Once again our own Olivia Ercoli has scheduled four intriguing walks for the spring season that cover a range of fascinating areas of the city and eras in its history. Continuing on from January's walk she will take a further look at the Rome of the Unification, then guide us through two very different but very Roman neighborhoods and finally lead us back in time to earlier days in the city's history.
Roma Umbertina – CCR Walk – February 12, 2011
In the first years after unification the Kings of Italy started leaving their mark on their new capital, especially King Umberto I, "il Re Buono" (
right). The changes made then still heavily influence the way we perceive, live and move in and around Rome's historical centre. Starting at the Vittoriano, we will take a stroll through Rome looking at the impact of the Piedmontese Kings on the Eternal City.
Date: February 12, 2011
Time: 10:00 am
Meeting Place: At the foot of the Vittoriana (the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) in Piazza Venezia.
Cost: €10.00 for members €15.00 for non-members
No museum entry fees.
A Journey to Fairyland – CCR Walk – March 5, 2011
Take a look at the enchanted world of Gino Coppedé, by touring the neighbourhood he helped to create in the early 20th century. Discover the hidden treasures of Art Nouveau, neo-medievalism and Liberty style waiting to be discovered in the neighbourhood surrounding via Nomentana.
Date: March 5, 2011
Time: 10:00 am
Meeting Place: In front of the church of Santa Maria Addolorata in Piazza Buenos Aires
Cost: €10.00 for members €15.00 for non-members
Booking Deadline: February 28, 2011through Olivia at 349 8064341 or
oercoli@yahoo.com No museum entry fees.
Garbatella – CCR Walk – April 9, 2011
Please note the change of date to April 9, 2011
Now one of Rome's fashionable neighbourhoods – home to actors and film directors – Garbatella was created as a model working-class development. Described by Pasolini as a slum, visited by Gandhi, it has featured in countless films and stories. The quartiere and its inhabitants, its highs and lows, and its distinctive architecture make it into an ideal Saturday morning walk
Date: April 9, 2011
Time: 10:00 am
Meeting Place: At the barrier of the Garbatella metro stop on Metro B.
Cost: €10.00 for members €15.00 for non-members
No museum entry fees.
Villa dei Quintili - May 14, 2011
DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS WALK WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR A DATE TO BE ADVISED.
Enjoying a spectacular vista towards Rome and the Alban hills, the Quintilii brothers erected their villa along the Appian Way. Put to death by the greedy Emperor Commodus, who coveted their enormous wealth and splendid works of art, the two brothers were brave soldiers and well-known agronomers. Today the remains of a hippodrome, the ruins of the aqueduct, cistern and nympheum are still standing have been restored. And once more an important landmark of the Campagna Romana has been opend to the public.
Date: May 14, 2011
Time: 10:00 am
Meeting Place: Entrance to the Villa on Via Appia Nuova 1092
(Large archaeological site on the left for travellers coming from Rome just before Capannella race-track. ATAC – Bus 664 from Largo Colli Albani (on Metro A).
Museum entrance fee: €6.00 full price.
canadarome@gmail.com.
The book for September's meeting is Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous. The book was originally written in Italian as Scontro di Civiltà per un Ascensore a Piazza Vittorio and is also available in French as Choc des civilisations pour un ascenseur Piazza Vittorio. The Algerian author, now an Italian resident, writes a satire of an immigrant's life in Italy, using the murder of a young man in the elevator of an apartment building at Piazza Vittorio as a vehicle for investigating the lives of the building’s residents. According to The New York Times, Lakhous' "real subject is the heave and crush of modern, polyglot Rome, and he renders the jabs of everyday speech with such precision that the novel feels exclaimed rather than written."
