Small Victories.

I've been here for three weeks today and I've firmly ensconced ed in my neighborhood, on the border (literally) of The Trastevere and Monte Verde. Both neighborhoods are lovely, safe, with multiple bars (cafes), stores, bakeries, ristorantes and the hum of life, Italian style.

Our greatest joy, beyond the five-minute walk to a beautiful park overlooking the entire Rome

skyline (Terrazo di Garibaldi),  is the lovely :30 walk to our daily caffee e cornetto and sometimes late night bevande at Bar Gianicolo.

Bar Gianicolo by day is a streetside cafe with outside tables, dog parking (yes) and a vine covered pergola seating against the rain. Just lovely and the perfect place to fuel up with excellent espresso and pastries.

By night it's a bar with good drinks, antipasto sandwiches, and friendly staff. Some times we see the same staff in the morning AND at night.

It's kind of become our daily home base to wake up, fuel up and plan the day.

The staff, always friendly, but of course, realizing that we were just more Americani was professional and friendly but stuck to mostly speaking to us in English and serrving our coffee.  But after three weeks of seeing us every day, a sea change happened yesterday.  On a stunning sunny (thank you, rain, for going away momentarily) morning,  conversation happened. Nothing earthshaking, not a deep dive into a Kafka novel exploration or anything of that nature.  Just a normal lovely morning discussion of a beautiful morning, bright sunlight and happiness that it was Venerdi and the workweek era quasi finito. 

And for once our server spoke only Italian to me. Suddenly, I was just part of the nighborhood and not merely another turista to serve and move on.  Then better yet, when I went inside to pagire il nostra conto, we got the local's price.  Around 25% off our bill, and a smile and a wink.  Grazie a il mio coure, ed a presto, amico. 

Later that night we went in after our home cooked meal for a nightcap and were again treated like friends, our usual order of a negroni and a spritz remembered by the barman and had a nice convo with the bouncer/greeter about limoncello with much admiration given to the photos of my most recent batch. "Could you bring us some, yours is much better than what we have."  

Maybe when you visit San Fransisco, guys , I'll gift you some of my stash.