Chapter Four: Daily Life in Rome


daily life in rome
Highlights of Rome from iheartitaly.com

Daily Life in Rome was different from Long Island life. The differences made daily life in Rome much more fun.

We three kids went to a private school that was some distance out into the country. In addition, we all went on on the same bus to the same school campus. On Long Island, we all traveled on different buses going to different schools.

I remember the bus picturesque ride out into the Roman countryside as much more fun compared to a short suburban bus ride on Long Island, New York. Actually, sometimes the bus would even have to stop to wait patiently while the sheep would cross to the other side and back onto the grass.

THE FOOD

There’s much I don’t remember because this was about 45 years ago. But there are certain aspects of our lives that clearly stand out. I don’t remember if there was a supermarket for food shopping or of our housekeeper/cook went to shops for individual items. The American Military families shopped at the PX where the typical American packaged food of the day could be bought. Since we were not a military family, we had the good fortune to shop as Italians did. In other words, we ate more from fresh local rather than packaged food.

refill wine bottles from Pinterest
Refill wine bottles from Pinterest
In fact I have two outstanding memories about food and beverages. One is for the wine bottle refill distribution. Specifically, the empty bottle return to the shop got a refill from a huge barrel. Actually recycling was popular way before its time.

My other favorite memory was home made ice cream that Tina, our cook made for us. Whipped cream was purchased and wrapped in newsprint paper. Once it was home, it was added to other flavorful ingredients, usually coffee. Then it was frozen in ice cube trays. We loved it.

In the Spring we delighted in eating apple slices, cheese, and vegetables fried in a light batter. Our favorite meal in any season was spaghetti a la carbonara. It consisted of spaghetti, some meat, usually bacon, egg, and grated cheese. The only treat even better than that was our Thursday night trip to the pizzeria on the cooks day off. I have never had American pizza that can compare. It was individual pate size, light, and not greasy like American pizza.


Continue Reading

Living in Italy: The Preface


living-in-italy
Symbol of Italy with its traditional green, white, and red stripes with the outline of Italy in the front.

My family and I spent a year living in Italy when I was eleven years old. Airplane travel was still extremely expensive. Travel by ocean liner was actually more affordable. So we opted for a nine day transatlantic voyage. In fact, that was great fun. While living in Rome, we occupied a nine room apartment.

Our education was at the Overseas School of Rome, a converted Roman Villa located out in the countryside. This whole experience is probably the most memorable one of my entire seventy five year life. In fact I am writing this story now while I remember before I forget.

PART ONE: BEGINNING

Living in Italy: The Preface My family and I spent a year living in Italy when I was eleven years old. Because airplane travel was still extremely expensive, we actually traveled by ocean liner. It was a nine day transatlantic voyage that was great fun. While living in Rome, we occupied a nine room apartment.

My Year in Rome: Introduction
My family and I spent a year living in Italy when I was eleven years old. Because airplane travel was still extremely expensive, we actually traveled by ocean liner. It was a nine day transatlantic voyage that was great fun. While living in Rome, we occupied a nine room apartment.

Chapter One: Our Transatlantic Voyage
Our transatlantic voyage took place three years after Grace Kelly traveled on the SS Constitution for her nuptial voyage to Monaco in 1956. Three years later in 1959 we sailed on the SS Constitution to Naples, Italy.

PART TWO: LIFE IN ITALY

Chapter Two: Our Apartment in Rome
Our apartment in Rome that we occupied from Sept 1959 to June 1960 was on the second floor of a six story building. It contained nine marble floored rooms, was spacious enough for a foyer, a living room, a sitting room, a dining room, and a kitchen situated from the left end of the apartment to the grand entryway.
Chapter Three: School Days
School days at the (American) Overseas School of Rome still consist first of our bus adventure out of the town center. In our day, that was a trip into and home from the countryside. Although we all in different grades, we all took the same bus to the same rural campus.

