Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Trick or Treat?  In italiano, you would say scherzo o dolce? Direct translation: Joke or Sweet?

I prefer the sweets!  Particularly these spider web brownies.

I asked my local Roman friends what they were going to be for Halloween this year and if they were going trick or treating.  I of course laughed when one person explained (and physically mimed) what would happen if you did that here.  Here's an accurate representation of that event:

Knock, knock, knock.
(person comes to the door)
Yes?
Trick or Treat???!!!!!
A verbal tongue-lashing ensues, leaving you raw with freshly cut mental wounds.
SLAM!  The door basically hits you in the nose.
You walk away empty handed, ears bleeding, nose probably broken, shoulders slumped over, sadness in each and every step you take.

And you look ridiculous being a 30 year old man wearing a pink bunny costume by the way.

Though I am not the pink bunny this year, I did become something other than VASGO for an evening this weekend.  It was great to see some spooky treats from some very creative friends who rejoice in baking (as all friends should).  I hope you all have as much halloween fun this evening as I did this weekend!

Make sure to eat lots of candies and cakes.  Make friends with Clark Kent/Superman, Lois Lane, the Hamburglar, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Black Swan, a number of vampires and a few Roman Gods just as I did.  Here's what we also enjoyed while getting to know each other.

Rice Krispie Treats with  Halloween Sprinkles

Witches Fingers!!!  They are especially cool because you can actually hear the soul of a witch scream when you rip off her finger nail.

Severed Fingers!!!  And as you can tell, they are freshly severed considering their ooey, gooey bloody stumps.  

And most importantly, have a happy and safe Halloween!
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ALSO don't forget to brush your teeth before bed!  -  a message brought to you by your partners at just VASGO DENTAL DIVISION, LLC.

Free Things To Do In Rome: Ghost Garden

It's almost Halloween!!!  Perhaps a Halloween tale is in order to scare you silly?

Today, you get no such tale!  If you want to be scared, just read my horrific short story The Tale of the Purse Dog. Little pups all over the world tell that scary tale around the campfire, holding a flashlight up to their faces, many times, the light unknowingly blocked by their long, droopy ears.

Today, we talk about the Ghost Garden.

So what is this so called Ghost Garden?  It is actually a cemetery in Rome, which I also consider a garden.

I'd like to take a second to respect the dead and the living who object to my calling a cemetery a "ghost garden", in addition to those who feel betrayed that I sucked you in using my play on words as a masterful marketing ploy.

To the living:  I write this post in hopes that you can use the following information to have an even better time in Rome if you come out here.

To the dead:  I write this post in honor of your beautiful grounds to encourage others to visit you more often.

Now that absolutely everyone understands my motives, it's time to talk about The Protestant Cemetery.

When my expert told me she wanted to go there the other day, I didn't really know what to expect.  Living the life of a budget-minded professional blogger, my main thoughts were Will I be able to write about it? and How much will it cost?

It was definitely worth writing about.

The cost?  Trumpet fanfare please........Da dada dum dum da DUM!!!!!!

SUPER FREE!!!

The Protestant Cemetery is one of the many Free Things To Do In Rome and I highly recommend it.  Officially called the Cimitero acattolico (Non-Catholic Cemetery) but often referred to as the Cimitero degli inglesi (Englishman's Cemetery), this can be the final resting place for ANY type of non-catholic.  Many, both living and dead, will be pleased to find out there is not an exclusive membership for just protestants or Englishmen.

It's a relatively young cemetery considering Rome's age.  The oldest burial is from 1738.  Source  Other than being a free thing to do, there are three distinct things which I find VASGO-worthy and thus making it on my recommendation list.

1. There are very notable names of the deceased.

For example, you can see the grave of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Though I wasn't familiar with his work, I was familiar with his second wife's work, Mary Shelley, who wrote the popular horror novel, Frankenstein.  Additionally, you can also see the ever-popular poet, John Keats' grave.  Don't know who they are?  Click their names to gain a little knowledge!

2. The back drop of the cemetery is gorgeous.

Lines of Mediterranean Cypress trees, other flowers, plants, bushes and trees growing next to as well as ON graves give you the feeling the place is enchanted.  Single rays of sunlight do their best to make their way through tall and medium trees just to touch the ground below.  In the summer, you will cool off here with plenty of shade.  In the winter, you will warm up with plenty of sunny spots.

