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| Flowers in Sardinia |
In the Suburra, where I live (being the first Rione of
Rome)0, once upon a time Julius Caesar lived. Yes, the great general the dictator,
the man who changed everything in the Eternal City used to live in the middle
of the Rome of the people. Not in the Palatine (where August will later build
his palace), not in the Aventine (Remo’s hill, the hill of the birds, which is
nowadays one of the best places to live in Rome…). No: Caesar, being of a simple
equestrian family (not a senatorial one) lived in the Suburra, meaning Sub
(under) and Urbs (the City), a place where the crowds lived, where mishaps
happened and everyday life just lingered in dark corners…
I happened to guide some people in the Suburra, just a
few days and, oh, so many things to see that, living there, I had never, so to speak, noticed!The Suburra, the Rione
Monti, is home of the last Roman artisans, mostly carpenters and, on the 19th
of march, day of Saint Joseph, the ancient spirit of Catholicism rises and the
Rione is crossed by a procession of people devoted to the earthly father of
Christ. A little piece of tradition that starts its way through the Rione from
the Chuurch of San Lorenzo in Fonte, a church so small a cosy one would like to
live in it... A church that was nothing more than the house of the centurion who arrested Lorenzo
and then became converted and a Christian…After the mass, at eleven o’clock,
the snake of people following the holy statue of Joseph and the Child, twists
and twirls through the little streets of the ancient Rione. Something a visitor should not miss: today, like
yesterday and always.
Please contact me if you happen to come to Rome an would like a very special tour guide! Feel free to write to me t this address: mbennidv@gmail.com I will be happy to answer and very happy to make the best for your stay in Rome...
