Friends in High Places

Pasquale showed up almost immediately upon our return to Rome after the holidays, as if to herald the dawn of 2025. Perhaps, like us, he made a resolution this year to discover more about the city in which he lives and our apartment building happened to be his starting point. Maybe he’s just an opportunist, of which every big city has its share. But he keeps coming back. So he must feel some commitment to the relationship.

His arrival was as subtle as a breeze. Despite a pretty flamboyant wardrobe, it would have been possible not to notice him at all. He was like a soldier in camo gear: all dressed up solely for the purpose of remaining invisible. Only a flash of motion and a rustle in the courtyard below our bedroom tipped me off.

I called out to my wife as soon as I saw him. She’s always ready to make a new friend.

Pointing to the trees outside, I tried to direct her eyes to an isolated spot of green hiding in a green leafy sea. Then Pasquale turned his head, and his hooked red nose gave him away.

“A parrot?” C said. “Did we know there were parrots in Rome?”

I admitted that I did not. In my mind, parrots are something you find in Belize, or Bali, or in the company of a pirate. In fact, despite my deep-seated fear of any winged creature bigger than a butterfly, I couldn’t help but think how good Pasquale would look riding on my shoulder. It would give me the full Johnny Depp effect.

Upon doing some research, I was surprised to learn that parrots are in fact a growing population in the Italian capital, having first appeared sometime around the late Seventies (which might explain their Pucci-like wardrobe). They are thought to have filtered in as escaped fugitives from the aviaries of private owners. Since that time, they’ve commandeered some prime real estate around the Tevere, Villa Borghese, Villa Doria Pamphilj and now apparently the cortile of our apartment building in Borgo Pio.

There are two primary varieties of parrot or parakeet to be found in Rome: the rose-ringed parakeet or ringneck parrot, a tropical Afro-Asian bird, and the monk parakeet. Pasquale appears to be of the ringneck variety, so I think I’m allowed to use the term “parrot”, which I prefer to “parakeet”. A parakeet sounds to me like the kind of flighty, nervous little thing you could win at a carnival. Pasquale on the other hand is more substantial, even a bit of a sophisticate. Clearly, a bird of the world.

Although I admit his table manners could use work. Pasquale usually arrives around lunchtime, and applies himself immediately to picking off the small black berries from the large bay trees that shade the courtyard. I had understood those berries to be poisonous, but try telling it to Pasquale.

Perhaps he just likes picking them, because the bulk of them wind up on the terrace tiles below. Evidently when a parrot says “Polly wants a cracker”, it may be solely for the fun of tossing it on the floor. He’s created a kindergarten classroom after cookie time level mess down there. I fear that the building manager and his crew may not share our enthusiasm for Pasquale’s presence.

Indeed, the jury appears to be out on the effects of a parrot population in Rome. Some experts believe it to be relatively harmless. Others fear that the new arrivals could pose a threat to the seagull population by competing for food. Given the number and ferocity of the gulls, that seems about as likely as a foreigner elbowing a Roman out of the way at the Castroni coffee bar.

Never get between a Roman seagull and his panettone

For our part, we’re just happy to have a new acquaintance in the neighborhood. Like us, he’s a stranger in a strange place, bringing with him memories of another world but eager to adapt to his surroundings. C gave him the name Pasquale almost immediately and now we speak of him like a member of the family—albeit one who remains a little stand-offish.

Though that could change too. According to my research, Pasquale has the capability to learn up to 250 words. Soon we could be having full-fledged conversations.

Right now, we’re just working on “Pasquale” and “pranzo”. I’ll let you know how that goes.