Chapter Four: Daily Life
Daily Life in Rome was similar to and different from Long Island life. The differences made daily life in Rome much more fun.
Chapter Five: Authentic Italian Food
Authentic Italian food was what we ate daily at home. In fact always freshly home cooked by our housekeeper/cook, Tina. It was the best Italian food I’ve ever had.I suspect our dog got the leftovers for which he had no complaints

PART THREE: SPECIAL TIMES

Chapter Six: Roman Holiday Celebrations
Roman Holiday Celebrations were much more extravagant as I remember. The two most outstanding were Christmas Season and New Years Eve.
Chapter Seven: Popular American Movies Made in Rome
There were several popular American movies made in Rome around the time that we were living in Italy.
Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert was the first. The screen play was written by Dalton Trumbo but published under a pseudonym due to his blacklisted status.

Continue Reading

Chapter Three: School Days


American-Overseas-School
The AOSR logo.

School days at the (American) Overseas School of Rome still consist first of our bus adventure out of th town center. In our day, that was a trip into and home from the countryside. Although we all in different grades, we all took the same bus to the same rural campus. It is currently called the American Overseas School of Rome.

At that time, I was in 6th grade, my sister was in 4th grade, and my brother was in 1st grade. In 1959-1960 the school was called the International Overseas School of Rome. Today it is the American Overseas School of Rome, home to an international student body of around 600 students. To be exact, approximately one-third from the United States, one-third from Italy, and the remaining third from 50 different countries.(1)
The Bus Ride to School
There were days that I clearly remember having to stop our morning commute along the Via Cassia to allow the farmers’ sheep to cross the road. From the map I have located that route no longer shares the road with the sheep because the school is no longer in the countryside.
road to the American Overseas School of Rome on google maps
Here’s a map showing the road to school. Actually it is no longer countryside.

THE CAMPUS

Over the 64 years since we attended the International Overseas School of Rome so much has changed there. What was once countryside surrounding the original main building is now a full modern campus. The vintage edifice which housed some classrooms and possibly the cafeteria has been updated>It is partly surrounded by one story school class buildings. Besides that, at one end are outdoor sports facilities including an up-to-date-running track.
American-Overseas-School
The original school building as I remember it in 1959 is now surrounded by a very full campus of additional buildings and other facilities.
OSR-villa
The original villa that became OSR.
More to read . . .
My Year in Italy/Introduction

SOURCES & RESOURCES

Wikipedia-AOSR
American Overseas School of Rome on Wikipedia.com

(1)Wikipedia-American Overseas School of Rome


Continue Reading

Chapter One: Our Transatlantic Voyage


Grace-Kelly-and-ship-captain
Grace Kelly and ship Captain aboard SS Constitution in 1956

Our transatlantic voyage took place three years after Grace Kelly traveled on the SS Constitution for her nuptial voyage to Monaco in 1956. Three years later in 1959 we sailed on the SS Constitution to Naples, Italy.

Although our voyage had no where near the glamour of the Grace Kelly voyage, we had a great time that was the introduction to a once in a lifetime adventure. Ocean voyage travel has changed dramatically over the years since our trip. As luxurious as it was to us, it was basically the normal means of crossing the ocean in those days. Jet travel was newly introduced and a huge expense. So we actually benefitted from that and had a great nine day vacation instead.

DETAILS OF OUR VOYAGE

Our Ocean Liner Cabin I remember our cabin being small and windowless with two sets of double decker beds. In addition there was enough room for one of our trunks that contained our clothes for the voyage. But we spent so little time in the cabin that size did not matter. Our daily activities included delicious meals in the spacious dining room. Dinner was accompanied by a three piece musical genteel entertainment group.

Fun on Board
We had the option of going to first run movies in the movie theatre that was located at the bottom of the ship. That location was a great spot when we were playing hide-and-seek. Since there were other children of various ages on the ship, we had enough companions to keep ourselves happily occupied. After lunch when the day was warmest, swimming in the ship’s pool was a requirement. To make it even more irresistible was the teatime cart that went around the pool deck. In fact, that was the only interruption we would tolerate to our luxurious swim time.

