to the bathroom!!

The frescos in these catacombs date largely from the 3rd century. There were 40,ooo buried here. It was very cool to see the various ways the people of that time honored the dead. The frescoes are quite good considering they were done so long ago and painted by ordinary people (not professional artists). The land for these catacombs was a donation from the woman, Priscilla, who lived in the villa -- part of which is now Villa Ada -- and these catacombs claim to have the oldest fresco of the Madonna.

Josh rushed through the back half of the tour to escort the kids to the loo...it was another beautiful and sunny day once we all emerged from underground.

Also, today I figured out where Doria Pamphilj is....the Galeria is not in the Villa, nor in the Palazzo, rather it is in the heart of the Centro between the Fontana di Trevi and the Pantheon! Not at all near the Gianicolo where we thought it was last Thursday.

That mystery solved, we went shopping in our neighborhood on the Viale Parioli. The kids needed socks and my Mom bought the girls bracelets and headbands (just as Grandma Dale had done a few weeks ago -- seems you need a lot of these if you're a girl aged 7 to 12). Then my Mom and I went grocery shopping while everyone else had lunch next door. The reviews were not so good; convenient but not too tasty.

In the afternoon, my Mom did homework and made crepes with Olivia, while Avery napped and Charlotte was at swim practice. Then in the evening -- after the 7pm dinner bell rings in Italy -- we took the kids out for Pizza. We tried a new spot in Prati. The drive over on Cola di Rienzo was interesting for my parents. The Street is lined with shops of all kinds and was buzzing with life on a Saturday night -- a very lively environment. The pizza place was okay. Charlotte's Funghi Porcini Pizza and my Mom's Pulcinella were the best of the lot.

After dinner, we drove in to centro to have gelato at the Trevi Fountain. Avery had much too way too much energy. My folks were glad to see the Fountain again after so many years, they both said it was much bigger than they remembered.

A perfect friday night

This morning, I dropped my parents of at the top of Via Veneto and picked them up in the same spot two hours later after I'd gone to the gym. Josh went on a ride and we all met back at the house to get changed for lunch. We had our weekly appointment at Rose Trattoria for the buffet.

After lunch we wanted to visit the bank to exchange some Czech currency and get some cash as well. Of course, the banks are generally closed from 1:30 to 3:30pm for the "lunch hour," so Josh volunteered to go later in the afternoon. As it turns out, he discovered the banks have changed their hours so now they close for the day at 3:50pm! This was communicated by way of a hand-written note on the door. Josh thought perhaps it was just "our" bank so he tried another branch of Unicredito, and then another. Alas, all the banks have changed their hours and now close daily at 3:50pm. However, the "lunch hour" closure has been shortened and is now only from 1:30pm to 2:50pm. This country certainly keeps you on your toes.

Similarly, we discovered a hand-written note on the door of our local supermarket recently stating that they will now be open for limited hours on Sunday. In a subsequent conversation during pick-up at RIS one day, another parent informed me that the note at that supermarket comes and goes. Sometimes they decide to open on Sundays and sometimes not...so don't count on it.

Tonight the adults were going out to dinner and we thought the kids might be ready for an Italian babysitter. So we asked Maria, our cleaning lady who loves kids, if she would babysit and she agreed. It is a great opportunity for our kids to have to speak Italian, or use a lot of sign language!

We decided to go for a drink at the Hotel Eden which was our home in Rome for a few days during our honeymoon in October of 1996. My parents had also stayed there once upon a time so it was a trip down memory lane for all of us. The restaurant and bar is on the top floor of the hotel with a wonderful view of the Roman skyline. I am happy to report that they serve many hors d'ouevres along with the 18 euro cocktails. Then we went to dinner near Piazza Navona at a restaurant called Osteria al Vecchio Pegno. It was delightful, authentic and delicious. We all shared a flavorful Pasta Carbonara in addition to having roasted pig, chicken and a Spigola (fish). Al fino, we enjoyed the BEST tiramisu we've had so far in Rome! Definitely worthy of a return visit, or two, or three. Best of all, it was inexpensive. Dinner for four including wine for 80 euros!!

Afterwards, with the balmy temperature, we walked over to Piazza Navona to take a stroll. However, it looked completely different than it had two nights earlier. The whole of the Piazza was filled with stalls selling various sundry items (read: crap) including Disney toys. Apparently, the holiday shopping season starts the day after Thanksgiving here in Rome also, even though they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. The stalls, we were told, would be here until the Christmas holiday!

Instead of lingering with the vendors in Piazza Navona, we walked over to the Pantheon. Worth visiting even when the Basilica is closed because the facade, with it's massive columns, is beautiful and impressive. In this Piazza, you feel like you are living in the midst of the Roman Empire. We were particularly lucky in that there were no crowds, no hoards of tourists. It was a truly beautiful night.

We returned to our car, which had been parked illegally all of these past few hours, with no repercussions. I love living in Rome!

Where is Doria Pamphilj?

Being truly frustrated with my Italian lessons, I decided to cut class today! In any case, my parents are in town and I wanted to enjoy the day with them. Josh and I had been meaning to see the Galleria of Doria Pamphilj, but first I thought we should drive up to the Gianicolo and take in the view of Rome across the Tevere. Unfortunately, it was "cleaning day" for the beautiful fountain across from the Spanish Embassy. Still the impressive monument, so massive that it is visible from the other side of town, was beautiful even without the water rushing through it. (sorry I don't know what it's called?). Then we climbed up to Piazza Garibaldi -- same view over Rome, just with a statue of Garibaldi this time.

