Il Dolce Far Niente: Day 2: Roma

Il Dolce far Niente

"Il dolce far niente" in Italian means "The sweetness of doing nothing." According to our guide book:

"It's a philosophy in which life's pleasures are warmly celebrated. It doesn't necessarily mean doing nothing; it just means doing things differently. It means lingering over a glass of wine for the better part of an evening just to watch the sun slowly set. It means savoring a slow and flirtatious evening passeggiata, a procession with no destination other than the town and the streets. And it means making a commitment, however temporary, to thinking, feeling, and believing that there is nowhere that you have to be next, that there is no other time than the magical present."

As we were planning our trip, we read this passage and decided that il dolce far niente would be the theme of our week in Italy. We truly did enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing.

Italian Musings

* Siestas are a fantastic idea that should be adopted in America.
* Fanta is the dominant soda brand - orange is especially popular.
* When you order water, you have to specify "sin gas" - otherwise you get carbonated mineral water.
* They don't put condiments on their sandwiches - no mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, or anything.
* Every town has a "corso," which seems to mean Main Street.
* They rarely check tickets on trains and busses, but when they do you will receive a hefty fine if you don't have a ticket.
* There are no hosts or hostesses at restaurants - you seat yourself wherever you can find a place.
* When a restaurant is full, there is no wait list - they simply put a sign up that says "completo," and customers find another restaurant.
* In each town we visited, there were a lot of ladybug and pinocchio trinkets. We never really figured out why.
* Little kids speaking and singing in Italian is adorable.
* Graffiti is everywhere with little evidence they've tried to hide or remove it.
* There are many fountains scattered throughout the cities for drinking and rinsing.
* Italy in general is not as racially diverse as we expected, especially given its proximity to Africa. Florence was more diverse than the other cities we visited, but distinct racial lines were evident. With very few exceptions, Africans sold purses, belts, and sunglasses on the streets, Indians sold little plastic toys, and the Italians sold everything else. We wondered what the immigration laws are like, and if there are issues of racism.
* Venetians are extremely proud of their culture. They have a distinct dialect which they consider a completely separate language - Veneziano. Older Venetians sometimes refuse to learn Italian, but the younger generation has embraced it and generally learns both languages.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Day 2: Roma

Got up early and had breakfast at the hotel. The continental breakfasts aren't anything to write home about, but we did have excellent espresso to wake us up.
Walked to Vatican City where we went through the museum toward the Sistine Chapel, which was completely packed with people craning their necks to look at the ceiling. We then went to St. Peter’s and walked the 550 steps to the top of the winding dome for some great panoramic views.
Walked to the Campo di Fiori outdoor market where we purchased some spices, cream de pepperoni, and dried kiwis and sampled some black truffle sauce.
Had lunch at Enoteca Corsi. Brad had baccala (cod) with potatoes and tomatoes; Jill had caprese salad. These were not our original orders. When we tried to order the first time, the server shook her head and crossed off several items on the menu that they were no longer serving that day. Italian restaurants are much more concerned with the freshness of their food than whether the customer gets exactly what they wanted.
Walked to the Coloseum, toured it for a while, and saw the Roman Forum nearby.
Walked back to the Pantheon just as the sun was starting to go down. There we sat in an outdoor patio facing the Pantheon with a fan-mister behind us cooling us off from the 90 degree day.
In the same square, we moved to the steps of a big fountain to people-watch.
Walked to dinner at Trattoria del Pallaro for the fixed price meal. Drinks: mineral water and a ceramic pitcher of white wine. First course: olives, fried potato balls, fried sausage cakes, the best salami we've ever tasted, prosciutto, lentils, some kind of cabbage (meant as a palate cleanser maybe?), and bread. Second course: rotini pasta with tomato sauce and grated parmesan cheese. Third course: stewed baby zucchini, baby mozzarella balls, potato chips, and slices of pork. Fourth course: custard-topped cake with apricots and a small bowl of peaches. The restaurant was run by one old woman. Entering and exiting through the open kitchen doorway directly beside our table, she would put her hands on her hips and survey the dining room, deciding which tables were ready for the next course. Many guests seemed to know her, and she greeted them with a playful slap or a kiss on the cheek or head.
Walked back to hotel, stopping to hear a street performer play the fiddle and sing in Campo di Fiori and browse through the artists' booths in Piazza Navona on the way.

Il Dolce Far Niente

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