Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Sleepy Day in the Life of a Roman Fox

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Starting point is 00:00:48 more. So sign up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash get sleepy, all lower case. Go to Shopify. and we get sleepy. I'm your host Thomas, thanks so much for tuning in. Tonight's story is the fourth installment in our unique Day in the Life of City Animals series. It was written by Jessica and Simon will be reading it. This time it's set in the city of Rome, the Italian capital. It's a very big metropolitan area. More than four million people live there, and that's just the people. That number doesn't include birds or butterflies or

Starting point is 00:02:07 cats and dogs. All those creatures and many more make Rome their home too. This story is about one of Rome's animal residents, a red fox with tawny colored fur, a fluffy white belly, shiny green eyes, and a swishy tail that can't help perking up when he hears music. His name is Leonardo. Before tonight's story I just want to mention that this time next week, we'll be releasing our 500th Get Sleepy episode on the public feed. It of course feels like a real landmark occasion for us, and we want to make sure it's marked by something special that all of you wonderful loyal listeners will really enjoy. And that's why, next Monday night,

Starting point is 00:03:11 we'll be heading back to Lily's Rainy Day Bakery, a cozy place that is adored by so many of you. We'll also be bringing an extra treat for all listeners next week, a long length stitch of all four of our stories from this series, A Day in the Life of City Animals. Usually our stitched episodes are exclusive to the premium feed, but next Tuesday we're going to put this extra long episode out for anyone and everyone to enjoy. But of course we have another four week of stories to come before we even get to next Monday. So with that in mind, let's take some time and transition into a calm and relaxed state of body and mind and then we can begin tonight's story.

Starting point is 00:04:18 Make sure you're in a comfortable position. position. If you're lying in your bed plump up your pillows and arrange your covers just the way you like. Maybe you'd like to lie flat on your back with your arms and legs resting on either side of you. Or maybe you'd like to curl up into a ball, all safe and snug. Once you're comfortable, just one by one relax your fingers and toes, your hands and feet, your arms and your chest. Take a big deep breath in, hold it for a moment or two, and then let it out nice and slowly. Take a few more big deep breaths in and out. And all that's left to do is close your eyes and listen to the sound of Simon's voice

Starting point is 00:06:14 as he tells us all about a day in the life of Leonardo, the Roman fox. Fox. This is where our story begins. It is a warm summer morning in Rome, and the sun has just peaked over the horizon. The leaves of the city's chestnut trees sway in a gentle breeze. The sparrows and birds that live in their branches are roused from sleep and start to sing their twittering morning song. of Rome's famous Colosseum, a red fox who goes by the name of Leonardo is stretched out and snoozing. As the sun warms his fur and the sound of birds singing fills his ears, he slowly opens one eye and looks around. He opens one eye and looks around. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. What a wonderful day to be a Roman fox. Leonardo rises up onto all four paws and walks out into the middle of the Colosseum where he does a great

Starting point is 00:08:06 big stretch from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. The Colosseum is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It is an amphitheatre, which means it is a big open-air stage, surrounded by stone walls, decorated with arches and columns. These walls also contain four levels of seating. It was built during the reign of the emperor Vespasian, from enormous blocks of light-coloured travertine limestone. Construction started between the years 70 and 72 CE. The citizens of ancient Rome visited the Colosseum to watch soldiers, known as gladiators, battle against one another. Luckily, it has been thousands of years since any gladiators fought

Starting point is 00:09:18 in the Colosseum. These days it is visited by tourists who want to admire the ancient architecture and artists who love the way the stone reflects the light, especially at sunrise and sunset. And it's visited too by the occasional fox. The sun has risen now, and soon the Colosseum will be filled with tourists carrying guidebooks and cameras. Leonardo takes a deep breath. He admires the crisp shadows the arches of the Colosseum cast on the ground, and enjoys the warmth of the sun on his fur.

Starting point is 00:10:10 Then from deep in his belly comes a long, low rumble. It's time for breakfast. And there's no better place in Rome for breakfast than the Nuovo Mercato Esquilino, at least in Leonardo's opinion. The Esquilino market is in a bustling hall, right by the Termini Rail Station, the biggest of its kind in all the city. Outside the market hall, vendors sell big bunches of flowers. Inside, stall holders sell freshly baked bread, fruits and vegetables, cheeses and sliced meats. At the fishmongers, crabs and eels swim in barrels of water. A waft of fresh espresso sets Leonardo's tail trembling.

Starting point is 00:11:17 His mouth starts to water when he walks past the stall where a kindly Roman nonna, or grandmother, is shaping fresh parcels of ravioli pasta. And his tongue starts hanging out when he walks past the stall selling piping hot trapezini, triangular pockets of pizza dough stuffed with everything from baked eggplant to parsley pesto. baked eggplant to parsley pesto. But what Leonardo really wants is soupli, cheese and rice balls. He goes to the stall at the center of the market where Angelo is busy at work behind a sizzling pan.

