Sincerely, Loree

Rome’s Jewish ghetto came into being when Pope Paul IV ordered its construction in 1555. All the Jews living in Rome had to relocate to this small area – hemmed in between the River Tiber and Piazza Venezia - which was very prone to flooding. The ghetto was walled-in and accessed through two gates that were locked at night. The gates were eventually increased to eight and, at one point during the  16th century, 3500 people were crammed into the ghetto’s labyrinth of narrow streets and squalid buildings. Following the unification of Italy, all  Jews were granted Italian citizenship and the requirement for them to live in the ghetto came to an end in 1870. The walls of the ghetto were demolished in 1888, together with a large number of crowded, unsanitary buildings. The Synagogue of Rome and elegant apartment buildings were built instead.

Or so the song goes. I know there are many people who think that because we live on a sunny island we’re at the beach at all hours of the day. The reality is very different for all those who, like ne, need to be at the office for  8-9 hours every day. That really doesn’t leave much free time for fun and games. Every year I usually make a long list of plans for the summer months and usually end up disappointed and frustrated because very few, if any of them, actually come to fruition. So this year I have decided to err on the side of caution and have made no plans at all. No plans, except to live in the moment and embrace the slow-living concept that I have slowly been trying to adopt since the beginning of the year.