Hit Me with Your Best Shot

 Day Three: Soccer match. Bologna vs. Cagliari. This is Caesar’s itinerary item and I’m going along for the fun (?). I owe it to him for all the televised soccer matches I’ve ruined with vacuuming during the single goal of the match, which seems to happen with relative frequency.

 The night before the match, he tries to get tickets, which are available but the firewall on the site is blocking the final payment. We spend an hour on different devices but just can’t get the tickets. No worries, we’ll buy at the stadium, which is about three miles away. Then we learn that there is a marathon taking place in the city and we can’t get the car out. No worries, we’ll get a bus. 

Morning comes and we start out to get the bus but the marathon route changes the bus route. No worries, we’ll walk. Forty five minutes later we are at the  Stadio Dall’ara but can’t find the ticket office. No worries, we’ll ask some fans. Caesar Caramanico approaches a large group of them outside a bar and only when I get closer do I realize that he has disturbed the partying neo-fascita Ultra fans who seem to favor face tattoos and dislike dentists. The one woman in the group is eyeing me up and I’m pretty sure she can take me but I shoot her a tough, Darby girl glare and say nothing (because I can’t say anything worthwhile in Italian anyway) and she backs down a bit. No worries. Ticket booth is around the corner. 

As we approach the booth, security stops us because you can’t go that way and then inform us that you can’t buy tickets at the booth but only online. Caesar spends the next twenty minutes explaining the online issues to two older men who I highly doubt even know how to get online much less buy something. A younger kid, managing traffic, jumps in and another twenty minutes of him playing with Caesar’s phone and having the same outcome as us. Then Caesar insists he try it on his phone which works but the kid doesn’t have enough credit on his card  to buy them even as Caesar offers him more money than they cost. No worries. He lets us through to talk to people in the ticket booth that doesn’t sell tickets.

 The girl in the ticket booth tells us that you can’t buy tickets on the day of the event except online. No kidding. Caesar is relentless and walks down to the VIP entrance and tells the young girl and guy there his story. They are kind. They’ll help him and they proceed to do exactly what we’ve been doing since last night and they too can’t get past the firewall. More security people jump in to help. The entrance is now being covered by a single girl. I have no interest in the ticket saga, so I’m watching the Maserati and high end European cars arrive and present their pass, which the girl scans. These people are definitely not Ultras, good hair, shiny teeth, expensive sunglasses. 

I’m thinking about all this when Caesar shouts “Gianni Morandi” and rushes the arriving car. I think he’s run into a grade school friend as he is talking and laughing with a handsome man in the car. The security kids are laughing too. Whatever. I don’t understand the conversation, it is too fast. Caesar loooks at me and says “Lorraine, do you know who this is?” Yeah, I think , you just said it’s Gianni Morandi, the question is how do you know him? He is telling him something about playing songs for his students at Grays Ferry. I’m really lost. The guy is friendly and he gives me a look too but not the kind the Ultra girl gave me, a more flirty one, so I like Caesar’s friend. They’re talking about the ticket situation now. Oh Lord. He jokes that we can have his for a hundred bucks. He has to go, we’re holding traffic and he says in English, “I’ll see you inside” and I reply, because finally I can, “not unless I figure out a way to sneak in”. The people in the car laugh. I’m not being funny but whatever, it’s my first communication with anyone besides Caesar for the past two hours, so I’m satisfied. 

The security people try fifty different ways to buy the tickets but nothing works until we decide to say that we are Italian and not USA. Bingo! The firewall goes down and we’ve scored two tickets twenty minutes before game time. Caesar is happy as a kid on Christmas morning. He is so excited! “I can’t believe we just met Gianni Morandi!” Huh? Oh, is he a soccer player? “Lorraine, you just met the most famous entertainer in all of Italy. Let me see your pictures.” I look at him. There are no pictures . I thought it was your friend, I had no idea. Yes, the best shot of the soccer game came at the VIP parking lot and I missed it.

