Roma/Rome

I am Roman and I love my city, although it is stressful to live in Rome.
Turists flock to the Vatican or the Colosseo etc
The Rome I love most is the museum in open air, the Rome of Roman Palazzi, and Villa Borghese.
If you stroll in the trident (Babuino Corso Ripetta which start from piazza del Popolo) and get lost in the maze of ancient narrow streets of the center, the urban landscape you see is the same that was, say, in the eyes of Caravaggio about 4 centuries ago.
There are about 400 hundreds ancient palazzi in Rome, many of them are indeed royal palaces. Some can be visited. One example is Palazzo Colonna where the final scene of Vacanze Romane was filmed.
Then there is Villa Borghese and the Museo Borghese (very crowded must be booked). Many consider them the most beautiful urban park and musem in the world. Unfortunately Villa Borghese is not taken case of as it deserves by the City.
Sorry I can't post photos because my PC is broken. I hope to recover it pretty soon.
BTW I have seen many excellent images in this thread. Thank you so much and my compliments.
 
PaulDalex said:
I am Roman and I love my city, although it is stressful to live in Rome.
Turists flock to the Vatican or the Colosseo etc
The Rome I love most is the museum in open air, the Rome of Roman Palazzi, and Villa Borghese.
If you stroll in the trident (Babuino Corso Ripetta which start from piazza del Popolo) and get lost in the maze of ancient narrow streets of the center, the urban landscape you see is the same that was, say, in the eyes of Caravaggio about 4 centuries ago.
There are about 400 hundreds ancient palazzi in Rome, many of them are indeed royal palaces. Some can be visited. One example is Palazzo Colonna where the final scene of Vacanze Romane was filmed.
Then there is Villa Borghese and the Museo Borghese (very crowded must be booked). Many consider them the most beautiful urban park and musem in the world. Unfortunately Villa Borghese is not taken case of as it deserves by the City.
Sorry I can't post photos because my PC is broken. I hope to recover it pretty soon.
BTW I have seen many excellent images in this thread. Thank you so much and my compliments.
Click to expand...
My first visit to your city was in the mid 80s, and it was love at first sight. All in all I certainly spent 3 or 4 months in Rome, and it still is the city I like most of all. So many memories of happiness, of surprise and awe and fun!
My last stay was in the autumn of 2019, when I had rented an appartment near Campo Di Fiori for 2 weeks. That changed my mind, as I saw the damage overtourism did to the city and it´s inhabitants. I can imagine it is stressful for you Romans to plough through the masses of tourists to reach your working place or to simply go shopping for food.
And also, I myself was part of the deluge. The appartment I had rented had been bought by a younger couple with the clear purpose to make money. Like most of the other appartments in the residential block it was rented exclusively to tourists, who dominated the scene, In the little supermarket of the quarter English was the lingua franca. The few remaining Romans in the house were mostly elderly people who were glad in their loneliness to have a word with us tourists, with the Italian speaking tourists, that is, from time to time. So I could also see the social damage we tourists did, and do, to your city, and decided to stop contributing to that damage. It is aching in my heart, but I will not see Rome any more in my lifetime. Sometimes it´s just better to spare something one loves....
... Looking forward to seeing images made by an insider!

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Via Coronari/ incrocio Via Panico
 
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Hi Harry,
it is not just overturism, although for those living in the center is a big problem. Then there is criminality, wild traffic and wild parking. Nothing is confortable to do in Rome. Every place is crowded and services are very inefficient. If it rains no way to find a taxi and the city becomes a huge traffic jam. There are frequent strikes. And anyone who has reason to protest comes to Rome because it is the capital and manifesters paralize the city.
Of course polite tourist are welcome. It seems to me excessive to decide not to come back for the reason of overtourism. I suggest to avoid certain periods in the year, when tourism is at peak and there is too much crowd.
Anyway avoid 2025, because there is the Giubileo (unless of course you are interested).
 
PaulDalex said:
Hi Harry,
it is not just overturism, although for those living in the center is a big problem. Then there is criminality, wild traffic and wild parking. Nothing is confortable to do in Rome. Every place is crowded and services are very inefficient. If it rains no way to find a taxi and the city becomes a huge traffic jam. There are frequent strikes. And anyone who has reason to protest comes to Rome because it is the capital and manifesters paralize the city.
Of course polite tourist are welcome. It seems to me excessive to decide not to come back for the reason of overtourism. I suggest to avoid certain periods in the year, when tourism is at peak and there is too much crowd.
Anyway avoid 2025, because there is the Giubileo (unless of course you are interested).
Click to expand...
Paul,
thank you for the absolution!
Most of the topics you mention are not recognizable for a tourist like me, who just walked the city all day long, but certainly are most important for you permanent inhabitants.
I tend to excessive behaviour, and avoiding overtouristic places is part of that character trait. Amsterdam, the coolest city I know, is another place I don´t visit any more, for the same reason.
Human population is exploding on this small planet, and I think it is necessary for us, especially in the rich countries, to find a more modest lifestyle which does justice to our finite resources.
Just explaining, not trying to convince anybody, everybody must decide for himself.

Madya Diebate from Mali. He knew Ali Farka Touré.
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Via Giubbonari
 
Many superb photos in this thread. I think a visitor in a way has the advantage of looking to a new place with fresh eye while a local's creativity is somewhat inhibited by the familiarity of the environment.
I have instead chosen to post something historical and curious. It is Piazza Navona under the snow in 1965. Vito CLR. Possibly Kodachrome.
 

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