Diciannove

The last whispers of daylight were quickly disappearing into a rainy evening when the wheels of the big A330 skidded on the tarmac and I finally landed at Fiumicino airport after too many hours of travel. The night had, then, fully settled in as I stepped off of the Leonardo Express train and onto the platform at Roma Termini station.

There is something about this place – as soon as we set down in Italy, the resonance frequencies of this land reverberated with my spirit and a weight that I wasn’t even aware of floated away from my shoulders.

I didn’t expect my neck and shoulders to relax in that manner. How long had they been hunched up that way? I immediately felt human again.

I had to double check the count on this, but I’m fairly certain it’s accurate – this is my 19th trip to Italy, and I am ready for it – ready for the exuberance and the history, ready for the food and the light.

But right now I was ready for dinner. So I walked from the train station to my hotel where I checked in and cleaned up. I then pulled my hood up tight around my ears, and stepped out into the night.

The drizzle fell in spitting fits about me, stopping at times, and raining steadily at others. Trudging through the dark puddle strewn streets, my socks slowly became drenched and my toes took on a chill.

I wan’t planning a long expedition this late in the evening, really only wanting a good meal, but found my chosen restaurant to be closed for the night. It was ok, however, because I instead got to visit my old friend, the Coliseum.

I settled on another restaurant, almost randomly, stepping in from the chill and finding a table. I ordered a classic Roman pasta that I’ve shockingly never had here: Pasta alla Gricia, which features a light sauce with guanciale (cured pork cheek) and cheese. It was salty, porky, delicious, and welcoming.

It was comfort.

After an espresso, I hurried back to my hotel. The night was late, I was tired, and I have an early morning train headed South.

Butterblogger is back in Italy my friends, and right now he couldn’t be happier.