I need to get away from England. Bloody Biffer Boris, Brexit, Brussels, Barnier are all doing my head in. Whilst shrugging off serpentine mutterings on Google about problems in the Eternal City, I've decided to spend one week in Rome starting next Saturday. Resolved to be blinkered against reports of; graffiti, pickpockets, uncollected garbage, buses catching fire, weekly government coalitions, Nigerian prostitutes and a lack of the Italian language, I'm still resolved to embed myself in all that is positive.
To this end I have over the last week indulged assiduously in learning basic Italian; inclusive of the unwritten mysteries of hand gestures, to which the natives are apparently adept. For one week I will switch off social media, dip into the cuisines & Gibbon; whilst meandering unrestrained and uncaring from coffee house, to wine bar, to trattoria. With a suitable donation to a friendly barman, I will explore the various aspects of the national aperitif, starting with the Negroni & Americano. I hope, indeed I pray that with a break from the normal routine and a touch of Divine Providence, I might even get the creative juices flowing and do some writing.
Watch this space.