Then we were off to find the Doria Pamphilj which we believed was nearby in the Villa Pamphilj. After driving around in circles for 20 minutes and listening to Lola on the GPS, we finally stopped and spoke to a very pleasant police woman who gave us directions. There was some construction in the area and some of the usual roadways were blocked so it made the route a bit tricker than usual. As part of the (long) conversation, Josh asked about the Art Gallery in the Villa. She didn't know what we were talking about and was unaware that there was any art to be found in Villa Pamphilj. She did say, however, that it was a nice park for Romans who like to jog. With this in mind, we abandoned our attempt to find Villa Pamphilj and drove back to the Parioli. My mom was craving a coffee and a brioche so we stopped in Piazza Euclide at a cafe called "Francis" to get a snack. It was lunchtime but we were eating pastries with our cappuccino! Afterwards, we walked to the outdoor market in the Parioli where the local butchers, fish-mongers, and vegetable purveyors have their permanent stalls. We bought some vegetables and chestnuts for later.

Another gorgeous day, and another lunch al fresco in the garden. Today, Olivia went home from school with her classmate, Federica, who was having a belated birthday party. Josh rode to RIS to pick up Avery and take him for a bike ride. My mom and I picked up Charlotte. Once at home, it was unusually quiet.

Later in the evening, we had dinner and roasted chestnuts...and watched David Letterman.

The Synagogue of Rome

Today, my parents and I decided to visit the Jewish Synagogue and the Hebrew Museum of Rome. The security around the temple can be a bit off-putting (just as it was on Yom Kippur), but once inside the people were much warmer. The Main Synagogue is grand; it was built in 1904. Prior to that time, from 1555 to about 1870, the Jews of Rome were forced by the Papal State to live in a ghetto. They were allowed only one building of worship so they created five synagogues within the one temple. Three of these followed the Sephardic service, one followed the Ashkenazi service, and one followed the "Italian service." The Italian service is an amalgamation of all the Jewish traditions - both Sephardic and Ashkenazi. This service has been followed in Italy for centuries. In fact, the Roman Jews are very proud of the fact that there has been 2200 years of uninterrupted Jewry in Rome, beginning before the start of the common era (C.E. which is the same as A.D. for the non-Christians). Today, the Italian service is used in the Main Synagogue. As part of the complex, there is also a much smaller, Spanish synagogue which, of course is Sephardic, and also the Museum.

Entry into the sanctuaries is permissible only with a guide which is part of the admission price. The museum is comprised of seven rooms that house several exhibits including original artifacts from the 16th and 17th centuries that were in one of the five synagogues of the ghetto building. Part of the collections also touched on ghetto life. It's remarkable that the Jews lived under these oppressive conditions for over 300 years. Jews were limited in terms of their profession during this period. They were allowed to lend money, and they were allowed to sew. As a result, the Jewish women became very accomplished embroiderers, and an entire room of the museum is devoted to displaying the beautiful textiles embroidered with silver and gold threads.

The unification of Italy in 1871 meant the papal state lost its power and the ghetto was dismantled. Subsequently, the Main Synagogue was built with a distinctive squared cupola. Shortly thereafter, World War II meant the deportation of 200o Jews from Rome. Only 16 of them returned. Many Italians hid Jews during the War and thus the Jewish community in Rome survived.

The Synagogue also survived. In an effort to ensure the safety of Saint Peter's Cathedral during the War, the Pope negotiated for Rome to be decreed an "open city" which meant that none of its monuments could be destroyed. As a result, the Synagogue was also spared.

Today, there are 12 synagogues in Rome -- all of them orthodox. Rome is home to 14,000 Jews while there are only 30,000 in all of Italy. And while the services are all orthodox and the men and women do not sit together, we did learn that girls are commonly being "bat-mitzvah." Although they do not read from the Torah, the girls receive a blessing from the Rabbi.

After visiting the Synagogue, we walked around "ghetto area" where I showed my parents the ancient market of Octavia and Teatro Marcello.

We drove back home to meet Josh for lunch. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we ate in the garden. Josh had just returned from a 75K bike ride so he was bushed.

Tonight before dinner, we drove in to centro with my mom and dad for a stroll. We walked up to Campidoglio to take in the views of the Forum; we also strolled around the Piazza Navona and the Piazza Campitelli. Then we found ourselves back in the old "ghetto" quarter where Josh could not resist the opportunity to have a falafel sandwich. It was truly disappointing. Having eaten at least a quart of hummus a week when we lived in Chicago, Josh is going through some serious hummus withdrawal... and tonight's pita sandwich was no cure!

Back at the villa, I made the fish Josh had bought at the market earlier that day. I don't know what kind of fish it was (Josh didn't remember the name) but it sure was good!

Tuesday is curry day

Back to life, back to reality, back to school for everyone -- including me. I have to admit, I'm not sure how much I'm getting out of the Italian class I am taking versus just hearing and reading the language all around me. The methodology of teaching a language has completely changed over the years from the traditional (studying vocabulary, grammar, verb conjugations) to a progressive style. At the school where I study, no English is spoken, the entire lesson is in Italian. OK. But sometimes, it is helpful to get an English explanation of an Italian rule. The problem is that the Japanese and the Russian in the class wouldn't understand an English explanation so doing everything in Italian puts us all on an even playing field. Most frustrating for me is that we are also expected to teach one another instead of just learning from the instructor. For example, each class we first go over the homework with one another before the teacher gives us the correct answers. Or, we are paired up and asked to discuss something with our partner. All of this is to encourage dialogue and speaking in the language. OK. But another student is not going to correct my grammar and so I could be expressing myself completely incorrectly and never know it. Is the point just to be understood? We also spend a lot of time listening to a dialogue, or sometimes an Italian song, on tape -- six times -- and then try to explain to one another what was being said. OK. Apparently listening to a conversation or lyrics six times allows for the maximum level of comprehension. But, I can listen to songs in English and still not understand all of the words -- because they are songs... needless to say, I find the methodology a bit frustrating and while I feel comfortable understanding most of what is said to me in Italian, my own ability to speak feels extremely compromised. I am not Italian, but for me, talking with my hands is a necessity -- much like a mime -- and so I glad that it is so widely accepted.

