caffè all'italiana

Seven years ago, I lived in a fantastic 13th-century palazzo in the "centro storico" of Florence, Italy. To pay the rent each month, I kept thick wads of 100,000 lire banknotes stashed in my pockets until we could arrange a handoff with the landlord. Too bad I became a software engineer instead of a drug dealer.

At 1700 lire/dollar, my roommates and I each paid ~$400/month, half of what it cost back on campus in California. A typical lunch of pasta and wine cost a few dollars, so we ate, drank, and lived like kings.

Visiting Florence in October and Rome last weekend, it was impressive to see how little things had changed, with two notable exceptions:

1. 21-year old college students seems a lot younger now
   
2. Italy is no longer a bargain

I suppose it's natural that the Euro should normalize prices somewhat, and that centralized European monetary policy keeps the Italian central bank from endlessly deflating their currency. And I'm far from an underpaid student these days... but €3,50 for a caffè espresso near the Colloseum?

Ah well. The trick, as always, is to drink coffee standing at the bar, in fine Italian tradition: still €0,60 baby!

Rome was fun, by the way. Highly recommended: the Basilica di San Clemente. Though somewhat ordinary on the surface level, the church was built on top of an older church from the 9th century, which was itself built atop a Mithraic pagan temple from the 1st century. You could wander the creepy, narrow corridors for hours.