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Once upon a time Gods were infuriated by the pride of the Romans and all its visitors who thought that if they had Rome for themselves they had everything . They sent storms over to punish those who were too haughty. The storms were announced by whispering winds that frightened away those who had ears to hear their song.
That is how I was speared of the hounded skies of Rome, hiding away in the Tivoli Gardens. That is one way to put it. The other story would be that the Erasmus Union has organised for us a guided trip there right in time for a storm to hit the capital. I don't know about you but I much prefer the first option.
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Rome has many surprises, Lungo Tevere in itself is quite a sight. When you have the Vatican on one side and Rome on the other... But it doesn't stop here!
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Well, our dear Romeo is not that easy to find, however, we did come across his beloved Juliet. Or better said... her balcony! Once upon a time in a far away land there was a Port who seem to has seen it all. Wars, hunger, pirates, flooding, plagues, as well as treasure, wealth, victories, art.There was a place how encountered both the condemnations and the blessings of Gods.
Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a powerful noble family, Ludovisi, Legend as it that the four corners of the word have heard of the beauty of their Roman gardens during the 17th and the 18th century. Like any respected Roman family, Ludovisi were avid collectors of art, Ancient and contemporary.
Unfortunately their "ever after" ended by the 19th century, when the financial crisis of the family obliged them to fragment their lands and sell those plots(This is actually the reason why layout of the Cartiere Ludivisi is so uneven) All the plots were sold except for one that become the dumping ground of the quarter. The history of the Ancient Roman World is absolutely fascinating for me. It has been so for quite a long, thanks to my very passionate mother. Somehow, as she was telling me the Olympian stories and Ovid's Metamorphoses and showing me pictures of a typical Roman Domus, stories became facts, and fairy-tales became books. This new world (and my mom's passions) lured me into liking learning Latin.
Coming to Rome was a bit like going to the Holy Land for me. And Ara Pacis was a place somwehere between (hi)story and reality For the first couple of days in Rome I declared myself a full time tourist and as always I had to get lost in the city. I can honestly say that there is no other better place for getting lost an wondering about. What is lovely about the city center is that all the touristic attractions are at walking distance one from each other, so you, my darling tourist, are endlessly entertained, treated with wonderful views and smells of freshly made pizza and hot intense coffee. Pietro Canonica is an italian sculptor, best known for his civic and religious monuments that were commissioned by the greatest monarchs of the down of the last century.
There is no secret that i quite love Caravaggio. I have rediscovered him as a painter as i was reading "The Story of Art" by Ernst Gombrich. I became more and more interested in his tumultuous life and in his extraordinary modern approach in art . Besides albums and books about him, I have also watched some extraordinary documentaries talking about his innovations in the history of art. And I am not referring to his chiaroscuro, but also his still life painting.
Having seen his paintings numerous times before, in different sizes and printed on different peaces of paper, I was quite excited to come to Rome and actually experience his paintings. It has always been kind of boring and useless to read about the Churches he decorated under Pope X or Pope Y, when everything was so very far away. I knew nothing about those popes nor about those Churches. It was impossible for me to picture an Italian Catholic Church, having been brought up in an orthodox country and then moving to a protestant one. However, I gad always wanted to come here and see what exactly it was all about! I am lucky enough to have a best friend who quite likes Caravaggio as well(I don't know if we are friends and because of that we like Caravaggio or we are friends because we both like Caravaggio). However, with her by my side, I started an exiting adventure: a Caravaggio hunt in Rome. It might not sound so adventurous, but after over km of walking a day you might change your mind! |
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