Umbrian Spirit: Bar Caffe Via Roma

: An afternoon hanging out in the Caffe

O.k. this is not going to be about a specific person or even a couple of people, but of a place I grew to love. Ray Oldenburg referred in his book to a Third Place - "The great good place" a place where people could gather which was not home or work, this is what Via Roma is, a place where people would gather for beverages to greet one another, talk, play cards, and generally socialize. In upcoming blogs I will share stories of some of the great people I met here, where I met Maria each morning whom I already wrote about. But Caffe Via Roma captured for me a piece of spirituality of place as it drew in a variety of folks from the community.
I was very fortunate that Martin, who runs this piece of heaven, allowed me to work on my photos at the telephone desk, with an injured back it is painful for me to sit, this was a great gift. Working in the back of the shop allowed me not only a bit of quiet and privacy to work, but also a great place to people watch, or meet and greet those who I knew. I realized that is what most people did at some point in the day, come into Caffe Via Roma to meet and greet those who they knew.
The other thing that happens in this wonderful place is people had some very real conversations about their feelings, opinions and what was happening in the community or world. By the end of my stay I could understand about half of what was being said, and was even aware of when I was being talked about. I could tell who was find with the Americana in the other room, and who was not, I could also understand my new found friends speaking of me in a positive light in response. It was a place where speaking your feelings was the norm, and quite o.k. either pro or con, all were welcome.
It was also the place where I had some great laughs, mostly at my expense, due to my poor Spanglish - eventually Spanglitaliano. Great fun was the evening Colleen and I came home late from one of our days out traveling in the footsteps of St. Francis and planning next year's retreat. We were tired and pretty silly by the time we got to Caffe Via Roma for a nightcap. There were some great young men there and we all had a laugh at the crazy painting I purchased that we dubbed that night "The Guffo-Gatto" - or - "The Owl-Cat". It had reminded me of the childhood poem of the Owl and the Pussycat and as one of the guys would put it "genetic catastrophe" that would ensue.
Communication is only 15% words, the rest lies in our enunciation, our body language and in the feelings we express. From sweet breakfasts with Maria, to quiet work time with a break here or there, to zany nightcaps, I found a great "Third Place" here, where people communicated very well.
Living in the U.S.A. where we often keep our feelings and opinions to ourselves as not to offend, I found this refreshing. I found it refreshing to see a young man in tears pouring out his heart to other men. I found it refreshing that "outsiders" like the Moravians were welcome along with the people who were suspect of the immigrants. I found it refreshing that this was not where the young people hung out, or the old people hung out, but where everyone mixed and mingled. I even liked the fact that Martin's family were always close by, it offered up a sense of this place as an extension of home.
One of the great things I observed was some of the patterns of life, how folks would come in the morning for a caffe, back for a break before siesta, and a nightcap at the end of the working day. It was a great pattern of rest and work that made the flow of the day seem so smooth. And of course, they were closed Sunday for a day of rest.
As an American I find it so easy to lose patterns of life, to remember to rest in the midst of work on busy weeks, and I'm not alone. Stories I hear from friends who work long hours with no breaks in the day and then are frazzled, go home and secure themselves in their homes. There is no Third Place in many of our lives, no place to take that break, meet with people, share our feelings, consult with one another over choices we need to make in our lives. Even at the bookstores in Seattle "Third Place" you don't have the mingling of community that happens here at Caffe Via Roma.
It is in this place I would have loved to asked bigger questions: How are the people of this intimate community effected by the global downturn and now the Italian austerity measures? Do most of the people of Piegaro stay in this region, stay connected to the community? How have you been effected by outsiders, including me and other tourists in this small town? How does this wonderful place, Caffe Via Roma mirror the spirit of Piegaro? Can you tell me some of the stories of your lives and loves....?!?! Por favore, por gratzi.