A day in Ariccia

We have had such a great time here in Italy.  Mostly in Rome, with a 2 day trip to Venice & Milan.  Using walking tours form the Frommer's guide we have seen the usual tourist sites and many less known treasures.  As some of you know, we've been studying Italian for the trip, Kathryn far more than me, including continuing her studies while here at a language school.  For me the goal was to be able to be reasonably polite (please, thank you, excuse me, where is the men's room, etc.)

One of my hopes was that I would find a regular place for morning coffee and that I could order and wish the staff a good day each morning.  We discovered the place on day one.  http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d2598504-r150878561-Elen_Bar-Rome_Lazio.html

 The proprieter's name is Romolo (call me "Romo") who along with his wife, Josephina ("Pina") two sons and an employee, Camillia are part of our daily life in Rome.  Romo and Camillia take the morning shift, overlapping with Pina and the boys over lunch hour when Pina takes over until about 6pm when they close.  Romo and Pina have not taken a day off in the three weeks we have been here.

I stroll about 50 meters to see Romo and Camillia every morning purchasing due cafe Americano's and due pasti to go ("apertti via") and wander back to the apartment.  My morning cost has trended down as they have gotten to know me.  From $5 euros day one, as low as 3.50 one day last week.  Camillia has gone to asking for 4 euros and tossing something in the tip jar as change.  I think she's charging me 3.50 and keeping 0.50.  No problem.   We have started having lunch there more often as the sandwiches are fresh and reasonable.  I finally tried some of the pork roast on display in a sandwich.  It is called "Porchetta".  Yum!

So Romo and I have daily chats.  He speaks very little English and I speak very little Italian.  It must be hilarious to watch.  I suppose we are about the same age, both a bit weathered by time.  I was complimenting him on how good the porchetta sandwich was when he began pointing to a poster behind the counter and saying "Ariccia" over and over; speaking Italian with his hands and slowly, so maybe I would get it.  In what should have been a 30 second exchange but took several minutes, I finally figured out that Ariccia is 1) famous for porchetta; 2) not far from Rome; 3) Romo lived there for 20 years; 4) one of his son's commutes from nearby every day and 5) We should go there.

I return with coffee and rolls to Kathryn wondering why I had been gone so long.  I announce that I now know about Ariccia and that we should go.  So, Friday we headed out.  Take the metro to the end of the line Anganina station and the the Cotral bus to Ariccia.  Sounds easy.  Metro part was easy, buying the bus ticket was easy.  Boarding bus asked the driver if the bus stopped in Ariccia.  No and no to speaking English.  Eventually we did figure out that it stops in Albano and there is a "short" walk to Ariccia.  OK.


Now I'm tossing the backpack up to the rack above our seat when the bus starts to move and I fall into my seat narrowly missing Kathryn with what would have been a devastating body blow.  This causes Melissa, the Italian college student that rides this bus every day to giggle.  Ha-Ha.  (Aside - I believe in Angels Hebrews 1:14).  So, I ask Melissa (who is studying English in school) how we will know when the bus has reached Albano, where we are supposed to get off?  She says, "Don't get off in Albano.  Follow me, I am going to Ariccia."  Funny thing about the Italians we have met.  As we were passing through Albano, two different people came to us and said that we were in Albano and this is where we should get off.  Melissa jumped in with both and said she was taking care of us.  Very nice people.


Melissa had us get off the bus with her about a mile from where we would have otherwise at the bottom of a deep valley.  She had taken us to a lift, kind of like a short ski lift from the bottom of the hill leading to Ariccia.  The lift takes us to the Piazza Chigi.  Going home she said we will need to walk back to Albano to catch the return bus.  Time for a photo with our Angel and goodbye.  "Oh, Melissa, one more thing....  Where is the Piazza Chigi?"  One last giggle.  "You are there!"  Arrivederci, Melissa.  Thanks for being our angel.

Ariccia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariccia) is a lovely place in the Alban hills of the Lazio region.  Unlike our trip to Venice which was teaming with tourists and very frenetic we are among very few people out and about on Friday afternoon.  Time for porchetta.  Can't go to the first place we see, just because.  So we wander the length of the porchetta row and get to the end, with a remarkable scene to the valley.  Back up the line to, the first place we saw!  L'Osteria de mi' Zia.  You cannot order a porchetta sandwich.  You have to order some meat, cheese, bread & this day, some roasted eggplant in olive oil and construct your ow sandwich.   We also had some bruschetta, spaghetti with clams, sparkling water and a coke.  20 euro total for what might have been 40 or 50 in downtown Rome.

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After lunch, we wandered around, stopped for a coffee and just counted our blessings.

For more on porchetta:

http://thehideside.blogspot.it/2008/12/la-porchetta-di-ariccia.html

http://www.ciolis.it/index.php?lingua=1&page=products-delicatessen

Unable to get the bus back by taking the lift we headed across the bridge.  Earlier in the day we had asked Melissa from the bottom of this bridge, what the nets were for.  Good question, gruesome answer.  Melissa made a hand gesture indicating a person diving and said this was the "suicide bridge."  Apparently more than 60 Italians have chosen this bridge as their final place to literally jump off.  The "Netting" is chain link type material and has discouraged the already discouraged to end things somewhere else.  Needless to say the walk over was made a bit more uncomfortable with this knowledge......



We walked off our calories on the 2km trek back to Albano and the bus.  While on the way, some more young people assured us that we would know the bus stop when we got there.  I always like reassurances.

Saturday morning I showed the pictures from our adventure to Romo and he was so excited for us.  He knew the restaurant we ate at and knows the family of our waitress, the woman with glasses next to me in the group shot.  This was one of my favorite days in Italy as we would never have found it without establishing some relationships.

Oh, and AS Roma is now 7 and 0 and in first place of Series-A futlbol in Italy.  And my St. Louis Blues improved to 2 and 0 last night at home.

Ciao.

Giovanni