THE INSIDER
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THE INSIDER
Summer in Rome
Open-air festivals and cocktail
parties
By
Slawka Giorgia Scarso
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Summer revelers head to
Rome's Campo
de' Fiori for a night on the town. |
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As an Italian stand-up
comedian once said, if Romans can’t drive to some place, they won’t go there.
Walk around the Italian capital on a Saturday night and indeed you will see
hundreds of cars queuing on the sides of the River Tiber or desperately
squeezing into the narrow streets behind squares such as Campo de’ Fiori or the
neighborhood of Trastevere, packed with restaurants and cafés, and trying to fit
into the space of a dustbin as if they were playing the computer game Tetris.
During daytime, when only
tourists and parliament members seem to be around, the city center is closed to
traffic in order to control pollution. But wait until dark, and you’ll see how
things change. And because driving is so important in Rome, a city of 2.5
million, directing traffic while standing on the little podium in Piazza Venezia
has been the dream of many Roman vigili
urbani (traffic policemen). Public transport, after all, is hardly
comparable to that in London or Paris, and people sometimes blame Roman ruins
for this.
Plan to build a new
underground line? Ten minutes after the excavation starts, someone will say
they’ve found a vase or a statue, or worse still, a bit of mosaic floor, and in
no time at all, the Ministry of Fine Arts will be there, blocking the works.
Not that Romans don’t realize
that ruins, though literally always under their feet, are truly what makes Rome
the Eternal City. Especially during the summer, these ancient temples, markets
and houses reawaken. It’s not just the men in centurion costumes walking around
the Colosseum and offering to
take a picture with them with your own camera.
During the evening, thanks to
Rome’s fabulous weather, open-air shows are organized around the area of Via dei
Fori Imperiali, lit up as for the set of the movie “The
Gladiator.” Some are free of charge while others may cost a lot, but the scenery
is so unique, it’s worth it anyway.
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Rome celebrates the
season with open-air
festivals and concerts. |
A couple of years ago a group
of American actors based in Rome produced a comedy on the life of five Roman
emperors somewhere behind the old Roman Senate and St Peter’s prisons.
First-time spectators were happy to sit on the steps in front of a nearby
church, or on the straw mats placed on the ground (entry was free of charge,
after all), while returning audiences came back with folded chairs. And with so
many monuments all around, the company was able to keep the scene setting as
simple as four paper columns.
But this is only one of the
open-air shows in the Ancient Roman setting. Early on summer evenings, people
have been crowding to the gates of the nearby Basilica di Massenzio, in a way
which would make the stranger presume there’s going to be a pop concert with
some famous star for three years in a row now.
Taudience’s ages range from
high school students to their grandparents, and they’re all waiting for their
favorite writer to appear. This is the literary festival, often hosting
important international writers such as novelist Doris Lessing, Ian McEwan or
Abraham B. Yehoshua, who read selected pages of their latest book in their own
language before a live jazz concert takes place.
Concerts are also held under
the palm trees in Villa Celimontana, a 16th century palace behind
the Colosseum surrounded by a beautiful park, open to the public, or in Emperor Traianus’ markets, in front of Via dei Fori Imperiali. Here the audience sits
under the shadow of the medieval red brick Torre delle Milizie (despite the
Eternal City’s Roman and Baroque architectural fame, there are quite a few
medieval remains half hidden here and there).
This area has such beautiful
acoustics that its ancient purpose—a shopping center—seems a huge waste. In
fact, you can see more cars driving up and down Via dei Fori Imperiali without
hearing them.
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The ancient streets of
Rome shine under a waning sun. |
After the shows, the heart of
Rome on a summer night moves to somewhere between Trastevere and Campo de’ Fiori:
a beautiful square surrounded by pastel colored buildings, and the little alleys
behind Piazza Navona.
Campo de’ Fiori is named
after the market which is held here every morning to sell flowers (fiori),
among other products. Its history however is famously linked to the death of
Giordano Bruno
(1548-1600), Dominican friar and Neoplatonist
who was accused of heresy and burned here. A dark statue of the
philosopher gloomily overlooks the square.
Despite its sinister past,
Campo de’ Fiori is one of the liveliest and therefore best places when you want
to have a drink. Wine bars, cafés and pubs are everywhere and there is no need
for the omnipresent Roman waiters standing outside and inviting you to take a
seat, in every known language. These places are so popular that finding a seat
becomes an arduous quest.
In fact, during the summer
nights the square gets crammed with people, mostly Romans telling colorful tales
of their summer holidays. The square turns into a large sitting room, with
buildings as walls, and everyone standing with a drink and chatting lively: a
massive cocktail party. A glass of white wine, a beer, or a strawberry
caipiroska (a cocktail made of
vodka, crashed ice, strawberries and sugar) is often the choice and as you sip
your drink standing next to Giordano Bruno’s statue. You’ll notice how many
people seem to know everyone, in a way which would resemble a little village
rather than a fairly large capital.
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Locals enjoy an
aperitif while a band of street
musicians plays for passers-by. |
They say people who live here
complain about the noise. Indeed I saw a lady last summer who lived in a
building overlooking the square and didn’t look at all happy.
At 2 a.m., in an ultimate
effort to get some sleep in the hot summer night, despite the people laughing
and talking heartily under her open window, she threw two or three buckets of
water over them to the extreme enjoyment of the rest of the party.
If You Go
Rome Tourist Board:
www.romaturismo.it/v2/en/main.asp
As the
capital city of Italy, Rome is situated in the central part of the Italian
peninsula only forty minutes from the Mediterranean Sea. It is known as the
Eternal City because of its endless history, dating back to over 2,500 years
ago, and for its role as the capital of the Roman Empire as well as that of the
Roman Catholic Church.
The
climate is temperate, mitigated by the Mediterranean Sea. During the summer,
temperatures often reach 86° F (30° C) and above. However, fountains with
drinkable water are virtually everywhere.
Overall,
Rome is a safe town, even for women travelling solo. General rules on safety on
public transport and crowded places obviously apply, but you can walk on your
own in the city center without fear, avoiding perhaps the area surrounding the
central station (Stazione Termini).
