ROMAMOR - In love with my city

Hi there!

Here I am to talk about my city: ROME!

Did you know that if you read its name backwards, from the end to the beginning it has another meaning? ROMA - AMOR ("amore" in Italian means "love") so it's a name wich has love in it!

In Italian this kind of words are called "palindromi" (palindromes in English) and they are words readable backward and forward.

I was born in Rome and I've been living here all my life. When you are born here, you feel a big love for your city but sometimes you hate it. Rome is big, beautiful, it has a lot of story and art, the weather is wonderful, the sea is not far away so if you live here you have everything you need.

On the other hand, in Rome there is a lot of traffic (sometimes it takes you 1 hour to go to work!), public transports are not so good, there are a lot of demostrations throughout the year because in Rome it is located both the Government and the Vatican City so the citizens often have to put up with several inconveniences. But this is what happens almost in every big city.

 

I don't want to talk about tourist itineraries you could do in Rome: everyone knows The Colosseum, St. Peter's Cathedral, the Roman Forum but I want to talk about my favourite spots in Rome, where I left a piece of my heart.

 

The Jasmine Promenade (La passeggiata del Gelsomino)

If you go to St. Peter's Station there is a path wich has been built where once was a binary. A section of the St. Peter's railway connected this station with the Vatican City (it was called The Vatican railway) but as it wasn't used any more, it was replaced by this beautiful path.

If you are in Rome on spring and you go there for a walk you can smell the Jasmine and you can also delight a beautiful view on the St. Peter's dome and the city. At the end of the path you'll arrive to the Vatican walls "Mura Leonine" and from there you can reach St. Peter's Square by foot.

I discovered this path thanks to my father: some years ago we had a long walk together here and I'll never forget it.





St. Peter's view from the Promenade

 

 

 

 

To find the promenade you have to go to St. Peter's Station in Via della Stazione di San Pietro (a cross street of Via di Porta Cavalleggeri)  and enter the station as if you would take the train. Then turn right and walk along rail 1. After a few meters you'll find the path in front of you.

Here the map to find Via della Stazione di San Pietro.

 





St. Peter's from the keyhole (San Pietro dal buco della serratura)

If you go to Giardino degli Aranci you can't miss this wonderful place. It is situated on the top of the Aventino hill, soon after the Garden. You'll find a big front gate which belongs to the "Priorato" of Malta's Knights and from the keyhole of this gate you can spot  St. Peter's Dome. You'll probably find many tourist queueing there because everyone who knows this place wants to look through the keyhole. The view is simply beautiful and it's unique considering that you are looking through a hole!



St. Peter from the keyhole photo by Andrea Conti

Via Niccolò Piccolomini - The Street with the perspective (La Strada con la prospettiva)
You'll find this Street near Villa Pamphili and Via Aurelia Antica. Yet again, it's the St. Peter's Dome view the protagonist of this place.
The peculiarity of this street is the optical illusion you have due to the position of the buildings and the viewpoint. From here you can enjoy a view of the Dome (Er Cupolone as Romans call it) as you have never seen it before!
If you walk down this street the more you approach the Dome the more it looks little, the more you get away from the Dome, the more it looks bigger!
My father showed me all of these places and for this reason they are so dear to me.
You'll find the map to find Via Niccolò Piccolomini here 



Via Niccolò Piccolomini - photo found on internet

The Roman Dialect

Even if the Roman dialect could be vulgar for someone, I find it very funny. We usually shorten words (for example "magnà" instead of "mangiare" - in English to eat - "annà" instead of "andare" - in English to go - "dì" instead of "dire" - in English to say ) and we often use the "j" letter in written words (for example "daje" wich means "come on!"). We also take away consonants from some words (eg. "bira" instead of "birra" - beer in English, "buro" instead of "burro" - butter in English ).
Following you'll find some words and common sayings you'll easily hear if you come to Rome.

fare un giro di peppe = to take the longer way instead of the shorter one to go somewhere (it is implicit the meaning of "wasting time").

oggi tira 'na gianna! = today it's very windy and cold

come te butta? = how are you?

datte 'na mossa = hurry up!

Dica! = interjection to call someone

annà in puzza = to get irritable

essere de coccio = to be stubborn

er mejo fico der bigonzo = the most beautiful man

me sta a da er pilotto = someone is bothering me

sbattere le brocche = to be cold

sta' in campana! = be careful!

vecchio com'er cucco = very old

dare 'na sola = to cheat someone

andare a fette = to go on foot

me vado a fa' 'na pennica = I'll take a nap

'na piotta = monetary unit of measure wich stands for 1 or 100 euro

piottare = to go very fast

steccare = to divide into two parts

morisse de pizzichi = to be very bored

chi magna da solo se strozza = someone invites you to divide what you're eating

nun avè né arte né parte = someone who isn't able to do anything

voja de lavorà sarteme addosso = it's a reproach for those people who are vey idle and don't like working.

At the end of this post I greet you all with a typical roman greeting: SE BECCAMO!!! :)

 

 

stairs which run along the Vatican Walls

Ferrovia Vaticana - photo by Wikipedia