The Campo de' Fiori has become one of our familiar hot spots here in Rome. Somehow we've found ourselves hanging around the Campo on multiple occasions during this trip. It definitely seems to be becoming one of those places that we will be especially nostalgic for when we leave; after a handful of visits we have begun to develop a true sense of ownership of the place.
The first time we experienced the Campo de' Fiori was during the daytime when the entire square was filled with an open-air market. Vendors set up their kiosks and sell all sorts of Italian products such as olive oil, pasta, and lots of different spices. The market is bustling with people browsing the kiosks and vendors shouting in broken English ¨Hello! Very good price!¨ The first time I went to the market I had the most delicious cup of assorted fruits which I bought from a particulary friendly vendor. I'm not usually a person who craves fruit or eats very much of it at all, but this fruit cup was the most refreshing and wonderful thing I could have dreamed of in that moment. I would classify it as something to write home about. After a long morning filled with walking in the heat, the Campo de´ Fiori was a perfect respite; I had a lovely time strolling through the market and browsing through the various colorful food items while enjoying a cold refreshing cup of frutta.
My second visit to the Campo de' Fiori was at night, when the place completely transforms. It was hard to believe we were even in the same place as we were during the day. It was a Sunday night, so I wasn't expecting to see very many people out and about, but to my surprise the Camp was bustling with life. The piazza appeared much bigger with all the kiosks cleared out and the area seemed very much alive. The lights from the bars surrounding the square and the sounds of merriment abounding gave the area such an exciting aura. That night we had been walking for quite a while, lost of course, and thus were anxious to sit down as soon as possible and have some drinks. We sat down at a bar directly in the center of the square called Sloppy Sam's ("Classy in the front, Sloppy in the back") - Excellent. Sounds great.
After ordering a bottle of wine, the stress of our hour of unintentional wandering melted away. Even though it was late and we were already tired before we even got there, we still stayed for a while and enjoyed ourselves and each other´s company in true Italian fashion. While we laughed and drank and watched all the people stroll through the piazza, I felt as though we were experiencing a genuinely Italian moment. As I´ve discovered, taking a pause out of the stress of the day and sitting down to enjoy the company of friends is much more important here in Italia. Life in New York is often so fast paced that we often don´t fully appreciate the time we spend with our friends, or we´re on the phone texting the entire time. Here it´s different; if you sit down to have a drink with friends, chances are you won´t get back up for quite a while. The thought crossed my mind: maybe if we just attach ourselves to this table and refuse to get up, we´ll never have to leave?
No comments:
Post a Comment