Parks, Irish Pubs, and 'Hidden' Rome

When i was in Paris years ago, i was feeling a bit lonely so I went to the Disney Store on Les Champs d'Elysee and bought a hefalump to be my sleeping buddy. In Rome there is a Disney Store as well on via del Corso so i went to find what other character I could add to my collection. I fell for Roo the Kangaroo also from Winnie the Pooh (wow poetic huh?). Sadly though, it was 19 € , and i could not bring myself to spend over $25 on a little stuff toy. Ill just have to find real friends.
This week was a bit more busy and fun. I decided to go to a new part of Rome everyday after work. The most notable discovery this week was the 'central park' of the city called Villa Borghese. In this large heart shaped park, you can find museums, music auditoriums, and above all some peace and quiet away from the bussle of the city. It was very nice to wander near the lake and see the calmer side of the city for a few hours. Another evening, along with some coworkers, we took slices of pizza and ate on the Spanish steps to people watch. The European cup is coming to a close and Germany played Portugal. Several of my colleagues went to an Irish pub to watch the action and have a few pints! The bar was packed with German fans and due to the warm weather, the beer went down easily. Needless to say, I missed my last train and crashed at my friends for the night, dragging into work the next day wearing the same clothes and red eyes. Oh to be young. A different day, I scoped out the Auditorium here in Rome where most of the musical events happen. Next week for example Alanis Morrisette is going to playing there.
When the weekend hit so did the real heat. Saturday night my roommate arranged to meet some of her friends from college out for pizza. Our reservation got pushed back to 1030p to eat in the Parco Torlonya where Mussolini has a home. Our group of six, five Italians and me, ate our thin crust pizza in open air followed by limoncello (a strong lemon flavored liquor) bitters, and coffees. I think i finally made it back near 4am after a lovely glass of red wine (Morenilli) from Tuscany, champagne to celebrate a birthday, and a croissant with nutella. (mmm) Italians eat quite late compared to us Americans. I was famished by 8pm!
The 'Hidden Rome Tour' took up most of Sunday. A fellow intern and I, were guided by a local Roman - Francesco- who also works with the WHO. He drove us all over the city to the parts were tourists rarely see yet are very special indeed. Rome is known as the city of seven hills and was born between three of them. We visited four of them during this tour - all with impeccable views of the city below. A few of the hills show monuments for the founding fathers of the Rome Republic - Garibadi, Cavour, and Mazzini. Aventina boasts a huge monument of Garibaldi who was known as the arm of the city, Cavour the brain - never used force to implement his policies unlike Garibaldi, and Mazzini the heart. Also on the hills are the rich neighborhoods of Rome where you can find embassies, mansions, and beautiful churches and monasteries. We stopped at a monastery and peered through the keyhole to a beautiful garden of the Malta embassy. On Hill Gianicolo is where its thought that Peter was killed on an upside down cross.

We also toured a few secluded neighborhoods that date back hundreds of years including San Saba. You can immediately tell when you are in a modern or ancient area of the city. The architecture changes the materials and colors used. One of the neighborhoods were built like american cooperatives. I took several pictures to use for the design of my house one day = ). Near Piazza Vittorio we stopped for lunch. This area is one of most ethincally diverse neighborhoods of Rome where Indian, Chinese, and African immigrants come to hang their hats. We ate at an incredible Indian food restaurant that reminded me of being back home. Later in the day, Francesco has one more big surprise for us. He drove to the SE corner of the city to the Parco Dellappia Antica where you can find an original foot path to the city that goes on for miles. The great part of this park is the ancient aqueducts ! I got some amazing shots and heard interesting stories about illegals using the aqueducts as one wall of their huts to survive. Prostitution was also rampant in that part of time back in the day. Francesco grew up nearby so showed us little nooks and crannies I bet few people know about. After five hours in 84 degree heat, we parted ways. What an incredible experience- I am so lucky to have a local roman show me around!