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Catalans Abroad
2 January 2022 2.00 h

Rafel Hidalgo. marcela topor. mtopor@cataloniatoday.cat

Living alongside history

Ràdio Catalunya Itàlia aims to bring the Catalan and Italian cultures closer together Living in permanent contact with history can be a great stimulus
Why did you leave Cat­alo­nia?
I left Barcelona 37 years ago be­cause I got tired of the rar­efied lin­guis­tic at­mos­phere in Barcelona. Back then I was work­ing in the Hogar del Libro book­shop on Car­rer Bergara, and the switch­ing from Cata­lan to Span­ish, or deal­ing with the dif­fer­ent forms of ad­dress both­ered me. I was al­most 30, and I was doing Ital­ian stud­ies, and came from a fam­ily with few eco­nomic re­sources, I re­alised the only way for me was to live abroad.
Are you happy with the job op­por­tu­ni­ties you found in your adop­tive coun­try?
I started in an ex­change pro­gramme in a high school in Rome. The op­por­tu­ni­ties I’ve been of­fered all these years have al­lowed me to have a de­cent life and meet a lot of peo­ple. Now I’ve been re­tired for a year.
You are a mem­ber of the Cata­lan Casal in Rome. What ac­tiv­i­ties do you do?
Yes, I’m a mem­ber of the as­so­ci­a­tion’s board. Be­fore the pan­demic, we started a film club and a read­ing club, we or­gan­ise group meals, talks about the sit­u­a­tion in Cat­alo­nia, Cata­lan courses, so­cial gath­er­ings...
Tell us about the radio pro­gramme you host.
Ràdio Catalunya Itàlia aims to bring the Cata­lan and Ital­ian cul­tures closer to­gether, while keep­ing Cata­lan tra­di­tions alive among the many Cata­lans who live here. I started prac­ti­cally alone but soon other col­leagues from Italy and Cat­alo­nia joined, and now we do a pro­gramme every week; we’ve done 180 episodes so far. The pro­gramme aims to let peo­ple know about the dif­fer­ent as­pects of the cul­ture of the Cata­lan Coun­tries. We also work with as­so­ci­a­tions in Al­ghero [Sar­dinia], where Cata­lan is spo­ken.
What do you think is the best thing about liv­ing there?
One of the things that most sur­prised me when I got here was see­ing so many young peo­ple vis­it­ing his­toric sights I had only seen in books. Liv­ing in per­ma­nent con­tact with his­tory can be a great stim­u­lus.
What do you miss most from home?
When I go back to Barcelona I enjoy a good arròs [tra­di­tional rice dish]. Lately I’ve begun to miss con­tact with my roots a lit­tle, the pos­si­bil­ity of buy­ing books in Cata­lan, liv­ing closer to my broth­ers, and so on.
What do you take with you as a pre­sent from your new home when you go back to your own coun­try?
It de­pends on the oc­ca­sion, but typ­i­cal prod­ucts like Parme­san cheese, ca­pers, panet­tone, pan­doro,...
What is the best ex­pe­ri­ence you have had in your adop­tive coun­try?
Dis­cov­er­ing the Ital­ian lan­guage and mak­ing it my own in every­day life. The lan­guage I learnt at uni­ver­sity was use­ful for read­ing but not for or­der­ing some­thing in a café. Get­ting to speak and write reg­u­larly in Ital­ian has been a great ex­pe­ri­ence and I’m very happy with it. The dis­cov­ery of the myr­iad pasta dishes has also been a very good ex­pe­ri­ence. And the nat­ural friend­li­ness that Ital­ians have for the other Mediter­ranean peo­ples.
Do you plan to go back to Cat­alo­nia?
Not for now, but def­i­nitely later. When my part­ner re­tires, we’ll see if it’s pos­si­ble.

CATA­LANS ABROAD rome (italy)

SOME SUGGESTIONS:

Where are the best places for visitors to stay?
Rome is obviously a city with a lot of tourism, and therefore with a very large range of accommodation available. It must also be said that the public transport network is not very good, with few metro stations, very full buses, and lots of traffic jams. In short, depending on what you want to do or where you want to go, you may want to look for accommodation not far away, otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time travelling.
What do you consider the highlights of any brief visit for the first time?
First of all, you have to “walk”, to closely observe life on the streets, the entrances of homes, the courtyards, the friezes, and the green areas and many parks. I think the essential areas are the “Via dei Fori Imperiali” from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and, of course, the great basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore, Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter’s at the Vatican.
And if visitors have more time or make a return visit?
Go to the Via Appia, the Gianicolo and Monte Mario, the Pincio, from where there are good views of Rome from above. Plaza de España, Plaza del Popolo, some of the catacombs. And out of town but not too far away, Ostia with its ruins, and Tivoli.
Can you recommend a place to have lunch with friends?
A good place to try traditional Roman cuisine is the Antica Birreia Peroni (www.anticabirreriaperoni.net), a place you need to get yo early as there is usually a queue to get in, they offer good food at a good price (Venice Square area). A similar venue in my area is Hostaria Menenio Agrippa (www.hostariamenenioagrippa.it). Here you can book in advance and get good local food in an hospitable atmosphere.
And for a special dinner for two?
A dinner in the park of the Villa Torlonia on Via Nomentana (www.limonaiaroma.it), 15 minutes away from Termini station.
When is the best time of year to plan a visit?
The best season is the beginning of spring. There are fewer tourists and it’s not so hot.
What is the best kept secret about the area?
I don’t know about secrets. The Vatican has many, I hear, but I don’t know them...
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