Eleventh Birthday Celebration
our-transatlantic-voyage
Eleventh birthday celebration cake from Pinterest
Another feature of our transatlantic voyage was the celebration of my eleventh birthday in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. A new friend was invited to have dinner at our table and the three piece musical ensemble played ‘Happy Birthday’ as a birthday cake was delivered to our table. Oh, I was so embarrassed.

Our Destination
The destination of our transatlantic voyage that took nine days was Naples, Italy. From there, we had a four hour train ride to Rome and a cab ride to the Villa Eva, the Penzione where we stayed until we found our apartment in Rome. The only redeeming factor to the end of this great journey was that we did it again in reverse the following June destined for New York.

There’s more to read . . .
My Year in Italy: Introduction
Chapter One:
Chapter Two:
Chapter Three: School Days
Chapter Four:
Chapter Five:
Chapter Six:


Continue Reading

Chapter Two: Our Apartment in Rome

bldg-plaque-border-2


VRV-21-street-map
The Google map location of Via Ridolfino Venuti 21 (building indicated by red teardrop)

Our apartment in Rome that we occupied from Sept 1959 to June 1960 was on the second floor of a six story building. It contained nine marble floored rooms, was spacious enough for a foyer, a living room, a sitting room, a dining room, and a kitchen situated from the left end of the apartment to the grand entryway.

From the right end to the center were three bedrooms, and a bathroom. Fronted with five street facing windows, were rooms with classic European furniture as well as an extra empty room to store our collection of steamer trunks. Neither in suburb outskirts with individual unattached houses nor a location in the urban city center either, Via Ridolfino Venuti 21 is in fact, in a quiet, pleasant neighborhood.

apartment-in-rome
The left end of Via Ridolfino Venuti 21, our nine room apartment in Rome as it appears today. This Google picture dates from 2022 showing substantial wear since 1959 when we resided there.

HOME

Getting an apartment made us official residents of Rome and and the true beginning of My Year in Italy. Putting in place the details of daily life follow. Getting set up for school, hiring a housekeeper/cook to shop for food, cook, and keep house. Meeting the neighbors. Navigating the neighborhood as children always do. Finding places to play and other children to play with are essential.

The Neighborhood
As children we had different priorities from our mother as well as tourists. For example, we didn’t need to know where the amenities of our life came from. Rather our lives revolved around making Italian neighborhood friends and finding fun things to do.

Real Italian not American Life Abroad As I mentioned in the Introduction, most American families abroad were attached to government jobs desiring to reside cloistered with other Americans. For example, American neighbors in American occupied buildings called the EUR. American superstores known as the American PX where one could buy everything American. In my opinion, why bother to live in another country if not to experience it with all one’s senses. Give me the real thing, not a transported veneer of an experience.

The Full Italian Package So without American government or corporate employment dictation, we were able to go with the full Italian living package. That meant we lived Italian, ate Italian, drove Italian, shopped Italian, and even learned to speak some Italian. Bravo.

More to read about:
My Year in Italy/Introduction

bldg-plaque-border-2

Continue Reading

My Year in Rome: Introduction

italy-border


my-year-in-rome
A map of Italy from orangesmile.com

My year in Rome was the most amazing experience of my life. In fact, the story behind it is unique as well. I was a mere eleven years old at the time.

Actually, most families with school age children who lived in foreign countries did so due to a parent serving with either a foreign government, at a consulate or holding an international corporate job. But that was not any of those situations in my family.

As a single parent with three children, my mother had the freedom to explore living in other parts of the world without employment restriction. In addition to that, the hefty American dollar could go very far in those days, 1959-1960 giving many residential choices. As a result, we could have adventures then that would be financially prohibitive today. In fact, the dollar was worth six hundred lire at that time in contrast to much less today.

