Sunday, September 23, 2012

50 shades of .....Rome colours...!


Emerald green  for Piazza della Rotonda fountain, in front of the Pantheon

Pastel colours for the roofs in this narrow street near Via del Governo Vecchio

The magic of light through this multicolor round stained glass window in Santa Maria sopra Minerva, representing Mary and all the Saints around her

Warm red votive candles in Trinità dei Monti Church

Traditional red and blue horse drawn carriages 

Light orange light when looking through the entrance to a courtyard

Ocra and orange of the buildings in Via Margutta



Gnocchetti alla Sorrentina with red tomato, white mozzarella and parmigiano, and green basil leaves....and a glass of fresh white wine!! Sounds like the italian flag colours...! By the way...this is the roman restaurant called "La Rampa" in Piazza Mignanelli....My aunt Elizabeth, american,  she comes all the way from New York to Rome every year, in autumn, just to wish me happy birthday inviting me out for lunch at La Rampa!! It has become a sort of tradition....!


Colourful spices and pasta seasonings at Campo dei Fiori market, every day


Blue...of a beautiful autumn sky


A little bit of everything!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

People

Homeless guy reading his newspaper right in front of Fori Imperiali...what a luxury!


Fori Imperiali, a sunny day of May


The Tupa Ruja duo is formed by Martina Lupi and Fabio Gagliardi, and brings on an unique musical style, which blends Mediterranean flavored melodies composed and sung by Martina Lupi with the ethnic atmospheres produced by Fabio Gagliardi, who plays many instruments from all over, and notably the didjeridoo, an instrument born from Aboriginal Australian culture. It was very nice to meet them and talk for a while, also filming them performing!


Young student sitting on the floor in front of Spanish Steps


Time for a snack


Best ice-cream you can get...at Gelateria del Teatro, in via di San Simone, close to Piazza Navona. Besides traditional flavours they have very special ones such as fig & almond ,basil and lemon, limone di Amalfi sorbet, lemon and sage, waterlemon, lemon and peach....and rice, cinnamon and ginger and.....more and more!!!! There are only a few tables outside, but you can sit along the steps you see in this picture! Enjoy....!


Preparing for the market


I bought a very nice "John Lennon" leather hat here, you can see some samples here! Very nice people these two guys!


Old fashioned band


A roman Romeo checking if his Juliet is at home!


 Nice old lady with pink hat, taking a rest on  the Spanish Steps


Piazza di Spagna is always crowded....


These colourful little oriental umbrellas are usually sold all around the streets of Rome to protect from the sun 


Porta Portese market


The daily market of Campo dei Fiori


One of the oldest sellers in the market


This nice guy at Porta Portese sunday market sold me one of these Tibetan bowls.....Fantastic!!! Tibetan SingingBowls are struck with a padded mallet or rubbed around the rim with a playing mallet to produce a fascinating blend of harmonic resonances and rich overtones.


 Inside Trinità dei Monti Church


I used to climb these steps every morning rushing to school, Trinità dei Monti (the church is part of it)


Dear friends Anne and Bill and myself, at Antico Caffé Greco, an historic landmark café which opened in 1760 



Via dei Fori Imperiali...some street musicians choose this area to perform


Maybe Giovanni Allevi, the famous italian pianist?


This is me, with a young couple from Russia. I met them on the plane coming back from Barcelona, and we decided to meet in town and have lunch together near Piazza Navona, at Chiostro del Bramante


Just resting for a while after a long walk among the ruins of Mercati Traianei


Giovanni....he can read verses in your eyes....then he writes them down on a little yellow paper for you! You can usually find him at Piazza Navona at Christmas time!


Zucchero filato....!!!!


Friends! The Shire band....they play beautiful irish music!


"two lost souls in a fishing bowl..."  Pink Floyd say in Wish you were here....


Chestnuts, so good! The tradition of roasting chestnuts dates back to the 16th century in Rome, where streetvendors sold them to passersby....Chestnut sellers usually get their chestnuts from the northern town of  Viterbo (just outside Rome)



 Selling lavender, just outside my favourite book/music store in Piazza Argentina


I took a picture of this man as he reminded me of my father....He had passed away a few weeks earlier and  one day I was walking along Via Margutta and this man was just sitting there, outside a door, just doing nothing, just thinking.....


Lunch with a view...So good to have a "caprese" and a glass of fresh white wine sitting in the sun....This is right on top of Spanish steps. 


"A room with a view"


Homeless man taking a nap


Suor Angela and Rome


Parade of alpine troops veterans


Taxi driver/trumpet player waiting for customers in an extremely hot day of august 2012


At Piazza Navona


Myself, on the same extremely hot day of august 2012, resting at the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in piazza Navona!