You feel like you have entered a different age when you walk right next to the Pyramid of Cestius.  Cestius' tomb was built around 30BC - 15BC!!!

Even cats tour the grounds.

3. So many elements are visually stunning and worth seeing in person. 

I've never seen a cemetery so diverse in sculpted graves, headstones, etc.  I am reminded slightly of the times I traveled near New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and saw some of the above-ground cemeteries which seem just as grand and beautiful.

Although these are just a few highlights of what I saw, I encourage all to see what I purposely left out.  There is MUCH more to be seen... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Treasure Hunt

One of the best things about having visitors spend the night is that you are forced to clean up that extra bed room.

Alternatively, one of the worst things about having visitors spend the night is that you are forced to clean up that extra bed room.

And though cleaning up can be a pain for everyone, knowing you have an organized and clean place is a wonderful feeling.  Recently, I was assigned this love/hate mission because friends were coming in town.  The spare bedroom in the apartment I am renting has been used as a storage vessel for not just my empty suitcases, but also the apartment owner's belongings as well.

So hop to it!  Move around this box, move around that box.  Is that a medicine ball?  Awesome.  A bag of old clothes that haven't been worn for at least 20 years.  Cool, found another clothes iron.  Oh that has rust too?  Never mind.  Nice, a box filled with tools.

So much junk and yet, so little time to sift through everything.  Really, it was a game of how much stuff can I push into the corner and get everything to sit on top of each other without collapsing.

I just needed enough room for the pull out couch in there to open up.  And eventually after moving things around enough, balancing boxes precisely and squishing enough things into already too-filled cabinets, I did what was needed.

In the process, however, I scored treasure.

Sorry to disappoint but that's not a DVD. 

Pure nostalgic treasure, that is to say. The hunt was ON the first time I found this 8mm film.  Where there's one, there had to be more!  So kind of like a side mission within a broader mission, Operation Nostalgia went live within Operation Cleanse.

After more searching I found several unmarked films which don't help me without a player so I skipped over those.  But then I found this:

What, no Blu-Ray?!

Definitely have to copy and paste from Google Translate's Wikipedia entry for this explanation to the rest of the world:  What is Tutto Toto`?

TuttoTotò is the name of a television series consisting of 9 -for-TV movie that Toto turned in 1967 , during the last months of his life. Antonio De Curtis wanted to recycle it for the small screen all the old sketches of theatrical golden years . Source

8mm film of Italian sketch comedy from 1967.  Such a cool find.  Too bad I couldn't watch it.

Then, the true treasure came out.  Something I recognized!

The Front

Translations
At the top: Taken from the original film by Walt Disney  DUMBO
At the bottom: THE TRIUMPH OF DUMBO

The Back

Translation (as best I can do)
DUMBO
The triumph of Dumbo - Dumbo, the elephant who was born with ridiculous, giant ears, obtains great success and becomes the star of the big circus.  A funny episode taken from the famous Disney movie.

This is pure gold people.  Pure nostalgia gold.  Makes me want to watch Dumbo again so I can remember exactly what happens on this funny episode.

All in all, not a bad situation.

Operation Cleanse: Complete
Operation Nostalgia: Complete

Who ever said cleaning can't be fun?

Restaurant Review: Fa Bio

Sandwich aficionados, eat your heart out!  I'm here to plug a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop in the heart of Prati, so close to the Vatican City that one of its tall walls is only a one minute walk away.  It's not because I was asked to do it or get any kind of kickback from it.  It's because the place deserves it.

Say hello to Fa Bio!  Tucked into one of the side streets just north of the Vatican, this store will be, if it isn't already, a cult eatery known for using the freshest of ingredients, all while charging very fair prices for its sandwiches, wraps, salads, other dishes and smoothies.

It's located at Via Germanico, 43, Roma, Italia.  Or here:


View Larger Map

The location is small and it has a single door to get in.  You might overlook it if you aren't paying close attention.  Then again, at lunch, it was easy to spot because of the line to order extending outside.

Once inside, there is enough space for 2 people to stand side-by-side between the serving counter and the wall allowing for a dozen or so standing clients to fit the length of the room.  The close proximity means you have excellent views to watch your neighbor's smoothie being made as the whole apple and pear, as well as the piece of ginger, are all pushed through the juicer.  I was one of the lucky ones near the front who received a sample of someone's leftover fresh juice order.