THE IDEA BEGAN DRIVING THROUGH THE LINCOLN TUNNEL GOING TO NEW JERSEY

In 1959 when taking our annual automobile trip from Long Island to New Jersey to participate in the Passover Seder, we made a stop in Manhattan to pick up my great aunt. Besides being a loving aunt, she was a great cook famous for her cream puffs with mocha toping. The cherry on the top was her ‘Auntie Mame’ adventurous personality. Knowing that my mother and her three children had some geographic and financial freedom, my great aunt suggested that my mother take our family to live in Italy for a year.
my-year-in-Italy
S.S. Constitution, American Export Lines, by Tichnor Brothers, c. 1950s, from the Digital Commonwealth – 1 commonwealth 8g84mw21v. (1)

PREPARATION IN THE US

My mother took in stride what very likely would have seemed like a daunting undertaking to most people. For example, this included a thorough checklist of preparatory things to do:
• take a crash course in Italian
• get passports and necessary shots
• make reservations for the nine day voyage from NYC to Naples on the transatlantic S.S.Constitution for the five of us (dog included). At that time, airplane travel was limited and more expensive.
• borrow steamer trunks from every traveler friend, relative, and friend of a relative.
• sell our beloved 1955 two tone Oldsmobile and arranged to buy the latest Fiat to be picked up in Rome
• make reservations for a place to stay when we arrived in Rome at the Villa Eva. I remember this villa turned Pensione as popular with Americans, and a joy to inhabit.
https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/476677941789779373/
A wardrobe steamer trunk, upright drawers and a case, in cream with faux wood grained mounts (2)

ARRIVAL IN ITALY

There were additional preparatory tasks as well as others that would need make when we arrived in Italy:
• take the train from Naples to Rome
• sign in at the Villa Eva (Pensione)
• pick up our new Fiat (we got lost for three hours trying to return to the Villa Eva where we were staying)
• register us kids for the American-English, American-Arithmetic International School in Rome (aka)The International Overseas School of Rome)
• find a place to live, actually a nine room apartment
• hire a Italian housekeeper/cook
• and more things that any 11 year old could even imagine would need to be done

SOURCES & RESOURCES

(1) S.S. Constitution from Wikipedia
my-year-in-rome


italy-border

Continue Reading

REALLY HEALTHY FOOD

really healthy food


Really Healthy Food is actually available nationwide. This is my latest discovery about food as well as the focus of this blog post. Specifically, my emphasis is on the diversity of products from small artisanal farms rather than on large farms that might still be organic, vegetarian, or vegan, but not local.

Included here is information mostly in video format about pasture raised animals including beef, chickens, lamb, pork, goat, and eggs. In addition, there is an explanation about a very special product, wagyu beef. Finally there is a section about produce (plant based products).
really healthy food
Fed from the Farm logo

MEAT and Chicken

PORK

EGGS

really healthy food
the logo for Chu’s meat market

WAGYU BEEF

Chu Wagyu beef (chusmeatmarket.com)

PRODUCE

How to Eat Local During Winter

The difference between local farm and organic produce.
really healthy food

SOURCES & RESOURCES

Fed From the Farm

Fed By the Farm

Food From The Farm

Chu’s Meat Market

Wagyu Beef – Wikipedia

The Wagyu Shop

Snake River Farms/American Wagyu Beef

EGGS


real healthy food

Continue Reading

Formula One Race Car Champions

formula 1


This blog post features three Formula One Race Car Champions. Each has a dramatic, unique story. By name, they are champion racers Nikki Lauder of Austria(1), Michael Schumacher of Germany(2), and Jann Mardenborough of Great Britain(3)(4). In fact, a mesmerizing Netflix movie, series, and excerpt exist here about each of them.

Nikki Lauder

Michael Schumacher

Jann Mardenborough

More About (F1) Formula One Racing(1), the Films and the Drivers
Of the three films, two drivers are actors and one is the actual driver himself. Daniel Brühl plays Nikki Lauder with the actual driver in cameo at the end. British actor Archie Madekwe plays Jann Mardenborough with a cameo at the end. Lastly, Michael Schumacher stars himself throughout his films and all media appearances.

