When you think of ancient Roman architecture and sculpture, when you imagine yourself traveling back to the time of the Caesars (please don’t tell me I’m the only one who fantasizes about time travel) what do you see? Immaculate white marble statues and gleaming, bright white temples and palaces? Well, think again.
Read MoreThen lucky you! Because while nearly everyone you know is getting sunburnt and dehydrated under the hot August sun, or steaming in traffic, or fighting a crowd of rowdy sea-crazed Romans, or perhaps even getting stung by a jellyfish, you can immerse yourself in the air-conditioned and inspiring culture you can't find anywhere but Rome.
Read MoreOn Friday evening I attended this summer’s final performance of the Miracle Players’s new show. An annual tradition I look forward to every year, it’s a very entertaining way to kick off the weekend. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of attending one of these outdoor performances, they are produced by 5 English-speaking actors who put together a 40-minute play about Rome (ancient or not) every summer, and perform it overlooking the Roman Forum.
Read MoreTranslation of the ancient Greek: a man wiping himself off or, more succinctly, the wiper (or in some translations, the scraper). I love these nice, literal titles. The man in question is using a stirgil (a curved spatula-like instrument) to wipe off his sweat. Looks a bit like a medieval torture device!
Read MoreOne of the many things that delights me about this city is its street names. Every street, road and alleyway in this town was christened for a very specific reason. The one on my mind today is Vicolo dell'Atleta. Athlete's Alley.
Read MoreRome is a place brimming with photo opportunities, from nuns buying corkscrews at Ikea to gladiators in the metro, not to mention the real wonders. Now, I may not be a decent photographer (well, maybe I'm half-way decent. If youask me to take your photo, I will make sure you are in the center, and that you can see whatever is behind you, and not, say, the pavement)...
Read MoreOnce upon a time, when I started this blog -ah, my life was so much simpler then- I was ambitious enough to think that I would write six times a week, with every day of the week dedicated to a different topic. And I chose Monday as history day. I had the lofty idea that I would write out a concise history of Rome, one blog post at a time.
Read MoreWith the craziness of the wedding now over, I’ve finally had the time again to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes: reading. My chosen genre of the moment is history, with a particular emphasis on Renaissance Italy (shocker, I know). For the past month I’ve been inhaling books as fast as I can, which has perhaps explained my silence on the blog waves.
Read MoreAs the patron saints of the city of Rome, their day is a special occasion (as well as a public holiday) here in the Eternal City. The day begins with a spectacular mass at St. Peter's Basilica which ends with the Pope kissing the feet of the medieval statue of St. Peter.
Read MoreNo answers? No guesses? No comments whatsoever? This either means the question was too hard, or no one reads this blog. Ok, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I'm sure you couldn't sleep last night, mentally cataloguing of every work of art, church, building, and monument in Rome, desperately trying to discover the work that was inspired by the brilliant mosaic ceiling of Constantia's gorgeous mausoleum. I'm heartless, I know. So here it is.
Read MoreThe Mausoleum of Constantia is what inspires me to write today. Constantia was the daughter of Emperor Constantine and his second wife Fausta. Despite a medieval legend that would have her devoutly praying at the tomb of St. Agnes, she was by most accounts a vicious, greedy and not particularly religious person. However, she was venerated (but it seems never canonized) as a saint, although she is not recognized as one by the church.
Read MoreHow lucky am Ito take my regular exercise in the grounds of a glorious Baroque villa? Complete with manicured gardens, meadows, fountains, lakes, and hundreds and hundreds of my beloved Roman pines? I write of the Villa Pamphilj, a summer haven sprawling over Gianicolo hill and into the valley behind it, created in the 17th century and originally called Bel Respiro.
Read MoreWhen does buying olives and cheese nearly make you cry? When you are buying them at the loveliest, sweetest, most delectably delicious salumeria in the most perfect and adorable neighborhood in the greatest, most beautiful city in the world... and when you know you are soon to be leaving that magical neighborhood with that wonderful shop.... (perhaps forever?)
Read MoreIn spite of the season, today I have decided to share some photos I took this past February, when it snowed (in Rome!!). It was an extremely rare storm, the likes of which hadn't been seen in the eternal city for nearly a quarter of a century. I had always promised myself that if it ever snowed in Rome I would head straight to the Pantheon to see the snow come down through the occulus. And that is precisely what I did. Here are a few of my favorite photos from that day, February 12th 2010.
Read MoreThursday I took a little pilgrimage of sorts to a sacred site just outside of Rome. According to legend, the Santuario di Divino Amore was built on the site where a miracle occurred in 1740. On the site once stood the medieval Castel di Leva. 1n 1740, a man passing by the gatehouse of the castle was set upon by a pack of wild ferocious dogs.
Read MoreSix in all, these ancient marble social commentators gave average citizens the opportunity to criticize the government and the pope in a time when freedom of press was a distant dream. Legend has it that a tailor named Pasquino was the first to post a witty comment on the pedestal of an ancient marble statue near Piazza Navona.
Read MoreBaboon Street? Can it possibly be? One of the most prestigious streets in Rome, stretching from Piazza di Spagna to Piazza del Popolo, home to Tiffany & Co., named after a large monkey? Well, not exactly. About halfway down Via del Babuino, on the left as you walk to Piazza del Popolo, you will find a simple fountain boasting an odd mossy statue, Il Babuino.
Read MoreIn Rome, even the traffic cops are elegant (if at times ineffective)...
Read More