Fresh juice is the best juice.

It also means you can see them make your sandwich.  To order that, you need to look up.  On the wall boards, you can see what options there are to order in terms of meats, cheeses, vegetables, spreads, condiments, etc.  In the display case in front of you sits 4 loaves, among other things, of that day's freshly baked bread from their supplier.  Focaccia, a nut bread, a wheat bread, a white bread was what I had to choose from that day.

I asked one of the owners, Claudio, what his bread of choice was and that day, his supplier said the best loaf was the nut bread.  Sold.  I'll take that to start.

So he grabs the loaf, cuts two fresh slices and sets it back in the display case.

"What would you like on it?" he asked.
"I think I'll have the prosciutto crudo, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, black olive spread and some oil and vinegar."

So he grabs the hunk of prosciutto and walks it to the slicer.  When he's done with that I watch him take the fresh ball of mozzarella and slice that.  Then he grabs a whole tomato out of a bowl in the display case and slices that right in front of me.  The lettuce leaves were the only things currently ready for use and they looked as fresh as could be.  No brownish red spots from commercial cutting machines or from sitting out too long.  We are talking super green.

Then he grabbed the jar of black olive spread, slathered some on the bread, a little olive oil and balsamic and my sandwich was ready to go.

Whoops!  Too early.  It needs to be pressed and toasted first.  Good move.

This made-to-order sandwich only cost me 4 EURO!

YUM!  It was delicious.

The owners, Fabio and Claudio, are extremely nice, are multilingual from what I can tell and know how to serve up a mean sandwich and drink.  Stop by if you are near there!

P.S.  This place is so good, a fellow blogger wrote about it yesterday!  See her experience here as well as excellent photos of the place, at The Pines of Rome.

Free Things To Do In Rome: Porta Portese Flea Market

Hmmmm.  Where to put my wallet...

Should I put my wallet in my jeans back pocket?  No.  Way too easy.

How about one of my jeans front pockets?  Nope.  Still too easy.

Ok, let's think here.  I could put on a zip up lightweight jacket.  But then I'd have to hold onto the wallet in my jacket pocket the whole time.  Not into that either.

It's cold enough today.  I could wear a larger coat over the zip up jacket, keeping my wallet in the zip up jacket pocket.  Perfect!

There's no way my wallet will get stolen now!  Now all I have to do is figure out how to move my arms.

Source

Why all the security?  Because we are headed to one of Rome's most popular spots to get pick-pocketed: The famous-for-more-than-one-reason Porta Portese Flea Market.  

Held only on Sundays, massive numbers of people young and old show up between 7am and 2pm to walk the astoundingly long lane of vendor booths to haggle their way to the best deal on new and used clothes, cookware, office supplies, toys, antiques, garage sale items, trinkets, whammies and pretty much every widget imaginable.

Because of these large crowds, you are almost always within 3 feet (one meter) of a stranger.  Sometimes closer, sometimes farther.  But in general, hungry hands could reach into pockets quite easily if they were easily accessible.

All the books I have on Rome tell me to watch out for Pick-Pockets here.  Most of the resources on the internet tell me the same.  Even someone who has lived here for 30 years told me the best way to prevent getting pick-pocketed at Porta Portese was to go naked.

I decided it was too cold for the latter, but thought it would be smart to at least heed some advice.  So I packed the wallet carefully and made my way over there.

I started at the back end, on a side street where it tailed off, hence the luxury of open space in the photo below.

Upon getting to the more crowded spots, my eyes were darting back and forth more on the people than the items on display.  That guy over there with the jacket?  Possible thief.  That kid holding his mom's hand?  Likely a decoy.  The kid has small hands that could easily sneak into someone's purse.  That grandmother pushing her granddaughter in a stroller?  Clearly, they have a devious agenda.

Once I eyed up the potential thieves, I relaxed and was able to see all the fantastic items on display.

Where else could you so easily have nostalgia?

Notice the book below, "Mega Almanacco" has all the characters from "Ducktales" on it.  I watched that show every weekday during its prime.

I'm glad to report to the world that I experienced no thefts during my adventure!  I even witnessed a woman in her 60s drop her wallet on the ground, Euro bills clearly hanging out of it after that, and not a single "vulture" swooped down to steal it before she had a chance to pick it up.

