Category Archives: Rome/Italy
Springtime in Rome
Springtime in Rome means that the Judas trees (albero di Giuda) are in bloom. Pink flower clusters adorn the streets making urban walks a delight. The legend is that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a tree of this species (Cercis … Continue reading
Above all, respect yourself.
Morning walks give me a chance to interrelate with my neighbourhood. And, as many urban walkers will agree, cars (and their drivers) are a nuisance. They make noise, pollute the air, and are arrogant in terms of space appropriation. Like … Continue reading
Villa Ada or Virginia Woolf?
entrance to Villa Ada on the Salaria Now, where the ancient city of Antemnae once stood, is the lush and large Roman park known as Villa Ada. In 1872, Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoia bought the land and, for a … Continue reading
A Desk with a View
Lucy Honeychurch, protagonist of E. M. Forester’s A Room with a View, arrives in Florence only to be disappointed by the view from her room at the Pensione Bertolini–an insignificant internal courtyard. The eccentric and generous Mr. Emerson offers to … Continue reading



