又中又英 | Etched in your memory | 褚简宁

　　Rome is etched in my memory. If something is etched in your memory, it means you will always remember it. I have visited Rome several times but want to go again after watching an old Oscar-winning movie called Roman Holiday. I last visited Rome in 2018 during a Mediterranean cruise with my closest relatives. I have bittersweet memories of that trip. If you have bittersweet memories of something, such as a previous marriage, it means you have a mixture of happy and sad memories. I have bittersweet memories because two of my close relatives on the cruise have now passed away.

　　I first visited Rome years ago as a budget backpacker. A budget backpacker is someone who travels with only a backpack, spends very little money, and stays in cheap hotels. Rome was not overflowing with tourists in those days. I could easily find a place to sit at the 18th century Trevi Fountain and enjoy looking at the fountain’s flowing waters with a slice of pizza and a small bottle of red wine. That is no longer possible. Rome banned eating and drinking at the Trevi Fountain and other historical sites in 2017 because of large crowds of misbehaving tourists.

　　The Trevi Fountain was so full of tourists when I last visited in 2018 that I couldn’t find a place to sit. Italian cities, such as Florence and Venice, which had far fewer tourists when I visited years ago, are now overrun with tourists. It’s the same in Japan, forcing the Italian and Japanese governments to impose rules that lessen the pleasure of visiting. That’s why I always visit such places well after the summer rush.

　　罗马是etched in my memory——若某事情是etched in your memory，意即你将它铭记在心。我曾数度游历罗马，但看过一出古旧的奥斯卡得奖电影《罗马假期》后，便很想再去。我上一次到罗马是2018年，跟一些近亲一同乘搭地中海邮轮。那一次的旅程有着bittersweet memories。若你对某事，例如前一段婚姻，有bittersweet memories，意即当中的回忆苦乐参半。那次邮轮旅程的回忆苦乐参半（bittersweet memories），是因为一同旅游的近亲中有两位现在已经离世。

　　我多年前第一次游罗马时，还是个budget backpacker。A budget backpacker是背着背包，花很少的钱，住便宜旅店的穷游背包客。那年头的罗马还没有挤满游客。我在18世纪建成的特雷维喷泉旁，很容易便找到位子坐，一边尝着一块薄饼和一小杯红酒，一边静静地观赏许愿池喷泉的流水。这在现在已是不可能了。因为有大量行为不端的游客，罗马于2017年禁止游人在特雷维喷泉及其他历史遗址饮食。

　　我上一次于2018年游特雷维喷泉时，那里满是游客，我完全找不到地方坐坐。像佛罗伦斯和威尼斯这些意大利城市，多年前我到访的时候游客少很多，但现在已经游客泛滥。日本也是一样，迫使意大利和日本政府实施一些规例，降低了游访的乐趣。因此我总是在夏天旅游旺季过后，才会去这些地方。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