Pomezio, Italy: Raniero

Pomezio, Italy Raniero

Never, Never, Break The Pasta!

We had never heard of Pomezia a small  municipality in the province of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. With a population of not much  more than 60,000. 

The town Raniero calls home was built entirely new near the location of ancient Lavinium on land resulting from the final reclamation of the Pontine Marshes under Benito Mussolini, being inaugurated on October 29, 1939. 

After the end of the war, Pomezia developed as a strong industrial center, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, as well as a recreational center. Our commute on the public bus truly revealed it's industrial character. Pomezia is about 30 miles train ride into the center of Rome.

We first met Raniero at the Spanish steps. We had seen a picture of him prior to our first meeting but really,we could have identified him site unseen. His personality burst through all the people in the crowded square and immediately we knew we had a friend for life.

Gay Life:

Raniero, out around his family and friends and especially in the work place. He is the colorful manager of an Italian eatery, you can tell by the respect of his staff that he is well loved. Of course it helps when you can hire "family". 

Gay Love:

Raniero was like many gay men who have to traverse through the terrain of knowing their sexuality. There were straight romances in his life but ultimately he knew his path was to accept his sexuality as a gay man. 

Gay Friends

Raniero loves to travel especially with his friends - who are his friends you might ask? I think the world is at his feet. "Raniero you can easily teach people how to make this world better!"  Everyone he meets is a friend, a person who he can never forget and surely you can never forget him.

Outakes:

Homemade Carbonara  was the dinner this night. But it was not your ordinary Carbonara - we had a  personal cooking lesson. At least Jim did, I sat back with the wonderful bottles of red wine and enjoyed the conversation. First you can "Never, Never, break the pasta." and the "Pasta must boil in a pot 2 times larger than the amount of pasta." Jim could barely keep up. Jim giggled as he always broke the pasta before it went into the boiling water in the pot.  But oh this simple dish with original ingredients was oh so good. 

The Fraschetta in Frascati. This buffet was not your typical American "Homestyle Buffet".  Can you believe it was horse meat on the menu? Not your average US fare. Our time of authentic pizza, and assortment of traditional  Italian offerings and of course the "House Wine" would not have been complete if it weren't for two of Raniero's friends. They were a cute couple, that happened to be dining at the same small quaint town of Frascati. 

When in Rome, Do Raniero!

Posted in: Europe