Monday 30 November 2009

HelloWilson work for sale

Just a cheeky one to say that my work is now available to view, rate and buy on Society 6.


If you'd like to see it (and endorse/rate my work) go to:
HelloWilson on Society 6

More work will be arriving there soon.

Thanks!

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Of Keats and cats

This weekend we had a trip to one of our favourite places in Rome, the 'cimitero acattolica' otherwise known as the Protestant graveyard, home to the grave of Keats and Shelley amongst others. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and we had a little sit on the grass and played with (Rowena) / tried to avoid (me) the very friendly cats.


Keat's grave is a very modest affair, sporting a slightly downbeat epitaph:

This grave contains all that was mortal, of a YOUNG ENGLISH POET,
Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart,
at the Malicious Power of his Enemies,
Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone:

"Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water"


The cemetery also has a huge pyramid adjoining it, the late 1st century BC tomb of Gaius Cestius. A bit eccentric for a non-Egyptian but a striking way to be remembered.




Monday 23 November 2009

We love Bar Necci

Probably our favourite find in Rome so far is lovely Bar Necci in Pigneto. Almost every Sunday morning since we arrived we've made the quick trip by rattly old tram from San Lorenzo to Pigneto. Necci's cappuccinos are perfect and throughout the morning tray after tray of freshly baked pastries appear from the kitchen at the bargain price of 70cents.

Necci has been open since 1924 and was originally an ice cream parlour. It's major claim to fame is its appearance in Pier Paolo Pasolini's 1961 film Accattone. Now it settles for being a local institution.

After breakfast on certain Sundays you can take your sugar/caffeine rush for a trip around the flea market just around the corner.



EUR local?

While Rowena was here visiting we had a quick trip to the very strange and striking Roman suburb of Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR). The centre piece of EUR is the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana building - a masterclass in Fascist architecture and, despite its associations, quite beautiful. The area, now a little deserted and eery, was built as an Exhibition Centre by Mussolini and couldn't be a bigger contrast to the chaos of central Roman architecture and life.







Tuesday 17 November 2009

Oh Diana!

Here's something a little different now. We got around to actually getting the films from our lovely blue Diana camera processed today and look what we found! OK, so these aren't pictures of Rome but we think they're great. This is our narrowboat holiday from the summer, featuring Sally, Dave, Fraser and Micaela.





It's 1969 all over again.




More San Lorenzo based shots to follow, here and on HelloWilson

Sunday 15 November 2009

Firenze e la macchina

Italians, it would seem, are much more restrained than we are about Christmas. There are no lights anywhere here yet, no switching-on ceremonies, and no crowds crushing each other to watch X-factor runners-up (for those interested, in the Italian version she was called Giusy (!)). But we did hear our first Christmas song in the supermarket the other day and panettone have arrived in numbers on the shelves.
Anyway, I'm not supposed to be writing about Christmas (Rachel will tell me I ramble too much now...). I'm supposed to be writing about Florence, where we have been for the last two days. Florence felt very Christmasey - hence the connection. They had window displays there and lights ready to go. It was cold but clear and, mercifully, empty of tourists. So we got a cheap hotel and we ate, even if it was odd Tuscan food (stale bread as far the eye can see!).


We didn't go to the Uffizi this time, but even the scaffolding outside is a work of art. I'm sure Sig. Botticelli would approve:


We weren't the only ones who were cold. This little fellow was quite put-out and distinctly unimpressed by the old bridge:


And, just because:

Monday 9 November 2009

Who'd have thought...

...that one of the most exciting things about moving to Rome would be, wait for it, the broccoli. Seriously, it's ace. We're talking Romanesco Broccoli of course - that's Brassica oleracea for those of you with a veg patch (which is all of you!). It's like chameleon eyes and fractals and all those tricks. To be honest, it's actually a variety of cauliflower - that weird boring white stuff best covered in cheese - but it's green, and so broccoli in our eyes.
Anyway, we've been eating a lot of it...


And tonight, to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, we ate our broccoli with schnitzel, or 'Cotoletta alla Milanese' as they call it in these parts, since the Milanese are basically Germans/Austrians anyway.

Sunday 8 November 2009

Gas works/Art works

Old Giovanni Montemartini would never recognise it, his old electricity plant and gas works. Derelict until 1997, it's now the overflow for the Capitoline Museums and is stuffed full of statues. The old generator building has been restored but altered very little and provides a great background - dials, knobs and all - to gleaming white sculpture. It's a kind of Roman Tate Modern/Ancient.


Spot the Rachel (above).





When Ben met Mick...

A little one photo wonder for you, just because.

Termini magic

Most people hate Termini. Like most major train stations in big cities it can be a bit grim and at times seem full of crazy people (to be honest mostly it is full of crazy people). Add to this a bit of fascist architecture and you've got a recipe for disaster, no? Maybe, but from certain angles (away from its main doors) the hulk that is Termini Station can seem quite stunning.



These water-towers (a throw back from the days of steam engines) are right down at the San Lorenzo end of Termini.

Sunny San Lorenzo?

In a brief break in the bad weather this weekend we were out and about enjoying what sunshine there was to be had. I took my camera along to get a few pictures of our area. Bar Marani has become our regular coffee stop since we arrived, by virtue of the fact that, a) it's a block from the flat and b) they don't charge you three times the amount to sit outside with your coffee. Plus it turns bar later and you can sit out (providing it's not throwing it down) with a nice Peroni.



The outdoor space is all covered over by vines, and has a bit of a Greek feel to it - quite pretty really.

To continue on the pretty theme for a sec, San Lorenzo's lovely church:


The highly elaborate wiring system:


And (potentially the best thing about our flat) its amazing salmon pink lift:


Wish you were here?

Wednesday 4 November 2009

The Daily Scooter

Don't know what to do with your free papers? Stick them on your scooter, Pigneto-style...


It's a bit of a twist on the Financial Times taxis. We were going to get a Vespa but we would die, paper or no paper.

Monday 2 November 2009

Holy hairdo!

While our mums and dads were visiting we went to the Vatican Museums. They are the most overwhelmingly huge museums with more in them than you could really see in one day. For me it's the Roman sculpture galleries that are the most fascinating and not the Sistine Chapel.

While wandering in the sculpture galleries, camera in hand, I got a bit obsessed by the barnets some of these ancient women sported. Ben reliably informs me there are volumes of academic study dedicated to the subject but for those of you who don't have time to do the reading here are some of my favourites:

Style one: The 'Sausage-roll Suprise'

Style two: The 'Multi storey'

Style three: 'Because I'm worth it'

Style four: 'Are you looking at me?'

xx