ROMA EVERY DAY

festa della mamma

2012-05-13T18:15:00.001+02:00

~ Today is mother's day in Italy ~

(thank you, my sweet child)

maggio

2012-05-06T19:12:00.003+02:00

Welcome springtime! Benvenuta primavera!
Rome at this time of year is spectacular, don't you think?
I've not been posting as often as I should, I know. It's that I'm always out with my DSLR, phone and point-and-shoot compact digital camera capturing the beauty of the Eternal City in this amazing light and perfumy air.

Go ahead and click below the photos if you'd like to purchase prints.
If you can't see the buttons below the photos, to place orders please visit the page where I sell my photos

sanpietrini

2012-04-01T20:40:00.001+02:00

This month's theme in the City Daily Photo Blog community is COBBLESTONES. Unfortunately the server is down but thanks to Eric of Paris Daily Photo, I was directed to Julie, who worked out a system: you can see more Theme Day participants HERE.

2012-03-17T10:03:00.000+01:00

primavera

2012-03-09T17:40:00.001+01:00

Yep, it's officially spring in Rome.

Mole Adriana

2012-03-05T23:18:00.002+01:00

I'm a little obsessed with this location. This particular curve in the Tiber river, the bridges that cross it, the nearby embrace provided by St Peter's colonnade, the statues, the castle.

Castel Sant'Angelo was not always a fortress, it was first and foremost a family tomb, Emperor Hadrian's. That's why this massive structure is also known as Mole Adriana.

The original Roman monument has since then been transformed in many different incarnations over the centuries: fortified outpost; Papal escape route; obscure prison; Renaissance dwelling, again penitentiary during the Risorgimento, down to the present modern day museum. The giant bronze angel on the summit of the vast circular viewing platform sheathes his sword to announce that the AD 590 Black Plague has been defeated.

Something about the ~~sun flare~~ divine light hitting the beggar in this second photo gives me chills.

piazza cavour

2012-02-14T18:37:00.002+01:00

Finally! The long awaited remodeling of Piazza Cavour was unveiled 3 weeks ago, and I for one was very happy about the new look. I'd had enough of the towering cranes and fenced off construction site, bus detours and loud noise surrounding the central Prati neighborhood square. Now Romans can finally admire the massive Palazzaccio again, salute the statue of Camillo Benso di Cavour, and enjoy the nice grassy areas between the gravel paths.

ponte #100

2012-02-12T09:57:00.000+01:00

Ponte Sant'Angelo ~ Roma

I'm posting one of my favorite bridges to celebrate «Louis'» 100th Sunday Bridge Series, in which our dear bovine friend portrays the many souls of the Golden Gate Bridge from his window. Every Sunday, «Louis» invites participants from all over to world to share the bridges of their cities.
To see more images, head over to San Francisco Bay Daily Photo ans show some photo-love.

neve

2012-02-09T10:48:00.000+01:00

Rome hadn't woken up to this in 27 years, but some say this year's flakes beat the 1985 snowfall. I certainly never remember Rome seeing anything like this before.
Here are a few images of my neighborhood and Villa Borghese, taken Saturday morning. I wish I could only portray the silence and the awe.

palazzetto dello sport

2012-01-31T01:07:00.001+01:00

This photo's more about the incredible sky we were blessed with a few days ago, than the actual "palazzetto" in silhouette.
Built in 1957 and finished in time for the 17th Olympic Games of 1960, this curious steel and concrete "spaceship" arena was used for several sports, mostly basketball.

USA – Italy match held at Palazzetto dello Sport in 1960

The Palazzetto dello Sport was designed by engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, who is also responsible for the Sala Nervi in the Vatican.

foto con il telefono

2012-01-20T00:46:00.000+01:00

You've probably been wondering where I've disappeared to. Sorry. It's just that I've been playing around with my new camera phone and enjoying a fun app called Instagram that allows you to shoot medium format photos from your iPhone, add filters and effects, and then share them on the web in matter of seconds. Here are a few test shots. Which do you prefer, viewing-wise, the bigger or the medium size?

foto dell'anno 2011

2012-01-01T13:20:00.000+01:00

Buon Anno! Happy New Year!
I chose this photo as my 'Picture of the Year' because it captures the feeling and heat of Rome in my rather desolate neighborhood during summer. The air is still, while the child (my son) is in full motion.
This photo was also published on the online newspaper la Repubblica as part of a "Summer in the City" series.

Other contenders for best of the year were:
Specchio
Crepuscolo
Dolce far niente
Ponte Milvio
Signore che pranzano
Termini
Roma: epoche e stili

City Daily Photo has a theme day the first of every month. An impressive number of blogs participate in theme day. Click here to check out those that do.

cicerone_1

2011-12-26T19:08:00.002+01:00

My family is in town, visiting from the United States, and we are touring the city during the holidays. The weather is unusually warm and beautifully sunny, and it's wonderful for me to see my city through their eyes. Here is a first batch of photos taken during a fantastic tour of the Palatine Hill, Forum and Colosseum, organized by the always reliable Context Travel. I may be biased (I work for them as culinary docent, leading gourmet tours of the city) but the knowledge, breadth of information, passion and expertise shared by the scholars at Context is boundless. Our docent introduced and revealed aspects of the sites I was not familiar with. It was a truly spectacular experience visiting them with my loved ones.

