Sistine Chapel: the hand of God and Adam by Rome City Apartments

One of the key visuals of the Sistine Chapel (click here for a virtual tour of the Chapel) in Rome is the hand of God, and nobody would argue if we call Michelangelo, maybe the greatest artist of all times, the “hand of god” in the field of the fine arts. More recently the Argentinian football player Diego Armando Maradona, maybe the greatest footballer of all times, called himself the hand of god for other reasons (click here to see why). But as we don’t want to be blasphemous we will not call Michelangelo “the hand of god” and we will not call Diego Armando Maradona “the foot of God”, which would be more appropriate. As we don’t think we’re entitled to give a last judgment about the issue represented by the behavior of Maradona on the playground, we’d rather recount the chronicle of the making of the Sistine chapel, an absolute masterpiece of Arts which was made possible by the encounter of two hypertrophic egos such as Michelangelo Buonarroti and Pope Julius II.

The erection of a fine marble tomb for himself had long been one of the Julius’ II most cherished ambitions. As a first step in its realization he sent for a young sculptor from Florence, Michelangelo Buonarroti. The son of a poor Tuscan magistrate of aristocratic stock, Michelangelo was a gloomy, laconic young man of twenty nine, self-absorbed, quarrelsome and quickly offended. The Pope found him an infinitely more difficult artist to deal with than the amenable Bramante and the sweet-natured, charmingly polite and unobtrusive Raffaello Sanzio who was also working for him in the Vatican on the rooms to be known as the Raphael Stanze. But Michelangelo was already recognized as a genius of astounding power and versatility and it was inconceivable that the Pope, one of the most enlightened and discriminating patrons that Rome had ever known, should not wish to employ him.

At first all went well, Michelangelo was paid a hundred crowns for the expenses of his journey to Rome where the pope was delighted with the designs that were shown to him. He asked the sculptor to go to the quarries in the mountains of Carrara; and here Michelangelo spent eight months choosing and helping to excavate the blocks of marble, weighing in all over a hundred tons, for a monument which promised to surpass “every ancient or imperial tomb ever made”.

Portrait of Michelangelo Buonarroti by Rome City Apartments

After he had chosen all the marble that was wanted (so his fellow-Tuscan and contemporary, Giorgio Vasari, recorded), he had it loaded on board ship and taken to Rome, where the blocks filled half the square of St Peter’s… In the castle (Castel Sant’Angelo) Michelangelo had prepared his room for executing the figures and the rest of the tomb; and so that he could come and see him at work without any bother the Pope had ordered a drawbridge to be built from the corridor to the room. This led to great intimacy between them, although in time the favors Michelangelo was shown … stirred up much envy among his fellow craftsmen.

The Sistine Chapel in the quickly forgotten Second life

The easy intimacy between the Pope and Michelangelo did not last long, however. The sculptor did not like being watched at work, normally choosing to have his studio locked. Nor did he like being asked questions about his probable rate of progress. Touchy and irritable. He began to resent what he took to be his patron’s bossy interference, and he was offended by the casually offhand manner in which his request for interviews and monies were refused by the papal officials. After one such rebuff, Michelangelo lost his temper, told his servants to sell all the contents of his studio and rode out of the city to Florence. He was eventually persuaded to return to the Pope’s service, but not to work on the tomb as he had hoped. First of all, though he protested it was not his kind of art, he was required to make a monumental bronze statue of Julius fourteen feet high, which was to be erected on the façade of the church of San Petronio in Bologna and, after a revolution some years later, was melted down for a cannon by the Pope’s enemy, the Duke of Ferrara. He was then asked to undertake a task for which he felt even more ill qualified, the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. “He tried in every possible way to shake the burden off his shoulders” Vasari said. “But the more he refused, the more determined he made the pope, who was a willful man by nature. Finally, being the hot-tempered man he was, he was all ready to fly into a rage. However, seeing His Holiness was so persevering Michelangelo resigned himself to doing what he was asked. He was given an advance payment of 500 ducats and began work on 10 May 1508.

Portrait of Pope Julius II by Rome City Apartments

Immediately he regretted that he had given way. There was trouble over the scaffolding which Bramante constructed for him: initially it hung down from the ceiling on ropes but Michelangelo wanted it supported by props from the floor. There was trouble with his assistants whom he had sent for from Florence and whom he considered so incompetent that he scraped off everything they had done and decided to paint the whole area, all ten thousand square feet of it, himself. He locked the chapel door, refusing admittance to his fellow artists and to everyone else, thus provoking another quarrel with the Pope who was himself told to go away. And then there was trouble with a salty mould which, when the north wind blew, appeared on may areas of the ceiling and so discouraged Michelangelo that he despaired of the whole undertaking and was reluctant to go on until Giuliano da Sangallo showed him how to deal with.

The decoration of the Mirkos2 apartment in Rome that can challenge the beauty of the Sistine Chapel

The labour was physically as well as emotionally exhausting. He had to paint standing, looking upwards for such long periods that his neck became stiff and swollen.; he could not straighten it when he climbed down from the scaffold and had to read letters holding them up with his head bent backwards. In hot weather it was stiflingly hot and the plaster dust irritated his skin; in all weathers the paint dripped down upon his face, his hair and his beard. “The place is wrong, and no painter I” he lamented in a sonnet he was describing his exhausting work. “My painting all the day doth drop a rich Mosaic on my face. I live in great toil and weariness of body” he wrote to his brother. “I have no friends … and don’t want any, and haven’t the time to eat what I need.”

The Sistine Chapel by Rome City Apartments

He was plagued by his patron who insisted upon being let into the chapel to see what he was paying for. The Pope kept asking when it would be finished, as he clambered up the scaffold with his stick, impatient to have the Sistine Chapel opened before he died. “How much longer will it take?” ”When it satisfies me as an artist” Michelangelo replied on one occasion, eliciting from Julius the angry reply. “And we want you to satisfy us and to finish soon”. Later Michelangelo refused to commit himself further than to say he would finish it when he could. “When I can! when I can!” the Pope infuriated shouted back at him. “What do you mean when I can? I’ll soon make you finish it!”. He hit him with his stick, the threatened to hurl him off the scaffold if he did not get on quickly. After these outbursts came apologies. The pope chamberlain would call at Michelangelo’s house with presents of monies, with excuses and apologies, explaining that such treatment was meant as a favour and a mark of affection.

At last, after nearly four years’ work, the scaffolding was removed. But the artist was still not satisfied; there were touches that he wanted to add, backgrounds and draperies he wanted enliven with ultramarine, details to enrich with gold. But the pope would wait no longer. Even before the dust had settled after the dismantling of the scaffolding, he rushed into the Sistine Chapel to look at the astonishing achievement of more than three hundred figures, many of them painted three and even four times life size. On the morning of 31 October 1512 the pope celebrated Mass inside the Chapel and afterwards, in Vasari’s words, the whole of Rome came running to see what Michelangelo had done.; and certainly it was such as to make everyone speechless with astonishment.

Now, over seventy and in the last year of his life, he felt that the time for the Last Judgment was coming also for him, so the Pope thought once more of his uncompleted tomb to which Michelangelo returned most eagerly. And although the Tomb was never finished as originally intended, out of its grand conception came one masterpiece that can still be seen in Rome, the vibrant statue of Moses in S. Pietro in Vincoli. News of the death of the Pope Julius II on 20 February 1513 was received in Rome with utmost sorrow. Women were seen weeping in the streets as they waited their turn to kiss the pontifical feet which were left protruding from the grille of the mortuary chapel.; men were told each other that they would not live to see another pope who was at once so staunch a patriot and so munificent a patron. The city of Rome was thronged with mourning crowds so numerous that the dead man’s Master of Ceremonies had never known the like in forty years’ residence in the city.

The Colosseum as it was by Rome City Apartments

“Rome has been restored to herself” wrote the Spanish poet Martial when the “far-seen amphitheater” was nearing completion. “What was formerly a tyrant’s delight is now the delight of people”. The tyrant’s colossal column, the figure on the summit replaced by that of the sun-god, still stood nearby and it was possibly this, rather than the vast size of the Colosseum itself, that gave the amphitheater its name. The measurements were daunting. Its oval ground area, 617 feet long by 513 feet wide, enclosed an arena 282 feet by 177 feet. The surrounding walls rose in four storeys to a height of 187 feet. The top floor, an enclosed, colonnaded gallery, was reserved for women  and the poor, who sat on wooden seats; the floor immediately below this, also enclosed, was reserved for slaves and foreigners; beneath this were tiers of exposed marble seats, the higher for the middle class, the lower for more distinguished citizens. Just above the level of the ringside were the boxes of the Senators, magistrates, priests, Vestal Virgins and members of the Emperor’s family. High overhead on the roof of the topmost gallery were sailors expert in the handling of canvas whose duty it was to pull across a coloured awning to protect the spectators from rain or the heat of the sun. In all about fifty thousand spectators could be accommodated.

