weekend

Saturday I went early morning grocery shopping and then came home, we had lunch and then went down on the number 62 bus to the Vatican Post Office. This bus starts at Piazza Bologna not far from where we live and comes down Via Nomentana across the city walls at Porta Pia and then on to Piazza Barberini and across down to the Tiber, as you cross the river on one of the many bridges this one to King Vittorio Emmanuelle II, on the one side you have Castle San Angelo, in front of you is the ceremonial Via della Conciliazione flanked by the different Embassies accredited to the Holy See and Palaces of the great families of Italy, at the end of which looms larger than life St-Peter's Basilica. Will had to mail a few things and being that Divine Providence works there, you know your mail will be delivered, unlike Post Italia where you do not know if or when it might get delivered.

On the way out of the Vatican Post Office which is snug between the great wall that runs along the Borgo neighborhood and the great colonnade of Bernini we went into the Piazza, it was strangely deserted, there could not be more than maybe 300 people, given the size of St-Peter's square, it looked empty. We crossed the Tiber river and returned to Piazza Venetia and again very few people around. The steps up to the Campidoglio, usually clogged with people, no one in site, strange for 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon. So we went shopping for clothes, fall and winter fashions are out. Will bought me a beautiful wool sweater at La Rinacente. You have to be careful in Rome buying clothes, so many cheap Chinese imports now masquerading for Italian fashion.
Even when they tell you it is made in Italy its not, what they mean is that it was sown together in a sweat shop in Italy by Chinese workers. The Mafia brings in container loads of pre-cut clothes each week through the Port at Naples illegally. We then went to our favorite ice cream shop near our house and got ourselves granita of watermelon, it was 34C Saturday, the granita was cold and sugary.

Sunday, we invited a few colleagues for lunch and Will made his famous signature Polenta crust plumb tomato and rugola pie.
We had a salad and chicken filet in lemon juice and for dessert white peaches cut up and served soaking in a glass full of white wine, that is an old Italian dessert and so refreshing.

On Sunday night, all our neighbors arrived back from their summer vacation at the same time, yes today is back to work, school starts on the 3rd. Already the city is more noisy and the gentle wailing of the ambulances going to the Polyclinico Umberto I are more frequent, parking is a little more difficult and yes some people have started to block sidewalks with their cars, etc....Ah! Rome, no wonder funny things happen on the way to the Forum.