Small Victories: Part 2

.....On Friday night, after dinner we thought it might be nice to hoof it the 50 yards over to Bar Gianicolo for a cocktail and/or glass of wine, as we'd failed to get a bottle of vino to go with our dinner at home.  So we did and another bucket list item was checked off.

As always, the staff at Gianicol, weekend night crew was unchanged. Our Friend Massimo doing everything, the bouncer greeter welcoming everyone, and the older guy who is usually working the bartender gig and barista station. He makes an excellent Negroni, btw.

The bouncer/greeter guy, Fabbio, is super friendly, knows everyone and greets everyone coming through the door like family. He is also powerfully built and looks like a perfect cross between a Roman legionnaire and Central California biker gang member might be. He's always smiling and chatting people up, but if anyone ever got a bit too much rum in their system and caused a problem he has that look of casual confidence that there actually really wouldn't be any problems, From my long-ago days in rock and roll band touring I always made it a point to befriend the bouncers. Best human anthro-subculture ever.

When we finished up, he was working the cash register and didn't seem to want to deal with my card, and asked for cash.  Turns out he'd not yet worked out how to run a card through their phone app billing system. but he gave it a try, worked it out, but it took a few moments.  Which, of course, he tried to apologize for.  I was having none of that.

I struck up a conversation and told him how much I liked his Bar Gianicolo shirt and would it be possible for me to buy one from the bar* as Bar Gianicolo was my favorite bar in all of Rome.

Next thing I know, he's ripping the shirt right off his back and giving it to me.  "No money, for you it is free."  Broad smiles and more repeated refusals to take any money for the shirt. Which led to more conversation about music and travel and life - hugs and handshakes upon leaving.

* it may have been a slight language issue as my mediocre Italiano certainly got across the idea that I liked the shirt and wanted one, but he MAY have thought I wanted to buy his shirt, not one from the bar.

In any case, his gesture touched me and I promised to give him some bottles of my limoncello when he visits San Francisco, and next trip to the bar, I think I'll bring him one of my Blockdaemon shirts so he can have an authentic Silicon valley startup t-shirt.

This was the peak experience I wanted to get out of an extended stay in Rome. A real human to human connection. I now feel like I have actual friends in Rome.