The gladiators combat, adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans, had lost most of their religious, sacrificial significance and had become part of that system by which the authorities placated the people of Rome, a large proportion of whom were always unemployed (as now in Europe), by providing them with regular entertainment as well as with free distributions of food (unlike today in Europe). Relics of their religious past lingered on, however: the games, for instance, were also known as munera, offerings; and the attendant who made sure that a fallen gladiator was dead by delivering a coup de grâce to the head was usually dressed as Charon, ferryman of the souls of the dead across the river Styx from the upper world into Hades. Yet these were mere trappings. Great men vied with each other in the presentation of more and more spectacular games, not so much as sacrifices to the spirits of the dead as for their own glory and to gain the gratitude of the people, while the imperial court valued them as vital social bond bringing the Emperor closer to the populace.

Kirk Douglas in the Movie Spartacus by Rome City Apartments

The games usually began early in the morning with a parade of gladiators, dressed in purple and gold cloaks, driving round the arena in chariots. The gladiators then marched around on foot, followed by slaves carrying their weapons, shields and plumed helmets, and ended in front of the Emperor’s box where they thrust their right arms forward from their naked chests, shouting ‘Ave Cesare! We men who are about to die salute thee’(Morituri te salutant). They then marched off to await their turn to fight, for the spectacle was generally opened not by them but by comic turns in which clowns and cripples, dwarfs and obese women pretended to fight each other with wooden swords and threw themselves to the ground in extravagant representations of paroxysmal death.

The gladiators reappeared to the cheers of the crowd and the blast of the trumpets. Some carried heavy swords or lances and wore armour on their arms and legs; others, with little protection apart from a shoulder piece, had nets in which they hoped to be able to entangle their opponents before dispatching them with thrust of a spear. When the fighting began the shouts of the crowd grew louder and more excited. ‘Habet, he’s got him!’ ‘Lash him!’ ‘Strike him!’ ‘Burn!’ ‘Kill!’ ‘Whip him to fight harder!’ ‘Why does he meet the sword so timidly?’ ‘Why doesn’t he die like a man?’. But soon individual voices and cries were lost in the wild and deafening uproar. A wounded gladiator who fell to the ground could appeal for mercy by casting aside his shield and raising his left hand. His opponent could, in the absence of the Emperor, kill or spare him as he chose. If the Emperor were present, the choice was his. As the spectators screamed their preference he made his decision known, either by raising his thumb as a sign of reprieve or by turning it down as a verdict of death.

The Colosseum nowadays by Rome City Apartments

Successful gladiators were the heroes of the day; and there were those, unlike the impressed criminals and prisoners of war, who chose the precarious existence in the hope of achieving fame and the admiration of women. It was a hard life, though, as well as an obviously dangerous one. The training was long and exacting; and, if the medical attention and the meals supplied in the gladiators schools were adequate, the quarters in which the men were lodged were usually cramped and foul. Fights between gladiators were but one of the spectacles that the Colosseum had to offer. There were boxing matches, archery contests, women swordsmen, fights between charioteers, all of them often accompanied by the music of bands and hydraulic organs. Above all, there were wild beasts shows in which thousands of animals were slashed to death.

Russel Crowe in the movie The Gladiator by Rome City Apartments

As revered as successful gladiators were the charioteers of the circus, where performances were staged before audiences as enthusiastic if not as large as those in the Colosseum. There were several circuses in Rome, the Circus Flaminius which had been built in the days of the Republic, the Circus Gaius inaugurated by Caligula, and, most splendid of all, the Circus Maximus which, in use perhaps since the time of Roman Kings, had been improved and enlarged by Julius Caesar and could accommodate well over 150.000 spectators. Here, in the immense arena eventually measuring 1800 feet by 600 and surrounded by shops and eating places, by taverns and the booths of prostitutes and fortune-tellers, horse races and chariot races took place in atmosphere of noisy excitement, betting frenzy and amorous intrigue. In fact Ovid advised in his Art of Love:
Many are the opportunities that await you in the circus. No one will prevent you from sitting next to a girl. Get as close to her as you can. That’s easy enough, for the seating is cramped anyway. Find an excuse to talk to her…ask her what horses are entering the ring and which ones she fancies. Approve her choices…if, as is likely, a speck of dust falls into her lap, brush it gently away; and, even if no dust falls, pretend it has done and brush her lap just the same. If her cloak trails on the ground gather up them and lift it from the dirt. She will certainly let you have a glimpse of her legs…the deft arrangement of a cushion has often helped a lover…Such are the advantages which circuses offers to a man for an affair.

In fact, it looks like an ancient version of the daily chronicles of “modern” Italian “pappagalli” approaching good looking tourists in front of the Trevi Fountain.

Rainbow Magicland in Rome by Rome City Apartments

Today some monsters came and took me and my sister and daddy and mommy to a magic place. Daddy says that they took us to a magic third dimension. At first I was a bit scared but then I jumped into daddy’s arms and he gave me a big hug so I was no longer scared.  I decided that I would be princess Belle, even if I like more Princess Aurora, and my sister princess Ariel, but without the fish queue as otherwise she could not walk. It was a marvelous trip and I liked very much the Ice cream. The Winx get their Ice Creams at the Frutti Music Bar, I’ve seen this on my daddy’s IPAD. We traveled with a space ship and after a while we arrived in front of the entrance of the Rainbow Magicland in the countryside of Rome, a city where there is also a countryside and the Colosseum, an old place where the gladiators were fighting and people were looking at them. The Magicland is an area where there are many magic things and where Bloom and Stella and Flora and Musa and Aisha and Techna are living. Also Roxy is there; the other Winx are telling her that she is a fairy but she doesn’t believe it, as she thinks she is a human being. But I think she is a fairy as I’ve seen in an episode that when she gets angry she turns into a fairy. But the real Winx are living in another planet, not in Magicland I think, but I ‘m not sure.

The entrance of the Rainbow Magicland amusment park

At the entrance of this magic land there were 2 strange monsters that were  a little bit like eagles and a little bit like dragons. I would have been scared of those two monsters if they were real, but they were made of rock, so they were not real. Daddy gave some money to enter and they gave him the tickets and a map. Daddy says that also dreams have a price.

The statue at the entrance by Rome CIty Apartments

These are monsters of the mythology. I’ve seen this in a book with other monsters like Medusa and her sisters Gorgons and the flying horse Unicorn, but maybe the flying horse had not a horn in his forehead, I can’t remember.

The Rollercoaster of the Rainbow Magicland park

The first thing we did is the roller coaster that went up and down and I was scared to fall but mommy said that I should not worry and I’ve seen people screaming with their heads upside down.

Magic houses at Rainbow Magicland

I’ve seen houses with many colors and there was a woman that seemed upset because someone asked her to do something but she didn’t want to.

Monsters in the land of Magic by Rome City Apartments

I also met some eagles with glasses that were standing guard over a house making sure no one would enter.

The Winx by Rome City Apartments

This land is magic but we still had to do some queues to enter the magic world of the Winx. So it was not magic enough to avoid queues. We traveled with a ship and it was dark but all my favorite Winx and their world I’ve seen so many times on Tv were there and liked this very much, more than anything else. My sister was sitting near me and mommy and daddy were behind me and I was holding the hand of dad over my shoulder to make sure he would not disappear.

Scaring

There was a big animal, an hippopotamus, with his mouth open wide and I went into it as I knew it was funny and not dangerous: hippopotamus are not eating kids. I remember a song with the hippopotamus and I liked it (click here to listen to the song).

The entrance of a restaurant of the Rainbow Magicland park

At some point I was hungry and thirsty so I told daddy that I wanted to eat and it was so cool as daddy allowed me to eat French fries which he never allows me to eat and he also allowed me to taste some coke. He said it was a special day and so I was allowed to have just a couple sips of coke and also my sister was allowed to give it a try. I decided that when I will be an adult I will always drink coke as I liked it so much.

Cool

As it was warm we went into an ice street where I was dancing and the pulverized ice as daddy says came into my face and at the end I was wet but I didn’t feel the need to cry as It was funny.

Spash!

Next thing was a boat that went down so fast and the water came all over my face. It was so exciting that I did it twice. First time with mommy and second time with dad, as my sister didn’t want do try it as she was scared.

Boats at Magic land by Rome City Apartments

Then we went into another round boat that was going down fast but not as fast as the first one and that is why also my sister did it. As we were completely wet we went into a big hair dryer to dry off at the end.

The planetarium of Magic Land

When we were dry enough we walked into the Planetarium and I watched the planets and the stars and the moon and the space that I studied at school. I will tell my teacher that I’ve seen the stars for real and that I walked on the moon.