You Say Bologna

 Day Two: Trying to recall when we learned about the great European cities and I’m thinking it was fourth grade with Sr. Immaculata. What I do remember is all of us kids calling Balogna,  “Baloney” and this thought came to my head as we were served mortadella on a table covered in starched , white linens. 

The world’s oldest university, established in 1088,  is located here, so the city feels young, especially late evenings when students clog the portico covered sidewalks outside the bars and restaurants, eating pizza, drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and having thoughtful conversation. 

This too, reminds me of my youth as I remind Caesar Caramanico that there is Advil in the bag for his hip pain and that I really need to get some sleep.

Italy in Winter

 Day One. Why the hell are we here in the dead of winter and during a political firestorm while the Pope is dangerously ill? I’ve never seen Rome. Aside from flying into and out of Fumicino airport and spending a single night during a heatwave in a hundreds year old house without AC, I’ve not seen Rome. While Caesar Caramanico was teaching, we always opted to travel during the summer and Rome in summer is huge crowds and unbearably hot. I despise crowds and CC hates  the heat, so we always would say “next time” and end up next time on the beach somewhere on the east coast of Italy or visiting a hidden gem in a town high in the mountains without tourists. 

So, when I heard it was a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Chirch and Caesar’s first year not teaching, I planned our trip to coincide with Carnevale and Ash Wednesday. After sharing my ideas and plan with CC, who has already been to Rome, and doesn’t share my fervor about the plenary indulgence (more about that later) we will receive, he wanted to add a couple days in  Bologna, a city he never visited, and a chance to attend a soccer game. So, here we are in Italy in Winter. 

When we rent our car, we are told to pick up a  bag of tire chains from the attendant as it is a law in Italy, to have chains in your car in anticipation of snow through April 1st. As we leave the rental garage, CC driving and me in the passsenger seat, the final attendant asks for Caesar’s license ( the same one that he rented the car with fifteen minutes earlier) and  a lively conversation ensues between the attendant and Caesar about his license but I can’t fully follow the conversation (in Italian) except that apparently Caesar’s license is expired and he cannot rent a car. Caesar then inforns me that they are plotting ways around this prooblem including me driving the car.  I’m horrified in English and Italian and after consider punching Caesar for not renewing his license, it occurs to me that there is no way that his license renewal would be floating around our home office without my knowledge or incessant nagging him to attend to it.  At this point, i ask to see the license, which clearly does not expire until 11/2/2025. The man is reading the date Italian style, so it looks to him like it expired on 2/11/25. I had to produce my own license to convince him of this truth, thankful that my  expiration date  is a 22 and obviously not a month. 

 The first thing we notice when we get outside is that it really is more like spring, especially around Rome where the grass is already greening and the cherry blossoms are blooming, than winter. As we drive north toward Bologna ( note-still only have seen Rome airport so far) it does get cooler and wetter and feels more like winter but  compared to our Philly winter this year, totally comfortable.

 We stop in Siena for pranzo and a difficult but much needed passagiata and promise that we’ll be back to this lovely town. We arrive in Bologna at nearly 8PM after being awake, except for cat naps, for 36 hours. We get twisted, miss turns, drive into the restricted area, can’t find the AirBnB, climb four stories of stairs ( description said elevator I swear, Caesar) with bulky luggage and I realize the truth to the meme I saw recently “traveling might be expensive but you can’t put a price tag on arguing with your spouse in a different city”.

Villa d'Este, Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

Day Sixteen: We wrap up our journey with a visit to Villa d’Este a 16th century villa commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este (1509–1572), second son of Alfonso I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara and grandson of Pope Alexander VI through his mother Lucrezia Borgia. Beyond this basic info, the entire Renaissance church/state thing confuses me except to say they are all in cahoots and loads of money and other riches are controlled by both and neither seem too concerned about the people they govern or shepherd. Cardinal d’Este appears to be particularly bereft of piety with an ego as big as the villa he built. The vast construction site required the demolition of houses, public buildings and roads. In 1568 the local residents filed twelve different lawsuits against the Cardinal, but he was not deterred. The interior space is impressive and the gardens are an engineering delight with waterfalls snd fountains. Cardinal d’Este pillaged some material from villa Adriana (see yesterday’s post). After the first World War, the villa was acquired by the Italian state and restored by the fascist government and visited by world leaders of the time. Big photo post if interested. I could not choose just a few. Headed home tomorrow so we have lots of organizing to do. Looking forward to seeing our family and getting back to our usual routine.

