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!
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