Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Tango and horns

Fontanelle e motorini.
The epitome of the Eternal City.

Neither the Sistine Chapel, nor the Capitol, the Fontana di Trevi, or the hundreds of other sights, architectural marvels or works of art that Rome abounds in, but the omnipresent fountains with excellent drinkable water all-year round, while the South is struggling with drought, and the likewise omnipresent scooters, largely responsible for the insomnia of the inhabitants of the city centre; yet without them, Rome wouldn´t be Rome, would it?
In keeping with my private promise to go back every year, I have spent the weekend in the Eternal City, to see dear friends and catch at least a glimpse of the ochre-coloured city whose streets I know by heart.
Rome has undergone some changes since my student years, some good and some less good; but, seeing as it is eternal, its centuries-old charm remains unharmed (though the traffic in the city centre really should be banned, or at least drastically reduced, before the smog turns even the Vittoriano black; mind you, it doesn´t look like that will happen now, with the new mayor.. but that´s another story). I did all the right things - long breakfasts with latte con caffè, an exhibition of Renoir´s paintings in the Vittoriano (the real reason of my haste, incidentally, as it ends in June), a walk up the Via del Babuino and Via Margutta to Pincio and then back downtown, a stop to see Caravaggio´s lovely Madonna dei Pellegrini in a side-chapel of a church where a wedding was taking place, an evening stroll down Il Corso, several cones of my favourite rice-and-cinnamon ice-cream, and a stop at Feltrinelli´s:)
And a milonga. That evening, Roma had beaten Inter, and the city went bonkers; the milonga was taking place in a lovely location, a beautiful room with a splendid shiny parquet and large mirrors in gilt frames. It was quite warm and so the high windows and the balcony door were thrown open, to let in the indescribable racket from outside! While dancing, we could at times hardly hear the tango music, drowned by the sounds of horns and cheering outside..
Tango romano?
:)

6 comments:

Evie Abat said...

What a lovely entry! Made me sigh for Italy...

Anonymous said...

"latte con caffè"?

Um, in the times I lived in Italy I never saw such a thing... Do you mean to say caffè latte? Or... something else that is particularly Roman?

Which milonga did you go to? il giardino del tango?

My favorite in Rome is La milonga dei serpenti... :-)

Anonymous said...

(I meant to say that I've never heard somebody order "latte con caffè"... of course I've SEEN latte and I've also seen caffè - aaaah you know what I mean. I'm just wondering if that's a Roman way to order something. Me being Toscana and honorarily Perugina & all...)

La Tanguerita said...

Every time my life starts looking bleak, I save myself into Rome. I just buy a ticket and escape for a day or two. Browsing the narrow streets of Trastevere never cease to make me feel better again, no matter how bad I might have felt before. Thanks for reminding me :-)

one2tango said...

It´s funny, isn´it - people in BsAs sigh for Italy, people in Italy sigh for BsAs, and so on:)))
I wonder why the two couldn´t just be on the same continent? it would make things much easier..

Oh yes, latte con caffè:) it is exactly what it sounds like it is: an Italian specialty of a kind (hardly anyone would order it in a cafeteria, true, but if you do, they´ll know)- it is what Italian children get to drink for breakfast - a mug of warm milk with just a little coffee - the proportion of milk and coffee changing gradually as they get older until it becomes caffè con latte:) Now, seeing as I don´t really drink coffee, this is my version of breakfast all´italiana; it is really very nice!;)

As for the milonga - I didn´t go to the giardino del tango, which is what I SHOULD have done.. I went to this place in piazza Cavour in Prati, and, well.. I also like the milonga in Via dei Serpenti, such a lovely place, but it´s on Thursdays:(

Besos, my dear tangueras!

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