有驚無險通羅馬／李明熙
美國 Nor’easter 和 Hurricane 都是氣旋，Nor’easter 由東北吹來，因而得名，Hurricane 則在亞熱地區形成；一個帶冰雪，一個帶雷雨。離開美國東岸飛意大利當日，就遇上 Nor’easter 暴風雪。我們一早在網上看到紐瓦克機場有 3 分 2 的航班取消，但晚上起飛的埃塞俄比亞航空還未有消息，只好到機場守候。
機場外狂風暴雪，舉步維艱；機場內空空如也，櫃台冷清。我們留意到告示板，取消的全部都是內陸機，埃塞航空的跨大西洋客機是 Dreamliner 787，或許大機在風雪中有利升降，我們坐在咖啡店一整天自我安慰著。晚上的風勢加強，幸運地我們的航班如常抵達，如常起飛，只是起飛時機身震盪得比平時嚴重，但我們如期平安到達羅馬。
「條條大路通羅馬」或「羅馬非一天建成」這些諺語從小聽到大，踏足還是第一次。羅馬歴史雖然悠久，我對這城最早的認識，是來自 3 部電影中 3 個最深刻的場景。
第一部是費里尼的 La Dolce Vita，深夜無人，男女主角走入特雷維許願池戲水。現實中許願池遊人滿瀉，別說在池邊投幣許願，下雨天人人打著傘，要走近池邊亦有困難。
第二部是柯德莉夏萍的「羅馬假期」，想開著 Vespa 電單車遊羅馬，無奈天氣不似預期。總算模仿了女主角在西班牙廣場（Piazza di Spagna）梯級上吃杯 Gelato，雖然 3 月氣溫冰冷，但意大利的 Gelato 在甚麼時候吃還是十分愜意。
最後一部是李小龍的「猛龍過江」，已經忘記看過多少次，尤其是在羅馬鬥獸場的一幕。電影中打鬥場面雖是廠景，不過羅禮士折了手腳還要向李小龍進攻，就表現出在這個鬥獸場，每一場都是生死之戰的精神。在鬥獸場走一圈，大雨滂沱，卻沖洗不掉二千年前的血腥味。
Pasta, Gelato & Coffee. That’s My Italy. ／Kimberlogics
When I think about Rome, I don’t think about the Romans, the Colosseum, the fine art, all that’s on my mind is the food. You can find “Italian” food just about anywhere in the world, so coming to Italy for the first time I had high expectations. Before stepping off the plane, I made up my mind that I was going to eat whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted; and I have!
When it comes to pasta, there are so many different kinds of noodles and shapes I can’t keep them straight. Since I love Italian food, I have been very adventurous when ordering a meal. My favorite pasta dish, so far, has been at La Pentolaccia. I ordered something that translated into, macaroni giants, with chicory. Chicory is a woody plant that grows wild in Europe. Mixed with the pasta and bacon it gave the dish a nice starchy gooey consistency. It was something very different and worth the chance.
I have tried so many different sauces on my pasta here too. From a basic cream sauce, Alfredo, rose, pesto, etc. It wasn’t until our third day (and about my fifth pasta dish) that I realized I had not tried a traditional red sauce yet. I was determined to find the best spaghetti and meatballs, but was saddened when I realized those two items typically are not served as one dish in Italy. You can order an entree of spaghetti and an entree of meatballs, but the two do not come together. So, after learning this, I have been holding out on trying anything close to it until I am hungry enough to order the two entrees together.
Coffee in Italy is so tasty and so convenient. Italians drink their coffee standing up, they do not take it to go, and as soon as it is served it is at a drinkable temperature. Every morning while in Rome we visited the same little, local cafe to have an excellent and cheap (1 Euro) cappuccino to start our day. We have not seen that quality for that price anywhere else in the world.
To fill our time between meals and coffees, we saw a lot of amazing things in Rome. From the ruins of the Roman Empire like the Colosseum to the fine arts of the Renaissance from artists like Michelangelo. No matter what kinds of things you are into, Rome has something for everyone.
Another food that Italy is famous for is gelato. Gelato is simply the Italian form of ice cream, but I think it is so much better than any normal ice cream I have had. Gelato normally contains less fat than regular ice cream, but since I have been eating it every day, I’m not sure it really matters. The best gelato I have ever had was at Gelateria La Romana. First, we had to order the size and pay before the next step. Next, the server asked if we wanted milk chocolate or white chocolate liquid inside the cone. Then, we got to choose two flavors (this was the smallest size at 2.20 Euros). Finally, they offered fresh cream on the top. No other gelato has compared to this and I don’t think it ever will.
我們的 #Home2HomeTravel
