"Rome the Second Time" in the time of coronavirus

In these extraordinary times, it seems frivolous to continue to post about what to see and what to do in Rome. "Resto a casa" - I'm staying home - is THE hashtag these days (we know there are more...for a later post, perhaps).

We at RST are pulling in our horns a bit too. We plan to post less frequently than the usual once/week. And we'll focus on Rome - and Italy - now. We're thinking of writing a few book reviews and reviewing films one can watch at home - that remind one of Rome and all of Italy. And we'll pass along information and posts we think are useful over a longer period, since we can't move as quickly as this virus.

We invite readers to send us information and posts that we can consolidate, pass along, commiserate with, wonder over.  No reaction seems inappropriate now, except that of minimizing what's happening.

For our first post in this new "time of coronavirus" (with a nod to Gabriel Garcia Márquez), we offer a few photos of the Trevi Fountain.  Two of them are from Fabio Milani, and there are more on Facebook, where we shared his post on Rome the Second Time's Facebook site (thanks, Fabio!).

Trevi Fountain, 2010

The last one below is from 12 years ago - from us - the Trevi Fountain at 4:30 a.m. - much like it would be today (except I wouldn't be in the photo).

Good health to everyone as we go through this together.

Dianne

Alone (almost) at the Trevi Fountain

We're always stimulated by Jessica Stewart's photos on romephotoblog.com, and recently one of them, of the crush of tourists at the Trevi Fountain (left), caught our attention. So did the caption, in which Jessica announced that the Rome place she hated most (except for the Spanish Steps), was the Trevi.

Crowds can be fun--at soccer games, political rallies, and outdoor concerts. But we agree with Jessica that they can spoil one's experience of the Travi's gaudy baroque splendor and reduce the potential for that special romantic moment.

But there is a way to be alone with Anita Ekberg's famous fountain: go there in the middle of the night, like 4 a.m. You'll find one police car in the piazza, full of cops. But otherwise you'll have the Trevi all to yourself, or selves. The downside is you'll have to take your own picture, as we did on an early morning in April, or knock on the window of the police car (we don't recommend it).

So set your alarm, Jessica!

Bill