After class, I met my parents on Via del Corso. We walked over to the Piazza Augusto Imperatore and enjoyed lunch al fresco. The weather has been absolutely divine and the outdoor area of the restaurant was jam-packed. Before we knew it, it was 3 o'clock and then it was time to pick up the kids from school.

Morris came over tonight to prepare his traditional Pakistani feast for the family. My parents had heard so much about Morris, we had to have curry one night of their stay. While Morris was cooking in the kitchen, we took both girls to swim practice. Olivia swam with a different group today because she missed her regular class yesterday. She did a fantastic job. Being at AquAniene, we also took the opportunity to take a sauna and rid our bodies of toxins most likely built up during our swine and wine fest of the past three days! The cleansing was only temporary as later in the evening we would refill on curry. Morris prepared several types of fried appetizers for us to try. Then we had both chicken and lamb curries along with the traditional curried mixed vegetables and fragrant rice. Not only did we stuff ourselves; we had left-overs.

Tuscany weekend, Day 3 - Pitigliano

Pitigliano made such an impression on Josh and I when we visited a few years ago, that we wanted to take the kids there. The fact that it is one of the only Italian towns with a Jewish heritage makes it interesting, but it is the architecture of the town itself sitting high up on a rock that makes such a grand impression.

Many Jews found their way to Pitigliano beginning in the 16th century, partly as a result of the fact that they were forced out of the Papal States. As time went on, the Jewish community flourished so that at one point -- at it's peak in 1850 -- it comprised 20% of the total population

of Pitigliano -- very unique in Italy. After the unification of Italy in 1871, Jews were granted legal emancipation and so many left for the larger cities. When the Second World War began, and anti-semitism became rampant, living conditions became unbearable for the Jews amid racial laws and many either emigrated or were deported. However, all of the Jews that remained in Pitigliano survived the War with the help of many kind Italians. Today, only a few Jewish families remain and maintain the memories.

It takes a great deal of effort to get to Pitigliano because it is not near any main roads, so I knew we needed to get an early start. This despite the fact that I felt like I was still in a food-induced coma when I woke. We were shooting to make it back to Rome by 7pm so we could return the rental car to Hertz before the office closed. (We had rented a second car since our Rome vehicle is not a 7 passenger SUV!) Anyways, breakfast did not invite lingering so off we went.

The fact is that the drive to Pitigliano from Grossetto is breathtaking in and of itself. It's too bad we were in a hurry. For 80 kilometers, the road is not straight for more than a 1/4 km at a time. The twists and turns, up and down, are both stressful and fun to drive. But the scenery with the changing colors of the leaves could not have been more beautiful. Then, just as I remembered it, you make a final turn and suddenly, out of nowhere, this amazing town built on a tufa rock on top of catacombs appears. Even my dad was blown away. We stopped to take pictures.

Once we parked, we picked the first eatery in town to have lunch. Afterwards, we visited the "ghetto" which is comprised of a few buildings in and around the synagogue. The synagogue itself was built in 1995 when the community raised funds after the original was run down. Inside the "museum" one could see the ancient ritual bath area for women, along with the kosher wine cellar, the slaughterhouse, and the matzoh ovens. We enjoyed a few more panoramic views of the hillsides of Maremma (the name of this region of Tuscany) before heading back to our cars. Again this afternoon, we had the pleasure (not) of listening to Avery and Olivia bickering with one another. Had we not been "scheduled" to leave Pitigliano by 4pm, surely another late afternoon meltdown would have hastened our departure.

Unfortunately, just as we were ready to head out of town, I hit the car parked in front of me. I had parked on a steep hill, forgot I'd left the car in gear, and failed to hit the clutch! Because the owner's friend happened to be walking by at the time, he promptly called his friend and this led to a whole series of events that included calling the insurance agent, filing papers, and leaving later than we'd planned. Oh well. Sh-t happens!

Still, we made it back to Rome in time to get rid of the car and go out for pizza. It was nice to have a light dinner. But then we had to have dessert!

Tuscany weekend, Day 2 - San Gimignano and Volterra

It was almost 8am when Avery woke us up so I guess that’s pretty good in the scheme of things. Breakfast at La Volpaia is nothing like dinner. For breakfast, nothing is prepared from scratch. We had sette biscotatte which are like cracker breads, cereals, yogurts and juice. The crackers are supposed to be eaten with butter (otherwise they are painfully dry and boring) but of course the butter is hard to spread and the biscotatte break. Josh taught us a trick: if stack two or more on top of each other, then when you spread the butter on the top piece it won't break! We’ve come to realize that Italians just don’t take breakfast seriously. The only serious thing about breakfast is coffee which can be prepared in a myriad of different ways to suit anyone’s morning needs. But otherwise, unless you like a sweet pasty, like a cornetto with cream in it, or a dry cracker... you're largely out of luck. For instance, it took Josh a good long while to find Oatmeal in Rome. As for me, I am very thankful that both Josh’s parents and my parents have brought me the “green stuff” for my breakfast shakes.

