Romantic Roma

I was on the train to San Francisco for the Municipal conference from Sacramento when Lehman Brother’s filed bankruptcy this past Sunday evening. The events that unfolded after the bankruptcy were the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, the AIG meltdown, and rescue of AIG by the Fed. By the time I got on the plane for our vacation in Europe, ALL of these events have taken place within 72 hours. As I got on the plane to Washington Dulles airport, I have read, listened, and watched the financial meltdown and that was the only thing I can obsess over on my flight to the East Coast.

After meeting up with Jim in Dulles, we watched and read some more about the Fed’s rescue of AIG, I have been obsessed with the recent financial crisis - I call it an obsession because the thought of vacationing in Italy and Germany didn’t even sound as fascinating as the financial market volatility. Everything changed when the captain of our flight to Italy announced that we will be descending into Rome in half an hour. I have been exhausted meeting and greeting bankers and potential customers at the conference, but the thought of arriving into the most romantic ancient city in the world gave me a jolt and woke me up to our vacation!

Jim and I were seriously jetlagged and hungry so we checked into our hotel that we booked while we were on the train into Roma and went out for our first pizza and beer at Ristorante Berzitello. (06-4782-4714) The seafood pizza was delicious with mussels, shrimp, calamari, clams, fish, olive oil, and fresh herbs. And beer has never tasted so good after a long flight, great pizza, and on the street of Roma. Rob, I am not trying to make you jealous but you really should be! (big smile on my face)

Prior to meeting Fabio and Sarah at La Gallina Bianco for dinner, Jim and I strolled around the Roman ruins and its modern streets. Every corner we turned to had something ancient and something new that blends into the most bizarre harmony. The Pantheon was circled by brightly lit restaurants and crowded cafés and stores. Chlesa del Gesu was surrounded by streets and cars, Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II appeared out of nowhere but definitely caught our attention! Across the street from Via Curla was the Mercati Traiana, we ran through the two way traffic that doesn’t seem to stop for anyone like the Italian professional road crossers. (I am a talented road crosser having been born in Taiwan). Last but not least, the Colosseo and Arco di Costantino right outside of the subway station with blazing throughway traffic ignoring their existence. With the architecture, ruins, culture, and history, Italian men and women MUST be romantic, otherwise romance cannot exist! How lucky are the Romans! I love Roma, it is beyond romantic!

Needless to say, dinner at La Gallina Bianco was great. The restaurant was packed but we were in the good hands of Fabio and Sarah. We talked about Italians politics, global economy, bucket lists, places that we have and want to travel, and best cities in the world to live. I told Sarah how much I would love to live in Roma for a while, she said that she has came to appreciate Roma so much more after she has traveled to various cities in the world. She adds, “I regret that I will never be able to see Roma with the eyes of tourists”. At that moment, I realized that Romans are lucky and cursed at the same time, they will never be able to see Roma like how we see it. It is fair that to be born and raised in this amazing city, means that this city will never be able to love you the way lovers do… if this is any reconciliation to those of us whom were not born Romans~

Our Dinner was about two and half hours long that started at 9pm. Great Roman dishes, Batheos’ Calatrasi wine, and wonderful conversations ended our first evening in Italy. I woke up this morning and thought, “what financial crisis?” It took me one day in this great city of Italy’s to get over my obsession of the financial market. I declare to my lover, Roma, “if I get to live in Rome, I will be perfectly happy to completely forget about the rest of the world”

We met with the Jacobsens’ at the Stazione Termini and are on our train to Pistoia for Kelly and Ciro’s wedding. I am missing Rome already. Next time, I am not leaving Rome until Roma and I fall in love.