Well I made it to Ripabottoni and it is better than I thought it would be. It is certainly more beautiful than anticipated. As I am writing there are at least a half a dozen dogs howling and barking. Earlier while I was getting ready for my shower I heard the church bells ringing in the distance. The wine is delicious and very cheap so what could be better? The boys sitting behind me are out for an evening of spaghetti pomodoro and they obviously know the staff well as they are yelling back and forth to them inside.
It is a beautiful night with a calm breeze, some birds singing and every once in awhile those dogs start in again. I can not think of a better way to escape the hectic work days in Roma or Napoli than a place like this. With it's three bars, one trattoria/bar, and I believe 8 churches but only two are currently in use.
My room is very nice, clean, and spacious by Italian standards. The shower I just had is the best I've had since being on my trip to Italy. It was a real treat to have a powerful and hot shower not the slightly better than quick flow I had in Roma. The two beds in my room are both full size and the pharmacist who let me in (after leaving the bar) told me I pick one bed or the other not both. Not sure if he expected I might try to sleep in both at the same time or just switch back and forth like goldilocks.
The boys having dinner behind me (one just burped) wanted the tiki torches lit. That's right everyone my family must have a genetic disposition to tiki lights. My wife made fun that all of my sisters and I like the tiki torches and here I am in the home of my ancestors and they are lighting them even before my first meal here. After one of the boys lit the torches another said to me in Italian it was for the mosquitos. Are you kidding me? I haven't been near a mosquito since I've been in Italy.
Now the boys are singing Italian favorites. The one started with Faniculi Fanicula and they are moving on to other classics. I don't know all of the songs but I just heard beviamo beviamo beviamo which translates to we drink we drink we drink. That's what I'm talking about. Now. I hear "Oh Susanna". It sounds like the making of a fun night for these guys. I call them boys but they are old enough to drink in Ripabottoni. I heard some talk about Pinnochio too.
This place is great, everyone is singing songs or whistling or talking and having a good time. The pharmacist dropped by to give me the wifi password. I hope it works so I can talk with Jackie but if it doesn't I will have to get in touch with her tomorrow at the bar. I understand it has the only computer in town where I can at least send her an email.
There is so much whistling going on in this town. Wherever I go I am hearing people whistling. When I arrived at about 8pm there was almost no one here but now at 9:30 the place is hopping. My waitress has a great raspy voice and cat-eye style glasses. She just walked out with a bowl and a tongs and walked down the street.
I'm already thinking about returning and next time with a better command of Italian and my sisters, they would love it. If a person didn't have a connection here they may have no desire to come and stay but if you have any even slight desire I say you should come.
A piu tardi
Wonderful!
ReplyDelete