Fare la spesa

Most important to me in feeling settled is knowing where to buy groceries. On our first full day in Rome I attempted to go to the grocery store. For some reason it is very easy to find a store that sells socks in Rome but difficult to find a place to buy the most basic of housewares. After a long search I finally found a supermarket. The first thing on my list: laundry detergent. The dish washing liquid, dishwasher powder and laundry soap were all intermingling on the shelf and since there were no recognizable brands I was forced to read almost every label for fear of washing my clothes in dishwashing liquid. I settled on "bio presto" which I chose based on label's claim that research at the university of ferrara had proved it was sensitive to the skin. (so that's what they study at the universities here...) I did see the snuggle bear on a bottle of fabric softener which is called "coccolino" here but I didn't buy it because I have yet to figure out where the fabric softener goes in our washing machine. The rest of the shopping trip was unremarkable except that I noticed there was a large section of liquor but no fruits or vegetables and you must pay for any bags in which to place your groceries. We live on a hill (I guess you are either on a hill or in a valley in Rome) so carrying anything on your way home is exhausting. Climbing the hill with large bottles of olive oil and laundry detergent would normally be a challenge but the task was made more difficult because of my poor choice to purchase only one bag for my groceries. I felt the need to support the bottom of the bag for fear that it would give out so with the "bio presto" in one hand I had to balance the other bag on my forearm and walk tilting slightly backwards.

Today I found a parking garage with an elevator and escalator which takes you down to the bottom of the hill and deposits you just outside the colonnade of San Pietro. I was emboldened by this discovery to try shopping again, this time at the market on Via Andrea Doria which is a little past the Vatican Museums. I did one pass through what must have been about an eighth of the total market just checking everything out. It is clear why there are so few grocery stores when you see the variety and the prices at the markets (and the bags there are free too). There was one stall devoted to yarn which was exciting to see (if only my knitting needles would arrive). In another stall they were slicing prosciutto di parma paper thin by hand. There were exotic fruits, moscato grapes and itty bitty wild strawberries. It was a bit overwhelming particularly because I am completely unfamiliar with the size of an "etto" or "kilo" and was never sure just how much I was ordering. On my second round through I purchased some basics for a salad: mozzarella di buffala, cherry tomatoes, baby arugula and a little basket of lettuce. The tomatoes are not to be believed. Red, plump and flavorful.

On the way back I was stopped by several tourists asking for directions. Clearly, the quickest way to look like a local is to carry a bunch of shopping bags!