Twenty Reasons To Fall In Love With Rome

One of my first entries when I started this blog several years ago was "Fourteen Reasons To Fall in Love With Rome." One of the reasons was a gelato shop that's no longer in business, and in trying to edit the entry this week, I accidentally deleted the entire post. That was reason enough for me to revisit the post, especially since I spent some time in Rome on my most recent trip. As you can see, the post is now "Twenty Reasons" rather than "Fourteen Reasons" but I could actually list hundreds more reasons why I never tire of the Eternal City.

1. The Fountains of Rome - You'll see magnificent large fountains all over the city, including well-known ones like the Trevi Fountain, but this small one in the Jewish Ghetto, erected in the 16th century, called "La Fontana Delle Tartarughe" (fountain of the turtles) is my favorite.

2. Galleria Doria Pamphili - Who wouldn't be enchanted by this large art collection housed in the enormous palace owned and still occupied by the princely Pamphili family, whose ancestors included Pope Innocent X. Among the many treasures here is a portrait of the pope by Velazquez and a marble bust by Bernini.


3. Gelato -My favorite new place for gelato in Rome is I Caruso at Via Collina 13, a little off the beaten tourist path, but not too far from Piazza Repubblica. A couple of other great spots are Giolitti, near the Pantheon, and Fior di Luna in Trastevere. Just stay away from those places selling neon blue gelato. (UPDATE - 9/23 - My favorite gelateria is OTALEG in Trastevere on via San Cosimato, 14, and another location at viale del quattro venti, 70. Don't miss their salted pistachio - exquisite!)

4. The surprise waiting for you as you look through the keyhole at the Knights of Malta. I hate to spoil it for you and unveil the secret, so you'll have to go to Rome and see for yourself. It's located in the beautiful Aventine neighborhood, at the Piazza Cavalieri di Malta, designed by Piranesi in 1765.

5. Trastevere - What many people call "The Real Rome" is a vibrant, noisy neighborhood of cobblestone streets and tiny alleys where you can easily get lost and be glad for it. Ignore the graffiti and the "dog people" - beggars who use dogs in their approach - and focus on the shops, the cafes, the restaurants and the churches, like the exquisite Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of Rome's oldest churches, or the beautiful Santa Cecelia pictured below. Wander into one on a Saturday and you might find yourself witnessing a real Roman wedding.

6. Graffiti - Yes, there is lots of it here, but you have to look past that and find the whimsy, as in this case. Juxtaposed with a teensy red Smart car, it becomes an enchanting scene.

7. The Roman mosaics and the bronze sculptures at Museo Nazionale Palazzo Massimo alle Terme - This small museum not far from the train station is a gem -- one look at the mosaic floors from the Roman era and you'll wish you could order them -- along with a toga -- for your own home. The bronze statues, dating from the 2nd century B.C. of a Hellenistic Prince, and a boxer, made using the "lost wax" process, are nothing short of miraculous. They will take your breath away.

8. The coffee - The cappuccino in the picture comes from Rome's famed St. Eustachio cafe. The truth is, you can get a cup of espresso or cappuccino that's just as good, and a lot less expensive, at many bars in Rome. But it's worth the pilgrimage to this noted spot if only because it's around the corner from Borromini's elegantly twisted spire atop the church of St. Ivo alla Sapienza.

9.The Pantheon - The oldest building in Rome that's been in continuous use is this circular building that was constructed as a pagan temple. It was built nearly two thousand years ago and it still holds the record for the world's largest, unreinforced concrete dome. It's been used as a Roman Catholic church since the 7th century, and is also the final resting place for many notables, including Renaissance painter Raphael, and Italian Kings Victor Emanuele II and Umberto I.

10. The Temple of Hercules Victor - It's often mistaken for the Temple of Vesta, but this jewel of a symmetrical building from around 120 B.C. is actually a temple to Hercules Victor and is the oldest surviving marble building in Rome. With its concentric ring of corinthian columns, it's also my favorite ancient building, after the Pantheon.

11.The "Jubilee church" designed by Richard Meier - 

The church of Dio Padre Misericordia was built as part of the initiative "50 churches for Rome 2000," celebrating the new millennium. Situated in a working-class residential neighborhood, it rises triumphantly like three sails on the ocean,symbolizing the holy trinity. Unlike his controversial building housing the ancient Ara Pacis, Meier hit a home run with this stark, modern design, which really gives the sensation of being closer to heaven.

