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In every major city in the Western World, some things are always the same. The same African men are always selling knockoffs of the same designer handbags and sunglasses, and the same Guatemalan musicians are always playing "I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail" on their bamboo windpipes. But some things are only in Rome. Like the sandwich counterman so comfortably calling me "beautiful" every time we speak. You want this panino grilled or cold, bella? Or the couples making out all over the place, like there is some contest for it, twisting into each other on benches, stroking each other's hair and crotches, nuzzling and grinding ceaselessly . . .
西方世界的每個大城市總有一些雷同之處。總有非洲男子兜售仿冒的名牌皮包和太陽眼鏡，總有危地馬拉樂手表演竹笛，吹奏“我寧可當麻雀也不肯當蝸牛”。然而有些東西只在羅馬才有。比方賣三明治的掌柜每回跟我說話時都悠哉地喚我“美人兒”。“來個熱烤或冷三明治，美人兒？”或者是到處擁吻的情侶，像參加競賽似的，交纏在板凳上，撫摸彼此的頭發和褲襠，沒完沒了地耳鬢廝磨……
And then there are the fountains. Pliny the Elder wrote once: "If anyone will consider the abundance of Rome's public supply of water, for baths, cisterns, ditches, houses, gardens, villas; and take into account the distance over which it travels, the arches reared, the mountains pierced, the valleys spanned—he will admit that there never was anything more marvelous in the whole world."
還有噴泉。老普林尼（Pliny the Elder）曾寫道：“想想羅馬眾多的公共水資源，供給浴場、貯水池、溝渠、房舍、庭園、別墅；再考慮水流過的距離、聳立的拱橋、穿過的山、跨越的山谷——任何人都會承認，全世界最了不起的東西莫過于此。”
A few centuries later, I already have a few contenders for my favorite fountain in Rome. One is in the Villa Borghese. In the center of this fountain is a frolicking bronze family. Dad is a faun and Mom is a regular human woman. They have a baby who enjoys eating grapes. Mom and Dad are in a strange position—facing each other, grabbing each other's wrists, both of them leaning back. It's hard to tell whether they are yanking against each other in strife or swinging around merrily, but there's lots of energy there. Either way, Junior sits perched atop their wrists, right between them, unaffected by their merriment or strife, munching on his bunch of grapes. His little cloven hoofs dangle below him as he eats. (He takes after his father.)
在數個世紀后，已有多座羅馬噴泉競相成為我的最愛。其一位于博蓋塞花園。在這座噴泉中央，是正在嬉戲的銅像家庭。父親是半人半羊的牧神，母親是一介女子。他們有個喜歡吃葡萄的寶寶。爸媽姿勢奇特——面對面，抓著對方的手腕，兩人的身子后仰。看不出他們究竟是拽住彼此在爭斗，或是因興高采烈而搖擺，倒是都洋溢活力。反正，小家伙趴坐在他們的手腕上，就在他們之間，對他們的愉悅或爭斗無動于衷，大口嚼著他的那串葡萄。而吃著的同時，腳下的分趾蹄晃悠著。（它遺傳自父親。）
It is early September, 2003. The weather is warm and lazy. By this, my fourth day in Rome, my shadow has still not darkened the doorway of a church or a museum, nor have I even looked at a guidebook. But I have been walking endlessly and aimlessly, and I did finally find a tiny little place that a friendly bus driver informed me sells The Best Gelato in Rome. It's called "Il Gelato di San Crispino." I'm not sure, but I think this might translate as "the ice cream of the crispy saint." I tried a combination of the honey and the hazelnut. I came back later that same day for the grapefruit and the melon. Then, after dinner that same night, I walked all the way back over there one last time, just to sample a cup of the cinnamon-ginger.
2003年9月初，天氣暖和懶散。此時是我在羅馬的第四天，我仍未踏進任何一座教堂或博物館，甚至未讀過旅游指南。但我已漫無目的地走個不停，最后還找到一位友善的公車司機告訴我的那家羅馬最好的意大利冰店。它叫“圣克里斯皮諾冰店”。我不確定能否翻譯成“香酥圣徒冰”。我試了蜂蜜加榛果的混合口味。當天稍晚，我又回來品嘗葡萄柚加香瓜。當天吃過晚飯后， 我又一路走回去 ，只為了嘗一杯肉桂與姜。