So have no fear.  Don't let the stories scare you from seeing the Porta Portese flea market!  It's truly a feast for the eyes, and it can be one of the Free Things To Do In Rome, if you have the fortitude to not spend your money!

Ciao for now!

5,000 Page Views in under TWO months?!

This weekend, YOU helped just VASGO surpass 5,000 page views in under two months!!!  


You deserve a KISS for being such a good reader!

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That was rather unrewarding, wasn't it?  I can do better than that!

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SMOOCH!  Thanks for coming to just VASGO!

In honor of reaching this historic number, we hosted the VASGO Olympics and the judges have made their final decisions.  The votes are all in.  Don't you want to know who won???.


Who has viewed just VASGO the most times in the last two months?
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The Gold Medal goes to...

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United States.

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The Silver Medal goes to Italy.

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The Bronze Medal goes to Switzerland.

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Honorable Mentions (in order of most views to least views):

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4. United Kingdom
5. India
6. Canada
7. Netherlands
8. South Korea
9. Lebanon
10. Germany
11. Spain
12. Vietnam
13. United Arab Emirates (tied)
14. Nigeria (tied)
15. Australia (tied)
16. Belize (tied)

Thanks to everyone all over the world who competed the last 7 weeks!

Seriously Good Drinks

The other day my expert and I were invited to have an aperitivo, a pre-dinner drink if you aren't familiar with the term, to try out a bar in a lovely Rome neighborhood called Prati.  It's called Sorpasso Vin Cafe' E Cucina and it's very close to the Vatican City.  A 10 minute walk from the Pope's nearest tall brick surrounding walls and I found myself in a much less retail-centric environment from even a few blocks before.

As would be expected, the Vatican City draws several thousand visitors each day.  In fact I just googled it to see what a more exact figure would be and my friends at wiki told me that in 2007, they had 4.3 million visitors to the Vatican Museum of Rome.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City and the daily long line to get in if you don't go early.

And where there's a ton of people, there's a ton of opportunity for enterprising young lads and lasses to sell trinkets, goods and Vatican-related paraphernalia and make a little coin from it.

Though I love to people-watch, and massive crowds at the Vatican easily satisfy those desires, it was great to be at a place a little removed from such heavily walked paths.

If a map gives you a better idea, it's right here:


View Larger Map

I find Sorpasso Vin Cafe' E Cucina extremely VASGO-worthy because of the outstanding drinks the bartender there made for us.  Not only were they tasty, but this guy knew how to carve his fruits.  One of my friends had an apple cinnamon martini.  Tasted like a delicious pie, and along the rim of the glass were the thinnest slices of apple shaped into a fan.  So pretty.

Someone else had one of his specialties, a Moscow Mule.  Different because it was served in a tall mug made of stainless steel, I could see the foliage of what I assumed to be vegetables coming out of the rim because a fountain of green leaves seemed to be exploding from it.  I'm pretty sure I also spotted a torpedo-shaped piece of ginger at the bottom of the mug when I was given a sip.  And of course, the vodka, lime and ginger beer mixture was delightful and refreshing.

My drink, well, I like to try new things.  I also like to see what a mixologist has up his or sleeves, to put them to the test.  So I laid the menu down on the bar top and I said, "I like everything.  What can you make for me that is spicy?"

"Piccante?"
"Si."
"Do you like ginger?"
"Si."
"Ok."

And that's all it took to order the Veritable VASGO Libation (genuine VASGO drink).

I saw intense slicing behind the bar.  Yum.  He had a chili pepper in his hand.  Now that's the type of spicy I'm talking about.  I saw him holding ginger.  He added a little this in the shaker, add a little of that.  Was that gin he just put in there?  What was that other bottle?  My excitement was building.  I couldn't wait much longer to see what it turned out to be.  The sound of ice cubes smashed against the stainless steel shaker and then he poured the concoction through a strainer into the empty martini glass.

I thought it was ready, until he added a creative chili pepper and ginger toothpick design into the glass, which brought imagery of a Samurai Sashimono War Flag in mind.

The taste: Outstanding! Big and bold ginger hit the palate first cleansing even the back of the thoat as it went down.  Then it transitioned into a spiciness which I love but is not for everyone.  I noticed that my lips were tingling a little and that's when I realized the expert mixologist cut open the chili pepper and ran its open flesh along the rim.  I know I saw him use gin but it's taste wasn't very noticeable because the ginger overpowered and only the master knew what else was in there.

