The Eternal City

Eddie's family came out in droves to meet him when we got to Rome! I think he met 18 relatives in a couple of days: Lina and Enzo, whose home we stayed in; her parents, Mena and Antonio; their daughters, Serena (well, Eddie already met her in Boston) and Cristiana, along with her husband John and 7-month old son Lorenzo; Giovanni who drove us around, his wife Mena and daughter Valentina; their sister-in-law Loredana and her children Simone and Elena; Aunt Assunta; her daughter Sabrina; Aunt Cecilia; and her son Dario. Eddie liked to play with Lorenzo (and call him "baby"), but he mostly wanted to take all of Lorenzo's things and not give them back.

Eddie meets Lorenzo

In back: Enzo, Mena, Valentina. In front: Anne, Eddie, Giovanni

Eddie examines Lorenzo's things. From left, John, Cristiana, Lorenzo, Anne, Eddie, Kolya, Mena, Lina

The first night we had a feast at Lina and Enzo's, then went to bed. The second day we had a feast at Mena and Giovanni's, then drove around Rome for a bit. We went to see the Bocca Della Verita, a huge mask, but there was a huge crowd waiting, so instead we walked around the block to the Circus Maximus. Eddie had fun running around in the gravel there (on the anciently blood-stained ground.)

We drove up the Aventine hill and visited some nice gardens, like an orange grove, with wide views of Rome: St. Peter's, the Tiber, churches and parks. Eddie tried some roasted chestnuts. We saw an Italian baby there all bundled up in a winter coat and a winter hat! To our Boston sensibilities, it was not very cold; it was a little warmer than in Dublin, where the bus driver told us it was too hot for the Irish! Eddie was in layered shirts and sandals. Anne pulled his hood up so that the other baby wouldn't feel too overdressed. Eddie found a cool pinecone. He also liked playing with Giovanni's keys.

Near that spot we stepped into a church (St. Sabina) playing organ music, with a totally empty nave. Further on was the headquarters of the Knights of Malta, our next destination! Those wily knights placed their door and keyhole to frame a view of St. Peter's dome.

That night was a pizza party at Mena's, with tons of relatives again. Eddie received a cool magnetic book as a present from Loredana.

Elena, Loredana, Serena (out of frame), Anne, and Kolya watch Eddie open his present

He really enjoys showing off for an audience. When he ate, he would twirl his finger in his cheek and say "mmm," and everybody loved it. He likes to babble and make everyone laugh.

There's a little step out of the living room where we ate, and Eddie managed to walk up it all on his own (a new skill he's working on, instead of crawling up stairs: usually we need to hold his hands) and even to step down sometimes. But usually he took the prudent course of backing down over it on all fours. Everybody watched while he made this maneuver one time. When he finished and stood up to find everyone watching, he took a bow! He quite deliberately bent at the waist, keeping his hands at his sides, and made a full bow, then straightened up! Of course we all went wild. I've never seen him do that before (he'll bend over, but he puts his hands on the ground.) I have no idea where he picked that up, but it was hilarious!

The next morning we embarked for Malta!