PART 1: ROME, OH GLORIOUS - UNBEAUTIFUL - ROME!

KEYWORDS: Rome, Italy, economy, 'la bella vita', tourism

SUMMARY: Travelling to new places offers up unique experiences. But in an ancient city like Rome, the traveller is inclined to experience what's considered most popular, whether that's a place or an event. Visiting the Colosseum and tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain are, for example, popular with tourists. During a recent visit, I set out to experience the city without any "must-see" list in hand. Even if I might miss Rome's infinitely beautiful Colosseo, I would move according to what moved me. Believing that all cities have more to offer than meets the eye, I wouldn't discount the value of the unbeautiful. Needless to say, Rome would facilitate a journey full of intellectual musings that would ultimately lead to an inner journey where, for a time, self recognized Self.

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

Rome is a beautiful city in a beautiful country. Tourists, pilgrims and locals alike will tell you so, and this in spite of the economic woes that many in Bella Italia face. (Unfortunately, according to some economists, there's little indication of things improving.) Travel guide books like Lonely Planet heap praise on Rome and urge tourists to spend time exploring its elegant avenues and piazzas, cultural venues, ruins, and nightlife - after all, they're not inclined to rue a country's economy! But even without prompting one wants to explore Rome. Maybe because history informs us that it's a wondrous place or it might be the excitement of knowing that in this city, the 'good' in good living still stands for something (see: aperitivo at Zanzara). So why would I set out to explore the unbeautiful as much as the beautiful on a recent trip to Rome?

Tiburtina Bus Station, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

This article isn't an endorsement of Rome, rather it's an exploration of how I - a tourist - negotiated this almost mythical place/space/terrain upon and within which the notion of 'la bella vita' (the good life) plays out. And, furthermore, how I, amidst all the praise-worthy beauty, sought out the mundane, even the woeful, that's just as Roman as St. Peter's, the Pantheon or Villa Borghese - at least that's the premise I put forth here. "Rome, oh glorious, unbeautiful Rome, reveal yourself," I pleaded inwardly as my bus pulled into Tiburtina station. 

In this penultimate tourist attraction, everyone expects you to go marvel at the Colosseum, toss coins into the Fontana di Trevi, and linger on the Spanish Steps. It's as if, upon her arrival, the traveller is handed a set itinerary from which she'd be foolish to deviate. Rome is hers to discover, if … I would resist. A lone traveller in as sensuous a city as Rome usually wishes for the unexpected. I was no different. But what's more, the city - its moving parts, which we take for granted - not the myth or popularized image - is what appealed to me. Rather than an itinerary, I would follow my curiosity: to meet the people and observe the circumstances that keep the Eternal City of Rome moving. 

Crossing streets, turning corners, stepping on to metro cars, walking through parks, climbing hills, sitting on benches, entering shops, browsing outdoor markets, ascending stairs, descending stairs, crossing bridges, stopping... In Rome, I moved in all kinds of ways. I also stopped - often - to behold the sight before me. Below are some of the 'moving parts' I stopped to photograph. 

1.

Waste Collection Point, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

2.

US-based Patagonia Sporting Boutique, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

3.

Pope John Paul II, Termini Station, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

4.

Musician in Metro Car, Rome, Italy (May 2015)

Now just memories populated by unwitting subjects; yet, they're my own memories that reflect a highly personal itinerary. And therein lies the power of the journey: if we invite the questions about how we're choosing to move, we start to realize that our experience of a wondrous -- or not-so-wondrous -- place is never a foregone conclusion. We can choose to turn left and not right, go down rather than up, and so on.

Of course, seeing accompanies moving. So in re-viewing the photographs above, I was prompted to ask myself why my mind (or brain), through its many filters, settled on these particular scenes. Briefly, all four photos connect to a core theme that preoccupies me: human in/justice. From economic migration and religious freedom to the social responsibilities of business and addressing waste and over-consumption, these are the 'unbeautiful' layers that make for a compelling social story. 

UPCOMING!
PART 2: 
ROME, OH GLORIOUS - UNBEAUTIFUL - ROME!