Formula One Race Car Driver Champions
formula one race car drivers
Formula One Race Car Drivers Niki Lauder, Jann Mardenborough, and Michael Schumacher.

Formula One Race Car Driver/Actors Resources

(1)”Since the inception of the Formula One World Championship in 1950, it is widely recognized as the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series.

“The sport has always sought to innovate, constantly pushing the technological boundaries in order to find the quickest route to victory. (This) sport has frequently pioneered technology that has been successfully transferred to everyday transport.

“In 2014, with the introduction of a new hybrid 1.6 litre, turbo-charged V6 power unit, Formula 1 continued its aim to place the world’s foremost single-seat racing series at the cutting edge of automotive technology development. For the next generation power unit there is the commitment to move to 100% sustainable fuels in 2025/2026, remaining true to the culture of innovation, while at the same time preserving the capacity to thrill that has been at the heart of the sport since its earliest days.”

(2)”What happened to Michael Schumacher?
Michael Schumacher suffered severe head injury when he fell while skiing in the French Alps on December 29, 2013. His son was 14 when the accident happened during a winter holiday in Méribel. Since the crash, in which Michael Schumacher hit his head on a stone and his helmet was broken, the soon-to-be 55-year-old has not appeared in public.”
Michael Schumacher Website

(3) Gran Turismo

(4) Jann Mardenborough


formula 1

Continue Reading

UNIQUE CINEMA CONNECTIONS

tv-stations-band


UNIQUE CINEMA CONNECTIONS can link TV series, movies and actors that otherwise would have no relationship. This technique doubles as a way to demonstrate one’s knowledge of film acting, movie themes, and cinema history as well.

Actually I find unique cinema connections fascinating, challenging, and even entertaining. These days movie watching at home is very easy since the proliferation of so many TV channels that are devoted to current and old movies.
tv-stations
abc breaking news intro blogspot
In fact the only requirement to make these kinds of connections is to have a sufficient body of film knowledge to make seemingly unconnected themes or actors connect. With sufficient knowledge, one can connect sets of films and actors using this linking system.

How It Works For example one can select two totally unrelated actors or themes, end to end. In this case, I have chosen JK Simmons at the beginning of the unique cinema connection and Susan Kohner at the end. Actually they never appeared in anything together. Their careers have no time crossover. Finally their appearance themes are unrelated. But in spite of these factors, they can be connected by following a set of unique cinema links.
unique-cinema-connections
JK Simmons bio on imdb.com

 


JK Simmons as the bar owner in LA La Land

JK SIMMON, the Musical Director in Whiplash

unique-cinema-connections
Miles Teller bio on imdb.com


Miles Teller in Whiplash (A LA GENE KRUPA or Buddy Rich)

unique-cinema-connections
Sal Mineo bio on imdb.com


SAL MINEO as GENE KRUPA

unique-cinema-connections
Susan Kohner bio on imdb.com


SUSAN KOHNER as GENE KRUPA’s girlfriend in the Gene Krupa Story


SUSAN KOHNER in Imitation of Life

In Conclusion

This post began with JK Simmons in two contemporary films and flows through a series of cinema links to Susan Kohner in Imitation of Life released in 1959. The two actors never appeared in anything together. Besides that they shared no beginning and ending themes. But through a series of cleverly selected links the former connected to the latter in some terrific movies over a period of about seven decades. This is the story of unique cinema connections.

tv-stations-band

Continue Reading

Beyond Medicaid

Beyond-Medicaid


Beyond-Medicaid
the Beyond Medicaid Logo

Beyond Medicaid is an informational blog post that is part of a series based on my own experience with programs for individuals who need additional personal care assistance at home beyond Medicare and Medicaid.