With a complementary plate of fresh focaccia bread slices and chunks of hard, salty italian sheep's milk cheese, the drink went down easy.

Other than the free plates that come with buying a drink, I still haven't tried the food at Sorpasso Vin Cafe' E Cucina.  However, the menu looks very good, fair priced, and some day I'll be back to enjoy one of their beverages with a great meal.

Have a great dinner and weekend everybody!  Buon Appetito!

The Master, in action.

The Tale of the Purse Dog

The Tale of the Purse Dog
By just VASGO


     One day Fluffy the dog, who wasn't very fluffy at all, was leading his human down the street.

     It was his lucky day!  JuJu, who he secretly loved since he was born three years ago was just a few shops away... and alone!  Not only was she a year older than Fluffy, but she was also a very popular dog in the neighborhood and he was pretty sure she had never really noticed him.  However, all of that didn't matter to him.  She was the most beautiful dog he had ever seen.
     She was staring into the window of a retail store, so he decided to lead his human over to her to say hello.

Source

     "Hi JuJu! he said excitedly.
     She turned her head to see who it was and upon noticing it was Fluffy, she said without any excitement, "Oh.  Hello, Fluffy."
     "What are you doing?" Fluffy asked with his tail wagging a little too obviously.
     "I'm just looking at this red shoe," she responded blankly.  Her eyes fixed back through the store window again.  For a second, no one said anything and that's when Fluffy noticed she put on the prettiest smile while staring at the shoe.  Others, however, might say she had a huge grin on her face, almost sinister looking.
     Her tone of voice became much sweeter. "Hey Fluffy, what do you think would be better? Wearing the beautiful red shoe, or chewing it?"
     Fluffy looked at the shoe for a second, trying to determine which option JuJu would choose.  He must have taken too long because she began to speak again.
     "I guess I'd probably wear it first, then chew it.  But that doesn't really matter.  All I know is that I need that shoe!"  She paused, but not giving him enough time to say anything again, she continued.  "Fluffy?" she asked, with her voice even sweeter than before.  "Do you think you could do me a favor?"
   
     Fluffy's heart began to melt.  The dog of his dreams had just asked for his help.  It truly was his lucky day!
     "Definitely," he replied without hesitation.
     "I don't have any money to buy that shoe, so would you buy it for me?"
     His wagging tail came to a stop out of disappointment.  "I wish I could," Fluffy responded, "but I don't have any money, either," .
     Her face changed into pure sadness.  The muscles in her face and mouth lost all their tension causing her eyes to droop down very low, her top lips hung over her teeth even more than usual and she said in as sad a voice as ever, "Can't you find a way to get it?  Please, Fluffy?  I really want that shoe."

Source

 
     She then began making several, rhythmic high-pitched sounds, quite similar to whining, and Fluffy's melting heart became nothing more than a pool of liquid love.  He could tell she was about to cry and this was his chance to prove he was the best dog in the neighborhood!  He didn't have any money, but Fluffy knew that if he got this shoe for JuJu somehow, some way, she would definitely like him back.  He would be with the prettiest girl, and all the other male dogs would be jealous of him.
     His mind was made up.  He HAD to get that shoe.

     "Wait right here," Fluffy said confidently.
     JuJu's whining immediately stopped and her sad face instantly wiped away.  Instead, her ears perked up and her tail began to wag.  That same, pretty smile she first had was back on her face.
     Fluffy removed his leash to his human, walked quietly through the open door of the store and quickly made his way to the display window with the red shoe.  Even though there were several humans in the store, and every dog knows they are easily distracted pets, no one noticed him.
     Finally in the store's window, he stood on all four paws and looked up at the shiny red shoe placed so perfectly atop a square, white box.  She wasn't kidding.  That really is a nice shoe, he thought.  Then he looked out through the window toward the sidewalk where JuJu was watching intently.  Her tail was now wagging extremely fast and this gave him the courage he needed to take the shoe without paying for it.