luminara_2

2011-12-17T13:23:00.004+01:00

I'm a sucker for Christmas lights. For the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification, Rome put on quite a show with its Via del Corso mile-long flag. But the rest of the city is no less decked out.
Fendi always does the best Christmas decorations. This year the gold belt was added with sparkly melting icicles, and every 20 minutes or so, it snows! There are models in reindeer costume that take photos of kids with Santa and meake free buttons out of them. Posh Via Condotti is decorated with giant chandeliers, and for snowball fans, there's a huge one with a big tree inside it and blowing snow in the main entrance of the Galleria Alberto Sordi.
For more awesome images of Rom'e holiday look please head over at Moscerina's light show post.

vino

2011-12-13T01:37:00.001+01:00

More social lately, which is good. But the alcohol intake is concerning.
Last week I met friends for aperitivo at Vinaietto, and the next day I attended an offbeat wedding reception held in a warehouse of an ex-repair shop off Via Flaminia.
I need to detox and it's not even Christmas yet...

luminaria

2011-12-09T03:20:00.001+01:00

The new Christmas lights along Via del Corso were finally lit up today, I've been seeing workers hang the long strands all along the thoroughfare that stretches from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo for the past week.
On December 8th we celebrate the Immaculate Conception, and customarily take the following day off work if this happens near a weekend. We call this "il ponte," the bridge. This day also marks the beginning of the holiday season in Rome, and traditionally the time in which decorations go up.

fontana di trevi

2011-12-05T17:51:00.001+01:00

Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous in the world, also thanks to the famous nighttime scene of Fellini's Dolce Vita.

A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. An estimated €3,000 are thrown into the fountain each day...

pizzarium

2011-12-03T01:12:00.001+01:00

Steps away fromt the Cipro metro stop, near the Vatican, there's a little shop called Pizzarium, owned by an influential bread baker named Gabriele Bonci. Pizzarium stocks flours, freshly baked bread, beers and other selected products. The pizza is displayed in large rectangular trays, sold by the slice, and nothing like you've ever tasted.

That's because Bonci employs a long fermentation process, natural yeasts, high quality flour and love. It's always a good idea to snack on the pizza al taglio on the premises (no seating, so you hve to elbow your way to the front of the counter), and then buy a loaf of bread to bring home.

These shown here are just a few of the pizzas available, which are made express daily. But according to the time of day, ingredients available, and whim of the baker, you may find completely different choices than what's pictured above.

photo 1:
plain tomato base, topped with fresh mozzarella di bufala and basil leaves;
pizza bianca topped with smoked salmon, mozzarella di bufala and grilled radicchio tardivo;
plain tomato base, seasoned with hot chili olive oil, and parsley.

photo 2:
pizza bianca, sliced open and stuffed with smoked caciocavallo and ham;
pizza bianca, sliced open and stuffed with prized mortadella.

photo 3:
pizza bianca, topped with cherry tomatoes, stewed porcini mushrooms and parsley;
plain tomato base, topped with sautéed broccoli raab, fresh mozzarella di bufala, and grilled anchovies;
pizza bianca (made with a different flour), sliced open and stuffed with smoked caciocavallo, speck and arugula;
in the background, an open-faced crostino covered with crumbled sausages and melted cheese.

I bet you're hungry all of a sudden.

Pizzarium is located at Via della Meloria 43 – Open Monday to Saturday – Tel. +39 06 3974 5416

la notte

2011-11-30T00:17:00.001+01:00

Piazza Venezia and Piazza del Gesù at night.
First image participates in this month's Theme Day in the CityDailyPhoto community.

isola tiberina

2011-11-09T01:07:00.000+01:00

The light was amazing on the Tiber Island the other day.
Visit the link for more thumbnails of Sunday Bridges and Watery Wednesdays

pigneto_2

2011-10-22T23:56:00.002+02:00

Some time ago I posted images of this wonderful part of town, Pigneto. I like the gritty ambiance, the ethnic diversity and the general urban feel. In this series, the tram line on the Via Prenestina main boulevard, runs underneath the tangenziale raised beltway.

tevere

2011-10-15T08:40:00.001+02:00

The Tiber river in autumn.
When many thoughts crowd my head, chores pile up, and the days seem too short for the million things I need to take care of, I walk by the river and put everything back into perspective.
See how small my shadow is on the bridge?

More Weekend Reflections HERE.
More Sunday Bridges HERE.

fori imperiali

2011-10-11T22:27:00.000+02:00

It's one long stretch of cobblestones (and a few potholes) betwen the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia.
Whe I shot this, it was a "Domenica senza traffico" meaning that on this particular Sunday several central roadways were blocked off for pedestrian access only. Beautiful!

giallo

2011-10-05T22:21:00.003+02:00

It's forbidden to ride a vespa on the autostrada highway. Yet this fearless centaur does, and even succeeding in passing us. We were on our way down to Positano, driving through an area known for cameo carvings, volcanic lava tunnels, and lax traffic law enforcement.

mistero...

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000+02:00

What is this mysterious object? Anyone who's been to Rome has seen it virtually everywhere...
Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community, and the topic of this month is MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS. Please click on the link to see more mysterious objects from around the world!