Big Noses in Paradise

Believe me: paradise, in Rome, is everywhere; but one has to have sharp eyes  or a guardian angel to find it in the midst of a crowd, all in one in the touristic spots where that paradise, which once was life and breath of that place too, is lost forever being a treasure for many, too many. Paradise has a narrow door, secluded, shy, a little door that leads to the silver river of pure life… Yes, one needs to have sharp eyes and ears and a keen mind to find the way out of the maze of the world, with all its noise and invitations, in the infinity of another hidden world, that promises the pleasures of the spiritual garden that is inside us and smiles at the one outside… So, I tell you, if you happen in Rome, do not follow (or not only…) the usual paths of the flock, but open your heart, your mind and soul to a different Rome, one made of paradise…

Paradise in Rome is where I’ll lead you today. Come with me to seek the joys of harmony in the hidden heart of Rome. And, as if in a magic spell, here we are in Villa Aldobrandini, a garden, pure green above the busy, grey, desertic Via Nazionale. In the grace of the shadows, under the trees that breathe together in eternity, stop and think why the Roman families (in this case the Aldobrandini) chose to live surrounded by nature and with a chatting fountain pouring its silver waters in the times to come… Water, the water of life: this is what the emperors gave to the Romans with their many baths, and the Popes with the great fountains (like the Trevi one) that are here and there and everywhere in the Eternal City. Ok, enough of Paradise now. I am walking back home and all of a sudden a group of tourists stop me to ask if they can drink the water of the little fountains that bloom in the City. “Of course”, I answered and did they laugh when I told them that we Roman call the little fountains “Nasoni” which means big noses...