     Holding his muscles tight in his back legs, he pushed off with his front paws and stood on his hind legs for a few seconds, his eyes at the same level of the shoe as his front paws rested on the corner of the white box.
     He glanced behind him to see if any of the humans had noticed him.  Not a soul realized he was in there.  He looked at JuJu again for one last vote of confidence.  She was now yipping and dancing on the sidewalk, unable to control her excitement that Fluffy was actually going to steal the shiny red shoe for her.
    Then he lunged for it!  Fluffy's pointy canine teeth grabbed the shiny red shoe by its four-inch heel when all of a sudden and at the exact same second, he felt an electric shock ripple through his body and heard a very loud cracking sound, like a wooden board snapping in half.
     The sensations ended as quickly as they came.  Whiteness was the only thing he noticed all around him. He struggled to look out the window and could still see JuJu, but just barely from the corner of his eyes.  He told himself it's time to get out of the store window, but he couldn't move.  My legs are stuck, he thought as fear grew in his mind.  His legs weren't the only thing that stuck.  In fact, he couldn't move his mouth anymore.  And for that matter he could no longer wag his tail.
     Unable to move, he looked at JuJu as best he could.  Her jaw was dropped in horror.  Her eyes, opened wide with fear.  She then she ran away, never to take advantage of another dog's kindness for the rest of her days.

This is when Fluffy saw his reflection in the bright window.
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Fluffy was now the Purse Dog.

  

Now time for bed, little pups!  Sweet dreams!

Part II: Occupy Rome Protest Photos - The Aftermath

Two days after the Occupy Rome protest took place, I decided to take a little walk around one of the major areas where plenty of violence and destruction occurred.

It's astounding at how much has already been cleaned up.  I was told that cleaning crews have worked virtually round-the-clock since the event ended.  Can you imagine sand blasting walls to remove spray paint graffiti or putting walls of tape up across retail store windows that have been broken in?  How about placing bright orange cones and metal gates around freshly poured concrete where sections of sidewalk were either destroyed or vandalized?

It's sad to see such destruction but the more I read articles written by scholar and amateur alike regarding the violence, the more I realize this result was a long time coming.  Better put as many others have said before me including the following excellently written source, the violence was not surprising.    

It seems an astounding percentage of the population are unhappy with the current leadership in Italy.  Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister, recently squeezed by on a vote of confidence from the country's parliament.  617 individuals were present for the vote which would basically determine if he would remain in office until the next election.  316 voted for him. 301 against (source).  If you didn't catch that, he was able to keep his job because of 15 votes.  If this quorum were representative of the entire country, 48.8% of the people would vote him out.

Though I have personally talked with only a few dozen voting Italians since I moved out here, keep in mind I have not conducted in-depth political surveys with them.  However, if the topic comes up, my ears are wide open, and all I hear are complaints about Mr. Berlusconi.

I met an older gentleman recently while visiting the city of Teramo, Italy.  He looked to be near 60 years old and was standing next to me at one point.  After he randomly asked me a question in which I understood nothing, I responded by telling him I don't speak Italian well, "non parlo italiano bene".  He immediately went into quite good English.

"You speak English?"
Yes.
"You are American?"
Yes.
"We trade you Berlusconi for Obama."

That one caught me off-guard.

With general unhappiness due to the country's leadership as well as economic hardship, I, too, can see how peaceful protests were a good excuse for the violent to make their appearance and make their anger known.

Let me rephrase so you understand my position.  I didn't say I understand how they can be violent.  I can simply see how people who are looking to cause violence would use this scenario to their advantage; to have a better chance at getting away with it.

It still pains me to see some of their damage on my walk.

 Let's zoom-in on it a little more.

This is an information booth of sorts where I've seen police sit in these all over the city and when the street gets busy, they come out and help direct traffic.  The Tribune is behind it (at the same palazzo as Santa Scala and San Giovanni di Laterano).  The question I find myself asking is WHY?  Why did this object get destroyed, and for what reason?  What's worse is that this was the second one in row that I found clearly attacked.  All I see in this photo is senseless, and useless, destruction.

I spotted this bank a little further down on my walk.  If you click the picture, it will open the photo in full size and you can see in more detail what has happened to the windows.  What does it prove to try and break the bank's windows?  And who knows what happened with the wall above the door?  I am confident the exterior surface did not look like this before the protest.  It looks like something was torn out, perhaps a sign for the bank.  All over the wall, you can see dried splatters from something that left several marks.