Okay enough about breakfast (or the lack thereof): moving on. We decided to visit two nearby towns today. First we headed for San Gimignano. Both Josh and I had been there before (separately) but it had been years. San Gimignano is known throughout Tuscany for it’s skyline which is filled with Torre – the medieval version of skyscrapers. At one time there were 56 Torre in San Gimignano but only 13 remain. We had a stroll through town and then we climbed up the 218 steps to the only Torre open to visitors. The views of the town as well as the rolling hills filled with vineyards and olive groves were fantastic. Before leaving the main square, we savored a long overdue gelato break – it was noon afterall. Josh thought it was the very best gelato we’d had in Italy thus far. Definitely worth the indulgence. Then, we stopped at the local park and let the kids play in the playground while the adults enjoyed the view of the olive groves.

It was time for lunch and we’d had such good luck finding roadside restaurants during our trip in Puglia that we adopted the same strategy here. Volterra was to be our next stop but if we found an appealing looking place to dine en route, all the better. We landed at Locanda il Borghetto. Our streak is alive. It was an excellent yet simple lunch: bruschettas, antipasti, pastas, salads and one perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled pork chop. And, lets not forget the Vernaccia di San Gimignano – the wine of the region. Too bad we only ordered a half bottle (we had to drive).

We arrived in Volterra and walked through a wooded, winding pathway up to the hillside

town to search for the Etruscan Acropolis -- but it appears they decided to build a park over it. This was the first town of our tour that Josh and I had not visited previously and we were in awe. Apparently Florence was modeled after Volterra and the Renaissance flavor was readily apparent. Volterra had been an Etruscan settlement -- one of the 12 cities of the confederation -- but many if the buildings you see today are from the Renaissance period. This town had everything: a fortress, a charming main square, a castle, well-maintained ancient stone edifices, an elaborate

Roman theater dating back to the 3rd century with "double decker" columns, and a vibrant authentic feel. We loved Volterra! There is apparently a very good Etruscan Museum in Volterra too. Had we been without Avery, we probably would have spent more time there but by the time it started getting dark, he was having a melt down and it was time to go.

Back at La Volpaia, we enjoyed a round of wine, grappa and beer before dinner. Tonight, Silvia served a ravioli with truffles and ricotta cheese inside. Drizzled with olive oil and parmesan, this was my favorite among all the courses we tried over the two days. Silvia did not make these special ravioli, they are ordered in advance and purchased from another proprietor. The main course tonight was cinghale (again with the swine). Pig is an extremely prominent source of protein in the Italian diet. Think about it: prosciutto, ham, sausages, and pork dishes are much more readily available and much less expensive than turkey, chicken or beef. Tonight, we were served the leg of the pig - essentially the same thing as prosciutto but baked in the oven. It is a fatty dish but once you get around the fat, it is quite tasty. For desert we first had the cheese course and then a chocolate marscapone semi-freddo. After two days of eating this way, I felt like I could be the stuffed pig served up for dinner tomorrow night. Except, of course, the kids found a way to have an extra helping of the chocolate desert.

Tuscany weekend, Day 1 - Orvieto and Montelpulciano

We left just a wee bit behind schedule this morning. Not bad for a troupe of seven. Our first stop is Orvieto. As you may recall, the Rosenbergs spontaneously visited this medieval hamlet back in September after missing our exit off the Autostrada. This time we were back to show the magnificent Duomo to the Rivals and take a caffe break. It was bustling with locals on a Saturday morning. We found the market where, along with produce, meats and cheeses, you could buy your socks and underwear, handbags, hats and jackets as well. Like a virtual outdoor mall all in one little square.

But we had no time for 
shopping. We had a lunch reservation to make in Montelpulciano. You may also recall that Josh and I visited Montelpulciano on our anniversary weekend and we enjoyed our lunch at Osteria Aquachieta so much we decided to go back – this time with the family in tow. The food didn’t disappoint and we had a fun meal at this charismatic Osteria. After lunch we strolled around town in search of a gelateria – that we never found. But we did find beautiful vistas, a playground for the kids to let loose, and of course the picturesque town square.

Then we were off again to drive the back roads to Vico d’Elsa, a tiny -- and I mean tiny! -- village outside of Siena, near Poggibonsi to find our lodging for the next two nights. At 5:15pm it was pitch black and it was not easy to find La Volpaia. But once we found the place, our hosts Andrea and Silvia came out to greet us at the end of the long driveway with flashlights and helped us inside with our bags.

Apertif at 7pm and dinner at 8pm. We helped ourselves to red wine, home made olive bread, flat bread, bresaola, caprica and olives as we sat around the fire and 

met the other guests. La Volpaia is a restored 17^th century farmhouse and the home of Silvia and Andrea. It feels like a home and not an inn or hotel. It has only five rooms and our family was staying in the three of them. The other guests were a newly married couple from Toronto on their honeymoon. They’d been staying alone here at La Volpaia since Wednesday and said they were happy for the company…despite the fact that the company had three children -- one of which was permanently loud.

We were then invited to walk across the courtyard to another building which housed the dining area and an industrial kitchen. Silvia prepares all the food herself and we were ready for a feast. Tonight, we started with a saffron pasta with zucchini. The vegetable was delicious, but I didn’t care much for the creamy saffron sauce. Next, various ingredients for a salad were placed on the table and each of us were able to prepare a salad to our own liking (Mache lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots and beets). Afterwards, a pig on a spit came out of the kitchen – but not just any pig. This was a free-range pig of a very special breed whose name I do not recall (too much wine?). This type of swine is not very big, but is known to be very tasty. And with (mediocre) mashed potatoes, it was. This was followed by a cheese course – Pecorino – and then a dessert of semi-freddo zabaglione with raspberry sauce. Dessert is always a hit.

