If you're one to believe that bloodthirsty, hot-headed Romans were a thing of the past- think again. While the Gladiator games have come and gone, a new type of fervor has consumed the nation and driven its spectators into a mess of insults, bloodlust, and pride . They call it "Calcio".
The American equivalent, "Soccer", doesn't even begin to express the passion and team loyalty that goes into this sport. Nor does it reflect the sheer plethora of eloquent insults and their respective Italian gestures! Truthfully, there is no better language in which to swear than Italian. The combination of pure vowels, rhythmic delivery, and lots of expressive gestures make it unparalled in the art of insults. Phrases like "Dio mio! Non c'e possibile! VAFANCULO! MORTA CHIDUA!", which roughly translate to, "Oh my god! It isn't possible! Death to your family!" are some of the jewels found in the "calcio dialect".
Rome is home of two teams that fiercely divide the population; Roma and S.S. Lazio. If you're born a Roma fan, you are Roma fan for life. Like those inscriptions at the forum; your team loyalty is etched in stone. Further, students who come abroad and adopt a team for their stay are viewed as "fair weather fans" and there have been cases of violence when Americans wore the wrong team's jersey.
For this reason, we showed up at the Colisseum- excuse me- "stadio" in neutral colors and avoided cheering too heavily for either team! While we wanted to cheer for Lazio, we didn't think it was worth getting beat up over- I mean, these Italians take their calcio pretty seriously! The match was between Lazio, the regional team of Rome, and Milan, which is most notoriously known for its star player, David Beckham.
The man in front of me was a highlight of the evening and kept saying, in english: "Questo.. SPICE BOY!" every time Beckham got the ball. We even watched Beckham score a goal at which point the Milan fans went psychotic, waving gigantic flags and even lighting things on fire! I got to give Milan credit for how organized their fans were- they knew every song and cheered in complete unison. At one point, they started jumping up and down on their seats, whistling, and some waved giant bananas in the air. Not really sure what the bananas mean, but it was still pretty cool!
Given the excitement of the Milan fans, you've probably already figured out that Lazio lost. In fact, they didn't even score a single goal. I would have loved to have seen the Lazio fans go crazy, but their angered expletives were just as entertaining! Now, more than ever, I can't wait to see what the Roma fans are like!
2/2/09
I have a new found respect for pigeons. Seriously, pigeons rock my socks. Never have I seen such stunning acts of aviation as a pigeon soaring just over your head and into a crevice of the Vatican wall. Besides the cute way they bobble their heads, they are masters of urban living. Give it up for the pigeons.
Another interesting thing about this city is the sheer number of seagulls flying around. I knew there would be pigeons but I thought it would be far too cold for seagulls. Rome isn't that far from the coast, so it does make sense. I guess a little birdie told them where the good food's at! One of the quirks of this city is you can hear church bells and seagulls in the same moment... Still, they got nothin' on those pigeons.
2/3/09
After school today, I decided to take a walking tour of some of the sights I hadn't yet visited. I knew my family was going to ask me what I had seen of Rome, but I'd been so busy with school I had left out very important places! In order to save face and not look like a complete slacker, I went on foot to the Piazza di Spagna, Villa Borghese, and the Piazza del Popolo in the pouring rain. Let me say something about the Villa Borghese in the rain... it sucks! I imagine on a beautiful day in spring it must be one of the most romantic places in the city, but on a cold wintery day in the rain, it's miserable! To add insult to injury, I got totally lost and walked for miles looking for the famous lake I'd seen in pictures. Of course, in accordance with Murphy's law, when I decided to stop looking for it and find my way home, I ran right into that lake! Figures...
It was actually very beautiful to watch the lake in the rain... It was just me and the ducks taking in the winter scenery... When it warms up, I want to rent a boat and go out on the water one day, possibly bring a book with me and soak up the Italian sun.
It has to be said, the men in this country bring a whole new definition to the word "forward". I don't know why they're so obsessed with blondes, but the stereotype holds true. I've been called a wide assortment of things, from "Bella" to "Barbie", and they certainly aren't hesitant to speak their minds! Sometimes it makes me laugh, at which point I attract even more attention for Italian women don't walk around with an idiotic grin on their face! haha.. Anyway, when I got to the Piazza del Popolo, I was followed by a guy selling umbrellas. I tried to ignore him as long as I could, but he kept following saying things like "What's your name? Can I call you sometime? Bella, where do you live?". Finally after he followed me halfway through the piazza, I turned and said in Italian, "Mi dispiace, ho un ragazzo"- "Sorry, I have a boyfriend". "Basta" is another favorite word of mine. He looked dejected but turned and left me alone. While I know honesty is the best policy, a white lie and some attitude can really come in handy!
2/5/09
My family arrived today! I could hardly concentrate in class because all I could think about was meeting up with them afterwards! My class had a scavenger hunt at the Pantheon and it turns out they were there at the same time but we somehow missed each other! I asked them later, "did you see a bunch of students with papers walking around"? They said they did but our paths just didn't collide. When I made it back to the Piazza dell'Orologio, I saw my dad trying to converse with Bruno, our doorman, and I yelled towards him "Ciao, Babo!". He looked so happy and I ran and gave him a hug! He explained the family was waiting at the Piazza Navona so we walked there together and Dad showed me all the new italian words he learned. When we got there, he pointed to a restaurant where they were waiting and I saw a woman give a man a kiss. I thought, "Oh these italians and their public displays of affection!", but then realized it was Lindsay and Ryan, those lovebirds!
