I’m amassing a shockingly large archive of photos of Rome. Really, there’s such an extravagance of beauty here, and when I’m on my own, rather than burst into exclamation and raise the eyebrows of my fellow pedestrians, I pretend I’m checking an incoming text and then surreptitiously (I try, really!) snap a picture so I can share my exclamation later.
Today, I walked 14 kilometres, ate carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style artichokes, they’re deep-fried whole, so good) by myself for lunch at a trattoria, and played with a little girl while her mom took a yoga break. My B&B room is lovely, but not soundproof, and the folks next door will not be letting me sleep for sometime, but I haven’t the energy to organize many words. Pictures of bikes in Rome though? That I can do. Might that suffice?
I’ll just roll them out, shall I?
I love the variations on a theme, personally. Hope you enjoy them as well…
I have at least this many more, but perhaps I’ll save some for another post…
I do think you might like this one departure from the genre. Rather than a stationary, riderless bike, shall we close with one in motion, being ridden and pushed. And the colour departs from our established norm as well. What do you think?
Just loved all of your pictures. .. especially the last one!! So cute ..and the bikes cool too! Thanks for sharing these with us all. We stayed in the area near to the Spanish Steps. I can imagine how much your family enjoy living there …so special to be in the centre of Rome within walking (or running!! 🙂 ) distance of so many picturesque and historic places. As well as wonderful parks and great bars and restaurants!
Rosie
So glad you're enjoying these, Rosie.
I'm in the same area, as I might have indicated — yes, it's busy with tourists (although much less so in January than in July!), but it's wonderful, as you say, to be in the heart of it all as well…
Beautiful, beautiful. 🙂
Adorable.
How interesting your bike photos are,lonely,playful,full of opportunities…….
And the last one is so sweet!
Dottoressa
I wonder if that's part of their attraction for me — their suggestion of loneliness but also of possibilities… thanks for that observation, D
Great shots. It is a treat to share your view of the wonderful, exotic, chic everyday life in Rome!
The colours are so warm ! Mind you , the cobbles would be hell to cycle over … that little girl has the right idea .
Yes, a trail/mountain biker would be at home on the cobbles! 😉
Love the orange bike against the orange wall. Would like to think that its rider parked it there deliberately…
I like that thought too, Ceri!
Delightful! Thanks so much for posting them and I hope your neighbours quiet down.
They were much quieter the second night, and I slept right through. Yay!
Love the bikes. Have you seen the Instagram account "Falling Off Bicycles"? It's based in Amsterdam…I think…and features, as you can guess, lots of bikes. But lots of other great shots as well. Love the orange wall and the bike with the matching tires. As for your final shot…so cute. Guess that Mum has to push when the rider takes a snack break:)
I haven't seen that feed, but will have to check it out. There used to be a street photography site of Chic Bike Riders, perhaps out of Amsterdam, but perhaps out of Copenhagen. My camera skills are better suited to the bike that stands still for me!
There is a whole "republic" of Cycle Chic sites. Mikael Colville-Andersen started the first one in Copenhagen. copenhagencyclechic.com/ He started another site, copenhagenize, on the practical aspects of making cities cyclist-friendly.
I ride a vintage Raleigh Sprite, who has just been to the bicycle doc for her tune-up, so I love these photos. I remember buying things in burnt orange there when I was studying in Italy and never wearing them back home – fortunately just tops from Benetton, nothing expensive…
Psst, it is "alla giudia", Roman dialect for "in the Jewish style (à la juive in French).
Thanks for reminding me about the copenhagen cycle chic site — I used to peek in regularly but haven't for ages. Your bike's a classic treasure — we bought city bikes a couple of years ago in the post-tourist-season's rental-bike sale, and I'm really looking forward to more cyclng. We're not having to commute to work, of course, so we can pick our times and our weather, so it's very pleasurable. You're obviously more hardcore!
And yes, I'm more advanced in my Italian studies now, and have to squirm a bit at that early error — I'll go fix it now. Thanks for the alert.
Beautiful. Love how she eats and bikes at the same time. Seems very Roman indeed to me:).
Yes! An example of sprezzatura, right?
I hope your neighbors quiet down so you get more rest soon, but in the meantime please keep these wonderful pictures coming! They are making me dream of being in Europe again soon.
Madrid? (and thanks for the photo encouragement!)
Glad you are having so much fun. Keep exclaiming! Italy is one place where it is a national occupation, surely. Try exclaiming in Italian. You could even try egging your neighbours on by banging on the wall and shouting Forza! Forza! Why not do it as you go out in the morning and they are deep in slumber?
Ha! I'm getting an even more vivid image of that reunion weekend you participated in a few weeks ago — you'd be quite the ringleader to a pack of troublemakers. . . 😉