The Minotaur at Rainbow Magicland

When I came out from the planetarium I saw a big monster with some horns. I think he had the head of a bull and the body of a human being, which reminded me of the Minotaur that dad showed me in a book of Greek mythology, the same of the Medusa and the Gorgons.

Annie are you ok?

I heard some music and many chariots with strange people passed by. One of them was dressed like a monster but I was not scared as I knew it was a normal person dressed like a monster and he looked more like a clown. I am not a child to believe this, I’ve seen many during Carnival. He was asking “Annie are you ok? So Annie are you ok? Are you ok Annie?” and I said yes, I am ok. Then he insisted “Annie are you ok when you tell us that you’re ok Annie”? “Yes, I am ok”, but then again “Will you tell us that you’re ok Annie?”. So I walked away because as I thought he was stupid as he was always asking the same thing and he was not listening to my answers.

A parade at Magicland by Rome City Apartments

Other chariots with many people dancing passed by but I liked them more as they were not always asking the same thing.

The Houdini House of Rainbow Magicland, in Valmontone, Rome

Mommy and daddy took us to a haunted house. We went into a strange lift that went down into  a cave and then we sit and many magic things appeared and everything was moving but I was not scared I just wanted to have the ice cream that dad promised me. So we went for the ice cream.

The lake and the Castle of the Rainbow Magicland Park, Valmontone, Rome

After the ice cream an angel came and told us it was time to go back home.

Rainbow Magicland by Rome City Apartments

So we just said goodbye to the Magicland.

The Winx by Rome City Apartments

And we said goodbye to the Winx. And I asked dad when we would come back and dad promised that we would come back but as he didn’t say when I insisted. I asked if it was possible to come back tomorrow but daddy just smiled to me.

2012 Copyright Rome City Apartments. © All rights reserved For images and texts.

The church of Santa Maria in Trastevere by night - Rome City Apartments

Trastevere – the perfect stepping stone for discovering Rome’s treasures. Across the Tiber from Rome’s most famous attractions lies the neighbourhood of Trastevere.  James Whiting discovers another Roman jewel not to be missed.

Located in the nook of the west bank of the River Tiber, across from the old walls of the city, and just south of the Vatican, Trastevere is surely the most romantic, colourful neighbourhood to visit in Rome. But there’s more to discover than most visitors expect.

The charming cobbled streets, flanked by charismatic medieval houses, are awash with local and international sightseers by day. Come nightfall, bars and restaurants buzz with a hip mix of Italians and tourists. Narrow, zig-zagging laneways create a chaotic maze in which it is easy to lose your way… unless you have a good map and a seasoned navigator.

Initially, this town was not governed under ancient Rome and was named after its location across the river – tras translating as across, and Tevere the Italian name for the River Tiber. Despite its gentrification, the village within a city retains its rough, rustic edge.

The view from the Janiculum Hill by Rome City Apartments

I recently moved to Rome with my wife for her work. Aside from some patchy memories left over from high school history lessons, neither of us knew much about this popular tourist destination. Having worn several trails across various remote corners of the globe, we jumped at the opportunity to begin exploring modern day Rome and learning about its fascinating, ancient history and civilisation.

We followed the advice of some friends and booked an apartment for one month in the centre of Trastevere. This short settlement would give us ample time to find a more permanent home while providing excellent proximity to some of Rome’s best known attractions.

If you like to walk, Trastevere provides the perfect stepping stone for launching yourself into the famous ancient wonders. The Pantheon, Colosseum and Vatican, can easily be reached on foot within 30 minutes. In my view, there is no better way to explore a city than by getting lost, wandering the back streets between the major sites (and sights). The lack of easy access to this area by public transport generates even greater incentive to fasten up your trainers (‘sneakers’ for you Yanks), reach for your hat and sunglasses, and march about like the ancient Romans.

The Tiberina Island by Rome City Apartments

Despite common reports of pick-pocketing, central Rome is generally a safe city. You can feel comfortable at any time of the day. If you wander the public squares (piazzas), streets and alleyways at midnight you have the opportunity to get to know the splendour of the ancient city from a different, more romantic perspective. The streets and buildings are illuminated by orange street lights creating much the same effect as in the times when they were lit by torches and oil lamps.

The entrance to Trastevere from the old city begins at Isola Tiberina. This island sits in the middle of the Tiber, spanned by a bridge which connects it to the old Jewish ghetto. Three thousand years ago, this was the first area to be crossed by overpass and provided a launching pad to the Mediterranean for fisherman.

One hundred metres down river, the modern commuter bridge, Ponte Palatino is accompanied by a single arch. These are the remains of Ponte Rotto (broken bridge), a former crossing which sits stranded in the centre of the river.

The perfect road to begin exploring the west of the river is Via Della Lungaretta. The primary walkway through Trastevere has little traffic and bisects the tram tracks of Viale di Trastevere (Trastevere Avenue). The street is littered with pizzerias and bars, and offers incredible, early examples of Christian churches: the most famous, Santa Maria della Scala, rests in the heart of Trastevere and is one of the oldest churches in Rome, dating back to the 340s.

During the period of the Roman Republic (which began around 509 BC), the population grew from an influx of sailors and fisherman, and immigrants from the East. The town’s population is now a mix of mainly Roman, Greek and Jewish ancestry who converted to Christianity. Living away from the powerful centre, the locals felt more independent to worship freely in their own churches. These older traditions and architecture have been preserved and Trastevere provides a wonderful setting to explore medieval Rome.

During a whistlestop tour of Rome, it is common for tourists to spend no more than a couple of hours in Trastevere. This section of the city can sometimes become flooded with visitors who have been lured by the magic of this exceptional neighbourhood. Yet, it never feels as packed as other parts of the city. The area is quite large; making it is easy to move away and discover the old Trastevere magic.

Beyond the plaza, the back streets wind away from the river. Here you can discover a secret, hidden city, rooftop terraces, a flurry of colourful flowers, and green vines and drying laundry competing for attention as they reach across narrow lanes. The streets east of the plaza are so popular for tourists and their cameras that the locals’ undergarments are surely more photographed than Marilyn Monroe’s.

The heart of Trastevere by Rome City Apartments

A steep climb up into the hills of Janiculum is rewarded with an excellent vantage point over the entire city. Be warned, this exercise requires a good storage of carbohydrates; so stock up on pizza, pasta (or any other Italian delight) and prepare yourself for the challenge of numerous steps and hills. Alternatively, catch one of the cutest electric buses ever designed and which appears to have been squashed between two older brothers. These half-length people carriers have been assigned the task of public service around the back streets of Tratstevere. Indeed, so cute, they feel as though they have been borrowed from the set of the old children’s BBC TV show, Postman Pat (see link to youtube). Perhaps when they grow up, they will graduate to the bigger, scarier roads over the river.

Despite the flood of tourists, every feature of Trastevere reveals the pride that locals and the city take in the preservation of history and culture. Written guides often warn of streets jammed with tour buses, sidewalk vendors, noisy pubs and dance clubs. However, despite the obvious tourist deals and bilingual menus, this charming town never generates a negative atmosphere – more a feeling of appreciation and respect for the conservation of middle-ages magic.

Italy is famous for its cuisine; a menu which has been exported and abused around the world in the forms of deep-pan frozen pizzas or cheap and nasty packet pasta. One of the best ways to sample delicious Roman fare for good value is through the buffet (aperitivo) which accompanies alcoholic beverages after 7pm. My experience in Italy so far reveals it is almost impossible to go through the day without one of the three Italian staples – cheese, bread or tomato. Ooh, and don’t forget olive oil. It’s not Italian cuisine if it is not drizzled in olive oil. A taste of an aperativo in Trastevere is enough to make weight watchers feel guilty. Don’t Italians live longer on this Mediterranean diet? One wonders how they manage to stay looking so lean and trim.

Some of the more lively areas centre around Piazza di Santa Maria and the streets of Via Della Lungaretta, Via Del Moro and Vicolo del Cinque. If you have an apartment here (as we do) don’t attempt to get to sleep without a good set of earplugs (available at any local pharmacy). But don’t let this put you off visiting this area at any time of day. The vibrant atmosphere simply adds to the many mystical wonders of the neighbourhood.

Indeed, some of Trastevere’s older residents are so independent and proud that it is not unusual for one to brag that they have never crossed into the historic centre. For decades they were known for a rougher, local dialect than the language spoken across the river. Even their cuisine was dished up with a little more spice.

So many wonderful stories capture the imagination of young and old and often historians battle over the facts about some ancient myths and legends. One such tale caught my attention when researching the history of the town that sits across the water.

In 6 BC, the invading armies of Lars Porsena threatened to overwhelm the city through the only entrance between the city walls. The bridge, Ponte Sablicius, stood approximately where Ponte Palatino stands today. A poem by Lord Macaulay titled Horatius Defends the Bridge, paints a vivid picture about the heroics of three great warriors.

