Ana Raspini is a traveler, besides being an English teacher, and a writer.

Minha foto
Brasileira, professora de Inglês, escritora, mas acima de tudo, viajante.
Lyrical Travel Journal

A personal, slightly lyrical, point of view on the places I have been to.

quinta-feira, 2 de julho de 2015

ROME

Italians are famous for their exaggeration, and Rome is the culmination of most of it.

Rome is an overdose of cars on the streets, of honking, of traffic swearing.

Rome is an overdose of handsome men. They are vain and impeccably well-dressed, and have neatly combed hair, much more so than their girlfriends or wives. Please, dear reader, notice that not all exaggeration is bad.

Rome is an overdose of smokers, and people wearing formal suits at the height of a 40-degree-Celsius spring.

Rome is an overdose of ruins, as countless as they are ancient; they are so banal that many of them don’t receive any kind of care, not even a protection fence. It is an overdose of History, of thousands of years, of mentions to a civilization that originated mine, and yours…

Rome is an overdose of faith, of churches, of crucifixes, of rules to enter those churches. You can’t wear shorts, or show cleavage.

Rome is an overdose of good food. A real overdose, given that the usual is to have 3 courses, and they are all plentiful. It is an overdose of flavors, of complex dishes, the ones that take hours to be prepared and need ability and attention. Observe, once again, that not all exaggeration is bad.

Rome is an overdose of red wine, consumed in room temperature, even if the temperature of the room is 40 degrees Celsius during that lunch, on a weekday.

Rome is an overdose of crowded buses, which do not arrive on time. It is an overdose of tourists.

Rome is an overdose of waiters and clerks who are arrogant, who do not like tourists. It is an overdose of people that do not speak English to the poor tourist who cannot understand Italian. It is an overdose of police officers and security guards who give the wrong direction… On purpose?

Rome is an overdose of good and bad things, even because it’s not fun to be dull or middle ground. Dull and bland are synonyms of bad food, and an Italian would never accept bad food.

Rome is an overdose, just like this text. Blame it on my last name.

...

For the Portuguese version, go to Diario Lirico de Viagem

The Colosseum

Castel Sant'Angelo 
Baths of Caracalla

Via Appia Antica

Pantheon

Inside Pantheon

Piazza Navona

Saint Peter Square

Nenhum comentário:

Postar um comentário