Many of you remember JEREMIAH BOOMBAM from his occasional columns in Peloton. If I was traveling or there was a particular mood in the air, Jeremiah would write the Editor’s column and give us updates into his unusual life. For those who have not met Jeremiah, here is a quick background: At age 23, Jeremiah left Los Angeles with some money pilfered from a savings account his father had created and decided to move to Italy to ride bikes, drink wine and fall in love. That was 15 years ago—and Jeremiah is still in Italy. We’ve kept in touch over the years, mainly through letters and postcard—he doesn’t believe in the internet. This made our correspondence difficult and slow but more meaningful.
When we started Fausto, I sent Jeremiah the first issue and a letter and told him I wanted to meet in Italy. He responded that he would be in Ponza, a small Mediterranean island south of Rome, in July and suggested we meet for lunch at Gerardo’s restaurant above the popular Frontone beach. He said to meet at noon, so I took a water taxi, climbed the hundreds of steps up to the restaurant and found him sitting there, holding a few books, wine already ordered.
We exchanged hugs, I sat down staring out at the sea and the boats below, and we began to drink extraordinary amounts of wine and eat unforgettable food.
He paused again. Took another monster pull from his wine glass and I could see some tears in his eyes. We sat there in silence for a bit.
[ This is a snippet of the transcript of our conversation ]
Fausto: Man, it’s really good to see you. It’s not easy to get here. Why are you in Ponza? I love this place and this restaurant. Once a year, I take the ferry from Formia and come out here to see Circe’s cave, eat here and read and think about the year ahead.
Where are you living now? I live in Torri in Sabina. It’s 40 kilometers from Rome and my apartment is in a small piazza that has a great pizza place…and I’m very close to the velodrome in Forano, which I ride almost daily.
The last I heard from you, you were planning on marrying Athena and settling down? Yeah, that didn’t work out. After an incredible love affair that included living on a beetle farm in Spain during the harvest—my short stint in the Italian version of the “Thunder Down Under”—she met some guy from Milan who has ties to the underworld, and she left me. They now have kids and a new life.
I’m sorry to hear that. Are you doing okay? It’s okay. It has been a rough year. My father passed away, so I’ve been oddly introspective and questioning what I’m doing in Italy…but then I go for a ride and pick up local porchetta and wine and I feel better.
MORE ON THE ENIGMA IN THE FAUSTINO NEWSPAPER