The invaders, coming from Trastevere, had to cross the bridge over the Tiber to reach Rome proper. Three brave Romans led by Horatius volunteered to defend it against them while the bridge behind them was demolished. As the bridge crashed into the water, the heroes leapt into the Tiber to swim back to the other side.

 Five of Lord Macaulay’s rollicking verses give a sense of the event:

Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
“To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods,

Then out spake Spurius Lartius;
A Ramnian proud was he:
“Lo, I will stand at thy right hand,
And keep the bridge with thee.”
And out spake strong Herminius;
Of Titian blood was he:
“I will abide on thy left side,
And keep the bridge with thee.”

The Three stood calm and silent,
And looked upon the foes,
And a great shout of laughter
From all the vanguard rose:
And forth three chiefs came spurring
Before that deep array;
To earth they sprang, their swords they drew,
And lifted high their shields, and flew
To win the narrow way;

The battle follows, and because of the narrow entrance to the bridge the brave soldiers, although heavily outnumbered, managed to defend the city from the invaders. Then…

“Oh, Tiber! Father Tiber!
To whom the Romans pray,
A Roman’s life, a Roman’s arms,
Take thou in charge this day!”
So he spake, and speaking sheathed
The good sword by his side,
And with his harness on his back,
Plunged headlong in the tide.

No sound of joy or sorrow
Was heard from either bank;
But friends and foes in dumb surprise,
With parted lips and straining eyes,
Stood gazing where he sank;
And when above the surges,
They saw his crest appear,
All Rome sent forth a rapturous cry,
And even the ranks of Tuscany
Could scarce forbear to cheer.

Fantastic stuff.

Events in Trastevere not to be missed

The Porta Portese in Trastevere is an open-air flea market that takes place every Sunday morning. Here you’ll find everything from antique souvenirs to vintage clothing and second-hand bicycles.

Every July, Trastevere hosts Festa di Noantri (our feast), a festival which provides locals the opportunity to show off some of their magic. The large and narrow streets are packed with food stalls, music and entertainments.

© 2012 All rights reserved – Rome City Apartments

The Liberty apartment by Rome City Apartments

In 1965, in the last episode in black and white of The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles sang “She’s got a ticket to ride“, but no one could imagine that the happy ride of the Western bourgeoisie was to finish soon. The first stop was felt sharply in 1962 when the Americans had been awakened in the middle of the night with the cold sweat of a nuclear fever of Caribbean origin. But then the sea eagle knocked out the Siberian bear and it seemed, at least for a while, that everything would continue as before. One morning, however, the world woke up and discovered that John Kennedy, the hope for a better world, had been assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on 11 November 1963, 12.30 local time; then it turned out that Vietnam was a dirty war and soon the young Westerners discovered that the dreams of Martin Luther King had been killed before they were even born, and so they chose to screw up the world built by their fathers, and therefore the ’68 arrived. The sons decided to disown their fathers and preferred to declare themselves the flower children and to make love instead of war; it seemed that the pollen of the flower children could also take root in the east, and in fact there was a very early spring in 1968 in Prague, Czechoslovakia . Soon, however, the spring flowers of Bohemia were crushed by steel and in the east everything started again, just as before. In the West, however, change and social conflict crept deep into the 70s and  the world will never be the same again.

In Italy the winds of change of ’68 soon became an hurricane that threatened to overwhelm everything: the red terrorism of the Brigate Rosse, the black terrorism of the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari, the introduction of divorce in 1974, the feminists who take to the streets screaming “The vagina is mine and I decide how to run it “, the wealthy intelligentsia preaching the Bolshevik revolution in Italy, but especially the inexorable growth of consent for the Communist party are scaring to death the Italian middle class that feels helpless in front of a society that they no longer understand.

The poster of the movie "Un borghese piccolo piccolo", by Rome City Apartments

In the great movie “Un borghese piccolo piccolo” ( “A small small bourgeois”), released in 1977, the desperation, this feeling of helplessness, but also the tiny middle-class mentality of these years are masterfully rendered by the actor. In the movie Sordi is a civil servant who, before retiring, wants to find a job for his son, as in Italy it was -and unfortunately still is- normal that it’s a parent duty to find a job for their children, even when they are over 20 . Obviously, again as per a typically Italian mentality, the job must be a state job and, it goes without saying, it’s not important how you get it as long as you get it; in short, the end justifies the means. So the hero does not hesitate to become a Mason for convenience only and in this way he is able to get secretly the content of the public competition in which his son must participate to achieve the long sought after job, guaranteed by the state. The examination is then prepared before, the son of the protagonist learns the task by heart and finally the big day arrives. In the morning everything takes place as usual: Mom makes breakfast and Italian coffee, the father makes sure that his beloved son remembers well by heart all the answers and finally they leave their Roman apartment to take the subway, not suspecting that their lives are coming to a point of no return.

Father and son are on the square, in front of the building where the competition will take place, but at this point faith walks onto the stage. In the nearby bank a robbery is in progress, two thugs come out shooting and a bullet accidentally hits the son, who falls dead. But desperation cannot revive the dead, and Alberto understands that in this case Freemasonry won’t be able to help, nor are there any compromises that might revive his son. If, however, it’s not possible to resuscitate his beloved son at least he can do something that will smoothen his pain. The police calls him a few days later to show him two persons that could be the murderers of his son. He saw their faces on this dog’s day, and therefore he recognizes them immediately. But when the cops ask him if he recognized them, he denies it: “No, I am sure it’s not them.” The two are then released and Alberto follows them. He just responds to his instinct, nothing is planned, but he decides to “kidnap” them. He manages to knock them, load them into his car and then takes them to his country house, where he keeps them tied. Meanwhile his wife, grief stricken for her son, has a stroke and is now paralyzed in bed, like a vegetable. In a touching scene Alberto speaks to her, recounts her everything, but she cannot understand, she cannot respond. Alone in front of his grief, he decides to take the law into his own hands and begins to torture to death the two thugs. It seems that this feeling of powerlessness of the bourgeoisie, who does not feel protected by the state, and decides to take the law into his own hands is common in that period, also across the ocean. The theme of the movie “Death Wish” (1974) with Charles Bronson is similar, although the tone is different, more exaggerated.

Alberto Sordi in the movie "As long as there is war there is hope", by Rome City Apartments

In Italy a part of the bourgeoisie is captured by the communist ideology; they are wealthy, they represent the typical enemy of the people to be sent to the gulag for the Bolsheviks behind the Iron Curtain, but they seem not to realize this and would like to see the communist party seizing the power also in Italy. The same “phenomenon” can be observed in France and they are called the “gauche caviar” (kind of “communists” with a caviar flavor). They consider themselves the custodians of morality and they feel entitled to judge negatively the capitalist society, even though they are the typical outcome of this society. So Alberto Sordi plays in “Finché c’è guerra c’è speranza” (As long as there is war there is hope, 1974)”, a film that highlights these contradictions. It’s the story of an arms merchant, who made his fortune selling arms to African countries in perpetual war with each other. He is a perfect businessman so selling arms or selling soap makes no difference for him. His family, wife and children, are spoiled and live in luxury and they do not care about the moral implications of the business of the protagonist. As long as Dad pays the expensive bills of all their whims, everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. But the unexpected is just around the corner: a journalist who investigated him dedicates to Alberto and his business the front page article on the main Italian newspaper calling him a “merchant of death”, a vile person.

The scene of his return home, immediately after the article has been published, is memorable: Alberto is put on trial by his son and by his daughter, by his wife, by all his relatives. They say they are shocked, ashamed of having a father like that, but they are mostly concerned about what other “right-thinking” people (the gauche caviar), will think and say about them. Finally the hero, after undergoing this process in silence, calmly tells them: “Well, if you wish, tomorrow I’ll change my job, I will start again to sell agricultural equipment as I did before, but bear in mind one thing: we will live a decent life but not certainly a luxurious life as we have until now. I leave the choice to you. I just got back from a trip, I’m tired and I’m going to bed. If you want me to continue to sell arms, and therefore continue with the kind of life you’re having now, wake me up in one hour, as I have an important business meeting already fixed . However, if you want me to start again selling agricultural equipment and you’re willing to change your lifestyle, then wake me up tomorrow morning, as there is no hurry.” Then he goes to sleep and he is awakened by the maid, nobody else is at home. Having deeply slept he doesn’t realize what time it is, then he looks at the alarm clock and he sees that only an hour has passed since he went to sleep. And so, everything starts again as before.

We are now entering the 80ies, the plastic years. The middle class reacts and elects a couple of representatives who will crush the bones of the trade unions and, aided by a Polish pope, to the communist ideology, the empire of evil. The restoration is coming, to the delight of conservatives, as we shall see in the latter part of the saga of Alberto Sordi, profession: actor.

