On a warm sunny spring Sunday I ventured into what for me was the unknown… Unchartered territory… The famous residential elegance of Rome..
Melbourne people think Toorak. Sydney, Vaucluse. New York, Upper East Side. Londoners, think Mayfair!
I visited – or should I say, experienced – I Parioli, for my personal trainer’s Memorial Day BBQ!
Yep! You heard it here my followers… Somehow I ended up in Rome.. with an in-home personal trainer and commemorating America’s fallen countrymen and women. Ain’t it funny how life turns out!
For those of you who live in Rome I know that ‘crossing over‘ to I Parioli is nothing exciting and really doesn’t warrant a dedicated post.
It’s just that there has been a little personal build up to this day in that I’ve established the nickname among a couple of friends (well ok, one in particular) of a being a Pariolina (clearly because of my utter beauty, elegance and refinement! 🙂 ) – Basically translated to a girl from Parioli but in essence… A bit of a princess.
For the life of me, I don’t know how this nickname came about! 😉
So, I like getting my hair done (weekly)… the odd (ok regular) massage… a manicure and pedicure every now and then (perhaps more now than then!), a semi (ok very) regular facial… and I don’t mind a spot of shopping! So what?? Shoot me!
Ok well when you put it like that, I guess you could say I gravitate instinctively to the finer things in life 🙂
But on a more serious note, of course those of you know me and know me well, will attest to the fact buy ultram no prescription needed that these are not the things that dictate or define my life! They just make it that little prettier 🙂
So, back to I Parioli.
It’s the 2nd district (quartiere / rione) of Rome and is in the northern end of the city. It lies between Via Salaria and Viale Regina Margherita, Branching out to il Tevere (the Tiber River) it extends right up to Villa Ada and Villa Borghese. It is one of the single most affluent areas of Rome.
It is home to many foreign embassies and also the place where guru of style and class, Audrey Hepburn set up home for most of her time in the city.
Its streets are clean and tree-lined. They scream money, status and elegance.
And now, cut back to Memorial Day BBQ.
My coach and partner invited a whole heap of people, some Roman but mostly expats to their place in Parioli.
And it was a great day! They live in a beautiful apartment with a gorgeous terrace area. There was lots of great food and wine (and not all healthy!) and a lovely, eclectic and internationally diverse crowd.
But after lots of eating, drinking and mingling it was soon time to make the trek back to my hood.
And look, maybe it was yesterday’s heat but I swear I was able to breathe easier back on my side of the river.
Now, I admit I have never been a wrong-side-of-the-tracks type of girl. But I am not a Pariolina. Nor am I a princess!
I’m just an Italo-Australian, wannabe Roman living in Trastevere.
And absolutely loving it!
Signing off from Rome
(and typing away with my freshly manicured nails)
Baci, Maria
