Beside the Seaside

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In Which I Change My Tune

May 23, 2008 by Mike

Rome

Route: Castel Fusano - Rome

Remember I mentioned a few days ago that my friend in Rome, Dominique, had recommended Orbetello?

Please forget it.

I do have a friend in Rome, a lovely dear friend who I came to stay with this evening. We shared a flat in London years before Wayne Rooney was even born.. haven't seem too much of each other since.. but fall back into a good groove within a minute of seeing each other again. I love it when that happens.

She has a generous, urbane, funny husband and five gorgeous children. They live interesting, challenging, useful lives full of laughter and love and good food in an amazing apartment in a unique city and.. she's a bloody good journalist who knows the laws of libel.. or is it slander?.. much better than I ever did. And she told me she doesn't want to appear on this site.

So I'll call her D*minique and hope I get away with it.

Incidentally, the apartment may be in the centre of Rome, and therefore 20-odd miles from the coast, but it's slap-bang next to the Ministry of the Navy, so it's honorarily besidetheseaside in my book.

D*minique and St*ph*n moved here four years ago.

It seems to me they took a decision to jump off the gravy train in London, where they lived in a good flat in an 'interesting' corner of town, to do more interesting and responsible work here. And if (I stress if -- I don't know -- I'm testing the boundaries of libel here) that meant a cut in income, it's improved the quality of their lives immeasurably. Not just the apartment, which they've made really comfortable and cosy for adults and children; not just the area they live in, with the gardens of the Villa Borghese across the street, a treasure-trove of trees and shade, of museums and galleries and cinemas and events; not just the walls of Ancient Rome and the banks of the Tiber, both within touch of their front door; and the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps and the Via del Corso and the Castel San Angelo and the Vatican and Forum and Piazza Venezia and the Olympic Stadium and everything else that's within a few minutes' walk; with the sea less than 30 mintes away, traffic permitting.. think what a world their children are growing up in! And that their mum and dad have made for them -- and themselves.

Crossing the seas in search of your place in the world.. exactly as Hernan and Annie have done in Tarifa; Diana and Phil in Donostia; Steven, with Anna, in Finland; Nick and Claire in Norway.. and how lucky am I that they all chose to live near the sea?

Anyway, D*minique and St*ph*n, and yr children whose names I couldn't spell right even if I tried, here's to you. *clink*. Hats off to you. And mille grazie for the bed.

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