Alberto Sordi and Claudia Cardinale

If in antiquity the world ended with the Pillars of Hercules, in the 50ies the border of the world is the Iron Curtain. Everything is simple, so to speak: on one side the good ones, on the other side the bad ones. Obviously, on which side are the good ones and on which are the bad ones is just a matter of points of view. The raise of Communism, despite the death of Stalin, seems unstoppable and soon Cuba will become a thorn in the heart of the United States. The Reds have already figured out that we’re living in a small planet, so the Sputnik is rocketed into the space. Despite western propaganda pictures the Bolsheviks as ready to turn into Dr. Strangelove, Sting, with the power of poetry, will ask us years later “Do the Russians love their children too?”. Despite this, those were times of optimism and economic growth in the Western world, and the fundamental values ​​of the middle-class families were not yet questioned. Certainly, the raise of Elvis the Pelvis brings a fresh and non-conventional sensuality in the air . Those were years when, due to the emergence of a strong and extensive middle class, modern democracy lived its best years. However the duo Mc Carthy – Hoover begins to sow a poison on the slippery ground of the individual rights: according to this poisonous concept, in some “emergency” cases, a democratic state may suspend the respect of the democratic rights that he had established. The problem, as we shall see later, is to ask who and when and for how long – and in what circumstances-may determine exceptions, that may not remain exceptions once disregarded, whatever the reason.

In Italy the economic growth is preparing to explode in a spectacular fashion at the end of the 50ies, in which the records of the Italian GDP growth matches those of China in the third millennium. But perhaps it would be better to speak of two Italys: the South remains underdeveloped and a land of emigration, while northern Italy transforms the whole country in a real industrial power.

The Parioli apartment by Rome City Apartments

Alberto Sordi greatly interprets the spirit of the times in the movie “Il Marito” (The Husband) in 1957. Here he plays a businessman and, more specifically, a real estate entrepreneur, who is facing problems in his professional and private life. The Italian economic “miracle” is on stage, but as with all realities, even the most scintillating, there’s always a downside. The main character, in fact, is on the verge of bankruptcy and so Alberto, despite being married to Elena, is flirting with a rich and old widow, who, to support him financially, asks him to accept an intimate and unprofessional “business Travel”. On the other hand, Elena, from sweet girlfriend has turned into a domineering wife, who wants to impose to him to live with her mother and sister. The protagonist, though crushed by family and economic problems, is smart, just as many Italians, and therefore he accepts the proposal for this “business travel” with the wealthy widow. However his wife, thanks to an unerring feminine intuition, understands the situation and simulates an attack of appendicitis on the eve of the departure of her husband, for which she is transported to the hospital, forcing Alberto to cancel his “business” plans. The rich widow then suspends the funding and the company of  Alberto goes bankrupt. But every cloud has a silver lining and the protagonist, in a country that offered many opportunities, changes job, and becomes an ice creams salesman; his new job brings some peace to his marriage and, at the same time, allows him to woo all the women he meets just as a real Latin lover.

A typically Italian feature consists in a country that has an entrepreneurial class that has done and is still able to achieve “miracles”, but a public authority which, at all levels, makes of its arrogance, inefficiency and dishonesty a hallmark. In several movies of those years Alberto Sordi highlights the rotten soul of our public authorities. In “L’arte di arrangiarsi” (1955) he interprets a typical Italian politician, which we have not yet managed to get rid of: corrupt, transformist, opportunistic. In “Il Vigile” (The Policeman), a masterpiece of 1960, is the typical civil servant, representing power the Italian way: strong with the weak, weak with the strong.

In “Il Vedovo” (The widow) of 1959, another real chef d’oeuvre, Alberto, coupled with the excellent Franca Valeri, is a cynical man without qualities, aspiring entrepreneur, married with a rich and capable, but cold as ice, Elvira. Dazzled by the success of many Italian entrepreneurs, he ventures into various businesses, which invariably prove to be financial disasters. For a while, his rich wife pays his debts, but at some point, with icy determination, she refuses to get him out of trouble. Debt-ridden, and hounded by creditors, and mocked by Elvira who contemptuously calls him “cretinetti” (idiot), he decides to kill his wife to inherit her fortune. But the inability of Alberto is total, and hence the various attempts to kill his wife prove to be failures, like everything in the life of the protagonist, and finally, supreme twist of fate, he will end being the victim of his conspiracies, falling into the void of an elevator shaft that had been tampered appropriately to simulate an accident.

But Italy also has “ordinary” heroes, “ordinary” people that in everyday life do not accept compromises, even if it is not convenient for their

Alberto Sordi and Franca Valeri in the movie "The widow" by Rome City Apartments

careers. Italy’s problem is that these virtuous behaviors are almost always individual, never “collective”, as they should be to ensure the proper functioning of society. Alberto Sordi, for once, plays a positive character: the Deputy Police Commissioner Dante Lombardozzi in the movie “Il Commissario”, 1962 (The Commissioner), who must investigate the death, apparently by accident, of a famous politician and university professor. But his investigations are unwelcome by his superiors and by the victim’s family. But the deputy commissioner is able to discover that in fact it is a murder committed by a prostitute who spent the whole night with the politician before he died. More: the murder was committed with the complicity of other persons, including the brother of the victim, and the person who appears as the culprit of the car crash is actually innocent. When his superiors ask him to cover up the investigations and to prosecute the innocent, the protagonist decides to resign from the police, as he does not accept to compromise his principles.

The poste of the movie "The husband" by Rome City Apartments

Great artists know that the truth always has two faces and is never one-dimensional. So Alberto Sordi tells the bitter reality of those emigrating from Italy in search of fortune and, specifically in this case, going to Australia. Beside the beauty of Claudia Cardinale he plays “Bello, Onesto, Emigrato in Australia sposerebbe Compaesana Illibata” (Handsome, Honest, emigrated to Australia would marry Virgin –Italian- Lady). The film was realized in 1971, but the phenomenon of emigration from the poorer areas of Italy is typical of these years. The other face of emigration, the dramatic situation of an emigrant returning home to Italy just to clash with the Kafkaesque Italian reality is “Detenuto in attesa di giudizio” (An inmate awaiting trial), also realized in 1971. In both films the interpretation of Sordi is masterful. In the former he plays a simple minded Italian immigrated in Australia; he has to deal with epilepsy, but he is honest and hard-worker; he lives in a lilliputian Australian village in the middle of nowhere and he is looking for a wife, an Italian wife of course; and, above all, she must be a virgin, as this “value” is still what makes the difference between good girls and whores. So he puts an ad in an Italian newspaper -the title of the movie- in which he admittedly looks for a candid woman, willing to come to Australia to marry him. It goes without saying, a prostitute in search of a better life, Claudia Cardinale in the movie, responds to the ad, attracted to the photo of the man that put the AD. Is this Alberto? No, it’s his friend’s portrait, as he knew that, being not so attractive, it would have been more effective to show a handsome man to attract good looking women; still, he hopes that unveiling at the appropriate time won’t compromise the marriage. Once in Australia, Claudia Cardinale firmly refuses to marry him and she is desperate as she has been tricked to come to the other side of the world. By chance she meets his handsome friend and she is ready to  marry him and to start a new life; but one cannot escape from his own destiny: in fact she soon finds out that he is a pimp and that he only wants to make money out of her. But she will refuse to resume her “Italian life” and will agree to marry the good hearted Albert who, on his side, will accept a beautiful wife, even though she was a prostitute.

In “An inmate awaiting trial”  Sordi is an Italian land surveyor emigrated to Sweden, coming back to his country for holidays, driving a nice Volvo with his wife and two children. But at the border, without knowing the reason – just as Joseph K. in “The Trial” – he is arrested. The analogy with the Kafkaesque story stops here, because Alberto starts a realistic ordeal, in realistic Italian prisons, facing realistic judges and public officials, who are more concerned about their business then about the devastating consequences of their superficial behavior on peoples’ lives. Transported from one prison to another, in contact with a reality that he had never known, the protagonist loses his mental health before being released because, in fact, everything turned out to be just a “mistake”. But the consequences on his mental health will remain and, as it always happens in Italy, the civil servants that were responsible for this “mistake” won’t pay the consequences, and won’t even be aware that they have destroyed the life of a good person.
We are now in the 60′s, the nuclear threat will held the entire world in suspense, and the contagion of the “red” virus will challenge dramatically the values ​​of the Western bourgeoisie. And Alberto Sordi will brilliantly represent those dramatic changes in his own, unique way. Soon on this blog.

