September
In Rome, the beginning of the year is September, as that’s when everything starts again after the long summer break. This year, to mark the new beginning, the price of a cappucino has gone up about 10 cents to hit the 1 euro mark (more in some cafés)! I haven’t yet checked prices of other items, but since cappucino is a staple diet for most Romans, its price is a good indicator. September is also a wake-up call to the return of the dreaded Roman traffic. After two months of joyfully cruising through the city, we once again have to zigzag around the too many cars on the road, having to be twice as careful not to be knocked over! Do I need to specify here that I travel around on a Vespa, by far the best way to move around Rome, and achieve more than one thing a day! Daily life in Rome can be very complicated and frustrating. Mundane tasks can take a disproportionate amount of energy, which is wearing after a while. I suppose that’s the price to pay to live in the eternal city!
September is also a month when the still high number of visitors make life even more difficult. Not only the traffic returns to its usual bad state, but it is exacerbated by an increased number of coaches, tour buses and cars. I always thought Romans were rude and ungrateful to the many tourists who contribute to its economy, but I now begin to understand why they react in such a way. Their life is complicated enough as it is with the heavy road traffic and lack of public transport and infrastructure, they don’t need another layer of it. Even walking from place to place can be slow at times. Will residents of Rome and visitors ever be able to enjoy the city harmoniously together? I don’t know…
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