I was foolish for not getting my camera out as I walked past a man wearing a nice looking suit putting a sign on one of the many vehicles which were burned to their shells.  No fabric, glass or paneling remained.  Just an ash-grey exoskeleton.  I was crossing the street but still curious as to what he was doing.  So I made it across, looked one more time and upon seeing him leave, I noticed he taped a piece of paper in the glass-less window for all people and passing traffic to read.  In big, bold letters the paper said this:


roma città aperta


Rome city open.  Rome city open?  That makes no sense to me.  What message is that man telling the world?  There has to be some deeper meaning to these words.  My brain thirsted for more knowledge.  I hardly knew anything about Rome's and Italy's extensive culture so I went to one of my Italian friends for help.

She pointed me to wikipedia.  She said "'roma città aperta' refers to an Italian war-movie.  Here you can find the plot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome,_Open_City."

Ah hah!  My first clue toward inner turmoil resolution.

Source

I clicked the link and read the plot of the movie.  Ok, made in 1945.  Goes into the characters and what they do while the Nazis occupied Rome during World War II, specifically the year 1944.  It won several awards.

It wasn't enough information for my thirst to solve this case.

I asked another friend what it all means.  She is very, VERY good at speaking and writing in English and I've made very few edits and translations to her response below.

"Carissimo [Dear] VASGO, 

Roma Città Aperta is indeed one of the most beautiful films ever (I must have seen it at least 10 times but I still cry every single time I watch it). 

Very interesting question anyway: it is a film about Rome's day as an open city, and it is set during World War II.  Rome was in fact declared by the Italian government an 'open city' in August 1943, under the attack of the Germans. 

Being declared as an ‘open city’ means that the government has officially given up to any defensive effort knowing that the capture of the city is imminent, and it is usually done in order to defend and protect all the civilians as well as the historic and artistic landmarks. Once a city is declared 'open city', the attacking armies of the opposing military are not expected to bomb it anymore.

Florence, Italy and Athens, Greece were also declared 'open cities' at some point during World War II and this prevented them from being destroyed, just like Rome, even though sometimes the attacking armies did not respect this declaration. 

I believe that the guy who put this page on the burnt car from Saturday's riots meant to say that Rome should not be touched in this kind of 'bombing'. Meaning we are in a war, in fact. 

A bit exaggerated, I know, but it makes sense... (unfortunately)

Hope this helps, a presto [see you soon]!"

My hunger is satisfied.  It's all much clearer to me now and my brain swirls thinking about all the different meanings behind the man's statement.

We are in a war.  Don't destroy our city.  Look at what you have done.  Stop the violence.

Still so many meanings to consider.  So many ways to interpret his words and the imagery it was placed on.  All of them, powerful and thought provoking.

just VASGO 101

It has come to my attention that some of you are seeing only PART of just VASGO.  

Hey, don't look so surprised.  Source

What's that, you say?  I'm not getting the most VASGO out of my experience?


Why, no you are not, good sir or madam.  Or baby.  First of all, thank you for even taking the time to read this blog.  I hope you have found it entertaining and fun to read.  It has been a complete joy for me to be able to write like this so many times a week and I plan to continue this variety of entertainment as best I can!

The reason why I'm dedicating an entire post on the subject of getting the whole just VASGO experience is because I found out some of those who signed up to receive an email every time a new post has been made did not know there was more VASGO to be had.

For example, my web page has three other areas to explore!

First, a sub-page that shows all my favorite photos which I usually update every week day.  Second, I also find mystery foods occasionally and have dedicated a sub-page to figuring out what the heck they are.  It's aptly named, "What the Heck is That? Third and most recently, I added a sub-page called "Where's Vasgo?" to show you where I have traveled.

I update those sub-pages constantly.  And you never know when my next greatest sub-page goes live unless you check the website out!

ALL INTERNET USERS ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY!  So here are your step-by-step instructions if you are one of those readers who has only read just VASGO through your email.

1.  Please take a second to hover your mouse over the words at the top of the current email.  Right above the little icon that looks like this...



... in grey letters it should say and look very close to this:

just VASGO

Special note: When you hover your mouse arrow over those words (at the top of the post, not the example directly above this line), your arrow should turn into a little hand that points using its index finger.  That means it's a link to my webpage.


2.  Go ahead and try hovering the mouse arrow over the words to see if your arrow turns to the little hand that points its index finger.


3.  When it has done that, go ahead and click your mouse once.  It should open a new window or tab with my blog.

4.  Go explore all the VASGO you can handle!

Congratulations!!!  You have just completed your just VASGO 101 course.

