Piazza del Popolo

After visiting the Ara Pacis - The Altar of Peace (post to follow below) - I made my way to the Piazza del Popolo, which in terms of historical mood is vastly different: this grand piazza, which sports an impressive Egyptian obelisk in its center, was, until Italy's unification in 1870, the most popular spot for that favourite European popcorn past-time, the public execution. Charles Dickens was but one of numerous writers who witnessed and wrote about such grizzly affairs, which were thankfully less grizzly after the importation of the efficient French invention, the guillotine. One thing, though, can be said for the uniqueness of the Italian-style executions: most Europeans found it an oddity that in Rome, the victims were not tortured before death - it was only after the person had expired that the public did unspeakable things to their body.

Of note also in this piazza are the young, um, punks...or perhaps, card-carying fascists, one might say. Only a few looked like your Romper Stomper types, the rest seemed fairly, well, harmless, verging on emo really. Mind you, although their sense of fashion is clearly at odds with the Via Condoti a few vias away (see earlier posts), it's obvious they still take as much time getting ready! (Ready for what, you might ask? Well, you know, hanging out - or what in Australia would surely be called posing! - around the stairs in the piazza. What else?!).

Then it was up a stairway, to the beautiful Pincio gardens, dappled with afternoon sunlight. It was here that Keats went for walks to try to convalesce, on advice from his physician (looking at the place, you almost wonder why it didn't work)- the hill links up, about ten minutes down the way, with the summit of the Spanish Steps. The gardens and parks on this hill are pretty much the place you take your missus (and where I'll certainly be taking mine!) if you're anywhere nearby - as evidenced by the oodles of canoodling going on. Seriously, you're lucky not to trip over a couple making out. So I can say with some certainty that the famous hills of Rome (my favourite so far is still the Aventine, though this one, Pincio, and Janiculum, which are not included among the famous seven, are not far behind) are the spot for lovers. Of course, it's a cliche to say the Italians have good taste, but the views really are spectacular, and the gardens are like a retreat from the hustle on the streets, which, even in early spring, are starting to get riotous. If you were on the tourist trail, you might never know these places existed, so I count myself very lucky to be able to explore these pockets at my leisure.