Starting point is 00:12:02 He shapes rice into bite-sized morsels, stuffs them full of delicious mozzarella cheese, then fries them until the rice is steaming and the cheese at its centre is long and stringy. Angelo winks at Leonardo when he sees him, then tosses him some souply fresh from the pan. It tastes delicious. Warm and filling and cheesy and salty. When Leonardo finishes his breakfast, he feels thirsty. So he wanders out to the nearest piazza to take a cool drink of water from a fountain. It's decorated with a statue of marble water nymphs. In ancient Roman mythology, these nymphs were kind-hearted creatures,

Starting point is 00:13:03 a little like mermaids, who reigned over lakes, fountains and springs. It is such a lovely day. The sun is warm, but not hot. The sky a perfect blue, that Leonardo decides to do a spot of sightseeing. Where should he wander first? He puts his nose to the air and sniffs. There is a cool, fresh breeze that smells of blossoms

Starting point is 00:13:40 coming from the direction of the Pantheon, a famous temple in the heart of the city. Leonardo trots off in the direction of this building. The original structure was built by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus in the 20s BCE. But that building burnt down. A new structure was commissioned by the Emperor Hadrian and completed in the late 120s CE. This is the pantheon people know today. However, no one knows exactly why it was built or what the building was used for. That doesn't stop it from being one of the grandest spaces in the city, though.

Starting point is 00:14:34 Like most Roman locals, Leonardo knows that although the bronze doors, marble floors and enormous columns inside the Pantheon are all very impressive. The most impressive view of all comes from looking up. The ceiling is an enormous concrete dome, one of the biggest domed ceilings in the entire world, with a wide round window at its very centre. This type of window is known as an oculus, which is the Latin word for eye. When the clouds part and the sun is shining, the oculus lets in a golden shaft of sunlight that illuminates the entire temple. Once he has sufficiently checked in on the Pantheon,

Starting point is 00:15:33 Leonardo decides he will visit the Spanish steppes and the Trevi Fountain. There are lots of fountains in Rome, but the Trevi is certainly the most famous. Every time Leonardo sees it, it takes his breath away. It is 26 metres tall, 49 metres wide, and sculpted from travertine. It depicts the eldest titan and water god Oceanus riding on a carriage drawn by seahorses. Even though it was built long ago, in the 1700s, it is one of this ancient city's newer attractions. As Leonardo draws closer to the fountain he sees a crowd of tourists all clutching shiny coins. That is because there is a

Starting point is 00:16:36 special superstition surrounding the fountain. Visitors to Rome should stand with their back to the fountain and toss a coin over their shoulder. If it lands in the fountain's turquoise blue water, it means they will visit Rome again someday. If they toss a coin into the fountain's water twice, they will return to Rome and fall in love. And if they toss three coins into the water, they will return to Rome, fall in love and get married. Over a million euros worth of coins are tossed into the fountain each year. Every now and then, when the fountain is filled up with coins, the Roman government collects them and donates them to charity. Leonardo has never thrown a coin into the fountain, but he loves to rest his paws on the fountain's edge

Starting point is 00:17:47 and peer down at the coins glinting in the water. For a while, the fountain is surrounded by tourists laughing and chattering and throwing coins. But then the crowd thins and soon Leonardo is alone. He stretches himself out on its warm stone and lets his tail dangle in the cool water. The rippling sound of the fountain fills his ears and his eyes drift slowly closed. Soon he is snoozing in the afternoon sun. When he wakes from his nap, Leonardo stays lying where he is for a moment or two. He enjoys the feeling of the warm marble under his belly, the gentle sun on his fur and the soothing sounds of the warm marble under his belly, the gentle sun on his fur, and the soothing sounds of the water.

Starting point is 00:18:50 Slowly he stretches from the bottoms of his paws to the tip of his tail, and he stands on all fours and springs down from the fountain. He strolls through the square square wondering what he should do next when he spies a little boy with a cup of delicious looking gelato. With that it is decided Leonardo's next stop will be his favorite gelato shop in the entire city. He wanders down a narrow alley. Here, the buildings are covered with vines and clotheslines are strung from one side to the other. When Leonardo looks up, he sees linen tablecloths and nightgowns and dresses and trousers, all flapping in the sunny breeze.

Starting point is 00:19:51 A line of people stand outside the gelato shop. Roberto stands behind the counter wearing a crisp paper hat and expertly scooping mounds of gelato in every flavour. Pistachio, chocolate, raspberry, hazelnut and stracciatella, a milky vanilla with flakes of dark chocolate. Roberto winks when he sees Leonardo and gestures to a side door. This is the entrance to the kitchen,

Starting point is 00:20:34 where Roberto's wife, Giulietta, is hard at work mixing the gelato flavours. She is busy cracking pistachio nuts from their shells when she sees Leonardo. She looks up with a wide smile. She has been working on a new flavour and she thinks her friend the fox will make an excellent taste tester. She places a scoop of orange blossom gelato in a cup and sets it down before Leonardo. Leonardo licks the sharp, sweet tang of orange. The two different flavours dance tunefully together across his tongue like a beautiful melody. He gives Giulietta a big, foxy grin.

