Roman Guidebook Jetsam

My previous entry featured some of the new items that will be added to the next editions of my Rome and Italy guidebooks. But a few things always wind up on the cutting-room floor. The following tidbits won’t appear in print, but I can’t resist sharing them here:

My Roman friend got lost with me around the Spanish Steps. She said that’s because this is an area with a grid plan of streets, and the logic of right angles confuses them.

At St. Peter’s Basilica, the altar under Raphael’s Transfiguration has been removed. Speculation is that, as he moves closer to sainthood, Pope John Paul II will be moved to a higher-profile resting place – from the basement crypt up into the actual basilica.

Local non-Catholic guides in Rome complain that “official Vatican guides” are getting more and more privileges when it comes to guiding in the Vatican. (For example, they are reportedly the only guides allowed to escape directly from the Sistine Chapel through the much-loved little door into St. Peter’s Basilica, saving their tour members lots of hiking.) And to be an “official Vatican guide,” you must prove your Catholic faith with a letter from your priest.

Eating in Italy can be hazardous to your shirt. My Roman friend told me last time he took a stained shirt into the dry cleaner, the lady there exclaimed, in gratitude, “Oh, my dear olive oil. How could I stay in business without you?”

In Rome, the classic pasta is Amatriciana – with spicy tomato sauce. Enjoying a plate, I splattered a bit of it on my shirt. When I showed my waiter, he said, “Ahh, the tax of the Amatriciana,” and gave me a shaker of talcum powder. (Good restaurants always have a can of stain spray or talcum powder for such incidents – ask as soon as possible for help.)

Comments

7 Replies to “Roman Guidebook Jetsam”

  1. I kind of agree with “b.” If Catholics donate to their church on a regular basis, you think a little special treatment would be nice. But I`m biased, I am Catholic. So I can`t really be bi-partisan. It`s our new campaign to increase our followers. “Don`t like a hike, while you`re change denominations and get free shortcut access.”

  2. It`s fun to read other`s viewpoints. And also to review what has been written previously about RS`s blogs. Rome, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt, New York, London, Zurich, Seattle, Sydney, Honolulu et al. Keep your wits about you. There are thieves everywhere. My own near miss was tiny. It was in Vernazza, Italy on the Cinque Terre which RS loves to talk about. A coffee shop clerk/owner short changed me – a lot. I smilingly suggested his business was about to become famous as the most crooked in Italy and he sheepishly (smilingly) returned my money.

  3. I hope that someone is taping the Borgias on SHOW time for you because it is everything you always preach about why you have issues with the Roman Catholic Church. It is pretty wild and with you being in Rome right now it is perfect talking about Pope John.

  4. If you spill olive oil or similar products on your shirt SweetNLow will remove it if used quickly. I carry around little packets for such emergencies and it works great. Oddly enough other sweeteners, even SweetNLow clones don`t do the job, you need to use the real thing. I spilled some olive oil and vinegar dressing yesterday and used this technique saving myself a trip to the cleaners.

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