Copywright 2012 Rome City Apartments ©

Alberto Sordi in the movie "An American in Roma", by Rome City Apartments

Rarely, if ever, an actor can be so strongly identified with a city, so one can say: Alberto Sordi is Rome and Rome is Alberto Sordi. Alberto Sordi is the Roman par excellence, and perhaps more: he represents the “average” Italian, the Italian character in all its aspects, in all its facets, both positives and negatives but, allegedly, for the sake of the comedy, in the scripts of his films a greater emphasis was put on depicting the defects of the Italian character. In over 150 films spanning 61 years of Italian history, from 1937, the year in which he appeared for the first time on the big screen with a small part in the costume drama “Scipio Africanus“, to 1998, when he turned his latest film, “Incontri proibiti“, Italy has been radically transformed, often going through dramatic changes. In 1937 already blew the winds of war in Europe, but Fascist Italy seemed relatively sheltered, Mussolini was carrying on an imperialist policy for the first time in modern Italian history and the consequences will be dire. In 1998 we are at the eve of the third millennium, Italy has already experienced periods of powerful economic growth as well as economic downturns, the habits and customs are radically changed, we have already entered the era of the Internet and, soon, another dramatic event will ensure that nothing more will be as before.

You cannot say that you’re a real Roman if you are not born in Trastevere and Alberto Sordi, in fact, was born in an apartment in the heart of Trastevere, Via San Cosimato, under the sign of Gemini, June 15, 1920, by Pietro Sordi, musician and by Maria Righetti, teacher. He had therefore already in the DNA art and culture, which then he will use in a sublime way in front of the camera. But we are not now interested on retracing his biography, but rather to see how, through his most significant films, he has represented on the scenes the Italian character and all the changes Italy has gone through in these 60 years.

THE POST-WAR YEARS. After playing Risk on the shores of the Black Sea, USA and USSR, top players in the New World Order, face off in a new fight made ​​of low blows. Britain feels as a third wheel and the Suez crisis in 1956 will establish, once and for all, the loss of its main actor role on the World stage. In France, de Gaulle speaks of Grandeur, but as it often happens with Latins, the words do not match the facts. In the British protectorate of Palestine the State of Israel is created. In Italy lots of folks are traveling by: nazi criminals escaping to South America, often aided by the Vatican,  as well as Eastern European Jews heading to Palestine. The Japanese pride has committed harakiri but, only one among the defeated countries, it maintains its supreme head. China is bent on itself and 1949 greets the arrival of Mao to power.

At the end of the 40ies, Italy is still licking its wounds left by war, divided by a civil war that has never been officially recognized, the Marshall Plan has not yet produced its effects on the economy, the king is freezed out by the Italians, the soul of the country split into two colors: red (communists) and white (Catholics), women are classified into two categories: whores or saints, men are initiated to sex in the brothels supervised by the state, and Italians, to escape the miseries of the daily life, are daydreaming by reading the photo romance kiss & darling magazines (the ancestor of the soap operas).

Alberto Sordi -White Sheik and Vanda in the movie, by Rome City Apartments

Two young guns of the new Italian cinema, Federico Fellini and Alberto Sordi, meet and “TheWhite Sheik” (1951), a merciless portrait of a poor and moralist Italy, comes as a result. A pair of newlyweds, Ivan and Vanda, are on their honeymoon in Rome, where they have rented an apartment, and where they have also organized a group visit to the pope, to bless their union. But Vanda, a naive small-town girl, has more in mind: she wants to take advantage of this trip to Rome to meet The White Sheik (Alberto Sordi), the protagonist of her favorite kiss and darling magazine: “The White Sheik” in fact. Therefore she sneaks off her Roman apartment to find her hero on the beach of Fregene (click here),near Rome. The actor, though married, is immediately attracted to this fresh and naïve and adoring girl. For him, a star of the showbiz, it’s easy to tease Vanda, dazzling with a thousand promises aimed at just one goal, the thing that men want from women when it’s not a matter of romance. So Vanda participates as an odalisque in the filming of an episode of the soap-opera. She can’t believe that her favorite star is flirting with her. She can’t believe she’s acting in a soap opera. He wildest dreams are coming true, but soon reality will show its face: behind the façade of the “glamorous” White Sheik hides a mean man, uncouth, vulgar, clearly interested in only one thing, and ready to do anything to get it. Deeply disappointed, Vanda attempts a clumsy suicide, which fortunately will not be successful. But her husband is desperate, terrified of being

Alberto Sordi devouring mama's spaghetti in the movie "An American in Rome"

abandoned by his wife, but above all he is desperate because he does not know what to say to his relatives who want to meet his wife. In Italy, in the early 50′s, there was no divorce and, in such a traditionalist culture, being abandoned by his wife, additionally on a honeymoon, would have resulted in an indelible social disgrace. But in the end everything turns out for the best: the disappointed ambitions of Vanda are covered-up and the couple is finally blessed by the pope. The double face of the hero, a devious and vulgar soul, is rendered perfectly by Alberto Sordi.

Back then the American “liberation” army was staying permanently in Italy . They had liberated Italy from the Nazis and brought back freedom and, in addition, they had brought a “revolution” in the Italian habits, I would say many “revolutions”: the chewing-gum, until then unknown in Italy, the baseball caps, filter cigarettes, notably Camels, Coke, and, above all, the blue jeans! The Yankee way of life conquers Italy and Alberto Sordi plays “An American in Rome” (Movie 1954), a fake Kansas City native speaking a maccaroni English, who dreams of going to live in the States; to obtain an entry visa he is willing to do anything, so he climbs up on the Coliseum and he is threatening to jump off if the permission to live in the States is not granted. Jeans and Camel are American, but the soul of the character is Italian, I would say Roman. The synthesis of the character is perfectly rendered by the lyrics of Renato Carosone ” Tu vuò fa l’americano.” (click here to listen to the song):

“tu vuoi vivere alla moda                       “You want to be trendy

ma se bevi whisky and soda                 but if you sip whisky and soda

poi te senti disturbà                               then you feel ill

Tu abballe ‘o roccorol                            You dance rock ‘n roll

tu giochi al basebal ‘                               you play baseball

ma ‘e solde pe’ Camel                             but the money to buy the Camel

chi te li dà? …                                           where do you get it from?

La borsetta di mammà!”                        The handbag of your mom!”

Nando Moriconi, Sordi’s character in the film is precisely this: he imitates the Americans, but remains deeply Italian in character. Like many

Another scene from "The white Sheik"

Italians of the time he is drawn from the American way of life, without really knowing what it means. A must see (click here) is the scene where, in the kitchen of his mother’s apartment, after trying to eat milk and mustard, “as the Americans do” he believes, he is disgusted and starts devouring mama’s spaghetti, because “la mamma è sempre la mamma” and every Italian knows that the spaghetti cooked by Mamma are the best in the world.

The posts-war years end with the economic boom, the “Italian miracle”, that will change Italy forever, Phoenix rising from its own ashes, and Alberto Sordi will recount those changes in his own way, as we will see soon on this blog.

The beach of Fregene by Rome City Apartments

It’s no doubt that spring and summer are the best times to visit Rome. In addition to the many attractions offered by the Eternal City  -and that everyone knows- starting from the Colosseum to St. Peter’s, from Piazza Navona to the Spanish Steps, etc., you will have the opportunity to make trips in and around the city. We already have suggested some in this blog such as Ostia Antica. But there are many others and in this article I want to propose a day trip on the northern coast of Rome, visiting Cerveteri and Fregene. It is worth noting that this trip is ideal for families with children, because they will have the opportunity to freely enjoy the beautiful beach of Fregene and the magnificent Etruscan countryside around Cerveteri. We recommend renting a car to enjoy this day of freedom, since the area has not decent transport connections. From the center of Rome go west through the Vatican, then take the Aurelia and enter the GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare), take the GRA direction Fiumicino and the join the Rome-Civitavecchia motorway. After a few kilometers you will find the exit for Fregene.

The area of  Cerveteri and Fregene was formerly inhabited by the Etruscans, ancient people of mysterious origins, rival of the Romans for many years and finally defeated and absorbed by the dominant Roman culture. Fregene is a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches and with many bathing establishments offering umbrellas, deckchairs and often even swimming pools. With no doubt one of the best beaches around Rome and in any case much better than the beach of Ostia, which is a little closer to the city but is much more crowded and has also a smaller beach due to the continued erosion from tides. This is a place to breathe clean air and to  meet actors and actresses, starlets and celebrities. So you will find many paparazzi lurking around the various facilities on the beach, armed with their long focus lenses, waiting to “capture” the VIP of the moment that embraces his new mistress. Obviously this is a role playing since the VIPs come here because they know that there are paparazzi waiting for them and they know that they need to appear every now and then in some kind of tabloid to keep on being adored by the average housewife . We can therefore say that the beach of Fregene, besides being beautiful, is appropriate for the VIPs watching. We advise you to stop here for lunch, because some establishments have very good fish restaurants. In particular we recommend the establishment Mastino, by far the one preferred by VIPs, which offers excellent seafood dishes at reasonable prices – do not miss the plate of mixed fried fish.