Villa Adriana, Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

Day Fifteen:Visit to Villa Adriana, built in AD 120. This blows my mind. Over 2,000 years ago, this architectural marvel was created using concrete, travertine,bricks and other “modern” materials as a retreat for Roman Emperor Hadrian. The architecture is complex, there is a theatre, dormitories for visiting dignitaries, baths, great rooms, latrines and dining areas and various fountains and pools all supplied by an aqueduct. As a mason, Caesar has the knowledge to explain how they constructed the walls and columns and it was interesting to watch him feel the bricks and stone and imagine how they created particular floors and walls. I was fascinated with the large baths and how pleasant that experience may have been under the Roman sun peeking from the dome above. Truth is, we’d be more likely to have been one of the 2,000 slaves who kept the place going than one of the dignitaries, priests or high ranking politicians visiting the place. Over time much of the marble and artwork was pillaged for other buildings but some floors remain intact and the black and white floors of the dormitory remind me of my current bathroom floor. Amazing. Spent the evening walking around Tivoli talking about this marvelous site.

Reflection from Italy on USA Independence Day

We are Americans. Me, simply by birth and Caesar by choice since age 25. These last few weeks we’ve enjoyed both the natural and engineered beauty of Italy. We traveled as Italians, on their roads, their public transit and ate in their restaurants and slept in their homes. Many things are different but the one uniting force and I think it may be for all people is their desire for liberty. Liberty to pursue one’s dreams and ambitions without the shackles of an oppressive government, within a society that allows the individual autonomy over their body, their thoughts, their pursuit of a lifestyle. There are towns of a few hundred people where hundreds of young men died fighting for this. The monuments list the names of the dead from the great wars and often there are several brothers listed. An entire generation gone in the pursuit of liberty. I am of the opinion that the United States of America was the inspiration to these people. They saw what George Washington’s Great Experiment produced and wanted it for their own. Some, unwilling to wait, like my own grandparents, left Italy for the unlimited opportunity they saw in America. If you judge their decision by their ancestors, they were successful. So, with these thoughts on the 4th of July, from the distance of a continent, I encourage all of us Americans, whatever your political persuasions, to judge every word, every action of our government and its representatives, by asking the question, “does it preserve liberty for all”? Does it, in the words of our first president “promote human happiness”. Enjoy a hot dog for me, I always miss them the most when traveling.

Crossing the Apennine

Day Fourteen: Travel to Lazio for the last few days of our adventure. We said goodbye with breakfast by the beautiful beach of Francavilla with Caesar’s aunt. Sunshine and a cool breeze and the sea! Never long enough in this part of Italy but we packed up and headed west. Stopped at the town of Celano in L’Aquila for pranzo and passagiata. Another town that was invaded by various forces throughout the centuries as well as an earthquake whose damage was never completed until after WWII. The rain was heavy during our visit but we were able to walk the historical trail and enjoyed pranzo at a restaurant called “la Locanda” a fitting spot since Caesar and I met at la Locanda (the one in Newtown Sqaure) 20 years ago. Made it to Tivoli by evening just as the sun returned.

