Rome Revisited

October 24, 2003-Seeking Sustenance
(photos: Synagogue,
Caskets of priests,
Me & good luck phallus)


A sleepy Mt. Vesuvius finally showed itself through the clouds as we left Sorrento. We could see the pollution hanging over Rome from thirty miles out. Traffic wasn’t too bad until we exited the highway. David claimed that it wasn’t as bad as Greece. We left an hour to find the car return office and it took every bit of that. We’re car-free at last.

David said that tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain works. We did return to Rome. Our destination after checking into the hotel was the synagogue in the old ghetto. Pope Paul IV forced the Jews into this ghetto in the 16th century. It was only a half-hour walk but we arrived as it closed. Services were at 6 PM and we planned to return if we were still in the area. The building took up an entire block and guards armed with machine guns were stationed at intervals.

It was about 3 PM and we hadn’t eaten lunch. David wanted to try a ghetto restaurant that served Roman Jewish dishes. Several places carried ham on the menu. How authentic is that? We finally found Taverna del Ghetto and proceeded to spend a lot of money for tasteless fare. We had fried artichoke and zucchini flowers stuffed with sea bass. The artichoke was oozing oil and we only got two flowers in the order. We ordered spaghetti carbonera with veal instead of the usual ham. I figured I’d give David my veal but there were only four flecks in my portion. They misunderstood our order and brought two carboneras. They had absolutely no flavor times two. The diet cokes were cute. They came in tiny 5ml. bottles with caps that required an opener. We were tempted to buy an opener that was for sale on the street with a picture of the pope. I remember Daniel mentioning them when he was in Rome in 1992 or thereabouts. I’m embarrassed to tell you what the meal cost so I won’t. We were very upset that a Jewish restaurant was so over-priced just because it was kosher.

We walked by Teatro di Marcello looking for the forum. We knew it was visible from the Capitoline Hill but we didn’t have our guidebook. We started to climb steps in order to see where we were and the Roman Forum was staring us in the face. It spread out with its avenues and temples in disarray, the ever-present scaffolding, and the Coliseum hovering in the background. We worked our way to the steps that Michelangelo built as part of his renovation of the Piazza Nuovo in the 1600’s and came upon a crowd. We heard music and thought it was a concert. What we saw were TV cameras, several coffins, hearses, and Africans in traditional garb who looked distraught. A guard explained that last week a boat going from Africa to Sicily went down. We’ve been so out of touch with the news. These were the bodies of thirteen priests who drowned. Forty people were lost in all. There was a long line of pallbearers to place the coffins in the waiting hearses. We were so moved by the tragedy.

On our way to the Pantheon we saw a monk who was a dead ringer for Friar Tuck except that he was wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, and was using an enormous umbrella as a walking stick. It was a photo-op without the opportunity. The Pantheon was closed today for a twenty-four-hour strike. Someone asked who was striking. David said it was the gods.

I think Romans still consider having a stone phallus outside a building to be good luck. They’re lining the avenues and are used as barriers for pedestrian areas. There’s no mistaking them after seeing the real deal in Pompeii.

It was 5 PM and we were hungry so we stopped for a slice of pizza. I went to use the toilette and on the stall door was carved, “save Israel.” We have friends in strange places. We wandered over to the Tiber River to stroll along its banks until services began.

Judaism Romano

There was a large crowd for services. I followed some women and ended up in a basement chapel at a private pre- bar mitzvah service. I went up to the main sanctuary and found the women’s balcony three flights up. There were signs cautioning the women not to talk. They were ignored. I noticed that several of the women arrived carrying motorcycle helmets. It’s a swingin’ set of Jewish matrons they have here. The décor was plainer than in Florence, but still had the painted walls with floral motif and matching stained glass windows. It was a more Romanesque feel with soaring marble columns and vaulted ceilings. After forty-five minutes of not recognizing anything I gave up and went down to wait for David. I met a French woman and had a nice chat. My French was good enough to determine that her husband was in the sanctuary, she wanted to leave, they were on vacation, and she was having a good time. Not bad for forty-year old French classes. I was relieved when David emerged and said he understood little of the service as well. Not only were the tunes different but also several of the prayers were unfamiliar.

Now it was 7 PM and David was still hungry. He has wanted a hamburger for days and couldn’t resist Burger King. They had a hot chili Whopper that turned out to be covered in BBQ sauce. The menu was in what resembled English. His burger was touted as “Wester” BBQ. The tally for a burger, fries, and medium coke was EU 5.40. It was a very expensive food day.

Tomorrow we take an afternoon tour of classic sites. That means we get to sleep late.

Toby