Are the Romans rude?
I must have one of the worst neighbours in central Rome. His name is Domenico, and instead of being one of those lovely patriarchs out of a 1960s movie, he … Continue reading
Barbarians at the gate?
Being a foreigner living in Rome is no easy condition, as Romans tend to make it known that they are a breed apart in the city. Is it still in … Continue reading
a special place to enjoy art: the galleria Borghese
I recently went back to the Galleria Borghese, one of my favourite museums in Rome, to see a temporary exhibition of 16th century German painter Lucas Cranach, the Elder. Needless … Continue reading
red underwear for New Year
There’s a tradition in Italy: to wear red underwear for New Year’s Eve. All the lingerie shops display red only knickers and bras in their windows in the run-up to … Continue reading
Christmas in Rome
I find Christmas in Rome very pleasant and relaxing. There is less of the commercial pressure felt in Northern European cities, where it is all about buying and consuming. On … Continue reading
weather
Just as I was about to praise the lovely winter days we’ve just had, it started to seriously rain again…we can’t take so much water any more…..
Day trip to Naples
I went to Naples especially to see a Bill Viola exhibition, one of my favourite contemporary artists. The show was held at the Capodimonte museum, one of the largest in … Continue reading
Flooding of the Tiber
After so much rain, the river Tiber is rising fast…but is still away from the high levels reached two years ago. It was only over a century ago that the … Continue reading
The MAXXI, a new contemporary art museum for Rome
Very few contemporary buildings have been built in Rome since Mussolini’s transformation of the city in the 1930s. So when Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid was commissioned to design a new … Continue reading
Emperor Augustus’s testament at the Ara Pacis
At the end of his busy life, the first Roman emperor Augustus (63BC -14AD) wrote a testament in which he described all his achievements as a ruler. The famous text … Continue reading
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