Rome via Brooklyn

702 words, 4 minutes read time – DOUBLE POST

I began the weekend at my cousin’s wife’s 40th birthday party. They have such a beautiful little house on the outskirts Rome with a gorgeous garden that we spent a few hours together in. I was grateful to have another opportunity to see some family that I don’t think I will be able to see again before we had back to the US. We passed a few hours together until I left with a different cousin and her husband to meet up with some friends at Caffetteria Dami, a cute little cocktail bar and gelateria in Nepi. We spent maybe an hour there having drinks and snacks before heading back to Carbognano.

I woke up really early the next morning and took a long walk around the town. I’m kicking myself for not taking more photos, but this one right here says a lot. The view is from the street looking down into the vicoletto where my family’s homes are. Each house here belongs to someone in my family, but the one to the left at the top of the steps is where Nonna and her sister have spent every summer together for the last sixty or so years. It’s such a bittersweet feeling being here, knowing that last summer was the last summer they were able to do that. Both of them, being in their late eighties and unable to handle the heat and the stairs, won’t be able to return to their childhood home together. And while I’m glad I got to see it again for myself, I’m sad to miss the times where we could all be here together.

Here are the few pictures I took. I really wish I’d taken more, but I think this trip has ignited something in me that won’t allow me to let too much time pass before visiting again.

After breakfast, we took a short drive to sit in the shade at Lago di Vico. When I visited as a little kid, I distinctly remember my mother’s warnings about the lake and to not venture too far out for fear of drowning. At the time, it just seemed like typical motherly over-worrying. However, my cousin told me of a saying that helped me to better understand my mom’s anxiety.

Lago di Vico ogni anno fa un amico. Lago di Vico makes a friend every year. Apparently, something about the water makes it harder for swimming, so at least once a year someone dies in the lake for one reason or another. Not really an uplifting bit of information, but certainly interesting.

Anyway.

It was incredibly hot that day, but we found a perfect spot under the trees where was passed a few hours chatting, smoking, and eating a tramezzino or two. It was really special being able to catch up with my cousin and fill each other in on our lives up to this point. It made me wonder what my life would be like had nonna stayed in Italy instead of immigrating to the US. I mean, primarily, I wouldn’t exist or even be writing this post – but in a timeline where I still would have existed, what would my life look like? What would life have been like in our small, simple town? A place where everyone knows everyone, and where our family has been for generations. It’s obviously a romanticized idea, but still fun to think about.

We ended the night with a beautiful dinner all together. We went to a steakhouse where my cousin and her husband know the owner, and they let us explore their vast wine cellar. I wish I’d taken a picture (story of my life) because it was so cool to see just how far down it went. Dinner was delicious. A meal that in the US would have been easily over $100 per person, but was only around 60€ each.

The night ended and we went home. The next morning, my cousin drove me to the train station in Orte – a town I’ve heard good things about and will have to visit next time I’m in Italy. We chatted a bit more and promised to keep in touch. Hopefully, I’ll see her again soon.