Rainy Day Picnic in Abruzzo

Day Thirteen: Our intention was to have a relaxing beach day but we awoke to an overcast sky with rain predicted. Caesar wanted to visit a piece of family land so we drove into the hills and spoke to his neighbor who was growing the most remarkable tomatoes. He kindly gave us a bucketful when we left. We decided to revisit Guardiagrele where we visited a bottega and bought spices and dried herbs to bring home as well as some local salami and other dried meats and local cheeses. Instead of having Pranzo at a restaurant, we enjoyed a picnic on a park bench where we shared a roast porchetta panini, chips and a beer. Caesar dozed off on the bench until a thunderstorm interrupted his slumber. It is so cool to watch the weather from the high hills in Chieti because you can see the weather forming and moving and feel the changes in the wind and temperature. After the rain stopped we drove to Torrevecchia Teatina and admired the homes, the views and the Montepulciano vineyards. We talked to a few locals, visited the cemetery and enjoyed the sun and cool breezes after the rain. Check out the photo of the cactus I ran into. That hurt. We stopped at a supermarket on the way home to get some of our favorite things to bring home. The Italian supermarket has four ( no exaggeration) aisles of pasta, not including the fresh pasta in the refrigerated area. We are leaving Abruzzo in the morning so we spent the evening packing up and enjoying the tomatoes that the farmer gave us along with the delicious bread made by Danilo Toscani Del Nibletto and some local fruit, cheese and meat. Sad to leave Abruzzo but looking forward to the last leg of our journey-Lazio.

Celebrità d'Abruzzo

Day Twelve: No history lesson. Today I was a celebrity. The hair. I have a lot of it and it is beginning to look pretty bad after all this travel. Caesar arranged that I meet stilista extraordinaire Alessandra Martella and have a salon morning. His nephew Fabio Pennoni joined us and I never had so much fun waiting for my hair to process, listening to all theee of them and trying to follow the conversation. When we finished up around eleven, we all had coffee and dolce and then went on a scavenger hunt through the market for a particular kind of baby bib for our grandchildren that the moms at home love, laughing all the way, particularly at my inability to remember the word for bib. Bavaglino. Nearly time to meet my kind and thoughtful cousin, Danilo Toscani Del Nibletto for pranzo at one of my favorite local places located high in the hills. Fabio offered to drive us and Alessandra agreed to join us too and Caesar decided to take credit for arranging for me to have a stylist and driver for the day. If I had known that I would spend the day posing as an Americani celebre, I would have dressed way better. So great to see Danilo and we hope he will visit us in the USA next year. After all that, Caesar and I ran off to meet his brother in law, Ciofani Ottica so that Caesar could have his eye exam and choose new glasses, a thing he insists is inferior at home. Finally, ended the day having cena at 9PM with family and friends who we’ve traveled with and hosted in the past. So great to see all the people we love and share so many fun memories. So, not a day of sightseeing or culture but a day of living the dolce vita with the Italians.

Make New Friends

Day Eleven: Make New Friends. In Amazing Abruzzo , you can be from the seaside to the mountains in half hour. So, you can hike in the Appenine in the morning and swim in the Adriatic Sea in the afternoon. Or you can just make Sunday the day of rest that it was meant to be. Caesar has been following a British couple on Insta and FB who are doing a reconstruction on a property in Abruzzo (Brambletye) and he was adamant that we should meet them during this trip. Okay, Caesar, that’s not weird. Nonetheless, we traveled to Guardiagrele, which also happens to be the DeLuca hometown, to meet them for coffee in the morning. We didn’t get home until nearly 9PM. There was a marching band that didn’t march, church bells that never stopped, a MotoGuzzi rally that was attended by a Cardinal and a long afternoon of sharing stories, good food and wine with Lynn, Steve, Katja and Andrew and a sweet dog called Button.

The Tremiti Islands

Day Ten: Excursion to the Tremiti Islands.

We drove to the Molise region, about an hour away to Termoli where we traveled by ferry for an hour to Isole Tremiti. Wow! This archipelago of five islands has been inhabited since the Iron Age (4th century BC) and was through various periods of history used as a place of confinement. During the Fascist regime, homosexual men were rounded up and confined here. So, the beauty of the place is tempered by the loneliness and hardship endured by those who visited here in other circumstances. We rented a Zodiac boat and Caesar piloted us around all the islands, where we could see fish in the crystal clear water at a depth of dozens of feet. We had rough sea in a few places and it was as scary as it was beautiful. Enjoyed lunch on the island of San Nicola and a cool dip in the water afterward. That’s the story we’ll tell you in person. We ended the day at the dock in Termoli where we watched Italy lose in the Euro Cup. Think Eagles losing in the playoffs. Sad sight indeed.