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There is so much to see in Rome, what with the beautiful churches on every corner (875 churches to be exact!). Fountains are nestled in doorways and sit grandly in Piazzas, serving as an oasis for locals and tourists alike…
But some of the most interesting sights to behold are found by looking up.
Windows, framed in flowers, draped with lace curtains or beautifully painted shutters.
As the Romans go about their daily business in the cobblestone streets, you can always find someone hanging out these very windows, watching the world below.
Italians take life day by day, believing that conversation is a must in daily life. You will often find groups of men and women exchanging recipes and gossip.
It is a wonderful way to live, without rushing by but instead savoring time spent observing and sharing all of life’s little treasures.
- Contributed by Susan Di Bonaventura. Susan leads private culinary tours, teaches cooking classes, has published recipes and stories in “Live, Laugh, Cook”, and has owned and operated Private Affairs Catering, an off premise catering business near Phialdelphia, since 1984.
Susan, you’re so right! I am going to make a note of my own to look up more often.
PS and I also love looking at the many, often quite fabulous, roof-top terraces and gardens, particulary in the Centro Storico.
Great sentiment – I love looking up and seeing the windows, the flowerboxes, and the people you might not realize are looking out enjoying the world go by. And here in Bolzano/Bozen, some of the rooftops of those “fairytale” type spires on the apartment buildings, so it’s definitely worth remembering to look up!
Every time I travel I take a photo directly outside my hotel room window.
And every time I can find a beautiful photo to frame. I now have 9 photos hanging in my bedroom-(after all, the views are from my Italian ‘bedroom window’)– from my glorious trips to Italy! (And two from Paris, too).
Each photo reminds me where I was and how much I enjoyed that particular trip. I have photos of the view out my bathroom window in Venice, looking down the ‘main street’ in Assisi, the beautiful stucco walls and brown shutters of the building across the street from the hotel on my first trip to Rome and others.
I love my own tradition.
Susan said it beautifully. She knows that to enjoy Rome you have to not only look up but also beyond the guide books in order to find your personal experience with this fascinating city and its people.
Susan
You are so right! Just returned from 2 weeks in the Roma Lazio region with a crick in my neck from “looking up”. I’ve always admired how the Italians make even the smallest city spaces into a garden oasis.
I totally agree! Here in the US we could take a lesson from the slower pace. I can’t wait to get back to Rome in June for more cultural connection!
While living in Rome (and other cities in Italy) I’ve noticed that the frenetic street life ends one floor up, that no matter the conditions at street leval all is a sea of serenity once in the apartment. One uses the balcony as a theater seat to watch the interesting street life at a relaxed distance.
The doors and windows are some of the most wonderful things in Italy! No matter where I am I always look up!
I too always take a photo of the view outside my hotel window when I travel, both in the US and abroad. I have some great pictures, a beautiful mountain view in Sicily, a seaside view in Capri a busy city street view in Rome, and even a Neon lit strip in Las Vegas! I love them all.
This is oh so true! And, in from inside looking out, very often the window is the frame, and the view is the piece of art! But to look up… there is always something unexpected or beautiful awaiting!