It had been a vey enjoyable evening but by now it was late and the kids were very ready for bed. Except for Charlotte who can’t put down the latest Stephanie Meyer novel and insisted on reading

Rival arrival

My parents arrived in Rome this morning and their driver, Josh, took the scenic route on the way back from Fiumicino, so by the time they arrived at the villa it was practically lunch time. It was a perfect opportunity to introduce them to our favorite Parioli spot, Rose Trattoria.

After lunch, we needed to do some grocery shopping before we picked the kids up at school. Overall it was a pretty routine day. There was homework to be done, dinner to be made and Charlotte had swim practice. We also got ourselves organized for our weekend outing to Tuscany. We watched David Letterman before going to bed.

My mom went to sleep upstairs in the bedroom across from the girls' room. She needed a good night of sleep and couldn't take the chance that my father's snoring would wake her up.



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An Italian education

After my Italian class today, I went for a haircut. It seemed Giuseppe knew what he was doing although the salon was less "fancy" than I imagined given it is touted as "the place" for English speaking women to have their hair done. Still, everyone was super nice and the location in the Piazza del Popolo (once you find it) is special.

It was another beautiful day and I enjoyed riding my bike home the long way around in Villa Borghese. Once home, I was starving for lunch and made myself a pizza and waited for the kids to come home from school.

Things at school seem to be sorting themselves out but we've had a few "issues "relating to Charlotte. First, her history/geography teacher has been complimenting her work in class and as well as her homework -- and then giving her a "B." When asked about the grade, the teacher would point to a small tear in the paper, or the lack of color in a diagram as the rationale for not getting an "A." Furthermore, Charlotte took a geography test which she found relatively easy and then was told she got a "B." She was surprised by the grade, and was anxious to find out which questions she'd answered incorrectly. However, the teacher never returned the test to the students. Charlotte asked him several times and he promised to pass them out but then kept "forgetting." We felt this behavior was odd enough to schedule an appointment with the teacher. At RIS, you don't just show up and chat with a teacher without an appointment. Each middle and high school teacher has one day per week that he or she sees parents. So this morning at 8am, Josh went to meet with the history/geography teacher. Had I gone, I would have demanded to know if this was an art class or a history class, and whether the teacher was paying attention to the content or the colors used for decoration! Therefore, I thought it better that my more relaxed husband represent the family. According to Josh, the meeting went well. Apparently, details such as using a ruler to underline, having perfect penmanship and paying attention to color are very important in the British school system when determining if a project deserves a perfect grade. In the end, it does not appear that there is a better student in the class than Charlotte, but the teacher likes colorful and well-maintained work. Admittedly, not returning the test was his mistake and he apologized.

The other matter at RIS relates to the large number of students that have been out ill recently. For instance, in Olivia's class of 17, she told me there were only nine of them at school last week. But, when Charlotte told me on Tuesday, that her science teacher had given them "free time" the past two days at school because so many kids were out sick and she didn't want to start a new unit, I felt that was unacceptable. I wrote an email to the head of the middle school inquiring about the policy. It is really a shame that so many kids are sick but what a waste of a school day to give the remaining students free time. The reply, copying the science teacher, stated that they were working on a poster (great! It seems it's all about art here in Rome!) In reality, Charlotte told me she read her novel and did her homework. Still, the teacher was now aware that a parent was "on to her" so now the students are back to doing something constructive.

There is a lot of strange things that go on in Italian schools -- not just at RIS. Things that would never in a million years fly at home. For instance, at another private school, AOSR (American Overseas School of Rome), parents were asked to come to the school in the morning to make an appointment with their child's teacher for parent/teacher conferences taking place that day. This is not a centrally located school. People send their kids to AOSR from all over Rome and its environs. Can you imagine driving to the school at 9am, only to get an appointment at 2pm and then choosing to either spend two hours in the car (with traffic) driving to and fro or spending the entire day at the school waiting for your time slot? Well, at least AOSR had a parent/teacher conference. At RIS, we've been told the conferences will take place in December but they don't know exactly when, yet. So Italian! In fact, we'll be discussing the quarter that ending on October 23rd, for which the report cards won't be mailed until November 27th. I keep reminding myself: "charm and efficiency do not go hand in hand."

In case you're interested, the Italian public schools have a unique schedule. Children attend school six days a week, Monday through Saturday, but only until lunch time each day. The kids are dismissed between 1 and 1:30pm to go home for lunch. From what I understand, the teaching methodology is very rigid and each school follows exactly the same (national) curriculum.

The bottom line is that no school is perfect; each will have its own pros and cons. Our children will survive the fact that RIS may not be the most academically rigorous institution. We didn't move to Rome for the education our kids will get from their school. They will learn far more from the experience of living in Italy.

Life in Rome

On the surface, we got accomplished today. But did we really? And what are we aiming for afterall?

Josh and I decided that Wednesdays would be our day to do something together. It sounds a little formal, but once life takes hold, it's easy for everyone to get lost in their own agenda so we agreed we'd both carve out Wednesdays. Josh had wanted to go to the Modern Art Museum today but with the glorious weather, I convinced him to indulge me in an outdoor activity. Because we left a bit later than planned (more on that later), our time was limited and we couldn't really soak in all of Palantino so we settled on going to Piazza Fiume -- an area that Josh knew well, and I not at all.

