Pope, Schmope, Let’s Eat

Our first hours in town allowed for a short rest before heading out for the evening. Instead of taking the metro to dinner, Roberta told us that she would be driving us to to the restaurant, but since the Pope was scheduled for his annual Good Friday appearance at the Colosseum, which is relatively near the restaurant, we should plan to leave early. I take advantage of the time to catch a short nap and when I wake, we are off. Parking, actually, driving (or being a passenger) in this country is maddening to say the least. Much of the time I need to close my eyes just to avoid my nervous passenger tendencies. Once you get relatively close (within one kilometer) you start looking for a parking spot. Even the locals joke, “you don’t search for parking, a spot finds you!” We actually get a spot rather quickly, though the walk to the restaurant makes me wonder if it was worth grabbing the first spot we see. Nonetheless, El has made a 7:00pm reservation for us and we come up the place minutes before opening time. The line in front of the place makes me think we are in the right spot.
There are two groups of people, those lined against the wall to the left and the undefined bunch-up gathering around the not-yet-opened door. El walks up to the group on the left and asks if they have reservations. The two parties she queries both confirm they do not, but are hoping they can get in. El retreats and we meld into the nebulous blob on the right waiting for the door to open- assuming the fact we have a reservation will help to sort us out. We stand as more people arrive also asking the same questions we had. It is now a few seconds after 7:00 and a single woman pushes through the group and makes herself the center of attention. She forces herself to the closest approximation to a dividing line between the haves and the have nots- though with her elevated volume, angered Italian tone, and flailing arms I can tell she does not know that is where she stands. I can tell she thinks she is looking at a group of people who have politely lined up vs. a group who just wants to cut the line. 

this was when we had just arrived. you see the yellow doorway. people lined up on the left. and the people standing around behind the grey car, under the pizzeria sign

As she stands there lecturing me, and the people around me, the door opens and a host emerges and basically tells her to shut up and sit down. He shuts her down with the fact that “these people have reservations, these people do not. Stop yelling and get in the line where you belong!” Realizing she is in the wrong, she cowers and sinks back to her spot in line. Meanwhile, another patron from the no reservation line forces his way forward and pulls the same stunt: elevated volume, angered Italian tone, flailing arms, but I can’t understand what he is yelling about. He goes for about 15 seconds before a second man exits the door and screams in a voice that immediately silences everyone within earshot. I understood him to say “ATTENZIONE” but then he lost me. The first guy out of the door starts calling up the reservation names one by one, including us. Once we are seated, I learn that the second yeller was angry because when the first woman was told there was a reservation line and a non-reservation line he said “I called for a reservation and you told me that you don’t take reservations!” so the owner had to shut him down by explaining that if he was told they don’t take reservations it just means there was no more room for this evening. We get ready to dine.

while very good, i have no shame in admitting that my mother-in-law's recipe runs rings around this one

After dinner we are so full, we agree to walk around to digest before heading back to the car. Today is Good Friday and it is the traditional night that the Pope gives a speech at the Colosseum and then leads a procession to the Vatican. We are in the area, and I have never seen the Colosseum at night. We make our way down the street and through the security checkpoints before gazing upon the architectural marvel lit up like I have never seen. The Pope is on the street below us and once he starts speaking everyone starts jockeying for a point where they hope to catch a glimpse. We, on the other hand, take advantage of the crush forward to step back and allow us to get some pictures of the illuminated structure. We get what we came for and walk back to the car- to beat the traffic out. 

with our best roman hostess, cousin Roberta

i never saw it lit up like this