For people like myself living in Nassau County, Long Island, New York who have qualified for and receive Medicaid through the Nassau County Social Services Department(1) but still need additional services or services beyond Long Island continue with additional services below.

In fact, these are outside of the range of what I refer to as plain ‘vanilla’ Medicaid. In order to proceed, the next step is to contact a ‘Simplified Medicare Agent’. I have had wonderful success with the person at the footnote below.(2)

Moving Along For my complex needs, I was assigned an agency care coordinator who navigated me through the ‘Baskin Robins’ flavors (as I call them) programs beyond Medicaid. This is exactly where the Beyond Medicaid extra help process got down to specifics for me. So let’s continue with the details.

cngs
The Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services

Central Nassau Guidance Services(3)

These are the step-by-step instructions for application and approved programs that I got assistance in my quest for extra help.

For example, the agency I get help from is Central Nassau Guidance Services. With the help of this organization, I have a care coordinator who guides and assists me with many personal and home care needs.

The New York Independent Assessor Application(4)

The next step in applying for extra help known as Medicaid Managed Long Term Care (MMLTC) is to contact the the New York Independent Assessor (NYIA). This process includes both phone and in-person interviews. If one qualifies, there are many services available.

But they are not as well known as programs like SNAP (food stamps) or as straight forward to receive. So it is very helpful if not essential to have a care coordinator to help one translate and navigate through the applications, then choose the assistance that may become available. When I started this whole dizzying process, it felt like a dictionary of foreign codes to me.

Medicaid Managed Long Term Care Program(5)

Medicaid Managed Long Term Care is the overall program you want to qualify for. It has a bounty of services with a variety of levels of home based care that may become available to an individual like myself who qualifies. Here’s what happened next for me.

Centers-plan
Centers Plan for healthy Living Logo

Centers Plan for Healthy Living(6)

MMLTC is a program but not a place with public access. Therefore there are organizations that provide the next stage of service. One such organization is the Centers Plan for Health Living.

Through this organization, I have a care manager who oversees the care I get. In addition, she monitors my condition with a questionnaire to evaluate if I need more medical care or other services.

Current Assistance For now, there are primarily two categories of care in which I get supplementation. They are personal care and nutritional care. Each of these areas is overseen by the Centers Plan for Healthy Living but dispensed by independent agencies. In actuality, personal care is through the Cottage Home Care while nutrition is supplied by Mom’s Meals.

Cottage Home Care(7)This is a company that supplies home care aids to individuals who cannot manage completely on their own. Assistance ranges from a few hours a week to full time home care assistance. Meal preparation, personal hygiene, food shopping, laundry and light housekeeping can be included.

moms-meals
The Mom’s Meals logo
Mom’s Meals(8)This is a company that offers prepared meals delivered on a weekly basis. The number of meals provided is determined by the number of hours an individual receives in extra care to compensate for the need to prepare one’s own meals. In other words if an aid is available in the morning for 3.5/hrs per day 3 days a week, the aid can prepare breakfast 3 times per week.

Since I need help with breakfasts on the four other days and main meals every day, the total need for meal supplementation is eleven meals which are provided to me at no charge. I have found these to be a tremendous help. In fact, there are many meal choices to select from. The food is decent as well. All that is necessary is a short microwave warm up.

Conclusion This blog post, Beyond Medicaid may not answer all your questions about this topic. But it should cut down dramatically on the research you might have to do for getting extra help while you are still able to live at home. When you have to move on to assisted living or a nursing home, you will need other information. These are topics for future posts.

(1)Nassau County Social Services Department (DSS)
(2)Simplified Medicare Agent, Lizzo Pizzo 1-917-998-3660
(3)Central Nassau Guidance Services
(4)New York Independent Assessor can be reached at 855-222-8350.
(5)Medicaid Managed Long Term Care
(6)Centers Plan for Healthy Living
(7)Cottage Home Care Agency
(8)Mom’s Meals


Beyond-Medicaid

Continue Reading
1 2 3 43