After a horrendously long twelve hours we touched down in Rome and fetched our tiny Lancia 5 speed with stick shift. Getting our luggage into it was like doing a 3-D puzzle, The drive from the airport took only 45 minutes and the Romans' driving etiquette was to be admired. They are gracious drivers for the most part.
We would only be staying one day and night - in the fifth section of Rome - a pretty ragged neighborhood. We booked a room via AirBnB and stayed in an apartment in which two Romans, one American and one Costa Rican lived. We took a quick nap and then did what we do best - hit the streets for coffee. Our landlord recommended a small cafe called Fattori. They have delicious pastries and gelato. We went there two or three times in less than 24 hours. We tried out our Italian, failing mostly but enjoying it.
We strolled around our neighborhood, which reminded me of New York. Everyone had tattoos, including the buildings which were all sprayed with graffiti; which was mostly political.
This was definitely a neighborhood in transition - though I wasn't sure in which direction until.......
.......I saw this graffiti. It's the Monopoly character with an Uzi in each hand. Gentrification strikes again.
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