A day in my old Roman neighborhoods

Via Veneto to the Via Babuino area plus important women who lived here in the past

Appointments at two embassies in Rome were a good excuse to spend the day in Rome and to also take a nostalgic walk through my former neighborhoods. It turned out to be an exhausting day full of deja-vu moments, interesting encounters and surprises. So much has changed since I moved out of Rome to the province of Viterbo over 30 years ago! Remember to click the underlined links to enrich your visit.

Rome by night, by expat artist and neighbor Justin Bradshaw

Following in the style of the Voice map audio guides that I created for the towns of Civitavecchia and Viterbo, come along with me as I spend the day roaming my former neighborhoods in Rome.

After a morning appointment on Via Veneto I wandered over to Via Sistina stopping to read some of the plaques/targhe on buildings where foreign writers and artists once lived. Stopping in Piazza Barberini I paused at a house where 19th century American journalist Margaret Fuller lived during the Risorgimento years. Click on the underlined link to discover more about this amazing woman’s romantic and tragic life. The article is by friends Dianne and Bill from Buffalo, N.Y. authors of “Rome the Second Time”.

rare photo of Margaret Fuller

It made me sad that many of the shops I knew have disappeared. Only a few window displays of luxury items still line Via Sistina and the number of touristy shops full of cheap merchandise or empty storefronts has increased.

fantastic hand woven textiles and fancy childrens’ clothes on Via Sistina

Before walking down the Spanish Steps pretending to be a first time visitor and not a 60 year resident, I snapped some photos (as tourists do) of Trinita’ dei Monti church and the view over rooftops and church domes beyond Via Condotti.

This dramatic stairway is flanked by two historic establishments: the Keats-Shelley House where specialized lectures are often held and Babington’s Tea Room, site of the first American consulate office. Unfortunately another historic establishment -the Anglo-American bookshop- has closed recently after 70 years of service to the expat/anglophone community. A huge loss! With no more Rome distribution point for the many books I’ve published over the past 40 years, readers are discovering them thanks to this substack. Read reviews and order directly through my website. Ebooks are also available for several titles. I mail out twice weekly .

My nostalgic walk in this former “English ghetto” took me towards the antiques shops of Via Babuino where the famous talking statue /fountain can be found.

Nearby I noticed a familiar name above the glorious windows of Ida Benucci’s antiques gallery, one of the few that survive in the area. What a delight to meet an old acquaintance after more than 30 years!

After a stop at Vertecchi , the well known cartoleria and artists’ supplies shop on Via della Croce, I turned onto the parallel street,

What a magnificent entrance!

Via dei Greci where the sounds of music announced the nearby conservatory of Santa Cecilia. This large building was once a convent and refuge for noble women such as Maria Clementina Sobieska, the princess who made a rocambolesque escape from Poland at 16 to marry the exiled English king James I Stuart. There is no plaque to her memory (or her death at only 33) in today’s music-filled halls nor among the fallen columns in the cloister courtyard, but her likeness can be found in the mosaic portrait facing Canova’s monument to the Stuarts in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Former convent, Santa Cecilia Conservatory, and its hidden courtyard

monument to Polish princess Maria Clementina Sobieska Stuart - one of three women buried in St. Peter’s Basilica -read the article in Italian on Academia.edu

Visiting Viterbo or taking a cruise to/from Civitavecchia ?

Coming next week -Part II - Vatican and Borgo Pio neighborhood - with tips on where to grab a snack when you are in these neighborhoods of Rome (Suggestions from residents are welcome)