Now you can truly experience just VASGO the way it was meant to be experienced!  Please click the image below to print out your Certificate of Completion.  And make sure to add this to your CV or resume as it is recognized world-wide.

Source

P.S.  I almost forgot to answer yesterday's Pop Quiz!  The answer is Greece!

Occupy Rome Protests

Living in Rome, Italy during the world-wide protests known as Occupy Wall Street this weekend has brought up some concern about my safety from friends, family and just VASGO followers.  If you haven't heard by now, the city of Rome and the country of Italy received attention world-wide for having the most violent protest out of all the ones that were organized this past Saturday, October 15.  And if you didn't know that, let me take this moment to chide you for not paying better attention to world-wide current events.  Bad Reader!  Bad!  You win trivia night questions when you pay attention to that stuff.

For example, I attended Pub Quiz the other night, a local trivia event at an English Pub and what did I win because I paid attention to current events and knew some answers?  That's right.  A chocolate bar.  Yum.

Source

Now let me take a second to thank you for reading my blog, your number one news source.  Good Reader!  Good!

I'm glad we can be friends again.

For those who are interested, I am doing very well.   I did not participate in the protest.  My apartment was not close to the violence that erupted during the peaceful protest so my belongings are doing well also.  All is fine regarding me.  But not Italy.

Italy and Rome are now forced to bear the shame from of a few bad apples, as we say in America.  I'm here to say, as we also say in America, don't judge a book by its cover.  Regardless of how many cliches I use in this post, the important thing to remember about the whole Occupy Rome event is that a select 200 individuals out of potentially 200,000 people chose to be violent over being peaceful.  Keep in mind I'm getting my numbers from other blogs and news articles.  But if those numbers are correct, that fraction makes it .001 of the whole group.  Better worded, potentially 0.1% of all participants chose to make it a violent demonstration and now the world is going to think Rome is not safe, or has angry, violent people living here.

Don't let your impressions of a wonderful city and wonderful people be ruined from what you hear.  I asked some of my native Roman friends who are in their late twenties what they thought of this situation and they thought it was terrible.  One made it very clear to me, even though his English is almost as broken as my Italian language skills, that the violence was unnecessary.  He referred to the people who caused violence as "idiots".

Although I never approached the protest itself, I had things to do the afternoon of the event and to get there, I had to pass through the area where the protest was to finish.  As the police, media trucks and ambulance trucks all prepared for the worst, I walked through the demonstration's end point, the Palazzo Lateranense in front of the huge church called San Giovanni in Laterano, possibly an hour before chaos ensued.  TV and camera crews stood by waiting for things to happen.  Police chatted to themselves in little circles close to major stoplights.  The five ambulances parked in a row along the street, with their attendants sitting in the vehicles, doors open to have the cool breeze pass through.

This idle activity didn't last for long.

BEFORE.  Media Trucks lined up beyond the balloons.

Notice the huge church on the right side in the photo above?  Here's what happened in front of it a little while later.

AFTER.  Source

How about another view?

BEFORE. Several signs were posted in support of Occupy Rome.

Notice the right side in the above photo.  Pay attention to the walls because this is exactly where the next photo takes place maybe an hour later.

AFTER.  Source

One last view.

BEFORE.  Notice the structure on the right, just behind the large tree.

The tallest, light tan-colored structure in the above photo, located on the right, is called the Tribune.  Though you can't see it well, my Blue Guide book on Rome tells me it was erected in 1743 and contains the mosaic called Triclinium of Leo III.  You'll notice the below photo was taken across from it.

AFTER.  Source

From what I've read, estimates of damage to cars, buildings, atms, statues and more amount to 1 to 2 Million EURO.  Today, that exchange is 1.37 Million Dollars US to 2.75 Million Dollars US.  To an already hurting economic situation here (2nd most debt out of all the European Union), it's a shame to see it getting worse in the course of a single day.

Please, no more violence.  Rome is still beautiful and filled with wonderful people.  Let's try keep it that way.

For more details about the event, I highly suggest reading the following post from a fellow blogger.

http://www.revealedrome.com/2011/10/indignati-rome-october-15-protests.html

POP QUIZ - current events

What European Union country has the most public debt as of Oct. 17, 2011?

A.  Romania

B.  Belgium

C.  Portugal

D.  Greece