Josh makes almost weekly pilgrimages to Piazza Fiume as it is the location of Lazzaretti -- the store that sells Italian bicycles of the same name. This area is just near the Porta Pia, a Michaelangelo designed gate in the Aurelian Wall of the City. A very congested, but attractive part of Rome.

First we visited a gallery where the artist Maurizio Savini (aka: the chewing gum artist) was having a show. The works were very visually and politically charged, and while extremely interesting to view in a gallery, I am not sure I would want one in my home. Afterwards, we found a typographer just across the street and so Josh and I both designed and ordered personal calling cards -- something we'd been meaning to do for a while.

By now it was time for lunch so we went to the other side of Porta Pia and chose a restaurant that had outdoor seating. We enjoyed a traditional Italian lunch -- and by that I mean long. Thankfully we had ordered a split of wine so we could pass the time with conversation and libation! We noticed many colorful characters interspersed with business people strolling by on the streets of this neighborhood. Much later, as we were walking back to the car, we stumbled across a Thai massage studio. We stepped inside to chat with the friendly owner who was also able to recommend a good Thai restaurant in Rome.

When we returned to our villa, we first paid a visit to the upholsterer who has a studio across the street. The reason we paid him a visit was to inquire about ordering weather-proof cushions for the chairs in our garden. We'd asked the owner of our villa to provide seat cushions as part of our lease extension, but alas, 6 weeks later and no cushions. The strange part is that she (the owner) assured us that she had ordered them (this was 5 weeks ago now) and that we'd have them in a week. Yet this morning, when the houseman announced he'd brought the long-awaited cushions, we found one bench cushion in pure cotton. Huh? But, there are seven other chairs and cotton is not the way to go when it rains. Being completely annoyed, I decided we should take matters in to our own hands.

Unfortunately, this matter of the seat cushions is not the only thing promised to us that has yet to be executed. We have also been asking, since September, for an old desk, that's sitting in the back corner of the garden under bubble-wrap, to be removed. Again, 5 weeks ago when the owner was in town, she told us that she'd asked one of her handymen to make arrangements (ie. get the necessary truck) to have it carted off. I'm sure she probably did ask him to do it. Since she's been gone, we've asked him to do it too -- about a dozen times. It's always something he can get to next week.

Well, I'm not that patient to begin with...but in this case I think I've been 6 weeks patient enough. Ultimatums must be made to move things forward. Therefore, if weatherproof cushions do not arrive and desk does not disappear by Friday, we buy the cushions of our choosing and bill "La Signora," and we move her desk out on to the sidewalk. Now, we'll see what happens?!?

This evening we took Olivia and Avery out for gelato at the Trevi Fountain. They were so sweet with each other and well-mannered at dinner, that a treat was in order. It was a real pleasure to enjoy the monument with relatively few tourists on a mild November evening.

So back to my original question: what are we aiming for? Are we really enjoying Rome in the quest to enjoy Rome? Or are we getting annoyed at life in Rome because we can't enjoy it without getting annoyed. Perhaps, drinking wine, having a two hour lunch, eating gelato at the Trevi Fountain, sitting on soggy cushions or no cushions at all while staring at an old desk, is life in Rome. And, therefore, we should enjoy it!

Indian summer

It's been absolutely beautiful this week and the nice weather is expected to continue through the weekend. How fantastic it is to eat outdoors at lunchtime in the sunshine!

Josh met me after my Italian class and we ate panini in Piazza del Popolo. Josh commented that it was the nicest Piazza in Rome -- large, circular, surrounded by beauty, and without hordes of tourists; and therefore without the souvenir sellers and caricature artists. Looking around, I had to agree. Afterwards we rode our bikes in the Villa Borghese.

Morris came over to make his wonderful chicken curry for us tonight. In the meantime I took first Charlotte and then Olivia for hair appointments. Charlotte's appointment was at a local salon, but I took Olivia to an American stylist who works out of her home. Her husband is with the U.S. Embassy here and so she has many American clients through the Embassy. I think both girls enjoyed their respective solo experiences.

Olivia, dog poop, bicycles and client relations

Italy is not known for its customer service. I discovered this first hand when I purchased the wrong laundry detergent at the grocery store today. Actually, it wasn't the "wrong" detergent, it's just that I thought it was advertised as being on sale. But when I wasn't charged the sale price and I asked the woman at the "desk" (in their defense, it isn't called a "customer service desk") she informed me that it was the spray-top bottle that was on sale. It was the same detergent but in a different colored bottle with a spray-top -- that's even better! But when I asked to exchange the one I'd purchased for the one with the spray-top I was told "no." Since the detergent on sale costs less than the one I'd purchased, I could not make the exchange because she can not give me any money back. Well then, what if I buy two of the spray top bottles? Okay, I can do that but the transaction must be done at the register and not at the "desk."

This brings me to a whole other problem that even the Italians complain about -- the lines at the grocery stores. I had already waited 15 minutes to pay for my groceries the first time around. It never seems to bother the store management that they have so many "customers" waiting on line; they still leave several registers un-manned. My Italian teacher once told me that when she shops and then finds a long wait to check out, she often leaves her groceries in the cart and walks out of the store! I can sympathize but she is single and I have children depending on me to feed them.

Suddenly, I noticed a break! There was only one person at one of the registers. I ducked in behind him, with my two spray-top bottles of Vanish, to make my exchange. However, the two bottles rang up (again) more than advertised. Now I have to explain to the cashier that these are supposed to be the ones on sale. She doesn't care. I ask her to call over the lady from the "desk" who gave me this information. Now, there is a line of anxious customers forming behind me. But I wait until the two women -- the "desk" lady and the cashier -- go to the aisle, examine the "offerta" and return with a verdict. Sorry, but the detergent that's on sale is not the one I originally purchased, nor the one with the spray-top, it's none of the above because they ran out of the one on sale. You can see how this is spiraling downward. I refuse to continue in Italian and begin complaining in English.

