every once in awhile, there will be a day which will be unlike any other, and after which subsequent days will be compared to. this is a story of one of those days.
i awoke early on monday, anxious to spend my morning with the city i had missed deeply over the weekend. i stopped at bar marado to enjoy a (free) breakfast, which consisted of a cappuccino and cornetto miele (a pastry with a heavenly, soft center of honeyed-bread). i also had along with me a dress and a cardigan, as adolfo (the owner and my favorite old italian man thus far) had told me that in the morning, i could meet his friend daniella, who came for coffee and also was a tailor. from what i deciphered, she would be happy to repair any and everyone’s clothing. unfortunately, i had missed her, and went on my way to the campo di fiori for what would hopefully be a glorious shopping experience.
although the morning turned out to be completely different from what i was expecting, it led to the first part of this story of the day. upon entering the market, i noted a table on the right with beautiful, ornate silver and beaded jewelry. the gift possibilities for friends and family were becoming overwhelming, but as i did not see anyone around, i started onward. i would not reach the center of the market for another hour and a half, however, as an old man (they love me here, apparently) who appeared to be the owner of the jewelry stopped me and led me back to his treasures. he was incredibly friendly and took the time to show me how each and every piece worked and what kind of people they would be good for. i chose a few pieces and he took them behind the table to make them ready for purchase. he sat down in his chair and presented a piece of thick metal around which he put the rings in order to smooth them out. as he nonchalantly worked on this, he motioned for me to sit down on the crate next to him. it was here that i would establish perhaps the best relationship with a local yet. the two of us conversed for over an hour as he made me not one but two extra rings with beads of my choosing, for free. and although his italian was rapid and mine broken (with addition of many head nods and gestures), we learned a lot about each other and i received some beautiful lectures on life. over and over again, he emphasized the importance of feeling in the heart “like a bambino,” or child. he had a wonderful time pointing out those who had a good quality and energy of “vita,” or life, and those who were not humble and were “egoists.” he talked about the animals and the sky, and how important it was to be aware of one’s surroundings and be content with nature. i felt as if i was meant to be in that specific place at that time- the message he was giving me was so pure, so beautiful, and so necessary. what was even more poignant, however, was that just when he happened to be talking about the animals and their place in the world, we discovered a large black beetle crawling on my arm. (this was right around the time that he was fitting me for my first ring.) he was ecstatic that i had found “tu amico magico,” or your magic friend. he then procured a few turquoise beads in the shape of beetles and compared the real to the artistic, emphasizing how important it was to treat him as a thing of beauty. a young man came up to us and pointed to it, warning me that i had something crawling on me. as if to poetically juxtapose the two differing attitudes, the old man shooed him away and instructed me to place him in a plant by a restaurant across the way.
after this, we talked about what we did in our lives, and upon finding out that i was a “studenta o cinema, teatro, e canto,” he brought me close and asked me to sing for him. “my funny valentine” and the opening of “someone to watch over me” were very pleasing to him, and he then started on my second ring. he showed me pictures of some of his customers over the years (long ago he had long, black, seventies-style hair!) and soon i had the pleasure of meeting a couple from the southern u.s. who had met him two years previous. the woman was wearing a bracelet he made, and he constructed a new clasp for her on the spot. our conversation continued, this time turning to food. when he learned of my aversion to tomatoes, he made sure to dictate to me a tomato pasta that would surely be beneficial to my health, and stressed the importance of “naturale” vs. “chemica” treatments for my stomach problems. after about and hour and a half had passed, i regretfully told him that i had to go to school, and he made sure before i left that i knew which days he would be at the market. forty euros and five pieces of handmade jewelry later, i was on my way, accompanied by fior di latte gelato (light, slightly sweet, delicious.)
school. not important to the story.
after school, i went to adolfo’s bar to try and catch the tailor, as i had understood that she would be there between five and six. when i arrived, he instructed me to order a drink. as i stood at the counter tasting my first campari & soda (think jagermeister meets a vodka tonic...not so great), he came up to the counter, complete with a vest, a bag, and a set of keys.
“andiamo?”
for those of you who may not know, “andiamo” means “let’s go.” i realized suddenly that he planned on DRIVIng me to the tailor shop. i had a sudden reaction that i should not get in a vehicle with someone i had know for only a week who spoke a different language from me, but a second, stronger thought won out: i would experience rome rush-hour traffic AND get my dress fixed! why not?! (mothers out there, breath, it’ll be fine...) so off we went in his car (of which he has five....one of them a jaguar...remember when i said working in a caffe or ristorante was a good career?) and drove through the traffic (not as scary as you might think) to a suburb that was clean, green, and spacious. very unlike the city center. after a long, broken conversation in mostly italian/partial english, we arrived at the tailor’s, where we explained to them what i needed done. as i reached for my money, adolfo pulled out his and PAID for my clothes to be fixed (30 euro- not cheap.) i was astounded, but he smiled and made sure the workers knew that i was covered when i went to pick them up. after this bewildering excursion, we drove back in the direction of the city, during which he pointed out all the important buildings and parks. i saw up-close the modern parliament buildings (very different from the forum but with an italian flair...still lots of arches), rivers that had been manually constructed, and a new area where a metro station was being worked on. as we drove around a gorgeous, modern-looking park, adolfo mentioned that it’s gelateria had the bEST ice cream. five minutes later, we were entering through the crowded parlour’s doors and up to the counter to order. he insisted that i get a large (think coldstone), to which i protested vehemently. however, like a true italian, he did not take no for an answer, and ordered two large gelatos. we then went to the counter to pick our flavors (in gorgeous abundance!) and decided on cioccolato, which looked completely divine. he insisted i choose another (caramel- decidedly too sweet) and then ANOTHER (pignoli, or pine nut- inCREDIBLE- who knew). we sat in the park, eating gelato and watching the children play. when this was finished, he asked if i wanted to go walking or go home, to which i replied in half italian/half english: “i haven’t washed my clothes in weeks and we have six girls fighting over the machine!” he laughed and we got back into the car. after another mini-tour and some busy roads, he parked in front of the bar and i thanked him profusely as we exchanged hugs and kisses on the cheek. “arrivederci domani!” i said, and went on my way, astounded from my day of good fortune random experiences.
and so i recommend: when you travel overseas, make friends. despite the language barrier, it turns out that they can enrich your life and challenge you as if they were your own from home.
i have no other words.
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