Soon I will be off to Rome again – a city I feel really at home in and where my series of novels ROME ALONE is mainly based.
We all know Rome as one of the cradles of civilisation – its fabulous sites and antiquities are world renowned.
But what is Rome like on a day-to-day basis? I spend a lot of time wandering round the Eternal City, plotting storylines, thinking about characters – and as I make my way around, I find I get to know the centre of Rome more and more.
I love taking photographs – not necessarily to upload on social media, but as a record for myself of what I have seen and enjoyed. I will literally take a photo of anything – and not always in focus!
However, Rome always offers surprises. I remember the day I visited the Trevi Fountain at 9am and watched it being cleaned! I have enjoyed fantastic performances by street musicians – and simple images of Rome’s inhabitants drying their clothes above an ancient thoroughfare, or enjoying a cigarette at a window.
I always find Rome surprising – and inspiring – whether I am walking round the ancient sites or drifting along a backstreet, footsore and yet unable to stop for a minute in case I miss something new.
Here are some of the sights I have enjoyed on my travels round Rome – I hope I shall be coming back with more soon!
Buon viaggio!
Weather in Rome…
Rome is not always the sunny place we imagine it to be!
Wildlife in Rome…
A mad March hare in the Forum – quite literally! This bunny was enjoying the early spring sunshine by the House of Livia.
Making friends in Rome…
Photobombed by a young footballer in the Jewish Quarter – he was a great footballer, too!
Photo opportunities in Rome…
Take a photo of the Colosseum from the Temple of Venus and its seems as though you are almost on the same level as the great amphitheatre
Every kind of people in Rome…
Populus Romanus waiting for a bus.Cesare smiled at me as I hurled myself across Via del Corso – he was spectacularly unimpressed when I asked if I could take his photo, but what a fabulous face.
Four-legged Romans…
Populus Romanus love their dogs – some of the most glamorous dogs you will ever see walk the streets of Rome with their owners
Everyone is welcome in St Peter’s Square – including fashionista pooches dressed in papal purple.
Romance in Rome…
The Borghese Gardens are actually heart-shaped! Perfect for a romantic stroll, obviously.Hello young lovers, wherever you are – actually, they are all over Rome, getting married and having their wedding pics taken against the backdrop of the ancient monuments. This glam couple were on the Capitoline Hill.
Wash day in Rome…
I love taking images of ordinary life in great cities – Romans dry their clothes against a backdrop of ancient architecture.
Food finds in Rome…
On holiday, you don’t want any old cafe – you want an Insalateria, Vineria and Food Lab. Here’s one!Refreshments are to hand all over the Eternal City – it is the modern equivalent of loaves and fishes, except you do have to pay.
People watching in Rome…
People watching at St Peter’s – nuns take the air in St Peter’s. If you are not accustomed to seeing nuns, it is quite a sight. I went to convent school and am therefore fully nun-compliant.
Chilling in Rome…
Street entertainer, Via del Corso – you will feel as though you are floating on air in Rome, too. It is a fabulous city to visit.
The future in Rome…
Not there for the purpose of romantic dining al fresco – this table and chairs on Via del Cross is for fortune telling. Divination was very important in Ancient Rome and the tradition continues today. No doubt the soothsayers are able to see you coming…Dario was born in Rome and has never left it – he is a magician who also reads tarot cards on Via del Corso. He also hates having his photo taken, he tells me. I took it, anyway.
Fakery in Rome…
The statues in the Borghese Gardens by the museum are actually copies, not originals. Who knew??
Remembrance in Rome…
This sign in the Jewish Quarter commemorates the night the Nazis rounded up the Jewish residents in Rome and transported them to Auschwitz. Seeing signs like this brings home the horror of that era and what happened to the people of the Jewish Quarter, which is one of the oldest in Europe. The Jews in Rome were the first community to mourn Julius Caesar, who was a great friend to them.
Music in Rome…
Serenaded as I order an early evening aperitif near Campo Dei Fiori – Rome has some of the best buskers ever, from professional opera singers to accomplished rock musicians, solo artists and street musicians. The standard is extremely high – you’d better be able to sing and play in tune.La Traviata and The Four Seasons at All Saints Church – opera is all over the Eternal City in churches and theatres. No need to dress up – come as you are and enjoy! Toi, toi, toi!
Selfies in Rome…
You can’t just take a normal selfie outside the Colosseum – you have to get your bezzie to video a full-scale dance routine for your social media channel.
Artists in Rome…
Artists are all over Rome – not just the Michelangelos and Caravaggios, but also working artists today. Wandering through Borghese Gardens, I met Claudio Torrente – an artist and teacher who sells some of his work in the sunshine. He has also lived and exhibited in London. We had a good natter about art, Rome and London!
Artist Claudio Torrente
Making wishes in Rome…
Fontanella Barcaccia in Piazza di Spagna – chuck in a coin and make a wish. Chuck in an empty bottle of champagne and hope the god of fortune appreciates the gesture.
Camera shake in Rome…
Well, who can blame me?
All images copyright Angela Meredith
Want to go to Rome now?
Download ROME ALONE and ROME AGAIN free at Kindle Unlimited – or for £2.40 each.
Set off to the Eternal City for a long weekend in ROME ALONE, as unhappy housewife Bee and newly-divorced Alzheimer’s expert Dr Neil McCarthy leave from opposite ends of the country for a mini-break full of the unexpected that will change their lives forever as they make their way round the sites. Return to Rome with them three years later in ROME AGAIN and discover the forces at work which they never suspected on their first trip.
Catch up with the story in VERONA ALONE, free at Kindle Unlimited – or for just £2.40 each.
In VERONA ALONE, newly divorced former cellist Moira decides to fulfil a girlhood dream of visiting Verona during the summer opera season. There she is taken under the wing of a quirky and generous American who appears to have a secret, which is only discovered when she finds herself all at sea with him. VERONA AGAIN sees three couples fight to save their relations – who will succeed, who will fail and who will lose the love of their life?
novelromealone 
Loved this – it made me feel I was in Rome with you! Enjoy the next trip!
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