Palazzo Ruspoli in Cerveteri by Rome City Apartments

After having tanned in the warm sun of Fregene – do not forget the sunscreen – having observed the VIPs and having eaten fresh fish it’s time to go back into the car and go for some “Cultural” sightseeing, following the paths of the Etruscans. Just take the Rome-Civitavecchia motorway and exit for Cerveteri. Cerveteri is an ancient city that dates back to the ninth century BC. The ancient fortress, surrounded by massive medieval walls, is magnificent. In particular you should not miss the enchanting central square, called Piazza Santa Maria, where stands the Palazzo Ruspoli – which derives its name from an ancient Roman noble family – recently listed in the World Heritage Foundation by UNESCO. The palace was built in 1533 by the Orsini family -another noble Roman family- on the remains of medieval walls and the original windows and doorway are typical of the sixteenth century; the porch and the loggia, instead, are dating back to the seventeenth century. The church of Santa Maria Maggiore also overlooks the square. It dates back one thousand years, although it is difficult to determine with certainty the date of construction. No doubt it was extensively restored in 1492. But the real attraction of the area are the vestige of the Etruscan civilization. You can start by paying a visit to the Etruscan museum of Cerveteri. It is also located in the old town, inside the Ruspoli castle, and offers to visitors many relics of the mysterious Etruscan civilization, a civilization that had in the cult of the dead one of the most interesting elements of its culture. In the museum there are particularly interesting painted plates of the temple of Hera to be seen,  in addition to the beautiful statue of Charon – mythological figure who ferried those who had just died in the realm of the dead – found in the necropolis of St. Angelo.

The necropolis la Banditiccia in Cerveteri by Rome City Apartments

To continue your visit following the footsteps of the Etruscans, we recommend the necropolis of Banditaccia, also declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It stretches for 400 hectares and, as the name suggests, was dedicated by the Etruscans to the “rest” of the dead, as, according to their religion, they were convinced that the dead were in need of their own homes, their city, as well as the objects they had used in life, given their “materialistic” conception of the realm of the dead. The particular thing to note is that although the Etruscans felt that the dead were in need of material objects in the afterlife, the dead bodies were cremated, instead, and the ashes placed in urns, often magnificently decorated. The necropolis is very interesting because it will give you an idea of ​​how the Etruscans lived since the necropolis (city of the dead) should be the exact copy of the city of the living, including the smallest details. The tomb that has been maintained in better condition is the one where the Matunas family is buried (Tomb of the Reliefs) dating from the fourth century BC and where you can still admire the frescoes that decorate it.
There are other necropolis in the area, as the “Sorbo”, the “Monte Abatone” and the “Greppe of Monte Sant’Angelo”. But probably the visit of the “Banditaccia” will be sufficient in this day of relaxation. To close the day you would prefer a nice walk in the nature. From the necropolis of Banditaccia you can head towards the area called “the Vignali”. The trail continues in a gorge where lush vegetation grows spontaneously and,  skirting the town of “Montelungo”, finally reaches “Ferriere”. There you will see the beautiful waterfalls of the Fosso della Mola,  and you can still see the remains of a building located in an ancient Etruscan site.  The many beautiful waterfalls are the attraction of this area, the most striking of which is hitting vigorously a nice natural pool.

Well, after this day of relaxation by the sea and on the paths of the mysterious Etruscan civilization, it is now time to go back to your holiday apartment in the center of Rome, between Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona. Happily tanned – or sunburned if you have forgotten you sunscreen – you’ll have a story to recount once you’ll be back home.

Anita Ekberg in the 50ies by Rome City Apartments

Via Vittorio Veneto winds majestically  upwards from Piazza Barberini and is flanked by imposing, century old magnolia trees, laid  upon colourful, tastily arranged flowers beds,  whose leaved branches provide the much needed shade for explorers  in the hot summer months. The street takes its name from the victory of Italia over the Austrian-Hungarian empire in 1918, which took place in the city of Vittorio Veneto, in Treviso, in the north of Italy, and marked the end of the war. It’s famous, above all, for its association with the world renowned, Italian film director, Fellini, who immortalized this street in the hearts of the Italians and the world with his film, The Sweet Life ( La Dolce Vita) , in 1960, featuring  the incredibly beautiful  Swedish actress Anita Ekberg and the Italian actor, Marcello Mastroianni, who, by the way,  is one of few actors to have ever twice received an award as best actor in Cannes. In short, this street has always been frequented by  celebrities and the high life, thus you’ll find gracious, elegant bars whose inviting canopies  litter the sidewalks, the staff in waist-coats and  uniforms,  calmly attending their next VIP. One of my dear friends, Michael, always stays here in a rental when he comes to Rome because of the memories it inspires.

His enthusiasm has caught on to me too, as every time I stroll up this street I  begin daydreaming of Hollywood,  times past and the golden era of Italian cinema with actresses like Sofia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale etc. One must remember that the Roman Film studio of Cinecittà rivalled as a location with Hollywood during the 60’s and it is associated with many epic, academy award winning productions like “Ben Hur”, starring  Charlton Heston, and “Cleopatra”, which remains,  even today, the most costly film ever made.  Its leading roles were played by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and their furious love life became an integral part of of La Dolce Vita paparazzi culture and via Veneto was the centre of it all.

Anita Ekeberg nowadays by Rome City Apartments

Some Italians think that via Veneto has  lost some of the charm of days gone by. I don’ t think that’s true at all. There was a sort of fall in grace in the 80’s , but now this street, and the surrounding area, is once again a choice for international visitors to Rome, from foreign dignitaries, to actors and  even sultans. You’ll find some of the fanciest Hotels in Rome,  in and around via Veneto. The rented apartments here offer striking logistical benefits, too,  as within walking distance one can find the famed Piazza de Spagna, Trevi Fountain and Villa Borghese,  which is an enormous monumental garden park, stunning in itself, and home to many important museums, noble villas and international schools, like the French Academy in Rome and The British School at Rome.  This street is also home to the American Embassy in Italy.

The Café de Paris is very famous among Italians and visitors for its relationship with the world of entertainment and  you’ll find an entire collection of really stunning photos of all these “greats” decorating the interiors.  So, if you’re in to photography,  then you’re having your cappuccino in the right place.  The pleasant Staff are extremely welcoming and as you sip your coffee or champagne, you too will find yourself experiencing that 50’s_ 60’s feeling.

The Benhur apartment in the heart of Trastevere by Rome City Apartments

No roman holiday is quite complete without a visit to the Capuchin Church of the Immaculate conception, just at the end of Via Vittorio Veneto, close to Piazza Barbarini. The walls of the crypt below are decorated with the bones of friars and poor people which have been arranged to form elaborate and  truly artistic designs. I know it’s not the place you might want to bring your girlfriend on a first date, but its profoundly macabre yet poetic atmosphere is decidedly and incisively moving.  The crypt is a splendid, breath-taking testimonial to the fact that, even in death, art portrays its magic and beauty. A “must” for any Tim Burton fan.

Within two minutes walking distance you’ll find Palazzo Barberini. It was commissioned in 1624 by Pope Urban VIII, born Maffeo Barberini, a renowned patron of the arts. Since 1949,  almost  half of Rome’s National Gallery paintings have been on exhibition here and the collection encompasses works from the 13^th to the 17^th century. (The other half can be found in Palazzo Corsini in the famous riverside area of Rome called Trastevere.) In addition many of the ceilings have been decorated with splendid baroque style  frescoes  by a master painter of the period, Pietro da Cortona.

There is absolutely no getting away from it: be it in a  hotel or a rented apartment, you’ve made an excellent choice in Via Vittoria Veneto. You’ve got culture, art and nostalgia.  The numerous boutiques, cafés, wine-bars and restaurants, in or around via Veneto, are among the best on offer. In short, you can relish in the fact you have stayed in, and walked on, what is probably ……… the most famous street in Rome.

2012 Copywright by Rome City Apartments

"Renatino" and Sabrina Minardi in the TV serie.

This is a story of angels and demons, but it’s not a fiction by Dan Brown. It’s reality. However, we would have preferred it to be just a fiction with a gangster, a bishop, a politician and a teen-age girl as main characters, so to speak. A fiction where those that were supposed to play as angels preferred to act as demons and the demons remained demons. In short: it was hell, with still no redemption on earth, just for the pure one, teen Emanuela Orlandi that disappeared the 22^nd of June 1983, when she was going back home from her music class, around 7.30 pm, in the mild temperature of a Roman early summer evening. Yesterday Mr Uòlter Veltroni, former mayor of Rome for nearly 8 years and runner up at the Italian political elections of 2008 Vs. Mr. Berlusconi, added a new chapter to the criminal saga of the Banda delle Magliana, by officially asking to the Interior Ministry in charge, Mrs Anna Maria Cancellieri, how comes that a gangster, “Renatino” de Pedis, is entombed in the papal crypt of the Roman basilica of Sant’Apollinare, without the necessary permission of the same Ministry. The entombment was made in 1990, more than 20 years ago.

