Rome is vintage, Rome is timeless, not just for the Colosseum that my eyes find hard to leave behind as we walk toward the neo-classical Fatherland’s Altar. Indeed, I search for this 1,933-year-old marvel of a rink at every possible angle as we walk around the most extensive museum of our time.
The unrivalled timelessness of Rome lies in the fact that the entire city reads like an ancient fairytale, with cobbled alleyways at every turn. The same, of course, goes for the whole of Italy, but the fact that charm and originality can span that many more miles than the smaller prototypes of Venice or even the Spanish city of Seville or the Austrian picturesque haven of Salzburg, is what gives the word ‘Rome’ a magical connotation.
Simply put, charm meets a historic magnificence unprecedented in size, continuity and cultural richesse. If you are landing from the Western side of the shoe-shaped Italian peninsula, you will be fortunate enough to witness a panoramic view of history from above. An archaeological hub, Rome is home to over 50 monuments, of which the Colosseum, naturally, is a wonder of the world.
We all know it happened long ago in the time of gladiators, emperors and Christ. Its mystery lies as much in its architectural wonders as it does in the extensiveness of its empire. Indeed, the Romans are mentioned in every possible cornerstone of history, from before the advent of Jesus Christ well into the Qur’an in a chapter entitled ‘The Romans’ and from Portugal to Palestine. You can even witness one of its amphitheaters woven into an Ottoman landscape in the south of Turkey.
Yet this is a 21st century city belonging to a 21st century global power. What’s more, this is a city that has very successfully excluded itself from the ‘upward’ revolution of endless high-rise buildings and fast-food chains. Indeed, this is a city that did not undergo an industrial revolution, much to the dissimilarity of the financial hub of Milan in the north of the country. Visitors often oversee this very obvious characteristic of this tourist hotspot. Hence you have a place where history meets minimalist modernity and where impersonal magnificence meets personalized charm.
West of the river Tiber (Tiberis in Latin) lies St. Peter’s Square, the Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, all of which lie within the autonomous state of Vatican City, the home of Roman Catholicism that is now undergoing another transition in its spiritual authority. Michelangelo’s works illuminate the interior. A few meters down, the Castle Sant’Angelo bears witness to kings and prisoners. South of Vatican City, a colorful array of dated houses dot the landscape of Trestevere. In fact, walk in any direction and you will surely be met with cobblestone, orange streetlights and multi-colored buildings.
The most famous landmarks that form the heart of Rome, from the Piazza Navona to the Pantheon and from the Fontani di Trevi to the Colosseum, are overlooked by an impressive array of villas and balconies that offer a panoramic perspective of the ancient delights of this city.
The Villa Borghese, which lies east of the river and the Vatican, overlooks the Piazza del Popolo, which is encircled by majestic Egyptian sphinx. Far into the landscape, you can witness the grandiose horses that top the neoclassical Fatherland’s Altar and an endless array of domes that form the vintage view of a world that once existed in that very picture.
Walking further east on the ‘top floor’ of Rome across from the dated villa, you reach the crowded Spanish Steps, constructed by a French diplomat in the 18th century to link the then Spanish Embassy to the heart of the city. The steps overlook the Roman ‘Champs Elysees’ of ostentatious designers. Yet this sliver of globalization is still engulfed by the lighting and primordial character that vastly outweigh any modernity. Whichever way you take it by foot, all roads certainly lead to Rome.
The culinary front, on the other hand, is not so readily authentic. With the obvious choices of pizza and pasta available by the ton, it is the ‘primitive’, unpretentious eateries that are best. The golden rule for an authentic culinary Roman experience is to steer clear of any eatery next to the major monuments. The further inward you go into the small, orange-lit side streets, the more likely your taste buds are to experience the finer fruit of tomatoes, oils and herbs. Granted, having a native or two with you — which we did — guarantees that, but that rule still proved useful (for the most part) when it was too rainy to decipher a familiar place.
Of course, the same type of timeless, vintage superiority prevails on the other side of the Italian peninsula, in the northeastern city of Venice, though this unmatched haven lies on a dissimilar historic wavelength to its Roman counterpart. Yet Venice too, is simply, well, Venice, and it is an overstated tourist choice and a World Heritage Site for a reason. An agglomerate of 118 islands linked by small bridges and home to Vivaldi, its charm is self-imposing, self-explanatory and a universal measure for originality. Some of its churches date back to the 13th century and it, like many Italian cities, is a hub for art-lovers. Its natives have flocked to the outskirts of the water world to Mestre as the average number of daily visitors in any season still exceeds the tens of thousands. Its precarious geophysical character has poised it to be an eventual underwater memory. Approximately 70 percent of Venice flooded last November where tourists found themselves waist-deep in water. Indeed, walk boards can be seen in almost any side street for tourists to tread upon as they walk around the mysterious passageways that have branded this the “city of love and lights.”
With water levels in the Mediterranean Sea ever rising, experts have estimated that the magical city has sunk almost a foot over the past century and some claim that it will continue to do so unless moved altogether. The MOSE project, an anti-flooding system, is expected to be completed in the coming year. The first of the efforts to create a buffer zone from the water began several hundred years ago with the creation of the St. Marco’s Square (Piazza San Marco) and its Basilica, now the central square.
Being a country engulfed in Mediterranean Sea, the climate is tantamount to the enjoyment of such obvious getaways as the Venetian or Roman dream. The summer months can be a scene of misery, particularly in Venice owing its smaller size, with disproportionate overcrowding and high humidity. Naturally, the further north and inland you go, the less this equatorial heat can be felt.
If you’ve opted for the obvious destinations of Rome and Venice during your stay in Italy, you would do good to leave from an international airport in the north, most notably Milan, and that logical route can offer an unforeseen bonus detour that many first-timers to this culturally scrumptious country will undoubtedly oversee. You’ve inadvertently found yourself in the Italian Lake District region, and a quick visit to Lake Como certainly won’t let your lucky sights down. The small villages that are overlooked by breathtaking mountains offer villas and palaces for the affluent and modern sightseeing for visitors. The hills themselves were inhabited by an ancient Celtic tribe, the town center having being moved from the hills to its current location, Como City, by Julius Caesar himself. Upon arrival by train at Como City, a ferry can transport you to one of three major villages: the cobbled beauty of Bellagio, the more rustic Menaggio or the vintage Varenna. There is also a bus route across the mountains but the ferry ride is more scenic and will offer spectacular views if you’re tight on time. All three can be seen within a day or two and this final destination is the perfect low-key conclusion to a trip that will have required ambitious stretches by foot.
A country of unprecedented historic, physical and cultural scale, these elements come together harmoniously to form a rainbow of rivers, ruins and a charisma that, to my eyes, conquers that of its European neighbors — indeed the better half of the globe — as it has done once before.
The colors of Italy
The colors of Italy
