New Year's in Rome
We arrived at the Rome airport only to discover our flight cancelled, relegating us to spending New Year's Eve in Eternal City. Alas . . . the horror.
Already in the city of classical anitquity and papal purview for ten days, we returned to the heart of the Trastevere district, in a third floor apartment overlooking the Piazza St. Maria and its 12th century basilica adorned with delicate frescoes and glittering mosaics.
Trastevere, across the Tiber from much of the rest of historic Rome,
is as old or older than any other part of the City. It has a lived-in character
that persists today, and is full of family-run businesses and unpretentious
shops and restaurants, it is a place where people walk the streets, from piazza
to piazza just for the joy of doing so. One of our favorites was just below the
apartment--the Piazza de Santa
Maria in Trastevere is
dominated by an imposing former Palazzo, now Vatican territory, and the church
of the same name. It was here, legend has it, that years before Jesus's birth, a
sibyl prophesied his coming and said that a well of oil would flow from the
ground on his birthday. Bernini designed a fountain for the square, which one
can enjoy while dining or having coffee. Despite the fact that before we
arrived we thought the cafe life would be shut down by late December, daytime
temperatures are actually quite pleasant, with clear blue skies and brilliant
sunshine.
As firecrackers and the appropriately named Roman Candles burst and boomed in anticipation of tomorrow, we walked the streets of this ancient neighborhood, originally a Jewish district, site of a holy miracle, and later home to many wealthy Roman family Palazzos. Trastevere has great character--quite a statement in a city of amazing architectural and historical quality unparalleled in the world, the seat of classical Roman civilization and a mighty contributor to Renaissance humanism. Reminding us in its contemporary state of a cross between Greenwich Village and SoHo with medieval streets, Trastevere denizens also enjoy a plethora of restaurants, food, and dining options, from fancy osteria to lively trattoria and some of the city's best pizzeria. Add to this food stores, wine bars, pastry shops, and open-air markets and you have a gustatory wet dream.
Not that we care a lot about food, but we had already witnessed Rome at Christmas, received the Pope's blessing, and noted the Romans' fierce patronage of restaurants. In fact, Roman restaurant culture rivals that of anywhere we had seen, at least during the holidays--a time when in North America the culture dictates family feasts, not going out to eat. Rome at Christmas means that every restaurant is packed and reservations remain unavailable days or weeks in advance, at not just the Michelin-starred destinations, but also every neighborhood grill. We had lucked into a local osteria that offered us a table a little earlier than the expected crowds, and we enjoyed a festive ambience and fine cuisine amongst ever-increasing crowds until every table in the place was filled.
For New Year's Eve, this restaurant culture becomes even stronger. The newspaper on December 30 reported record numbers of restaurant goers spending record amounts of money for fixed menus, wine, of course, coffee, champagne, and a festive atmosphere. "We will lock the doors" informed the proprietor of Gino's di Trastevere when we requested a table not too near the entrance. Those unlucky enough--think of our fellow airline passengers--to have no reservation the day before St. Sylvester's feast face a fate of wandering Rome's maze of medieval, cobble stoned streets, hunger-filled and with every dining room ablaze and full of good smells, but their entry securely blocked. Somehow we had slipped onto the reservation list of this popular Trastevere restaurant and pizzeria, with the necessary wood-fired oven, less than stuffy atmosphere, and very pleasant service.
To say that Rome's denizens take with alacrity to New Year's Eve celebrations would be an understatement. Dinner at Gino's passed well--octopus salad with olive oil, rigatoni with lobster, seafood risotto, and a well-prepared fish fillet followed by mille-feuille pastry in a light creme anglaise and Spumante. We then made are way up the Gioniccolo Hill, a relatively easy walk from Trastevere and one of the highest points around the city. Thousands thronged here, lighting off firecrackers, torches, and every variety of firework--small and large. People ringed the display, keeping out a watchful eye for any particular sparkle or light from the hundreds of similar festive gatherings all around the ancient city.
To understand the fireworks in central Rome, one must understand that it is still a city where most buildings are at least three-hundred years old, with many dating back one- to two-thousand years. There are no particularly tall buildings except for the domes of the basilicas scattered across the landscape. So every Roman Candle sent up that night anywhere in the city was visible to us on the Gianicolo. As midnight approached, fireworks were sent aloft from every piazza--and there are many--in every district. Near by and far away, the bursts of red, pink, purple, blue, green, and bright white brought the night sky to immediate life. Occasional booms accompanied the largest and nearest bursts.
Revelers sprayed champagne, sang in groups, and generally had a great time.