Just to clarify what we’re going to recount: nor Mr. Veltroni, nor Mrs. Cancellieri are directly involved in this story and back then they had no political charges or responsibilities.

The beautiful basilica of Sant'Apollinare, close to Piazza Navona by Rome City Apartments

The plot starts with 2 different stories that, all of a sudden, tangled up. The first one is the story of the Banda della Magliana, the scariest and most powerful criminal gang in the recent history of Rome, that we have already partially recounted in this blog (click here). This gang had its hands over Rome and was tied with influential persons of the political and ecclesiastical milieu. It reached the peak of its power during the 80ies and came to an end, at least as a gang, with the death of above mentioned boss “Renatino” de Pedis, who was shot dead on Via del Pellegrino, close to Campo dè Fiori, the 2^nd of February 1990 around noon by a killer nicknamed “er cinghiale” – the wild boar in English. Soon after his death his body migrated from the cemetery of Rome, “Il Verano”, to the papal crypt of the beautiful Basilica of Sant’Apollinare, a few steps from Piazza Navona. The body of a dead gangster migrated from a cemetery to a church but we’re not in a horror movie nor was this accomplished by the holy spirit. The permission was granted by Cardinal Ugo Poletti, Cardinale Vicario of Rome at that time, in a way the n.2 of the ecclesiastical hierarchy within the city of Rome, just after the Pope himself. Generally, the solution of a mystery in mediocre murder stories resides either in monies either in sentiments. In this case it was a matter of monies as Mr Pietro Vergari, Rector of the Sant’Apollinare Basilica, candidly admitted in a letter: “This is to certify that Mr. Enrico (Renatino was his nickname) De Pedis, born in Rome, Trastevere, on 15/05/1954  and died  on 2/2/1990, was a great benefactor of the poor who come to the church and actually helped so many good initiatives that were sponsored in recent times, both religious and social.  He gave special contributions to help young people, giving particular attention to their Christian and human education.”

This is the official version.  And it is already enough worrying: the top hierarchy of the Vatican grants to a gangster the privilege of being entombed in a basilica, which by the means of the Canonic laws should be reserved only to Popes, Cardinals and Bishops, because the same lost soul has given some cash which was used to help the poor. As ancient Romans used to say: “Pecunia non olet” (Money has no odor). For sure Mr. Poletti and Mr. Vergari –and others- didn’t mind the odor of blood of this money.

But besides the official version there is more, and we’ll come back to this later. It’s now time to start the second story, the one of Emanuela Orlandi, who disappeared in central Rome when she was only 15 years old. She was a citizen of the Vatican State –there are no more than 800 in total- daughter of an employee of the same state. At first her family thought she had disappeared without constraints, by her own will as sometimes teen-agers that want to draw attention to them do, just to reappear a few days later. But things changed when her family received a call from a guy that named himself “Luigi” saying that he met her on Campo dè Fiori and gave some details that only a person that really stayed in touch with Emanuela could know: he said that, despite being short sighted, she didn’t want to wear glasses as she felt ashamed. A this point the police was informed, and the search for Emanuela started all over Rome, all over Italy, and even abroad. Posters with the face of the “missing girl” were stuck on every Roman wall. Witnesses confirmed that she had been seen entering into a big, green BMW just after 7.30 pm. The car was driven by a man of approximately 35 years old; his identikit picture was drawn by the police. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of calls were received from people saying that they had seen Emanuela, but none of them proved to be true. Other calls from people saying they had kidnapped Emanuela were also received: to be mentioned 16 calls from a person speaking Italian with an Anglo-Saxon accent, others from a person with a middle eastern accent that connected the disappearance of the girl with Ali Agca, the Turkish killer, member of the “Grey Wolfs” group, that shoot Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981. But finally none of those possible solutions of her disappearance proved to be true.

This story was mentioned in the top headlines of the Italian media for many years, but finally it went into a limbo after a game of one step forward and 2 steps back of the investigations, that went on for too long.  It is only in 1997 that the information of the Gangster being entombed in a papal crypt became public, as a journalist of an Italian newspaper discovered it and wrote an article about it.  And it is only in 2006 that the sad story of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi came across the unbelievable story of the “redemption” of a gangster’s lost soul granted by some top representatives of the Vatican state.

The basilica of Sant'Apollinare once upon a time by Rome City Apartments

Sabrina Minardi, the femme fatale married to the famous football player of Rome’s second football team Lazio (first one is A. S. Roma) Bruno Giordano, was at that time the lover of the dandy gangster “Renatino”. He would go nuts for her. She would happily be spending the tons of cash he gave her. We’re speaking about the tons of cash that remained in his deep pockets after he fed the poor, of course, blessed by Mr. Ugo Poletti, nonetheless. In an interview given in 2006, a Sabrina Minardi devastated by the time passing by upon her vicious life, recounts that “Renatino” had personally killed Emanuela Orlandi after having kidnapped her in accordance with Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the American boss of the IOR at that time, the Vatican bank. She said that by the Janiculum Hill in Rome she personally assisted to the scene of Emanuela coming out from the big, green BMW of “Renatino” and entering a big, black Mercedes with a number plate of the Vatican State and with a man inside that “looked like a priest”. The BMW corresponded to the one that was seen by some witnesses close to Piazza Navona the evening that Emanuela disappeared. And the witnesses –among them a policeman- had seen Emanuela entering onto this car back then. The car was finally found in August 2008 and it was owned by Mr. Flavio Carboni, a scaring “entrepreneur” involved in many mysterious histories of the 80ies, the strange death of Roberto Calvi who was found hanged under the Black Friar’s bridge in London among them, and then was transferred to a member of the Banda della Magliana. This confirmed that the declarations of Sabrina could be true. It is worth mentioning that the identikit picture made by the police at the time of Emanuela’s disappearance came very close to the face of Renatino, who was already a fugitive at the time, but eventually nobody could notice this similarity back then.

In the interview she also said that Emanuela was kept as a prisoner in a Roman villa with an immense basement that would get to the Roman Hospital San Camillo. Also this declaration proved to be true in august 2008. The reason for the kidnapping, she said, was that Archbishop Marcinkus and “Renatino” wanted somehow to “blackmail” someone “above them”. In the interview she also added things that proved to be false. The publication of the interview prompted immediate protests from the Vatican, which, in the words of Father Federico Lombardi, a representative of the Vatican press office, said that in addition to the “lack of humanity and respect” for the Orlandi family, which brighten their pain, the outrageous allegations to Archbishop Marcinkus, long dead and unable to defend himself, were unacceptable.  Just to complete the whole picture it is worth mentioning that Archbishop Marcinkus, born in Cicero Illinois, was heavily involved into the bankruptcy of the Banco Ambrosiano run by Roberto Calvi, and that for this reason he stepped aside as head of Vatican bank, which had to pay over 145 million Pounds in a settlement with creditors.  It is also worth mentioning that the Vatican was very prompt to protest against the allegations made by Sabrina Minardi but never found himself ready to clarify why the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Ugo Poletti, immediately granted the permission to entomb a gangster into a basilica of the Vatican State and why the Vatican state easily accepted loads of money from De Pedis. Last but not least: Emanuela Orlandi was attending music classes in a school on Piazza Sant’Apollinare, just in front of the Basilica. Just a coincidence?

The investigations are still carried on but there is little chance that after such a long time they will come to an end that will clarify, once and for all, those mysteries. In July 2011 Antonio Mancini, a former member of the Magliana’s gang, said in an interview that it is true that Emanuela Orlandi was kidnapped because the Gang wanted to obtain the restitution of the millions of $$$$$ they had invested into the IOR Vatican bank through the Banco Ambrosiano.

To this never ending saga, as seen at the beginning, Mr Uolter Veltroni, added a new chapter. He said that in fact the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare is not recognized as a part of the Vatican territory and therefore to move a body from a cemetery being part of the City of Rome a special permission from the Interior Ministry of Italy of that time was necessary. Being proven that the migration of this body was not done by the immense power of the Holy Spirit, he therefore officially asked why this body was moved without the permission being granted. Mrs Cancellieri responded that in fact the permission from the Interior Ministry was never released, but a permission from the Municipality of Rome, with Mr Franco Carraro being the Mayor at that time, was granted, instead.

Now, to conclude, we ask a few questions that, we already know, will never be responded. To the attention of Mr Veltroni: why, if you’re so concerned with this permission, you never raised the question when you were in charge as the Mayor of Rome?  Why, when you were the Mayor of Rome, you never investigated the permission granted by your predecessor in the same institution you were running?

© Rome City Apartments – Copywright 2012