Local Lingerings No. 1

What are you doing when you’re in a creative funk? Seeing, eating, observing, buying? The past two weeks I have been sitting at the keyboard typing and deleting, typing and deleting, typing and deleting until infinity and beyond, hoping something would eventually stick. I do have some ideas in mind, but it involves bare legs and open-toe shoes which I think, given the calendar still shows February, would just be a case for absolute rage bait, so I promised myself I would hold off until at least March.

Of course, while doing something boringly domestic, I had a thought while I was vacuuming that maybe not everything I write on Substack has to necessarily be “themed,” and a wave of life doesn’t always have to be themed.

The creative rut could also be from me pouring almost my entire energetic being into a brief for my freelancing business, and then, right on cue, dun dun dun, the germ gods striking first me and then my 1.5-year-old with the plague (aka the stomach bug) while I was solo-parenting. Though the silver lining of it all is that I have somehow enjoyed not feeling the pressure from myself to publish, publish, publish in order to be successful, successful, successful. That, and any solo parent who has the stomach virus simultaneously with a child is an absolute warrior.

Alas, I am in Rome. Spring seems to finally be on the horizon, which I would like to thank after the prior 47 days of non-stop rain. The occasion called for getting dressed and stepping out of the house to get those creative voices flowing. If inspiration isn’t knocking on my door, I know ways and some places that are guaranteed to make me feel good in the Eternal City.

Shopping

I’ve never felt more in tune with myself, my likes, my passions, my style than when I started shopping secondhand. The outdoor markets in Italy have become my calm to their chaos. In Rome, I am a Porta Portese stan. I love the early morning wake-up, the ritual, the excitement, the gamble, the chatter and discourse amongst the locals that goes something like:

- Quanto vuole?

- €20

- €20?!

- Si, €20!

- Ma, questo non è di Capodimonte!!!! 15?

~ Insert a drammatic pause while inhaling a Marlboro Red ~

- Dai, €15

- Va bene….€15.

The market comes with a lot of entertainment, especially when you befriend the same vendors week after week. Though when I looked jolly Salvatore dead in the eyes pleading for a discount since I am a dedicated customer, he responded back, “ma non solo tu!!!”

Aside from market madness, I’ve found some absolute gems this past month on Vinted, like this Tramontano khaki green patent leather maxi Nisidia clutch with their famous silver handle for €30. Retailing at €465. Tramontano is my favorite Italian bag brand — the quality, colors, and shapes are seriously unmatched.

Eating

When I am itching for some comfort, there is one place and one place only I am lining up for at 9:00am: Boccione in the Ghetto di Roma. The iconic bakery is led by five incredible women of the same family who don’t have time for funny business, greeting you with blunt stares and snappy discourse. When my very Neapolitan partner asked the eldest one of the bunch, “Signora, ma come si chiama questa?” waiting to hear some extravagant name, she met him with a heavy, deep breath and replied, “brioche.” Obviously!!

Their best of the best is heavy, like a decadent sliver of ricotta and dark cherry pie, a thickly sliced brioche filled and topped with candied fruit and raisins served a good five days later with a slice of butter, and their famous cookie-like burnt brick called la pizza. Supposedly the family is the only group of people who have the recipes to half of what is sold in the bakery, and it’s always a joy to be able to eat their delicacies.

When it’s puntarelle season, it’s something I would voluntarily eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am a sucker for any bitter green, especially a bitter green paired with a tinned fish like anchovies. If you thought that power combo was enough, try it alla romana and throw it on top of a crispy, perfectly thin Margherita pie for the ultimate seasonal, Roman one-two punch. In the neighborhood, I am torn between the trifecta of Da Remo, Il Grottino, and Pizzeria Ostiense. Each does Roman pies exceptionally well, though each has their own rhythms, tastes, and feelings worth a sit-down.

Exploring

The Italians were definitely onto something when they decided la passeggiata would become something cultural. Though Italian culture isn’t the only one with a walking culture, social media loves to play into the ~Italian way. When I first started dating my partner Paolo and we’d go for our afternoon walk, he’d look at me and say, “calmati!!! stiamo facendo una passeggiata,” as my road-raging-esk American self would walk at lightning speed.

So, where am I taking myself to do said passeggiata at a newly much-learned brisk pace? Most likely Trastevere. There is no other quarter in Rome that makes my heart skip a beat like this zone. I know, it is very tourist go home of me, but I love an early morning 8:30am stroll — much of the work crew has headed out for the morning, kids are finishing their walk to school, and daily neighborhood business is carried out as normal. The neighborhood makes you stop, step, repeat. If you happen to be passing through, odds are you’ve stopped in the church in Piazza di Santa Maria. For a breath of fresh air, cross the tracks and wander through Piazza di Santa Cecilia into the church.

Discovering

My friend Paris of Adenah introduced me to the wonder inside Cafè du Parc aka Mostro that is delightful. Morning artisan coffee, freshly baked cakes from banana bread to carrot, plus a hopping scene in the afternoon into the evening with draft beer, natural wines, and a groovy industrial vibe that fits the surrounding neighborhoods.

For the artisanal wonders that you can wear, I am so happy to have come across by jewelery shop Collalti while walking to the park. Dario and his wife are the two highly skilled and trained goldsmiths behind the brand, creating pieces from necklaces to bracelets and rings that are inspired by ancient Roman times. I will absolutely be commissioning a piece for my birthday.

Wearing

A few weeks ago Sézane sent me a gift (how cool!!!!) after I was accepted into their community of Italy-based creators. It was a very pinch-me-moment as I have been at this writing thing that has felt like it has led me no where since 2020. I paired the Gab Jacket (which I absolutely love and will be living in this spring that gives of a very Parisian 70s vibe) with my newly acquired pink cord pants with all the blue accessories I could find in my closet, including a blue pair of leather boots I just snagged from my favorite artisanal (actually actually artisanal) shoe shop in Rome.

The blue bandana scarf is also Sézane, which feels like a must-have in every wardrobe, from simple to eccentric.

Maybe this type of piece will turn into a theme, after all.

Xxxx

Gabriela

P.S. I am loving this track by Tommaso Paradiso, now competing in Sanremo. It’s one of those feel-good, Roman melancholic songs that just vibes.

**I can earn a small commission on the two Sézane links.