Featured
The rotunda is a perfect hemisphere, measuring close to 43 metres in diameter (which is exactly the maximum height of its dome). It is such that a perfect sphere could sit inside It is estimated to have taken 4-5 years to build the walls…
Yes, it’s my view that Trastevere is best enjoyed by indulging in what I call aimless wandering. My recommendation is to set off without a cellphone, or even an old-fashioned paper map, and get yourself lost. Piazzas, churches, tiny streets…there’s nothing here that will fail to disappoint. And, personally, I could walk these streets every day for the rest of my life and not get bored. It’s really that beautiful…
The tiny, narrow streets are reminiscent of medieval times; its alleyways a veritable labyrinth. Packed full of small stores (selling artsy clothes and bijoux jewellry), it’s the perfect place to get lost in Rome. Traditional thin-crust pizza, artisan gelato, splendid churches, hipster bars and coffee shops aplenty, it would take a true Hard-Hearted Hannah not to be charmed…
Inside, the tiered seating covered a huge underground area in which cages and machinery were based. The floor of the arena itself was wooden but covered in sand, which served a dual purpose - to stop gladiators from slipping, but also to soak up blood spilt after gruesome fights. Lions and tigers were hoisted up by winches, through some 36 different trapdoors, brought to Rome on barges that sailed up the Nile, a labour-intensive and costly exercise if ever there was one..
The crypt contains the remains of over 3,500 bodies - it is believed that they were monks (friars) and their followers. Set out in six small chapels (all named after different body parts, including pelvises and leg bones) the skulls and bones you will see are not laid about randomly - on the contrary, they are put together in quite elaborate displays…
It’s rainy and chilly (but we have fires) and, unlike in summer, where we eat al fresco and splash around in the pool, under a scorching sun, now we’re curled up under blankets in the evening, after dinner, all gossiping and laughing. Lucretia - who’s incredibly good at drawing, baking and crafts - is building a gingerbread house, made out of pretzels, smarties and other treats. She’s not sure anyone will even want to eat it - but it looks fabulous…
Even so, it doesn’t take long for me to find my groove and, soon, a small group has gathered around me. I switch from Gershwin to Scott Joplin, then Chopin and onto Beethoven. Then a couple of pop classics, followed by some classic Elton John. I’m completely engrossed in the music, caught up in the thrill of sitting at a piano again and delighting at what my fingers can do at the keys.
I could spend weeks in Trastevere with my camera - every street is a joy, with ochre coloured walls and shutters, flower boxes, coffee shops, grafitti and blue skies at every turn. It’s a photographer’s dream, that much I know. Here are a few of my favourites, taken in the winter and spring of 2019…
After that, kids are taught the same sword skills that gladiators used, two thousand years ago. Their tutors (a couple of handsome young men, in skimpy tunics) really made the training come alive with their skill and wit
Just a stone’s throw from the Spanish Steps (packed, year round), Via Margutta a far cry from the chaos that is central Rome. Jam packed full of history and art, it’s an oasis of tranquility, and it’s beauty and atmosphere couldn’t fail to charm even the most cynical of visitors…