12. Music - You'll find concerts and music in different venues all over the city, from churches to the Baths of Caracalla, a spectacular setting for grand opera in the summertime. During the rest of the year, opera lovers can high-tail it to the Rome opera house. While not as large as New York's Metropolitan Opera House, it makes up in baroque splendor what it lacks in size. The outside however, is typical drab and bulky Fascist-style architecture.

 13.The frescoes at Villa Farnesina - This Renaissance villa along the Tiber River in Trastevere was built for Agostino Chigi, a rich Siennese banker and treasurer of Pope Julius II.  He commissioned artists including Raphael and Sebastiano de Piombo to decorate the walls and ceilings with expansive eye-popping frescoes. It became part of the Farnese family holdings in the late 16th century and now belongs to Italy.

14. Sauteed mussels and clams at "Le Mani in Pasta"- This simply prepared dish of tiny clams and mussels with a few shrimp tossed in, is always my favorite first course at one of my favorite restaurants in Rome --  in Trastevere on Via Genovesi. It's always full by 9 pm. the time dinner gets in full swing for Romans, so call for a reservation.

15. Bernini Sculptures at the Galleria Borghese - 

This is not real flesh you're looking at in this picture. It's the genius of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the 17th century sculptor and architecture whose work permeates much of Rome from the Piazza Navona to St. Peter's Square. Once you've seen his sculptures at the sumptuous Galleria Borghese, you'll be awestruck at his talents and how he managed to transform blocks of marble into flowing hair, expressive faces and dimpled flesh. Shown here is a detail from his sculpture of Pluto grasping Proserpina as she tries to flee.

16. Ghirlandaio's Cupid and Venus at the Galleria Colonna - The lavish Renaissance palazzo alone is reason enough to visit, but savor the artwork stacked on the walls, including ceiling frescoes depicting the Battle of Lepanto and Ghirlandaio's Cupid and Venus. Several years ago, art restorers stripped off centuries of grime from the painting -- and clothing too -- that had been painted on Venus during more prudent times. Attentive fans of the film "Roman Holiday" may recognize the gallery and the painting in the final scene where Audrey Hepburn appears as a princess. Open only on Saturday mornings and located at Via della Pilotta.

      

     

17. Contemporary Art - Rome's newest museum finally gives modern art lovers a place for design, art and architecture. Opened in 2010, the MAXXI museum, located in the Flaminia neighborhood of Rome, features works by 21st century artists, including this recent exhibit by Michaelangelo Pistiletto - paintings on reflective mirrored surfaces.

18. The bread and pizza at La Renella bakery. (Update 9/23) - It's not bad, but just not as good as it used to be -Try Pizzarium Bonci - a hole in the wall at via Meloria 43, a little out of the way but not far from the Vatican.) There's almost always a line at this bakery on Via del Moro, where the scent of freshly baked bread wafts out onto the narrow streets of Trastevere. The bread is perfection and the pizza is too. Slabs of pizza that they will cut to your order - every kind of topping you could ever want -- and many you'd never think of. All of them will leave you wanting more -- pizza with olives and tomatoes, with potatoes and sausage, with zucchini flowers, anchovies and mozzarella, with prosciutto, arugula and on and on and on.

19. The Quirinale - Visitors can tour the opulent palace that is home to Italy's president only on Sunday mornings, and hear concerts on occasion too. Things slow down in the summer, but during the rest of the year, you might hear a jazz vocalist, a harpsichordist, or a play set to Stravinsky music. All in the beautiful Paolina Chapel. And you might even get to shake hands with Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano, as I did a few years ago, when he and his wife joined the crowd.

20. The Food Markets - From the well-known market in the campo de fiori, to lesser known ones (at least to tourists) like the ones in Testaccio or in Piazza San Cosimato, Rome's neighborhoods hold a cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables. When it's in season, you'll see broccoli romano - looking like a work of art nestled amid its large leaves.

21. Unexpected Events - OK, so I lied, and made it a list of 21, not 20. But it made me happy and I'm including it for that reason. It happens in any city if you've got your eyes and ears open, but when you stumble across a festival, a parade or some other event you didn't know about, it all seems so much more grand when ancient Roman monuments provide the backdrop. For me, this serendipitous bumping into a raucous gay pride parade on my recent visit was just the pick-me-up I needed to lift me from a melancholy afternoon.

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