Pigeons, seagulls, churches, fountains. When I think about recurring images of Rome, these come to mind like a Haiku. The Baroque proliferation in the 16 and 1700s regurgitated sumptuous marble fountains with boldly chiselled protagonists across the city; I can rattle them off like flipping through those concertina postcard sets: Trevi Fountain, Turtle Fountain, FountainContinue reading “The Dark Fountain – La Fontana Oscura”
Author Archives: SkyeB
Midnight in Rome
A comforting chill glides over my skin. Comforting, not because of the sensation of stabbing night air on the back of a scooter, but because I am riding through the city that I have made home for the last three years. Stars scintillate in the sky like pinpricked light through a dark cloth, giving everythingContinue reading “Midnight in Rome”
Diary Entry: (Ful)filling time in Rome
Growing up on a hobby farm in rural Australia, far from the frightening world where children gyrate to TikTok routines and seek validation through selfies, we were often bored out of our brains. My mother was staunchly devoted to the Montessori ideal that children need boredom to ignite their creativity. While we did often spendContinue reading “Diary Entry: (Ful)filling time in Rome”
A morning coffee in Rome
Milk in Italian cappuccinos is creamier than back home. As I unfurl my arms in the morning sun at Piazza Farnese, I notice a foamy heart that swirls at the surface of my caffe macchiato. Creamy and full of none of that special oat milk nonsense I had back home. Landing in Rome to pursueContinue reading “A morning coffee in Rome”
The “Love & Gelato” guide to Rome
Anyone who was a teenager in a generation gone by would have a romanticised vision of Rome told through the eyes of the tween character Lizzie McGuire. Before you start making references to “Paolo” and chanting the saccharine melody of “This is what dreams are made of”, Netflix has returned to this trope for theContinue reading “The “Love & Gelato” guide to Rome”
Eat, Pray, Love?
The first few posts of this blog have been spent carving out what my identity on this page should be: Am I a tourist? Am I an expat? Am I here for work or love? Is this my version of “Eat, Pray, Love”? Am I running away from my adult responsibilities? The fundamental answer toContinue reading “Eat, Pray, Love?”
6 souvenirs from Rome you (actually) want.
There is nothing worse than pretending you like a gift. The strain in your cheek muscles and the lacklustre glint in your eye as you say a high-pitched “I love it!” The worst souvenirs you can imagine abound here in Rome: magnets, teatowels, aprons with naked statues and the fiendish keyring. I remember that myContinue reading “6 souvenirs from Rome you (actually) want.”
Top 10 stops in North-Eastern Rome – Part 2
If you read the previous post successfully, you should be sugar laden and ready to explore a little closer to my place in the African Quarter. Viale Somalia, Viale Libia, Viale Etiopia and Viale Eritrea are the four main roads that delineate this neighborhood, but do not come expecting a vibrant African oasis in theContinue reading “Top 10 stops in North-Eastern Rome – Part 2”
Top 10 stops in North-Eastern Rome – Part 1
The sprawling elegance of the Villa Borghese Gardens – Living in the Northern quartiere, I consider the equisitely Italianate gardens of the Borghese nobility to be a little more central, but are a grand starting point to wander from the city centre (known as centro and pronounced – chen-tro) towards the North. From Piazza delContinue reading “Top 10 stops in North-Eastern Rome – Part 1”
Local
The outsider When you have lived somewhere for a couple of months, you start to make it your own. Having lived abroad before, I knew the escape to Rome in 2020 would have been much smoother than previous moves: I spoke the local tongue, had known one of my housemates from my past life inContinue reading “Local”
The Adopted Italian 