Autumn Roman holidays

It is best to come to Italy in the summer. Scorching sun, sea, beaches, palm trees and so on. It is not bad to visit romantic Rome in the spring. Trees bloom, palm trees again, the sun.
But I suggest not to follow the lead of common tourist stereotypes, and to visit Rome in autumn! Believe me, you will receive incomparable pleasure! While in the middle of Russia has long been slush, rain, wet snow and the first frosts, in the Eternal City reigns soft warmth. The gentle sun warms the air to quite summer temperatures in our understanding, the summer flow of tourists subsided, the evergreen trees in the parks are unchanged, the ancient history in the form of monuments is also in place. So if you have a couple of free days, welcome to Rome!
I invite you to take a walk through the November Roman streets, bypassing the usual tourist routes. We will try to look into the secluded corners of the historical center, wander through the narrow streets, look at Rome from a slightly different angle.

Rome is not only pompous and world famous. He's very different. Controversial. Here mixed styles, times, customs and norms. Ancient Roman columns quite everyday serve as walls for modern office buildings.

Exported from the African colonies, Egyptian rarities to this day easily rise next to the Vatican or the Parliament of the Republic.
Narrow semi-dark streets that remember the Middle Ages can suddenly open a magnificent Italian courtyard, and can also suddenly lead to the huge square of Navona. Yes, it really is one of the most pompous squares of the city. Once there were races on chariots – Roman quadrigas. That is why the area of such an unusual shape is a rather long rectangle. What a former racetrack!

Those who wish can now ride with the breeze around Rome on a wagon with an elegant horse. The price of this walk is... But let's not be sad.
Slowly flanning along the Roman alleys, peer into the little things, do not miss the special subtleties that make up the Roman spirit.

Here's a chestnut street vendor. He roasts them on a roast, like his compatriots hundreds of years ago.
But, half a container of meters above the pavement, on the wall there is a plate with a mark where the water from the Tiber reached during the new water in 1870.
On the walls of narrow streets in general I advise to look more closely.

On one of the tablets, placed here in 1789, it is strictly prescribed not to throw garbage out on the street. Those who do not obey this order of a certain “monsignor” face a terrible punishment.
And what are the names of streets and alleys that have survived both 200 and 300 years? Judge for yourself:

Pig Lane


Bear Street, Old Retail Street

Pavlina Street, Masla Street

And under the sign "Alley of Balls" you can always see one or two Italians giggling at the not quite decent name. Well, it’s as if somewhere in Moscow or St. Petersburg you saw a sign with the honorary name “Yaits Street”.

Don’t be misled by the somewhat shabby view of most of the houses in Rome’s historic center. This is not due to sloppiness or lack of funds. Thus, the Romans strive to preserve the unique appearance of the ancient city, its semitone, a special face that attracts millions of tourists from all over the world annually. I once asked an Italian why the city authorities wouldn’t make up a little frankly crappy buildings. He replied, “But then Rome would cease to be Rome.”

Tired and want to eat? Just look around. Closer to lunch, right on the pavement along the walls, the tables of countless restaurants, pizzerias, tractors are covered. I advise you to look at some tavern not in the most famous tourist places, but in the one where the Romans themselves dine. As a rule, it is worth walking one hundred to fifty meters deep into some alley, as prices in the restaurant will fall almost twice. And the quality will not be better. Again, do not forget to pay attention to the names of the local “catering points”:

What is the name of the restaurant: “Secret”. Eat and dream. It is located, by the way, on Pasta Street (pasta, that is) since 1842!

The antique tractor “From Peter to the Pantheon” is located just halfway between St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Pantheon. Try to translate the name Boccondivino! It's like a "divine piece." It’s about the taste of the restaurant, of course.

You can't deny the Romans a sense of humor! What is worth only a menu displayed in the window of one restaurant! At the bottom, after listing all the dishes, it is modestly listed: "...and the best fish caught in the Trevi Fountain."
Only by walking around Rome, you can understand how unusual this city is. How whimsical it combines the incompatible, how time intertwines, how eras and epochs mix. There are communist and fascist symbols on the same street. Here, jewelry windows are decorated with colorful pumpkins, and the windows of the butcher shop look like jewelry stores. In this city from the ancient Roman fountains you can still drink water. And right in the middle of a typical Italian courtyard, a column from Ancient Persia can easily take root. This city can be studied in several dimensions – a special view overlooks the famous Roman terraces. And there are catacombs. Here you get lost in time among monuments and ruins: either Ancient Rome or the Middle Ages looks at you from a narrow alley. Or maybe the Renaissance period? Oh, we should at least read the textbook of ancient history! Here on the wall in the cafe "El Greco" you can see a sign with a portrait of Gogol. Yes, yes! Our Mikhail Vasilyevich! And read that it was here, at this table, the Russian classic wrote “Dead Souls”.
In the evening, the lights of Christmas illuminations will be lit on all streets. It's nothing that is almost a month before the holiday. What if you can’t go to Rome for Christmas? So why waste this opportunity, watch and enjoy it in advance!
Rome can be seen, studied, breathed in forever. It is called the Eternal City.

Natalia Zgodko