The famous cities of the world in order, above all, and famous, that any person, regardless of whether he visited there or not, has its own image of the city, emerging as a mosaic pattern of memorable books and films on some passages of pieces Let the random and superficial, but each in his own vivid and unforgettable. To liven up this mosaic in memory, it is enough just to pronounce the city name mentally. Saying, for example, the word Rome, and … Well, of course, the Colosseum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain and other landmarks of the Eternal City, at least in its most general form, can you imagine. Especially if you book a flight to Rome already in your pocket …
And now I wander through its streets, and do not know what happened to me: I for some reason, contrary to expectation, boring guess is that I see right, left, straight ahead – everywhere, in absentia, the familiar sights. Probably interfere with your own parrot programmed perception of a great city. Rome, Rome, open up! – I remade in its own way an old fairy spell, she whispered it to herself and walked aimlessly, giving his homework on his return to read again, with new eyes all that I know of a book on Rome, and in the back I was blowing ice, gusty wind. In January, the Apennines, often blowing such winds. It was not very comfortable, but the wind dispersed the clouds, surrounded by the sky above the town the night before the morning sun shone, it seemed, in summer bright, but stood in the January low, and the contrast between light and shadow was sharp and crisp. Do you need Cheap hotels in Rome?
Sunlit pillars of the cathedral of San Giovanni in Laterano were almost white, but where they went through in the shadow – the coal-black. Inside, under the arches of one of the four cathedrals of Rome, swirling pearl gray shade. The cathedral was his own everyday life. Some shade is included, then left the booth, confessionals, whence came the barely audible murmur dimensional – it’s priests to forgive sins to all those who suffer – in all major European (except Russian) languages. And then I somehow quite clearly beginning to realize that a city like Rome, with the fly, with the mounts, on the run – still do not understand him – centuries, and you have all day – a tiny bit, but like a lot, If live it open, not prolonged life of the cornea through the eyes of … Then Rome, perhaps, will be opened. Therefore the most sensible – just wander through it and try to catch it in passing today’s mood, atmosphere, remember the smell of its air and the nuances of his stones, his otprobovat wine and cappuccino, and – if very lucky, and socialize with people.
Leaving the cathedral, getting the particle leisurely crowd, the current through the streets of the center. It has many faces and colorful and at times the illusion that you are – at some eternal feast, because somehow it inspired. The most noticeable in the crowd – the Japanese. Not because Asians – Chinese, especially from Hong Kong, and the Mongols in the crowd too much, but the Japanese – particularly, I would say, diligent, we can say exemplary tourists. Until only (where it is not forbidden, of course) try to touch – very gently, gently, to only the tips of his fingers, but always touching, as if they want to make sure that everything that they had previously seen on postcards – exist in reality. The Roman authorities do a lot to the city looked imposing and respectable, restoration, here and there is almost constantly, but when I saw how much fun and efficiently work in the woods young guys, I somehow felt that their good mood is explained not only the prospect of the evening with friends in the nearest osteria for discussion of recent developments in the world of football, but also fleeting observations of these gentle touches of small palm fragile Japanese women. Remember the famous film Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck? From the evening television news program in Rome for the hotel, I found out that especially for tourists from Japan, going, so to say, the wishes of Japanese workers, the city will organize a tour of the places against which evolved Love Story hero of Roman holidays, even a girl specially-selected guide – spilled Audrey Hepburn, with a naive chelochkoy on the forehead and cheerful ponytail at the nape, and her clothing picked up the proper – dress in the fashion of the fifties, with a narrow waist and long, fluffy skirt, high heels.
Depart slightly away from the beaten tourist routes, and other persons have. At the elegant oval Piazza Navona, with a beautiful fountain of the Four Rivers (which, remember, bathed at night heroes Fellini’s Dolce Vita) and the church of Sant Agnese you hear about in the main Italian language.
According to conventional wisdom purely Italian character typical of the carriers of this nature should be talking, expressive gestures, loud, for all to quarrel, from time to time shouting something like: Oh, Madonna, Mia! or (expletive version): O, spanking madonna!, as well as anyone not hesitate to show their affection towards each other. Stereotypes arise, of course, not from scratch, but this is really a property of human nature that people of other nationalities, other cultures in superficial acquaintance with them seem somewhat caricatured characters. Among the foreigners who have never been to Russia, there will always be people who have an opinion about about us – Russian, they say, all drinking vodka and eating caviar, while still playing the balalaika, and the houses are arranged around their dolls and hang portraits of Charles of Marx.