Starting point is 00:21:43 He gives Giulietta a big, foxy grin. Her new flavour is delicious, and in no time at all he has finished his refreshing scoop. Stomach filled with the excellent treat, Leonardo decides to walk up into the hills around the city to enjoy some afternoon shade. around the city to enjoy some afternoon shade. There are seven hills that surround central Rome, and Leonardo's favourite is the Palatine Hill. Legend has it that it is on top of this hill

Starting point is 00:22:19 that the city of Rome was first founded. In ancient times, many grand palaces and villas were built on the slopes of the Palatine Hill, and some of them are still standing today, thousands of years later. Leonardo clambers up the hill and stops at the gates of his favorite villa, the House of Livia. He meanders through the garden, where tall cypress trees block out the afternoon sun, then through the grand front door. The villa is over 2,000 years old, but in some rooms it is still possible to see the

Starting point is 00:23:08 delicate wall paintings, known as frescoes, that show lush gardens, where colourful birds flit from tree to tree. Under Leonardo's paws are intricate floor mosaics. These are made from hundreds of tiny tiles pieced together to form kaleidoscopic patterns. Leonardo loves to walk through the stone rooms of the villa, imagining the ancient Romans who lived there, dressed in the long flowing robes they called togas, lying on low benches, around a long stone table to eat their meals. Perhaps a fox might have even crept into the dining room to sneak some ancient Roman delicacies like juicy green grapes,

Starting point is 00:24:11 or even a morsel of sweet fried cheese. Outside the villa, the shadows are growing longer, and all this thought of food has Leonardo's stomach rumbling again. Perhaps it's time for a nice plate of cacio e pepe, thinks the fox, and he descends the hill making his way back to the city. In the evenings, the streets of Rome are bustling. Waiters in white aprons set out tables and chairs on the sidewalks outside restaurants. Musicians play lilting tunes on the violin or the accordion. And flower sellers carry baskets of roses.

Starting point is 00:25:11 Leonardo pricks his nose in the air and takes a long sniff. Among the scent of wisteria flowers and lemon trees and the silty aroma of the Tiber River, Leonardo catches the deliciously sharp smell of Pecorino cheese. He follows the smell through the winding streets, through the tangled legs of restaurant tables, between potted plants and flower beds, until he finds himself at the door of Umberto's restaurant. Like always, he makes his way to the back door and pokes his snout into the kitchen. Here, Umberto is humming as pasta boils in a pot.

Starting point is 00:26:05 He drains the long strands of pasta, grates a fluffy cloud of Pecorino cheese and cracks fresh pepper. With a splash of pasta water he mixes all the ingredients together then with a twirl of his fork arranges a mound of pasta on a plate. When he sees Leonardo, he smiles. He twirls his fork again, then sets a plate of fresh cacio e pepe right outside the kitchen door for Leonardo. Strand by strand, Leonardo eats the delicious cheesy pasta, perfectly seasoned with black pepper. As he licks his plate clean, he listens to the sound of musicians performing in the street. The song they are singing is called Volari. It's about a man who dreams of flying in a painted blue sky. Leonardo thinks a painted blue sky sounds very nice indeed.

Starting point is 00:27:15 And he knows just where to find the finest painted sky in the city. city. He trots through the busy alleyways until he reaches a quiet part of Rome, where grand buildings line wide streets. A fountain ripples quietly in the middle of a grand square. He walks up to the heavy wooden doors of the Sistine Chapel. This centuries-old church has a beautiful marble floor and an impressive altarpiece. But this is not what Leonardo is here to see. He curls up on the floor and gazes up at the ceiling. Every inch of it is beautifully painted. When he looks up, he can see delicate angels

Starting point is 00:28:17 with feathered wings and shining gold halos, olive trees with silvery leaves, and blue skies with drifting clouds in shades of white and pink and gold. Everywhere he looks, he finds a new detail to admire, a perfectly painted hand or a bright bird hidden in the boughs of a painted tree. Michelangelo, the artist who painted the chapel, took four years to complete his work and did some of the painting while lying on his back.

Starting point is 00:29:01 It must have been rather uncomfortable, thinks Leonardo. Although, lying down doesn't seem such a bad idea. It has been a long day. Along one wall he finds a soft velvet cushion. He sinks down onto the cushion, folds his paws beneath his head, and gazes up one more time at the marvellous ceiling. But his eyes are a deep, deep sleep, here in the beautiful city of Rome. The You You You You The The You You You You You You You You You You You You The... You I'm going to go ahead and start the video. You You You You You You. you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Sleepy Day in the Life of a Roman Fox

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