The mayor said to stay at home. "This is not a movie, not a show", Mayor Gianni Alemanno said last Friday after declaring a state of natural calamity. At that point, Rome's river was on the way to rising to 13 and a half meters, the highest it had been in decades But no one was paying much attention to him. Everyone within walking distance, and some from further away, rushed to the banks of the Tiber to watch, yes, "the show" which, indeed was quite impressive (I was there, too). Then, on Sunday the waters retreated until today, when new advisory warnings were issued, even though new torrential rains that started Sunday afternoon and are expected to last until Wednesday are swelling the Aniene, the Tiber's principal northern tributary.

First published by Momondo 

The diet (which I sorely need since I only have a couple of pairs of trousers I can now fit into) called for sugar-free Jello as a dessert substitute. But where in Rome was I going to find that? Then I had a thought. "Could it be that Castroni has Jello, or something similar?" It sounded far-fetched but since the store, one of my favourites, has just about everything a foreigner would need or want, I jumped on my motorbike and scooted over to Via Cola di Rienzo 196-198, in the heart of Rome's Prati district to have a look.

First published in Wanted in Rome
Maybe the Alitalia Saga will one day have a happy ending; airplanes bearing the well-known green, white and red triangular "A" logo will again criss-cross the world, taking off and arriving more or less on time, and offering passengers adequate leg-room, smiling flight attendants and attractive prices. But it's not likely to be any time soon.

True, in mid- November, the state appointed liquidator, Augusto Fantozzi, formally accepted the cut-rate offer for the bankrupt Alitalia of just over one billion euros presented by CAI, the new, somewhat improvised airline company which - just as prime minister Silvio Berlusconi planned - was the only bidder on the block. But as the company gets ready for the formal onset of its operations- now pushed back to "around" Christmas, sweetness and light- - as well as on-time scheduling - is in extremely short supply.

First published by Momondo.

Even though her studio is only three blocks away, I haven't seen my friend Gloria Argelés in ages. I don't really feel like going out to dinner (for most locals the 30 euro per person minimum you end up spending in a restaurant has gotten to be a turn-off) So what to do? Increasingly, I do as the Italians do. I call Gloria, an Argentine sculptress, and invite her to meet me for an aperitivo at Ombre Rosse, the nearby café where, as elsewhere in Rome, the aperitivo, a long-standing Italian tradition which for a time had sort of gone into eclipse, is back in swing, with the welcom addition of lots and lots of free food (you pay only for your drinks).

First published by Momondo

Although the seaside is only a 30-minute drive away from the city, and frequently you can sea seagulls right downtown, it's clearly too far away to hear the waves breaking. And yet the sound of flowing water is one of the first things you notice about Rome. No, not from the Tiber river, but because just about everywhere you may go, there is a fountain with running water, some of which are still connected to the aqueducts that the ancient Romans built.. Water trickles, drips or spouts from gargoyles, nymphs, dramatic masks, stone tiaras, lions' heads, barrels, seahorses, tortoises and in one case even from a heap of stone cannonballs.

Like starlings, black-clad Italian nuns were once everywhere in Italy, running kindergartens, making up the bulk of the nursing staff in many hospitals. walking down the street, sitting on the bus.  Now it looks as if because of old age and a lack of new vocations, Italian nuns may soon be an extinct species. Between 1988 and 2001, their number  declined by 30% and when new data is available it is expected to show a further decline. In the meantime, those who still occupy Italy's numerous convents - many of which are being turned into hotels, nursing homes and residences - are getting older and older.

        A new "census" will not be ready  until sometime next year. But the most recent  official Vatican data, from 2001, is telling. Seven years ago there were 81.723 nuns in Italy divided into 627 congregations. Thirteen years earlier, in 1988, the number was 121,183, and it is a sure bet that when the results of the new survey are released, the drop will be even more drastic. The figures from the diocese of Bologna in Northern Italy are probably indicative. In 1988 there were 1600 sorelle in Bologna, city and province together. At present there are 808.

        "The youngest among us. Suor Carla, is over 70, Sister Domenica Cremonini, superior general of the Visitandine dell'Immacolata recently told an Italian journalist, adding that the young women of today are not interested in spending their lives as nuns. The last novice she had was 15 years ago. And according to a national survey, only seven percent of Italian nuns are younger than 30. Some 17% are between 40 and 60 years of age while 53% are over 60, and 21% are between 70 and 79 years of age.

        «Today families are far less numerous and are not interested in convincing a daughter to take vows", says Sister Enrica Martignoni, secretary of the Emilia-Romagna region's branch of the pontifical organization for religious congregations. "Besides which - she adds - in the superficial society of our days, it's hard to find people interested in devoting their lives to sacrifice". Many of the younger nuns are foreigners. Sister Enrica recalled that at the last meeting with the diocese's novices, only one out of 20 was Italian.

First published on Momondo

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I guess the old adage got through to me right away, for almost just as soon as I started living here I went out and bought myself a 50 cc motorino. It was a bright green Peugeot Motobecane, a brand that no longer exists and, of course, it was the old style motorino, also now obsolete, that had pedals that you used to get the motor going and which you could also use for emergencies, like running out of miscela, the mix of oil and gasoline that then existed and for which there were special pumps at gas stations