"Rome, a life is not enough": a trip to the Rome of the Romans

I arrived a little over a year ago Rome with the intention of staying. A gray and wet month of November welcomed me. In my imagination hovered the images of which for me (and for many) is a masterpiece of Italian cinema, The Great Beauty , of Paolo Sorrentino . A metaphor of contemporary italian decadence , coexistence between the mundane and the heavenly, the fight for eternal youth that slips away among the waters of its innumerable sources. A place decorated with baroque monuments, renaissance palaces Y ancient vestiges that make everything magnify to unsuspected levels.

In a way, this is what I have found here. I could also say that there are as many Romes as Asian tourists walk its streets . In this film, for example, we can see how a group of Japanese silently admire the Fontanone del Gianicolo ; as eerie heavenly music plays, one of them faints as he takes a picture. Perhaps the fascination of observing so much beauty from this hill.

There are as many Romes as there are people who visit it

With all this, I only try to say that each one lives the city in his own way and understands it, and all the ways of doing it are valid and precious.

The roman landscape is testimony to a distant past , leaving a legacy that has marked the political, cultural and religious path in the West to this day. There are days that I take my camera and go for a walk with no other pretense than enjoy the ride , although I almost always find some excuse to fire the shutter.

I like go to San Pietro in Vincoli , a church with a spectacular light. In addition, it houses one of the great works of Michelangelo, the 'Moses' , sculpture worth contemplating for a long time. There are many places that they fascinate me and in which I find my peace , corners, in many cases unknown by tourists.

Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli

The gastronomic offer is very wide and you can enjoy it in places like Antica Osteria Da Giovanni , in full Trastevere neighborhood and that offers dishes at a good price; Trattoria Alfredo and Ada , open in 1946 and close to Castel Sant'Angelo . They themselves prepare several dishes to their liking every day and, with only five tables , you will feel at home.

Another is Give Filettaro , a few steps from Campo dei Fiori you can enjoy delicious fried cod fillets in an authentic setting . And if you're in a hurry, you can order your steak to eat on the fly , as it is said here.

Because these places do not come in the guides, they are the ones that find you, and tell you to rest from the road to contemplate them. Therefore, whoever visits Rome must be carried away by her . Whoever pays attention will understand; and if you also pay attention to smell, he will guide you to fine roman cuisine , which offers delicious dishes such as spaghetti carbonara, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, saltimboca alla romana, bucatini all'amatriciana, carciofi alla romana , either baccala fritto.

filettaro

The city is full of beautiful parks like Villa Doria Pamphilj . With their 184 hectares , is the largest in the city and is full of charming corners. Here, the feeling of being in the countryside is greater than in the center of Rome. The Secret Garden, the Belvedere Lake, the Arch of the Four Winds, or the Doria Pamphili Chapel ... All these beautiful enclaves are surrounded by palm and pine trees that, in an attempt to caress the clouds, point my gaze upwards, because the sky is another of the great beauties of Rome.

when the sun goes down, orange-pink colors the domes and roofs of the city . A good place to watch the wonderful sunsets is Mount Aventino , specifically in Il Giardino degli Aranci . From this point, the view of the city is to fall madly in love with it.

A few meters away, between the garden and the Villa of the Priory of Malta , we will find the well-known, but not too famous (fortunately), key hole , from where we can see the Dome of Saint Peter in a slightly more “intimate” way . For me, as a photographer, Rome is a unique city, with its streets full of atmosphere, with so much art that we can find in all its expressions... it's hard to want to get away from it.

Dome of Sant Pietro

One of the great pleasures of living in Rome is enjoying a classic italian breakfast : cappuccino and cornetto. I do it in a little bar next to home called Brunori . From the outside it doesn't look like anything to write home about but as soon as you walk in you understand that it is not just any bar : its lights, along with its good atmosphere and quality music playing on vinyl records, make it special. It is situated between viale Marco Polo and the neighborhood of San Saba , also known to the Romans as Il Piccolo Aventino.

Later, if the day is fine, I go out to admire the Bernini's art in places like Saint Peter of the Vatican , the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona , the pretty Ponte Sant'Angelo , the Palazzo Barberini … or, in the coquette Borghese Gallery , where some of his most outstanding sculptures are found.

This museum, located inside the beautiful Villa Borghese park, is a must-see for all lovers of good art, where there are also some works by artists such as Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael, Antonio Canova...

Ponte Sant'Angelo

What is this city but a carefully orchestrated chaos . Although, to tell the truth, I am amused by this coffee-scented mess . They are simple things that make Rome a great place.

And I, fortunately, I find myself in the middle of all this , discovering a little more each day the city welcomes me among its seven hills.

Meanwhile, time is passing, for everyone, less for rome . The days and weeks (some with two Mondays), move away in the same direction as the waters of the Tiber, escaping towards the Mare Nostrum of the cries for help from those who have been here too long without understanding it ... because The Great Beauty misunderstood, can be cruel.

Galleria Borghese