Ultimately, I was given the sale price for the spray-top bottles even though they weren't on sale. This is the desired outcome, but the difficulty in getting there -- not to mention linguistically -- was exhausting.

I was so flummoxed when Josh pulled the car up front to load the groceries, that I forgot that I had ridden my bike to the store in the first place, and I climbed into the front seat to go home. Then I calmed myself by eating lunch in the garden -- it was 73 degrees. Nice weather is always helpful in improving my mood. It wasn't until I was going to pick up Charlotte from swim practice -- 8 hours later -- that I remembered that I'd left my bike at the grocery store. This brings me to my next, late-night, escapade.

The gate at the front of the store is locked so Charlotte and I are trying to navigate our way to the street that runs along the back of the store, where my bike was left. But all the streets are one-way around these parts so it takes a few loops to figure out exactly how to get there. Once we arrive, we find my bike is still chained to the tree. That's a positive. But then we need to get the front wheel off in order to fit it in to the back of the car. The scene here reminds me of the joke "how many (fill in the blank) does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Needless to say this task did not come easily. We were about to give up, and just put the bike in the car in tact, and drive with the back hatch open, but then the bike fell out and that action loosened the wheel enough for us to get it off and fit it in the trunk properly. What would have taken Josh 10 seconds, took Charlotte and I 20 minutes! Thankfully, Josh was able to put my bike back together when we got home.

This was the second time tonight that Josh was getting his hands dirty. Earlier, when he was taking the girls to swimming, Olivia stepped in dog poop just outside our front gate. What is it with these supposedly civilized people and their inability, or lack of desire, to pick up after their pets? There is dog poop everywhere in Rome. It's a shame you have to train yourself to constantly look down instead of looking around. In the parks, you also encounter a significant amount of horse poop -- of course, this is much easier to spot; and therefore avoid. Clearly the horse "diaper" concept has not come to Italy (it could be a good importing opportunity; but would they spend money on it? do they care?).

But back to Olivia. It's dark by the time they are getting in the car so no one knows she's stepped in dog poop....until someone notices a foul odor. By this time, the dog poop is already on the runner board, and on the floor of the car. Nothing can be done at the moment, but clearly this is the mess that Josh has to contend with later in the evening when they return home.

Meanwhile, ever since Olivia lost one of her Crocs in Puglia (see Puglia vacation adventures), she has not had any slip-on shoes or flip-flops to wear on deck around the swimming pool and in the locker rooms. This is an even bigger faux-pas than not drying your hair (see prior blog about Italian's obsession with hair drying). There is not a soul that does not wear rubber soles around the pool. One of the assistants, who escorts the kids to the gym for warm-ups, is very concerned for poor Olivia because she has to go bare-foot. She insists that Olivia will catch a fungus. So Josh asks her if every other kid wears sandals? But of course! Well then, he reasoned, that is exactly why Olivia will not catch a fungus -- there is no one to catch it from. The pool assistant seemed relatively satisfied with his logic.

Still, Olivia is the only one not wearing sandals into the locker room. One of the army of cleaning personnel, a very sweet, curly-haired lady, is always putting shoe covers on Olivia's bare-feet (so she won't catch a fungus!). The shoe covers are readily available to any non-swimmer who enters the pool area. You can't wear outside shoes, uncovered, by the pool. I must also mention, that AquAniene has special machines -- they look sort of like a zamboni but for the pool deck instead of for the ice -- that clean the floors. They are truly obsessed about their floors and the feet and shoes that walk on them. So you can imagine the horror when Olivia has to walk out of the locker room with dog poop still stuck to the bottom of her shoes!

Anyone that knows Olivia knows that she has a mind of her own when it comes to her attire. As if the smell emanating from her shoes wasn't enough to garner some stares, on this particular day, Olivia had chosen to wear a multi-colored tie-dyed t-shirt over a pair of blue striped leggings...and of course her hair was uncombed and still wet. It's as if a martian from an alien plant was crossing the lobby! The Rosenbergs are making quite an impression in Rome.

An early Thanksgiving

It was nice of Josh to let me sleep in this morning. I think Avery was up at around 7:30am but it was sort of a haze for me. I felt well rested when I rose but then all of sudden, as the blood surged in to my foot, I remembered I was injured.

Josh had fed the kids and they were dressed and all ready to head for the Calder exhibit at the Palazzo delle Esposizione. Given that my foot was still bleeding, I thought better of joining them since I imagine seeing an exhibit would require a fair amount of walking. Nonetheless it was disappointing to spend a Sunday morning home alone.

From their description when they returned home, it wasn't clear whether the Calder sculptures made such an impression on the kids; but the Astroid exhibit at the conclusion of the exhibit certainly did. They even took photos of themselves surrounded by laser rays which they could pull up on the computer and show me.

This afternoon, we had been invited to another American family's home for an early dinner. They have two boys, ages 11 and 7 at RIS -- one is in Olivia's class. When we were considering schools in Rome, this family had served as a reference for RIS and so we had "met" over the phone long before we'd moved to Rome. Avery adores the younger boy, Peter, and he was able to get a real dose of "boy play" by running around the garden with plastic guns, playing with their extensive set of legos, and jumping off the bunk bed onto the large sofa. Is testosterone surging yet at this age??

