Before we even left for Italy, Brian and I wondered, in each location, will we find some places (restaurants, bars, shops) that we like a lot and frequent and re-frequent them or will we try different places all the time? Certainly the latter is a tempting approach since it's human nature to think that there might be something better if we just keep trying to find it. But, we didn't really know how it would turn out. This "slow travel" concept is new to us and we just couldn't predict what we'd do.
It has turned out that we have had some places we repeat, either because of the convenience of the location or the greatness of the place itself. There was a pizzeria, for example, in Rome that was very near a stop along our tram, "l'otto". The service was sometimes brusque but the pizza was awesome and inexpensive. The boys liked it AND, there was a good gelateria nearby. Similarly, there was a pasticceria and a supermarket along the same tram line which we frequented a number of times.
Similarly, near Scuola Leonardo DaVinci, my Italian language school, there was a bar, Bar Gio which I frequented nearly every one of the 15 days I had school. Some days it was just for a bottle of cold sparkling water but many times it was also for a cup of espresso or caffe marocchino standing at the bar between classes. A caffe marocchino is an espresso with cocoa syrup on the bottom of the glass, a tiny bit of steamed milk inside and a sprinkle of cocoa powder on top. Usually this was presented unceremoniously as Bar Gio, while a perfectly nice place, is not one of those famous places which makes designs in your milk foam or some such frivolity. But, on my last day of classes, when I arrived outside of the normal school break schedule to sit and study for my final-day test, I ordered a bottle of water, a marocchino and a small pastry. I cannot help but feel that what I got was not just due to the boredom of the barista but because he recognized me and hopefully even saw my Italian and my accent improve over the 3 weeks that I had been ordering from him.
Anyway, I'm curious, does this experience extend to the rest of Italy? And, can it be seen in America? Relationships are important - more important than we credit, I imagine...
It has turned out that we have had some places we repeat, either because of the convenience of the location or the greatness of the place itself. There was a pizzeria, for example, in Rome that was very near a stop along our tram, "l'otto". The service was sometimes brusque but the pizza was awesome and inexpensive. The boys liked it AND, there was a good gelateria nearby. Similarly, there was a pasticceria and a supermarket along the same tram line which we frequented a number of times.
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| special caffe marocchino - for "regulars" only? |
Anyway, I'm curious, does this experience extend to the rest of Italy? And, can it be seen in America? Relationships are important - more important than we credit, I imagine...
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