L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 8 FRANCESCA BEZZONE N evermind how long you have lived in Rome, you'll always find some- thing new to dis- cover, or so do its lucky residents say. Of course, Rome is art, his- tory and good food. It's tradition and the very heart of Italian iden- tity. In so many ways, Rome embodies within its streets and alleys, monuments and buildings all the beauty and idiosyncrasies of Italy: it's not perfect, but there's nothing quite like her in the world and for this, we love her. Writing about Rome is at once simple and complex: simple, because there is so much to say, complex because somehow it's hard to find an angle to explore the city in a fresh, uncommon way. Rome is ancient architec- ture, churches and sanpietrini, sunny Novembers and balmy evenings spent in Borgo Pio hop- ping from a café to another. But Rome is also a place of avenues and streets, some of them embodying a world of its own, offering a unique insight into the city, at times far from the hustle and bustle of her Via Veneto or her Piazza San Pietro. Have you ever thought of the his- tory - and indeed the stories - hiding in the streets of the Eter- nal City? An inspiring subject, a different manner to look at a place that, once upon a time, ruled the world and whose cultur- al influence we still, often unknowingly, breath today, in every corner of the Western World. So, Rome is made of small, often mysterious worlds. Take Via Margutta, the street of artists and bohemian life. Of course you know it, because you must remember how beautiful it looked, in black and white, as a backdrop to Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck's iconic Vespa ride in Roman Holidays. As hard as it is to focus on anything that isn't Hepburn unequalled elegance and beauty, the narrow, old fash- ioned, seemingly quiet road of those scenes do leave a vivid impression: there's an aura of understated, old world elegance in it, mixed with that popular neighborhood vibe almost every corner of Rome manages to have. And above all, there is, ever pre- sent, ever powerful, the electrify- ing buzz of creativity at work, because Via Margutta has always been Rome's own Montmartre, the place where artists gathered and set their studios, were crafts- men had their ateliers, where ideas took beautiful shapes and colors. And just like Montmartre, Via Margutta has been home to Rome's artistic crowd for cen- turies: forget about the artsy jet- set, the artists and artisans of Via Margutta are the real thing. This was once home to Federico Felli- ni, a three block long corner of enchantment, cradled between Piazza di Spagna e Piazza del Popolo, just below that other timeless symbol of our capital, Villa Borghese and its parks and gardens. Today's Via Margutta, with its endless line of artists stu- dios and ateliers, is a time capsule that brings us back to the Renais- sance and leads us with a steady pace through centuries of crafts and artistic tradition so thick you can breath it in while you walk. A quaint image for sure, but Via Margutta started its existence fairly humbly, some 2000 years ago, very likely as an open sewer for the palaces and villas that once were nestled on the Pincian Hill. Some say that even its name "Margutta" is a sarcastic refer- ence to the area's unsavoury, humble past: "mar" and "gutta," a sea drop, Latin euphemism refer- ring to the gargling waters com- ing out of Ancient Rome's rich and famous' bathrooms. But who cares about it, today? Via Margutta remains entrenched in our memory as the painting-like background to Audrey Hepburn's eyes in those timeless frames of Roman Holidays. Similar, because immersed in a bohemian atmosphere, but pro- foundly different in many ways, is Via del Pigneto, the favorite spot of the capital's hip crowd, Rome's answer to London's Shoreditch. Just like its British cousin, the Pigneto area was once a poor neighborhood, considered dangerous after dark, but the area ended up blossoming into a wel- coming, fun, sleepless spot. I said Shoreditch, but Vanity Fair, a couple of years ago, compared the Pigneto neighborhood to a place many of you are certainly more familiar with: Brooklin. Located about 25 minutes by metro from the city centre, the area is home to the young, tat- tooed, freelancing children of Italy, many of them possibly still studying at nearby Università La Sapienza. As you would expect from an area with the above cre- dentials and a university nearby, Pigneto is filled with bars, restau- rants and cafés; nodding to the popular past of the area is famous restaurant Necci, established in 1924 and made famous by Pasoli- ni's 1961's movie Accattone. Needless to say, the director and poet certainly loved its grittiness and rustic allure, which remains unscathed today. One last precious stop, in this hopefully interesting Roman tour: Via di San Giovanni in Laterano. Well, of course, there is some- thing one cannot miss here, the basilica that gave the street its name, grandiose and beautiful, at one of its ends. Just opposite, almost hidden away, stands one of Rome's holiest places, the Scala Santa, thought to be the staircase Jesus climbed before his encounter with Pilate. At the other end of the street, balancing out Rome's Christian soul, stands the Colosseum, embodiment of the city's Imperial spirit. But Via di San Giovanni in Laterano's secret beauty lies underground, where archaeologists discovered 1700 years old vaulted rooms, with their frescoes still preserved. Deeper into the belly of the city, 2000 years old chambers still stand, belonging very likely to the times of the Flavian Imperial dynasty. And more awaits the history lover who dares to descent deeper into the heart of Rome without fear of darkness: the remains of an ancient pre- Christian altar dedicated to Mithras, a sun-god worshiped especially by soldiers. Layers of history, underneath history, in Via di San Giovanni in Laterano. If we only had the time and the space... how much more we could discover, learn and love about Rome: a millennial history, which continues and continues, mother to beauty, curiosities and secrets. Roman stories... by the street LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Via di San Giovanni in Laterano joins a symbol of Christianity, the basilica with the same name, and of Italian history, the Colosseum. But its real secrets are hidden underground Via Margutta, Rome's own Montmartre

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