Strolling Along: Trastevere

Tiber River 

Italian: Trastevere

English: Beyond the River

Today, Mac and I decided to walk the length of the Tiber River that stretches from our school until we reached the Mouth of Truth. I realized that I had never thought of the literal meaning of my neighborhood's name: Trastevere. The name actually comes from Latin, "trans Tiberim," which means beyond the river. 

I always cross the Tiber en route to school, so it seems silly that I was not aware as to why my neighborhood is called Trastevere. The Tiber is the third longest river in Italy, and it's known as Rome's main watercourse.

Patrick, Kate and Mac along the Tiber River at Lungo Il Tevere

Earlier this week, Mac, Kate, and I met up with Mac's UCSD friend Patrick who is studying abroad at John Cabot University. We decided to walk along the river, and explore the vendors at Lungo Il Tevere. Lungo Il Tevere is a free event that has occurred along the Tiber for the past eleven years. The event's goal is to provide citizens and tourists the opportunity to experience culture free of charge. We enjoyed meeting up with Patrick, as well as strolling the length of the entire event. Although overpriced, we still chose to sit and buy some drinks to enjoy the Tiber's wonderful evening atmosphere. 

Campo Di'Fiori Farmer's Market

For the last hour of our Italian class, our teachers sent us to an Il Mercato Aperto (open air market), at Campo Di'Fiori. We reviewed how to ask questions such as, may I taste (assaggio), how much (quanto costa), and various food vocabulary. My Italian teacher, Katia, also described how food is sold at an open air market. Fruit and vegetables are sold in kilograms: "chilo," or half a kilo: "mezzo kilo." Where as, cold cuts of meat and cheese are sold by "etta," which essentially means a 1/10th of a gram, otherwise known as a very small amount. I was thankful that she warned us about signs that may say: "Fragola 2 Euro...etta," this is a sign that the farmer wants to rip us (most likely foreigners) off, because they want to sell a small amount of their strawberries for a higher price, but provide less quantity. This Sunday, Mac, Kate and I are finally going to the Farmer's Market called Campagna Di' Amici, where we had the welcome dinner for school. We'll be arriving around 9 a.m., as avised by other Italians, in order to scout out the array of goods. I am quite excited for this trip, seeing as how I have not been impressed by the local grocery store's stock.

Mac and I at the Bocca della Verita

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Mac and I visited the Bocca Della Verita, or Mouth of Truth, located on the other end of the Tiber River, in the church Saint Maria in Cosmedin. There are quite a few legends about this sculpture, but most Romans think it represents the ancient God of the Tiber River. The infamous legend that started in the Middle Ages claims that when one sticks their hand in the mouth, and tells a lie, it will get bitten off. 

Or, you may refer to the classic scene in Roman Holiday when Gregory Peck jokingly puts his hand in his sleeve, revealing a handless arm to costar Audrey Hepburn. According to Kate, Hepburn's shocked reaction is completely natural, and was supposedly unscripted.

Pizzeria Da Remo: Fried Zucchini Flowers, Margherita Pizza and White Prosciutto Pizza

After our adventure to the Mouth of Truth, Mac and I waited for Kate to come back from Italian class. Since it was Friday we decided to go out to eat. Initially we wanted to go out for an apertivo, but we couldn't find a decent one in our area. Instead, we ventured over to one of the close by neighborhoods, Testaccio, to eat at one of the "best" pizzerias in Rome. Pizzeria Da Remo is open only for dinner. When we arrived a little before 8 p.m. the place was already filled with a mixture of Italians, and foreigners such as ourselves. 

The Menu, pictured partially above, was quite simple. There were no explanations for anything and you were given a pen to mark what you wanted. I have been in a desperate search for fried zucchini blossoms, and saw them on the menu. We eagerly wrote the number "1" next to the order thinking we would get an appetizer portion, but our waiter had to correct us by awkwardly questioning us as to why we only wanted "1," flower for the three of us. We immediately switched the order to three, and confirmed with him our choices of the classic Pizze Rosse: Margherita, and Pizze Bianche: Prosciutto. He also felt inclined to inform us that Pizze Bianche means "without sauce," and when we said we know he seemed to hastily take our menu away in disbelief. 

Although the service was not necessarily friendly, the food was simple and satisfying. The fried blossoms were not stuffed, but still quite tasty. The pizza is made in a wood-fire grill, so the thin crust delivered a fantastic crunch with each bite. Although I was not blown away by the pizzas, I still was happy with our choices, and now can finally cross off having a Margherita pizza here in Italy. My goal is to find Pizze Bianche con Prosciutto e Fichi (White Pizza with Prosciutto and Figs), while figs are still in season. Also, Da Remo is quite inexpensive (5 Euros for a Margherita Pizza!). We ordered three blossoms, two pizzas, and three drinks and our total was only 28 Euro. We'll be back if we're craving a good and cheep meal!

Look forward to my next post, which will detail my experience wine tasting at Vini Principe Pallovicini, and spending the day in Castel Gondolfo (where the Pope's vacation home is!). Ciao!