We set out to investigate the allegedly cool, hip, formerly slightly hot and dangerous area of Rome called Pigneto. Taking the Metro, with a change to Line C at San Giovanni, then two stops to Pigneto.
We then managed to walk in an entirely different direction from the allegedly cool and hip. We encountered, on a very mild and sunny day, a delightful residential area, with lots of street art, some socially angry graffiti, interesting houses, and a nice place to lunch in the sun, under trees, on a deck.
Let the pictures do the talking. Plus a map, to show the distance from the Pigneto Metro to Necci dal 1924 where we lunched. We were supposed, in the way that tourists are supposed to be supposed, to go west from the Metro, not east... Ms Google says four minutes, apparently on the day she'd forgotten to turn the stove off and had to run home.
We then managed to walk in an entirely different direction from the allegedly cool and hip. We encountered, on a very mild and sunny day, a delightful residential area, with lots of street art, some socially angry graffiti, interesting houses, and a nice place to lunch in the sun, under trees, on a deck.
Let the pictures do the talking. Plus a map, to show the distance from the Pigneto Metro to Necci dal 1924 where we lunched. We were supposed, in the way that tourists are supposed to be supposed, to go west from the Metro, not east... Ms Google says four minutes, apparently on the day she'd forgotten to turn the stove off and had to run home.
Here photos.
 |
| This was not the first bit of street art we saw, but it takes the prize for fun. |
 |
| this takes the political prize... 'resistenza' though the inscriptions in two photos below may have more importance locally |
 |
| a mixture of single storey homes with gardens and slightly high rise |
... and seeing this up high on a quiet corner, a decision to lunch
...where we fell into conversation with Tomas, the retired librarian from rural Sweden,
on his way home from helping a friend with his vendemmia (grape harvesting)
on the slopes of Mt Etna. Tomas quickly abandoned his Gabriel Garcia Marquez
to tell us about the issues in grape growing in Sicily, the pervasive presence of the mafia,
the risk of having your vineyard gate open and cows admitted if you didn't make
appropriate payments and the consequences (nil) of making a denuncio
of the ear tag numbers of the cows.
But also the extent to which where there is no police presence
the mafia acts to defend poor against theft etc.
 |
| perhaps we should also say that if you venture near a library north of Stockholm you might be wise to lock up your daughters! :-) [If you are reading this Tomas, send email, I didn't get your address.] |
 |
| elegance... Helen said "we could be in Mexico" |
 |
| pride |
 |
| Metro |
 |
| we'll let him have the last word |
No comments:
Post a Comment