Minutes after joining them, ma ma came out and described how the lights went out while she was in the bathroom! Poor thing! Nothing says "welcome" like leaving you in the dark! She said the flight had been good but was completely exhausted! After finishing some white wine, I took them away from the tourist-trap restaurants to a place off the beaten path. We sat outside next to the narrow road and at least twice cars came within inches of Ryan and Dad as they were eating! They were getting a taste of both italian food and italian drivers!
That night, I got to play "tour guide" and took them to the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Venezia, and a few other sights... They were exhausted but I just couldn't help myself! Ryan also bought a Barett in an attempt to look like a European. Well, not quite... Eventually, we made our way back to their hotel, I said good night, and then headed back to Candia to study for my final the next morning.. ugh!
Of course, when I got home I walked into the kitchen where my roommates were having a philosophical discussion about feminism and I somehow got sucked into the debate! A few hours later, I broke away to study and was up until about 3:00... Not fun. "At least I like Italian", I said to myself amidst hundreds of flash cards at 2:00 a.m.... La dolce vita? Not so much..
2/6/09
Waking up was not easy. You know you're tired when you feel like a zombie and can almost sleep through your alarm, despite its insistent, shrill, nagging, terrible, piercing, god-awful beeping! (That was the sugar-coated version, by the way)... Nevertheless, I got up and after a big helping of espresso, turned back into a human being and walked to school reviewing flash cards.
The final was challenging but not impossible, and life was that much sweeter when I had finished. I went home, packed my stuff into a backpack, and headed over to the Via di Quattro Fontanne to meet up with the family. As I was unpacking, the room felt really hot so I asked Ma Ma if I could open the window to let in the breeze. Much to my surprise, she hadn't even opened the window to see her view and, of course, she had the best view of St. Peters! They had visited the Vatican that morning and my grandma did her share of walking, so Dad set her up with a bus-tour that night. While she was on her tour, I took Dad, Lindsay, and Ryan on a walking tour of the Spanish steps, the Via Condotti, and the Castel St. Angelo. They marveled the ridiculous way Romans park, the beauty of the Tiber at night, and of course, the beauty of St. Peters from the bridges.
I was worried they weren't getting a fair taste of Roman food, so I asked the study center if they could recommend some good restaurants to take your family. Not only did they recommend some great places, they had a whole list prepared!
We chose a restaurant called Tratoria l'Oso where they're famous for their multi-course anti-pasta dishes. "We'll start with that" said Dad as he ordered a bottle of red wine for the table. Much to our surprise, plate after plate of anti-pasta arrived until there was hardly room on the table or in our bellies for all the wonderful food! I had a bit of everything and the best wine-soaked pears for dessert. Of course, we ended the meal with some strong limoncello too! They seem to bring it irregardless of whether or not you order it here!
After the meal, Dad wanted to see the Campo di Fiori which was filled with international students on a friday night. I explained to him that its actually an outdoor market by day, party spot by night. Dad headed home and let the 3 of us stay out a while longer, but we were all pretty tired so after one drink, we headed back as well. On our way we passed the Argentina ruins were Ceasar was assassinated (now filled with stray cats), and also Trajan's column. I told Lindsay, "You can't walk from A to B in this city without stumbling upon some major monument along the way". That's both trouble and the beauty of it.
2/7/09
Funny thing happened on the way to the forum... No, seriously, funny thing. I had specifically requested good weather for my family's visit, but mother nature had a mind of her own and insisted on pouring during our outdoor visit to the forum! The nerve... We were all fighting the rain and slushing through the ancient mud... What dedicated tourists we are!
Since I had been on a tour with the Roman History professor, I played "tour guide" again and showed them the various monuments I had learned about. I still get chills when I see the flowers placed in Ceasar's temple and I absolutely love the house of the eternal flame.
By far the best part of the entire visit was getting to bypass the line at the colosseum because we were smart enough to buy our tickets at the forum! It's one of the tricks of the trade, and it always makes me feel like I'm "in-the-know".. haha :P
Later that night, we went to dinner at another wonderful restaurant on the list called "Spirito di Vino". It was an amazing, multi-course meal where we ate according to the Italian serving order of pasta, then a main dish, followed by a salad to aid digestion, and a dessert. Their specialty was a pork recipe supposedly prepared for Julius Ceasar and handed down over generations. We felt like we had been chasing his ghost all day, so most of us ordered the pork and it was absolutely delicious! The most impressive thing about the place was not the restaurant but, in fact, the wine cellar below it which was 80 years older than the Colosseum! For every step you took down the stairs, you descended 75 years back in time- it was roughly 2,000 years old and they had more than 800 wine bottles down there. Wow!
The next day, we embarked on our exciting tour of Tuscany and Venice! I will post more about that later... Arrivaderci!
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