A sketching friend arrived last Wednesday to keep me company for a week, and before she got here I’d quickly uploaded a few photos here thinking I’d manage a quick post. . . . Well, that didn’t happen! It’s her first visit to Rome; she hit the ground running; I joined her; and we’ve scarcely stopped since!
But after a fruitful sketching session together this morning, I’ve taken the afternoon off while she stands in a long line-up for her visit to the Vatican. Finally, time to scribble on the back of these postcards and get them in the mail to you.
Too late for a trigger warning, I know. Arachnophobes will not be making an offer on this richly ornamented building in the Coppedè neighbourhood.A magnolia tree just outside our 4th-floor (which, Euro-style, is as N. American 5th-floor) — never have I had such a great view of magnolia flowers and the developing seed-pods. Also, very grateful for the heat it absorbs. . . Walking in this neighbourhood, in the mornings or evenings when the heat is less intense, is pretty delightful. . . Yep, that’s the entrance I walk through several times a day (after fobbing my way in and pushing open a very heavy door) . . . a little thrill, every time. . . Again, should have been a trigger warning — one of Louise Bourgeois’s spider sculptures in the gardens of the Galleria Borghese (my friend and I are going to the Bourgeois exhibition tomorrow afternoon).One of eight sculptures by Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero exhibited through the central part of the city to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike from July to October. This beauty, Eve, is (amusingly) positioned facing her Adam, both of them in front of a celebrated church (Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli).Signs like this (and the one below) are found on many, many doors throughout the neighbourhood (and across the city) — announcing August closures or reduction of hours for holidays . . . Experiencing this heat, I understand perfectly the need to get to the beach or the mountains, out of the city, at least.Sketching in the Borghese Gardens about 7 a.m., a week or so ago, and feeling very fortunate to see five horses and their (poliziotto) riders pass right by. . .How’s that capsule wardrobe for four months working out, you ask? It’s working, it’s working, but I could really use a few more sleeveless tops, light(er) summer dresses. Day after day of unrelenting heat (this week, all highs of 35, 36, 37C) which scarcely lets go at night, thanks to all the concrete, stone, brick, and asphalt surfaces of a densely populated city. . .That’s it for now, my friend. Ciao from Rome. Wish you were here
Popping in quickly to say that your postcards are great! As is your capsule wardrobe. Xx
Annie Green
13 August 2024 / 4:15 am
What lovely peeks at your Roman holiday. I can imagine the heat from here.
Darby Callahan
13 August 2024 / 4:21 am
It has ben a long time since I have been in Rome but lovely to see that there is still so much beauty there. And it sparked a memory. My then teen aged daughter and I were on a two week tour of Italy. As we were being driven to our hotel in Rome we passed the Borghese Gardens and the stables. No sooner had we arrived in our room and our bags were brought up that horse lovers that we are we immediately set out to find these stables. never mind being tired and jet lagged. We spent the next few hours exploring the gardens capped with some gelato from a street vendor. this has not been the best summer weather wise here in New York, either hot and humid or lots of rain but the last few days have been just about perfect.
Wendy in York
13 August 2024 / 4:54 am
Four months ! I didn’t realise it was such a long trip . Soon you will be feeling like a local , thinking in Italian & becoming more acclimatised to the heat . I enjoyed all your postcards but thought the first one was very clever . I am biased though as , like all avid readers ,I’m drawn to other people’s book shelves .
Our first foreign holiday was to Italy in 1972 , when it was an inexpensive country to visit & it was magical to us then . Four months , lucky you .
Christine Cascadia
13 August 2024 / 7:44 am
This morning it is 16C and windy in our little corner of the PNW, so your temps sound more like summer than ours, but a happy medium would sure be nice. After all, it is August…
Your postcards are lovely. So many interesting things to see. Keep them coming!
fsprout Author
18 August 2024 / 4:38 am
Other people’s book shelves tell us so much and also inspire!
Yes, we rented for 5 months but I stayed home in July —- we have to be careful to spend time outside of Schengen zone so we don’t exceed our 90 days…not a concern in ‘72, right?!
Wendy in York
18 August 2024 / 12:40 pm
Yes you’re right . Our problem was getting time off work & scraping enough money together . I remember the fortnight cost us £28.50 or about 50 Canadian dollars – seemed a lot of money at the time !
That was the amount of my first week’s pay packet, Wendy, from my university summer vacation job as a visitor guide at Glenfiddich Distillery. The money – cash – came in a pink cellophane envelope which I then paid into the bank on my way home. The bank stayed open late on a Thursday because that was payday at all the local distilleries.
Georgia
13 August 2024 / 6:38 am
Those bookshelves! Where are a good set of binoculars when you need them? Or a super zoom lens a la Rear Window.
