Incontriamoci a Borgo!

Wine bar on Borgo Pio. The Associazione Culturale plaque says
 "Incontriamoci a Borgo" ... Let's meet at the Borgo

I’ve already written a little bit about the Borgo, Rome's 14th district (Rione). It is just outside Vatican City, to the left side of the map. Notice the Castel Sant'Angelo to the right. Via della Conciliazione is a broad, straight avenue leading into St. Peter's Square, which was built under Mussolini. 

The Borgo became prosperous when the Papacy moved to Vatican City, during the time the current St. Peter’s Basilica was built (between 1506 and 1626). There are a LOT of places to eat in Rome, but it is even more concentrated in the Borgo, especially on Borgo Pio. And since that is crutching distance for me, that makes it is an easy place to go for lunch or dinner.

Porto Spirito on the way

We’ve eaten there four times, I think. Our server made one recent lunch memorable. An ebullient Tunisian transplant, Manzour had the perfect personality and claimed to speak six languages with English being his least proficient. He did pretty well all the same and was charming enough to let us use our halting Italian. He even put his phone number on the receipt and encouraged us to arrange language lessons with him. He said we could help him with his English!

Missed the nun but caught Manzour unintentionally

I passed him inside the restaurant at one point after he let me use a restroom in the back to save me going down the steep stairs to the regular one. I thanked him and told him he was charming. He flashed a smile, “Charming? Does that mean nice?” He seemed genuinely appreciative later when I looked it up in Italian. “Affascinante.” Another smile.

Borgo Pio Cane

I have resolved to take more photos of people we meet, but I am very shy asking for permission. (It seems so in-your-face to me.) 

Samantha, a table mate at another local eatery, who along with her husband, Dominic (both from Philadelphia) were visiting Rome and Florence before heading to Ireland for a friend's destination wedding. One of the few people I wasn't shy asking to pose ... 

Manzour may have solved the problem for me. When he asked if he could take our photo, my phone was set to selfie mode. (A nun had gone into the gelato shop next door, and I had hoped to catch her coming out but she slipped by me.) But Manzour knew just what to do.

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Now I just need to use my Manzour rouse again—people love taking photos of themselves! Have you found other methods of getting strangers to pose for photos?

Rome's ubiquitous Madonnas never object (Borgo Madonna)

Walking to and from the Borgo is half the pleasure. You can see from the map how one would encounter views of St. Peter's and the Castel Sant'Angelo over and over again on this route.  

San Pietro

San Pietro and lighted Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

Castel Sant'Angelo and lighted Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II