Being an embassy family, they have access to all kinds of American goods not readily found in Rome's supermarkets. The first example being a large turkey! And, since they will be out of town during Thanksgiving, today was the day to prepare the turkey and we were able to enjoy an early Thanksgiving dinner with them. Josh and I agreed that this was easily the best turkey we'd ever tasted. It was brined (soaked in salt water) overnight, and then cooked on a charcoal grill! The turkey absorbs the water so that it does not dry out when cooked. Crispy on the outside; super soft and savory on the inside. I think Olivia had four helpings!

Given their role here in Rome, they are used to doing a lot of entertaining and clearly had the meal service down to a science. We had a lovely time. And, as our handsome parting gift, we took home an industrial sized jar of Jif peanut butter -- another commissary item. Olivia was thrilled!

The Bone Church and a Foot problem

Josh left early for his 100km bike ride this morning. It was a nice day and I decided to take the kids to see Santa Maria della Concezone. Another church? This is a special church -- paticularly for kids -- because just next door is a Capuchin cemetary. The Franciscan order of Capuchins buried their dead in this indoor cemetary. However, given the limited amount of sacred soil, they had to dig up the old remains to bury the new. There are over 4000 monks interred here. Then someone had the idea to use the bones for decorating the crypts. This makes the church a destination stop on the Rome tour. Skulls were stacked high, lining the walls of several crypts. Then femur bones were used to make a pattern on the wall. We even saw the rib bones arranged in a fancy pattern over the arches as if it were ornate molding. Olivia thought the whole thing was "disgusting" but Charlotte thought it was very cool and Avery was very matter of fact about the display.

Afterwards we went on a little walk. First down to Piazza Barberini with it's Bernini dolphin fountain called Fontana di Tritone. Then up Via Gregoriana to see the "monster house" It's a building where the door and windows look like the mouths of monsters with their nose, eyes and ears just above. Always a child pleaser. Then we found ourselves at the top of the Spanish Steps at the Trinity dei Monte where we took a rest (Only 15 minutes of walking and Avery was already complaining he was tired!).

This is usually a spot with a great view down the Spanish Steps to the Fountain and the Via Condutti below. Currently, however, the view is obstructed due to an exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A copy of the Berlin Wall has been erected in two sections, on two levels on the Spanish Steps. Olivia told me she just learned about the fall of the Berlin Wall in assembly at school on Friday. She explained to me the difference between East and West Germany; how the people weren't treated the same; and how little by little they tore down the wall. Hmm, so they really are learning something in Grade 3!

We walked down and each counted the steps. Reportedly there are 137, but Charlotte counted 135, Olivia had 134 and Avery and I lost count. We took another "Avery break" at the fountain -- the Fontana della Baracaccia, another work by a Bernini although it's unclear whether it was the father or the more talented son -- and then I lured the kids on with the promise of panini. I delivered on the promise at the snack bar right next to my Italian school. Then, panini in hand, we trudged back towards the car.

We were home before 1pm. The whole excursion from start to finish was less than two hours but felt like five. Josh arrived a few minutes later -- completely spent but high on the feat of cycling 100 km.

This evening, we were going out to dinner with friends but first they would come over for an aperitif. That, of course, meant we needed to straighten the place up a bit. There's nothing like the threat of impending guests for getting in gear to clean up. Also, Josh had to stop at the store to procure the libations. He wanted to serve prosecco and I wanted to have Aperol available to turn it into a "spritz." Aperol is a type of bitters, similar to Campari, and popular in Italy. The Aperol Josh bought came in a six-pack of small bottles. I put one in the fridge and in the process of carrying the rest of the carton over to the pantry, one of the other bottles fell out. It smashed on the tile floor causing me to instantly slip on the liquid, fall on top of the glass shards, slice the bottom of my foot open, and imbed shards in the palm of my hand. The whole thing happened so fast that I was a bit bewildered as to how I ended up on the floor in the middle of this mess.

The only one who heard the commotion was Olivia. Charlotte was at swim practice and Josh was napping with Avery. I was in the middle of making Olivia a snack which was cooking on the stove. So now I needed to get up and turn off the stove. In the process, I bled all over the kitchen floor. It was at this point that I told Olivia to wake up Josh. Josh has always told the kids "do not wake me up unless there is blood or dismemberment!" In this case, Olivia could wake him up with confidence by saying there was in fact blood!

Two days in a row, Josh is sweeping up glass from the floor. It really makes a strong case for carpeting or at least wooden flooring. The tile floors are aesthetically pleasing, but they are cold in the winter AND dangerous! After Josh cleaned up my mess in the kitchen, he bandaged my foot. It was only later that we discovered that it didn't stop bleeding. I guess I would not be wearing my fancy snake-skin heals to dinner! With all the bandages, I was lucky to get my foot into a black suede, rubber-soled flat.

It was 7:55pm before our guests, who were invited for 7:30pm called to say they'd had a water problem at home, hadn't showered yet, and were therefore running late. It was at this time that I decided we didn't need to wait for them to start the evening off with a Spritz! I'd had two by the time they arrived at 8:45pm. This is Italy. People are late. You go with the flow. Fortunately, I'd had a snack myself when giving the kids their dinner.

In the end, we had a nice time. We went for sushi. Is this the beginning of a Saturday night out tradition? This Japanese restaurant being more formal with an older crowd than the one last weekend; I didn't think the sushi was better but equally as good. It wasn't until I rose after dinner that I noticed that my foot was throbbing. The idea of going out to a nightclub (these Italians like to go out late) was not appealing.