Your neighbourhood is beautiful; Rome has such a special quality. Despite the heat the photos look cool to me…the shade I think…although I realize it’s an illusion and you’re baking. And I dare you to tell me you haven’t had the urge to lie down on that marble floor! Or maybe you’ve actually done it…or just slipped off your sandals for a moment…
Like Wendy in York I didn’t realise you were spending four months in Rome. Lucky indeed to be so immersed in language and daily life and to see the seasons change. That is always the tantalising thing about shorter holidays, wondering what the place will be like in another season. Those bookshelves are straining all your readers’ eyes, mine included! When you mentioned locals’ need to escape to sea or mountains, I remembered that when we were doing home exchange holidays we had some very interesting offers, because of our attractive location within walking distance of the centre of Edinburgh plus the August draw of the International Festival and Fringe. We were once offered a large, very grand flat near the centre of Rome plus the family’s holiday home on Lake Como, in exchange for our modest semi-detached house. However that year we were headed to BC and ended up staying in Rossland and New Denver, complete with a bear on a trampoline in the back garden. Which we wouldn’t have had in Rome.
fsprout Author
18 August 2024 / 4:41 am
Wow! What a choice! (I have relatives in Rossland, but must be 60 years since I visited). Yes to good fortune in being here so long, although we will need to shift a fair bit in deference to Schengen 90days…
Wendy in York
18 August 2024 / 12:46 pm
Just to clarify Frances . That was £28.50 per person of course . No expense spared .
Looking forward to your next instalment
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Popping in quickly to say that your postcards are great! As is your capsule wardrobe. Xx
What lovely peeks at your Roman holiday. I can imagine the heat from here.
It has ben a long time since I have been in Rome but lovely to see that there is still so much beauty there. And it sparked a memory. My then teen aged daughter and I were on a two week tour of Italy. As we were being driven to our hotel in Rome we passed the Borghese Gardens and the stables. No sooner had we arrived in our room and our bags were brought up that horse lovers that we are we immediately set out to find these stables. never mind being tired and jet lagged. We spent the next few hours exploring the gardens capped with some gelato from a street vendor. this has not been the best summer weather wise here in New York, either hot and humid or lots of rain but the last few days have been just about perfect.
Four months ! I didn’t realise it was such a long trip . Soon you will be feeling like a local , thinking in Italian & becoming more acclimatised to the heat . I enjoyed all your postcards but thought the first one was very clever . I am biased though as , like all avid readers ,I’m drawn to other people’s book shelves .
Our first foreign holiday was to Italy in 1972 , when it was an inexpensive country to visit & it was magical to us then . Four months , lucky you .
This morning it is 16C and windy in our little corner of the PNW, so your temps sound more like summer than ours, but a happy medium would sure be nice. After all, it is August…
Your postcards are lovely. So many interesting things to see. Keep them coming!
Author
Other people’s book shelves tell us so much and also inspire!
Yes, we rented for 5 months but I stayed home in July —- we have to be careful to spend time outside of Schengen zone so we don’t exceed our 90 days…not a concern in ‘72, right?!
Yes you’re right . Our problem was getting time off work & scraping enough money together . I remember the fortnight cost us £28.50 or about 50 Canadian dollars – seemed a lot of money at the time !
That was the amount of my first week’s pay packet, Wendy, from my university summer vacation job as a visitor guide at Glenfiddich Distillery. The money – cash – came in a pink cellophane envelope which I then paid into the bank on my way home. The bank stayed open late on a Thursday because that was payday at all the local distilleries.
Those bookshelves! Where are a good set of binoculars when you need them? Or a super zoom lens a la Rear Window.
Your neighbourhood is beautiful; Rome has such a special quality. Despite the heat the photos look cool to me…the shade I think…although I realize it’s an illusion and you’re baking. And I dare you to tell me you haven’t had the urge to lie down on that marble floor! Or maybe you’ve actually done it…or just slipped off your sandals for a moment…
Lovely photos!
Like Wendy in York I didn’t realise you were spending four months in Rome. Lucky indeed to be so immersed in language and daily life and to see the seasons change. That is always the tantalising thing about shorter holidays, wondering what the place will be like in another season. Those bookshelves are straining all your readers’ eyes, mine included! When you mentioned locals’ need to escape to sea or mountains, I remembered that when we were doing home exchange holidays we had some very interesting offers, because of our attractive location within walking distance of the centre of Edinburgh plus the August draw of the International Festival and Fringe. We were once offered a large, very grand flat near the centre of Rome plus the family’s holiday home on Lake Como, in exchange for our modest semi-detached house. However that year we were headed to BC and ended up staying in Rossland and New Denver, complete with a bear on a trampoline in the back garden. Which we wouldn’t have had in Rome.
Author
Wow! What a choice! (I have relatives in Rossland, but must be 60 years since I visited). Yes to good fortune in being here so long, although we will need to shift a fair bit in deference to Schengen 90days…
Just to clarify Frances . That was £28.50 per person of course . No expense spared .
Looking forward to your next instalment