If, sitting on a bench at random guest at the Rome area, specifically to seek out examples of what the stereotypes are true, they may be, of course, to find – there, two women met on the street every now and then claps his hands loudly, laughing, admiring each other, then repeat all the mise en scene, as if specifically work on the public, once again – is not the theater? – But if you look for the characteristic for the majority of the Romans, it is possible to make sure they are in some ways very similar to the Muscovites, however, the inhabitants of all the capitals and other big cities have something in common in their appearance and behavior – looking at you kindly and sympathetic, but once past, casual, well, just as we visitors – you get tired because of their abundance on the streets, of course. But it is necessary to speak with someone from purely superficial benevolence turns into quite sincere, and feel it. The Romans, like the Muscovites, always ready to give good practical advice: Signora, remove the bag from his shoulder is better, grab a hold and firmly. It is very hard! You … Russian Oh! Listen to his return to the Gorbachev government, he is such a nice guy! What, you were not on the Piazza di Spagna? Be sure to go, getting there is easy: just three blocks, then right and down a long tunnel, then walk a little more and just get there. Goodbye. The last two words may well be spoken in Russian, in any case, I had to hear them, of which let me to conclude that every Roman a little polyglot. I understand that this is to some extent, stretch, maybe just me so lucky, but I guarantee that if you know at least one foreign language, even in the most modest amount, in Rome, you will be able to explain to the basic topic calmly.
Emboldened, I tied the conversation, consisting of several phrases from the bartenders and street artists, vendors of souvenirs and young mothers strolling with their children. It uses zaraneee deliberate tactic commonly used phrases memorized most of the phrase, varied their component parts so that by asking questions, getting to them, if possible, monosyllabic answers. I must say that my technique does not always work, after all Italians – it will not Finns, sometimes I have puzzled their verbal fireworks, but he helped the skill to listen, and for some key words meaning of the phrase as a whole becomes clear. Of course, all the conversation one way or another related attractions in Rome. And very often while in every way inclined word elegant – elegant space, an elegant cathedral, an elegant street, in a word, the third time I have firmly learned that Rome – the city of elegant, moreover, that the ancient, beautiful, famous, etc., etc. . But something kept me agree with that one hundred percent. Well, okay, I thought, the church of Sant Agnese, with its concave facade, smoothly following the line of the oval area, the Cathedral of San Giovanni, with its solemn, monumental, but at the same time graceful and light colonnade, palaces, houses in the aristocratic part of town can be call elegant, but the Colosseum or Forum unlikely here more organic epithets another conceptual order. All became clear when I remembered that all my interlocutors, as one had in mind only the Baroque Rome – all these domes, gables with an abundance of decorative details and allegorical sculptures, columns, fountains, terraces and staircases. Does it mean that Rome antique, early Christian or medieval to them, today’s inhabitants of the Eternal City, so less than the Baroque Rome? .. No, most likely, the matter is not in the least: ancient monuments can be proud of, but only then, among which you live, the places which are associated with some belonging to only one you memories – love for real, my heart. The great Bernini and other famous Roman Baroque architects were very wise – they have created not just individual buildings and ensembles of streets and squares, built the city to life, deprived of monotony and boredom, and built only so much that today’s Rome – this is primarily and There are those buildings that were built in the XVII – XVIII centuries, but then rebuilt and many of the ancient basilica of the early Christian period, becoming the majestic cathedrals.
To become somewhat clearer the spirit of this time, we must remember the one who is his best embodied by his being one of the most famous Roman women of the XVII century, Christina Augusta, Queen of Sweden, has renounced the throne, even the Protestant religion, the Catholic, to live as she likes and where she herself preferred. It was a clever woman by nature, in addition, well-educated, who knew seven languages, and who owned the best library of its time, emotional and carried away, the Pope himself quailed before her, Roman aristocrats considered it an honor to receive it from yourself and knowing her love for the holidays arranged them in competition with each other in every part of the ingenuity of ideas, jokes and entertainment. My pastime – talking frankly Christina Augusta – is to eat well and sleep well, doing a little, it’s nice to talk, laugh, watch French, Italian and Spanish comedy and live for your pleasure.
Centuries have passed, but the baroque spirit of the times, no doubt, preserved in an elegant Rome. Many people, travelers, connoisseurs of Italian life and simply those who are fortunate enough to spend in this city for quite some time, noticed that zest for life, passing at times into a frank monkey business – a characteristic feature of the Romans.
