Last month I was lucky enough to film a monthly travel program that airs on CNN International regarding the city of Rome.  A bunch of locals were selected to participate, including Vino Roma, Irene de Vette, and the filmmakers of Italy Love It or Leave It.  I personally took the crew to the Villa Farnesina to explore some art history and then to my neighborhood of Pigneto, where we talked about street art with my friends Omino71 and Mr. Klevra, toured the art studio of Arturo, went dancing at Fanfulla, and lounged at Bar Necci.  You can watch part of the program starting tomorrow over on the CNNGo website and below I’m listing the times I was given for when it will air.  By the way, I don’t have CNN International, so if anyone has a way to record it, please do!  I would love to have a copy sent to me!  It was a fun experience and I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed filming.

SHOW TIMES
Wednesday, February 8 at 5.30am and 12.30pm

Saturday, February 11 at 12.30am and 2.30pm

Sunday, February 12 at 7.30am

***All times are ET (+6 for Italy) ***

Today I had the fortune of photographing (and helping color in) the second sidewalk chalk venture by Roman graphic designer Tommaso Guerra.  We set up camp in Piazza Vittorio with other friends and he set to work in writing out a phrase in beautifully selected fonts all in white chalk.  Think of it as the typographers answer to the classic madonnaro.  His last outing on the via del Corso was an original phrase “Love is among cyclists, hate is among drivers.”  This time he tackled the well known saying “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast.”  The fonts selected try to give form and movement to the words, which I think is quite successful.  Check back to his site shortly for the aerial photos of the full piece and meanwhile, enjoy the slideshow.

Ok, so laundry hanging out of the window is a little cliche, however I like the tighty whitey underwear and so couldn’t resist.  Plus the reflection in the window gave a nice warmth that I liked.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.  We’ve been fortunate enough to have amazing weather in Rome and I’ve been enjoying some time with my family.  I hope 2012 brings great things to everyone!

As my last shot of the year I have the Hotel Bernini Bristol, which is perched to one side of Piazza Barberini.  I have no idea what it’s like inside, but it’s always reminded me of the grand hotels from the 1950s or 1960s when service was a whole other thing.

To me this door in Pigneto is almost a collage of the cultures that live here.

I don’t know whether it was the break in the weather or inspiration from attending a launch party for Lomo’s new movie camera (which I hope to try out after the holidays), but I finally took one of those long walks through the city like I used to all the time.  It’s something I’ve always loved about doing this blog, going around and looking at new neighborhoods, discovering their nuances.  This particular walk took me from Pigneto through Villa Certosa, down to Quadraro and back up through Torpignattara.  Most of what I shot were details of rusted metalwork, old signs that look like they are from the 70s, and details of building architecture.  I love these areas because sections of them make me feel like I’ve stepped back in time to 1930s Rome.  With my headphones on and my camera out, I lose myself in the streets, blocking out the city noise and focusing on the details.  I’ll have a bunch of stuff to share, but my first image is from right in Pigneto.  The area is full of old falling down houses in need of repair and this particular wooden, boarded up building had a rusting bike in front of it that caught my eye for the warm brown colors that it evoked.

As an addendum, I did a little experiment in fashion photography last weekend with Jessica Harris over at Leopardess, check out my favorite image over on the Leopardessa tumblr (several others are on the Facebook page).  Would love to hear what you think!

A rare chance to get the front of a building without cars parked in front in Pigneto.