I’m back to my cappuccino again this weekend, but it’s a chilly May day on the front porch and I’ve been relegated to a window instead. I am contemplating a time nearly two-years ago when Alex and I finally landed in Rome after dark. Jet-lagged and dreary-eyed, we traveled from the airport into the ancient city. Grand silhouettes graced the gray skyline, giving hints of what lie ahead as we buzzed down the modern freeway. Unbeknownst to us on this calm night, we were about to be dumped a forty-minute walk from our AirBnB. Now, I must admit this was not an ideal situation, and caused a bit of tension, but I will never forget that walk and how the layers of the city were revealed - graffiti covered modern walls, cars and vespas crammed into side streets, trolly tracks crossed under ancient aqueducts, pop music streamed from somewhere, and crumbling brick ruins lined the sidewalk. It is these layers that are Rome. We think of Rome during its heyday of the Roman Empire, but it is much more. It is the people, the food, the traditions and the history that make Rome the amazing place it is today.
We were grateful to finally see our host Lorenzo who greeted us with a cheerful, “ciao ragazzi,” as we finished our long walk to our casetta nel cortile (little house in the courtyard). We awoke early, ready for the full day in Rome. After a cappuccino (of course) and a chocolate filled pastry, we took the trolly to the colosseum for a tour. The largest of the Roman amphitheaters, standing three-stories tall at 513 feet and built of arches out of concrete, brick, and travertine, is a site to see. You could almost feel the history, excitement, and even the fear that once echoed through this grand structure built to hold fifty to eighty thousand spectators who watched gladiators fight to the death, wild animals perish, and mock navel games with more death and destruction in the flooded arena. There is an eeriness you feel when looking within this structure, but then, you turn and look out the many archways toward Palatine Hill. Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, is also the most ancient. It has ruins that date back to 1,000 B.C. and is considered the birthplace of Rome where the original inhabitants settled. It’s beauty drew me and Alex to climb it and look at the city from above. The view from above brings a peace and understanding of this sublime city and it’s people, and even makes the once raucous colosseum look calm.
It feels like we are all walking in the dark right now, seeing the layers that make up humanity as COVID-19 continues to spread. But perhaps we can look at these layers and see the good. Can we say a cheerful “ciao ragazzi” to a friend or someone who is alone right now? Can we each climb above our own needs and see the vast layers that we can change? Sometimes, it’s just the vantage point from which we look at the situation that can make all the difference. Let's all rise above.
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Call mom and say ciao to her today!
Amy
