Places I have lived..Part I

Two summers ago I had the opportunity to go back and visit the country where I spent my childhood. I was able to bring my my children and share that with them...not only did my children go with me but my mom and dad joined us as well. It was one of the most memorable vacations of my life. One special moment stands out right now, and that was a little side trip my dad and I took while in Rome. Let me set the scenario. July 2008 was a brutally hot one in Rome, traveling in a pack of 7 was at times a challenge, and we did it all via bus and subway. One incredibly hot afternoon the rest of the crew decided to just take a few hours of rest, un pisolino as we would say in Italian..or a siesta if you will. I can hardly sit still long enough to rest, I didn't want to waste a single moment of the 4 short days I had in my birthplace. My dad (as adventurous as I) and I decided to take the bus and head out to Via Mario Fani. This is where my parents lived when they first moved to Rome in 1968, I of course joined them a few days after my birth in 1969. This is not just any little suburban street in a Roman neighborhood, this is actually a famous street in Rome, or infamous I should say. I am not sure what kinds of images it conjures up for some people (specifically Romans) but this was where famous politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by the Red Brigades, and five of his body guards were killed on this very street in 1978. I remember when this happened, and thankfully we were living in Firenze at that time, but I remember that this was all over the news and especially how this happened infront of the house we lived in Rome. But I don't want to take away from this special moment, and that was how special it was to share this with my dad. My dad was taking a journey down memory lane and I was soo happy to be there with him. I was 2 and 1/2 when my parents moved away from Rome, and even though I'm a Romana de Roma in that sense, I never really knew the city of my birthplace. Through my dad's love of this city I was able to appreciate it (ma non scherziamo qui, sono piu' Fiorentina che Romana!!).