ROME THROUGH YOUR EYES
written by Sergio Caggìa with James Mallia  for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

What does Rome look like through your eyes? I'm fashinated by this ancient city which has survived to the present day, unlike her less fortunate sisters, Carthage and Troy. How did Rome come to survived? Probably thanks to its Popes and their power. This may sound strange when you think how many ancient wonders of Rome were destroyed to obtain building materials for papal constructions, for example, the Palazzo della Cancelleria and St.Peter's itself. However, once the Popes used a site for religious or strategic purposes, at least they protected it, as in the case of the Pantheon and Hadrian's Mausoleum (Castel Sant'Angelo).   This accounts for the sad fate of Augustus'Mausoleum, located in Piazza Augusto Imperatore: only the skeleton of the original construction remains today. In the Middle Ages, the centre of the Roman Empire was reduced to the size of a village. The area that can actually be considered "Eternal", and wich served as a haven for the small population of medieval Rome, stretches from the Theatre of Marcellus to the Chiesa Nuova and from the Tiber to Corso Vittorio. Much of the acqueduct which served Rome had been destroyed, but this part of the city could still obtain water.    In other areas, the lack of drinking water was a cause of sickness and death. Just like a vine which wraps itself around an abandoned house, the population of medieval Rome often found shelter in the various niches of the huge construction that had been Imperial Rome. The Colosseum itself became a sort of independent village and shops were installed under the arches of the Theatre of Marcellus. On their return to Rome, the Popes assured its transformation and rebirth at the dawn of a new age. Barocco and Roman art are now indissolubly linked in a tangle of holy and profane. I've often tried closing my eyes in front of a monument and then opening them suddenly, in an attempt to immagine seeing the site for the first time in my life. It's so difficult for me to understand and to feel what somebody new to Rome feels when seeing these splendours for the first time. This is the reason why I have decided to set up an exhibition: to let you communicate your vision of Rome to native Romans. The idea is to collect your photos and pictures and put them together to form a show. I'll be happy to organise this exhibition for January. I hope you like the idea and will take part in this event! Let's see what ROME THROUGH YOUR EYES is like.