A Town Without Pity But Great Pasta

Rome is good. Today we entered the land of eternal bureaucracy in order to renew our Permesso Di Sojourno's ("permission to stay" documents). We took a bus up to Piazza Barberini, near the Via Veneto, Rome's old "La Dolce Vita" area. It's where all the old, grand hotels are located. We went to a photocopying place to make copies of all kinds of documents necessary, pages and pages. Then we traipsed up an ancient marble staircase in a nearby office where a girl typed all kinds of data into a computer. She verified that we had all the necessary papers. Then we took all the stuff to a main post office where they told us we had to go to the local tabacco shop and buy a "marco di bollo" a kind of postage stamp. It's a stamp that you buy and they stick on official documents. Those cost about 15 euros each, 14.72, to be exact - go figure! Then we went back to the post office and a guy there looked through all the paperwork again, and affixed the stamps in the appropriate place. We filled out some more papers and signed some more papers and stood around some more. Oh, and we paid some more money, 27.50 euros each for some kind of Department of Finance fee and another 30 euros each for the envelope to hold all the papers that are now being sent to some other office that will actually issue us the new Permesso Di Sojourno's. They said we would get a phone message on Jack's cellular indicating when we should go to the Questura (another government office) to present the four passport-sized photos necessary AND to get fingerprinted. They said that would happen in two to six months - How's that for narrowing it down?!

Did I mention that all this is for a Permesso Di Sojourno RENEWAL! We have to do all this every two years. This, in the age of computers. I asked the girl why we have to be fingerprinted again...they haven't changed since the last time (our fingerprints, that is). She said, very seriously, that it was necessary.

Can you imagine going to get a driver's license and being told, "we'll let you know in about six months when you can come and pick it up."

Oh, and also, the procedure for doing all this has changed since the last time. Last year they announced that they had SIMPLIFIED IT!!! Mamma Mia!

Afterward, we left the post office and stepped out into the bright sunshine and walked next door past a church that contains the head of John the Baptist, at least they claim the skull on display is that of John. I've heard there's about 5 proclaimed skulls that bear the name of J the B.

Then, we continued a few blocks to our favorite eatery, Pasquale's Pizzeria. It's a small, family-owned and operated place that serves great pizza by the slice, but the daughter cooks in the back. Each day she makes two pasta dishes to choose from and also a soup of the day. You just walk in to the counter where the pizza sits on big cookie sheets. They'll cut any size you want. That's where the father takes orders. We go up and ask what kind of pasta they have, order and usually get a half liter of wine, red or white. The wine comes out of a tap into a pitcher that we take with us to our table. After a short while the son brings out our steaming hot plates of the best pasta. We always sit at a big table in the front. It's where all the locals sit. There are two men who are usually there who work for the Maltese Embassy and, according to the owner, have eaten there every day for the past eighteen years. It's a great place.

So, we had a day of hastle and frustration, then it turned into "ah, good ol' Roma."

We walked back and stopped in to see the Pantheon. On the outside there is a large inscription that says it was built by Marcus Agrippa, back in the time of the Emperor Augustus, the guy who took over after Julius Caesar was killed. But, actually, I think it was built later by Emperor Hadrian. Anyway, it's a beautiful, domed structure, one of the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome. I sat in the sunshine, at the base of one of the marble pillars. I just sat there enjoying the sights and sounds. The piazza there was full of people, but somehow tranquil and very relaxing.

I told Jack that we should have taken the camera with us today. We could have photographed the offices we were in, the old marble staircases, the beautifully frescoed ceiling of the post office, John the Baptist's head, the Pantheon. Maybe we'll remember next time. I keep thinking I could post this stuff on my non-existant blogsite.

Now I have to go. Jack wants to walk around. I think it's too cold, but I figure something could happen out there and I don't want to miss it.