There is at this point, I think, a certificate and a more solid, though not direct: Gogol wrote his first volume of Dead Souls, living in Rome, on Via Felice (Happy Street), near the Piazza di Spagna. From there he sent numerous letters to his friends and acquaintances, and in almost every line was that he was in love with this city. Maybe the city as a living creature, too, was in love with him? I think it’s quite possible. The gift of irony, the ability to create a fantastically beautiful grotesques – this is living in both of them … Rather, he lives. Could Gogol’s unique talent to find a more favorable environment for a fueling than this area with its famous staircase? At all times, there were organized exhibitions and bazaars of flowers, and in the mid-nineteenth century on the stairs going further and sitter and nudes that offered its services to artists, who lived in the surrounding neighborhoods. Needless to say, on good earnings in a case like posturing, calculated rather handsome young men. They were dressed when visiting the area of Spain, as a rule, in the picturesque costumes of inhabitants in the Balkans – whether fashion then was such that if specialization, as we would say today … As there must have been fun if, like sparkling white teeth jokes and smiles on the faces of young tanned atmosphere of a warm summer evening …
… In the January 1995 Rome flowers in the area of Spain did not put – delicate petals of flowers of the southern and cold winds are incompatible – but young and beautiful faces there were many, however, was dressed young people not in folkloric costumes. However, leather jackets, leather jackets, bandanas (handkerchiefs are from ethnic or metal ornaments) on their heads – is not folk costume young citizen at the end of the century? This, too, signs of a certain style and way of life, belonging to a particular family, tribe. And maybe have wandered among them his own, a new Gogol? ..
Gogol Gogol, but maybe some spirit that was familiar and he took upon himself the role of my protector and guide from the moment I left the area of Spain. Anyway, I want to believe it, because then I waited for an amazing meeting of its kind.
Now, orient the map, I went to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, considered one of the most beautiful sights of Rome, and from what I could tell he had seen in earlier photographs and reproductions, not elegant, but some other (I very much like my own eyes to make sure what the difference lies here.) And suddenly noticed that beside me there is clearly there are two staying in good spirits, low stocky peasant of this, you know, a special type, which acquires any peasant, when dressed up – sort of scoundrels, Valais Truffaldino, but with the same success they could go and for Gogol’s villagers. We met quite naturally, it would be very strange if this did not happen. Word for word, and it turned out that Antonio and Luigi were, indeed, to the same church, but not so much to itself as the so-called mouth of truth – the ancient Greek marble mask that adorns one wall of the ancient basilica. Who in those lips would put his hand, lie should not, and then her mouth bite. They say a Roman fitted her here in ancient times, because he had serious doubts about the loyalty of his wife. But the wife, however, has stood the test.
- And you, and you, Luigi? The last time I ask, is not afraid to stick his hand there? – Podnachival friend Antonio.
- Why should I be afraid? We have in Vigevano everyone knows that I am the most honest guy – without embarrassment replied Luigi.
- Yes, you always catches the biggest fish, the most beautiful girls go crazy on you and soon you will fall down a large inheritance.
- Come on, come on, let’s repeat it all here, before the Russian Signora.
- Okay. I admit that we’re both – the most truthful guys in Vigevano. You better tell Russian signora, how can you win at chess Karpov, it will be interesting to hear.
Russian signora, I confess frankly, from childhood loved to lie and braggarts – the best ukrashateley monotony of everyday life, and therefore, using the already proven technique – combining pieces of trite expressions uttered by her Italian available about the following:
- Dear Signora! I see you both – very truthful people. So let me impress you by heart.
Surprisingly, I understand. And hand in mouth of truth, and Antonio Luigi stuck at the same time. Having survived so exciting test of my new friends resolutely declared that they urgently need to restore sanity, and invited Russian signor to the nearest bar, but I’d still wander around Rome. They parted with mutual good wishes of health and community gay people.
And in Rome where you can quickly find the company of cheerful people? Well, of course, most likely at the Trevi Fountain. From the crowd, speaking in all languages of the world, and it separates ten or twenty, and, turning the pool back over his shoulder (not to pry Fortune) throw coins into the clear turquoise water – just for luck and for a practical purpose – to further time to visit Rome. Not poor, should be, people – this pool cleaners, even if delivered at the municipal coffers some part of their daily duties. Fountain came here as a frame of an ancient source, called the Aqua Virgo (the Virgin Water), which contains the latest and clean water in Rome. According to legend, soldiers Mark Vipsaniya Agrippa said to him a beautiful girl, and it was still in I. BC, in the era of Emperor Augustus. Remembering this legend, for some reason I looked around and did it not in vain: Lord, behold, she, the girl, beautiful, slender, with laughing eyes, only a police uniform, and horse near!
