A glimpse of Rome

I am just back from a three days trip to Rome. I was going there for the meeting of the European Leaders Chapter of ICF. But not about this I want to write even if it was a very good and constructive meeting and I get acquainted with very nice and interesting people. I want to write about Rome. Sempre Roma. Rome like I know it, Rome now.

I have always admired the organized and specific way of Germans but in the same time I have been always amazed by the unorganized way of the Italians and by their ability to make things work in the biggest confusion and untransparency. The juicy part of living in Italy.

I have been living in Italy a few years ago for some time and in Rome as well enough to feel familiar when I am going back there. So I decided not to take a taxi but to use the cheap public transportation from the airport to the hotel. Once landed on Ciampino I knew there are some bus shuttles going into the city. In the Airport was only one information desk about these shuttles but was closed. I went outside looking around: it was raining. Probably the first rainy day in Rome of this year and probably the only one trough the spring. I see what could have been a bus stop because people were waiting. It was also a poster announcing the hours of the bus…in 5 minutes. I am lucky, I was thinking. After 10 minutes of rain and no bus, more and more people were coming from the airport. Enough to make full 3 buses. In the rain, with orange jackets a few guys are coming. They have something in their hands and yelling: Termini, Centro, Termini, Centro. I am realizing they should sell bus tickets. I go, I ask the price…I pay. I take my wet ticket already and going back under the cover of the bus stop. After another 5 minutes, I was half wet but one bus is arriving. ALLL, but ALL the people/turists/travelelrs are running to the bus. The first ones getting in are informed that they don’t have the right tickets. In fact nobody has the right tickets because they are sold only in the bus. I am not worrying about the fact that I could have fake tickets. I know how it is in Italy: very competitive...so there where is one company will be at least two more. I was right. After some more minutes in the rain the bus matching with my tickets is arriving. Another crowd running in the rain to take the bus. We just cannot go inside the bus with our luggage. It has to be put in the luggage compartment under the bus. A lot of people don’t understand Italian, the bus driver and his assistant they don’t really speak other languages. Confusion, rain, crowd. A mobile phone ringing. It is belonging to the driver. In the middle of all the mess he answers: Ciao, Cara! Come stai! Bene..anch’io. …etc. After a few minutes (!?) he finish the conversation and starts again to ”organize” the crowd/client thing. Finally after 30 minutes the bus is full of wet nervous people and the luggage is in the special compartment. Some negotiation are still going on the a funny language (mix of Italian and something else) with people that their wives/girlfriends were coming up in the bus during the time the men were arranging the luggage in the indicated place and now they do not have place anymore. The Italian driver say NO! Non e possible. In my bus nobody go standing…after 5 more minutes of negotiation the guys come on the bus as well. We are moving!!! youppy !!!But not for long: in 10 minutes we are entering the city and the traffic is tremendous…slow. Doesn’t matter for me as I am looking on the streets I know…in a neighborhood I was living for a while…here is the market. Loveley memories. Gelateria is in the same place. Roma e sempre Roma. Bella, caotica, dolce vita, tranquilla…bellissima Roma.