20-Italy for me-1

20-Italy for me-1

Friday- 9.30 PM- Delhi-Oct.2003
Just flicking the TV channels I thought I would check on today’s Movie, and lo and behold Universal and Dreamworks production ‘Gladiator’ was on. Since I had missed seeing it earlier I stayed on to watch Russell Crowe, the Oscar winner. Absolutely fantastic! Especially so, as my friend Kusum and I had planned an Italian Holiday soon after.

I had taken the cab at Leonardo da vinci air port and had entered Rome of the Romans, passing by lot of familiar and not so familiar structures, images from History - “Is that the Coliseum” I asked the fat cab guy. He nodded his head in affirmative. Wow!
Passed by lots and lots of narrow winding streets and sharp bends and finally reached the Hotel. Parted with 80 Euro which I felt was steep and buzzed Kusum who was slumbering, having arrived 3 hours ahead of me from Manhattan, New York.

She laughed in mirth when she saw and met me. You see, she has been a friend of 40 years, right from the times we ‘shared’ the hostel room at Maulana Azad and of course also the Matching Chunnies and Salwars which, never could I find when in need. But she had been a good friend helping me in many of my life’s ‘crisis’ as ‘life’ rolled by, a roller coaster ride on the virtual Disney globe of ours.

We charted our plans after a ‘cuppa’. First things first, the room roared of ‘Bikes’ on the road going at Suicidal speed. It was customary to go without silencers in Rome, I learnt later. So we moved the room to the other side, also with an adjoining little open balcony where Kusum inhaled the breath from the Italian Sky and I from Delhi, glanced through the windows feeling the chill. (Lack of Thyroid did not seem to bother her)

The Hotel stood on the top edge of Spanish steps and commanded an excellent view of the ‘Steps’ and those perched on them. At the bottom was the Boat shaped fountain of Bernini surrounded by the Piazza and the Musicians ‘hanging around’, who I learnt were always there, one group or another.

‘Italo’ was the guide and ‘Amalo’ was the driver of our first city tour.
I was conscious of the shift from 3rd world humanity to 1st around me, from disarray to array, indiscipline to discipline, disorder to some rational order in the general scheme of things.

Rome was probably one of the first cities that came up 7-800BC around River Tiber. The people were gregarious as they are even today (we have seen them in the series of ‘Godfathers’) and the Empire spread from Northern England to Mesopotamia, River Danube in North to the Nile in the South. After the Monarchs, the Soldiers, the Barbarians and the Republicans there was the rise of Christianity in the 10th century and the pope got powerful. Things were lavish and pilgrims came from all over. The great Artists Raphel, Bernini, Medicis transformed Rome into a wonderland. As we did the tours we realized, Rome meant History, layers and layers of it. The Imperial temples, the Churches, Renaissance palaces and Boroque basilicas are all breathtaking. Roman Forum now in ruins, used to be the political and religious center in Ancient times, reminded me of Purana Kila and the Tughlakabad Fort at Delhi.

The Coliseum built in 80 AD was the amphitheater that could house 50,000 spectators, a sample of the setting of the Modern Olympics. It actually seemed a house of Horrors, a sample of which is shown by Russel Crowe as the Gladiator in the ‘Gladiator’ who saved the honor of Rome and had returned it to the Romans from the tyranny of a useless Monarch.

Trevi fountain is the famous ‘3 coins in the fountain’ attracting most romantics and most coins in the world. I could not but miss the rather assertive Bangla-deshi boys selling red Roses to young couples, making plenty of Euros for a living. Needless to say, we put our coins, hummed, “Three coins in the fountain, which one shall it -----“, sat gazing at the fountains and ruminating over past and future ‘loves’.

Vatican City in the heart of Rome is the World’s smallest independent state. Headed by the Pope it is house to a million Catholics worldwide. It is probably per square foot the richest country in the world owning an astonishing collection of priceless art treasures including Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel. If I had one place to see in the world I would see the ‘Vatican’.

Rome ostensibly remains a tourist center with Sculpture and marble at every nook, Wine with every meal and Pasta, pasta and more pasta-----

Veena