As the Romans Do...with Julian

Our dear friend Elaine gifted us with two days with a private guide, Julian, in Rome.  His dad, Alan, wrote a great book called "As the Romans Do" that tells his family's story of moving from the US to Italy in 1995.  Alan used to give tours and since his passing, Julian took up the mantle and takes folks around his city.  When we were talking prior to arriving in Rome, I told Julian we wanted him to show us his Rome as we can manage the tourist spots.  Other than that, we gave him no direction and just trusted his judgement.  I definitely recommend picking up Alan's book as it is a great collection of short stories about the family and it was fun to learn more about them over our two days with Julian.  Beyond a doubt if you are ever in Rome and looking for an awesome guide, please let me know and I will connect you with Julian.  Here's just a little of what we saw and did with him.

After meeting us at our apartment, we headed to the bus (Julian was so excited we like to ride public transportation as many of his clients do not -- there is actually a great story in his dad's book about how he called Julian "Mr Public Transportation" even from a young age) to start exploring.  Farmers markets feed Julian's soul so he wanted to take us to one of his favorites.  I do love going to markets in other countries as they often have different produce than we do in the US but even when it is the same produce, the way they prepare it is often different.  A big thing in Rome is chicory (which I have always associated with coffee at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans) in its many forms.  In this pic, the vendor is smashing it through a metal device (I was having flashbacks to the veggie cutter that resulted in my cutting my FDP tendon in 2020!) to make strings of chicory to be used in a salad.  Artichokes are another popular food in Rome and later we had it in two different versions.  We shared a navel orange from Sicily and I cannot even begin to say how delicious it was!  

As we wandered the streets, Julian shared with us about daily life in Rome as well as Roman history.  It was nice to be reminded of some of the things I had forgotten and to discover new things about the city.  He took us into the Biblioteca Angelica which is considered to be the oldest public library in Europe.  The library gets its name from an Augustinian bishop who was head of the Vatican Printing House under Sixtus V.

All throughout Rome you see water fountains.  The water comes from the original source from the days of the Roman Aqueducts and is safe to drink.  Romans often eat fruit in the markets so these fountains come in handy for washing your hands (especially after juicy oranges like we had!).

Medieval era building

Located in the Piazza Navona is Sant'Agnese in Agone Church

Julian took us to Giolitti for gelato and OMG!  It was unlike any gelato we have ever had...so densely flavored and the texture was so smooth.  LuLu went with just chocolate while I had the Nutella and Coffee. We will definitely make our way back over as they had many flavors I wanted to try. Tip: Italians tend to be suspicious of you if you order just one flavor so LuLu did get a little side eye look.

While walking down a little side pedestrian street, we passed a car and saw a note left by a resident.  

It politely let the owner know this is a pedestrian only street and they need to move the car.  

It would definitely not be so friendly in a major US city! 

While making our way through town, we stopped by the Forum.  When looking at the Forum, it is easy to understand why Julian calls Rome a lasagna city as there are so many layers.  What is so amazing to believe is that rocks and rubble we see today is deemed not important enough to be placed in museums or catalogued at this point in time.  LuLu and I will be going to the Colosseum another day so more photos of it to come. 

Some buses only run at night and you can
spot them by the N and owl on the signs

In Italy, there are a several different types of restaurants.  A ristorante tends to be a more formal experience with tablecloths. A trattoria was historically for "tractor workers" and tends to be more limited in the menu and usually has a sheet of butcher paper on the table or no table cover.  An osteria (actually hosteria) historically tends to be more local cuisine and had a hostel.  When Italians say they are going to the bar, they are referring to a coffee bar.  We had lunch one day at ristorante where we enjoyed artichokes (Roman and Jewish style), fried zucchini flower blossoms, Roman cauliflower (combination of cauliflower and broccoli), sauteed chicory, risotto and cacio e pepe. One day we had lunch at a trattoria where it was gnocchi day (as a general rule, Romans eat gnocchi on Thursdays), eggplant parmigiana, more Roman style artichokes (yum yum), zucchini Roman style and buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes. At the trattoria, the menu was handwritten and changes daily.

Julian's family lived in the Monti section of Rome and he took us to the bar his parents would go to every day so we could start our day with a cappuccino.  Italians typically do not sit when they have their coffee...mainly because it looks like they are hanging out and not working...if they stand, it looks like they just got there and not avoiding work.  Interesting fact: Italians will never order a double espresso because each espresso represents a chance for a coffee break and if they have a double, it means they miss out on a break 🤣 Also, as a general rule, you will not see an Italian ordering a cappuccino after lunch as cappuccinos are considered a morning drink due to the amount of milk.

In a nutshell, this plaque translates to "the more money you give to the church, 

the less time you will spend in purgatory".

The Theatre of Marcellus is Julian's favorite monument in Rome...just something about it that has always spoken to him.  It was built 80 years before the Colosseum and seated 20,000 (the Colosseum  seated 60,000).  Like the Colosseum, the Theatre of Marcellus was part of the bread and circuses developed by the Emperors of Rome to try to appease the citizens and keep them in order.

As in Siena, the symbol of Rome is Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf

Julian took us into Rome's Jewish Quarter.  In 1555, Pope Paul IV established the Jewish ghetto as the only place where Jews were allowed to live.  Today the area is still referred to as the Jewish Quarter but it is a more diverse neighborhood though still holding true to many of the Jewish traditions.  The pic to the right is the Tempio Maggiore (The Great Synagogue of Rome).  It is an orthodox temple and Julian told us that because his family were Reformed Jews they never felt welcomed and were more Jewish by culture than by religious practice.  Fun fact: his parents met in San Francisco when his mother was a Jewish matchmaker and interviewed his father to be a candidate for someone else and ended up keeping him for herself!

Throughout Rome and particularly in the Jewish Quarter, you see these Stepping Stones.  They are placed outside of the homes of Jews that were victims of the Holocaust.  On them is the name of the person, the year they were born, date they were arrested, where they were deported to and their fate.  Two of the people in this photo were killed at Auschwitz and one survived Auschwitz but later died in Landsberg.

When in Rome, it is important to "claim" the street...whether you are walking or driving.  While there are crosswalks with lights, there are more often crosswalks without lights and the drivers do not generally stop unless you are in the street. Now mind you, you do not walk out in the middle of an insanely busy street but wait for your break  and start walking so that the drivers have time to stop for you.  Same applies to driving...just get right out there in a smart way. It is basically a matter of who wants it more 🤣  LuLu and I have taken to this custom and claim the streets when we are out and about town.  Our time with Julian was definitely a highlight of our time here.  We learned so much about the city, its history and people and Italian culture.