by jad

First Impressions of Florence (Not Great)

My first impressions of Florence were not great. Not only was it the flashpoint of train disruptions for three days in a row, but actually stepping out into the fabled city when we first arrived there on that Tuesday felt a little weird too; it wasn’t exactly hot, but it wasn’t exactly cool either, and the clouds hung low, muting all the colors and making everything look kinda dirty and drab. And the people. Oh, so many people. It felt like there were way more people here than in Rome, all stuffed into the same few blocks as everyone else. … Continue reading “First Impressions of Florence (Not Great)” →

by jad

Assisi, and a Pasta Lunch About Empire

While we were still in Umbria, we took a day trip out to Assisi, the home of Saint Francis. Our main motivation was to meet up with Christine’s host family from when she came here as a WWOOFer, working on a farm for little bit while we still lived in Lebanon and she had to leave the country anyway to renew her visa. But she also really just wanted to see Assisi. I had zero expectations and was quite taken by the beauty of the area. We spent most of our time having a delightful pranzo with the older couple, … Continue reading “Assisi, and a Pasta Lunch About Empire” →

by jad

Perugia’s Underground City

One of the coolest things about Perugia is its extensive underground city, with Etruscan wells and Roman acropoli all stacked up on top of each other. This here is the Rocca Paolina, a Renaissance fortress built by Pope Paul III to flex his papal power in the region, that just happens to have a subterranean component because Il Papa had much of the area demolished to build the thing, turning ancient streets into underground passageways. And now, much of these are freely accessible from the Mini Metro station, which totally boggled my mind. x This series of photos represents one … Continue reading “Perugia’s Underground City” →

by jad

A Trevi-Certified Promise (On to Perugia)

After Rome, we went north to Perugia, the little Umbrian city that Christine had fond and formative experiences in before we met; it was quite touching to walk down the winding memory lanes in this medieval town with her, and since I had no points of reference or narratives of my own for this place, I found myself drawn to the Escher-like tangle of the urban fabric itself. There was something oddly satisfying about the way the layers of history here fit together all higgledy-piggledy like a complex contraption of stone and light. Walking around these narrow streets, I wondered … Continue reading “A Trevi-Certified Promise (On to Perugia)” →

by jad

Roma Cristiana: Unexpected Itineraries in Monti

Checking out this and that in Rome’s Monti neighborhood, where the ancient and the hip are in dialogue, like in Federico Russo’s artwork. x “We felt permission to be fully ourselves. To express what we thought and felt without apology. To embrace our interests without self-consciousness. To exist with our little quirks without feeling out of place.” @christine.bingham.art just wrote a great summary of our shared reflections on Italy’s mysterious “italianissimo” for us—check it out on: christinebinghamart.substack.com x “Unexpected itineraries…” x It’s hard not to notice that we had the most luck on our trip with the sites that Christine … Continue reading “Roma Cristiana: Unexpected Itineraries in Monti” →

by jad

Frame Within a Frame (The Fulgore Luminoso of Rome)

One of my favorite things about Rome is playing peekaboo with the famous landmarks, sometimes literally shouting out loud: “frame within a frame!” I have so many photos to share that I’m going to try this multiple caption option that Instagram recently rolled out. Swipe for more. This was the neighborhood we stayed in on our first half of our time in Rome. I took this on our first morning there. This was the neighborhood we stayed in on our first half of our time in Rome. I really loved walking around super early before anything was open. Jet lag … Continue reading “Frame Within a Frame (The Fulgore Luminoso of Rome)” →

by jad

The Museum of the Liberation of Rome

Vistas and views in, around, and from the original “Cap Hill.” x The Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum, inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe and all triumphalists for centuries to come. x If you ask me, it’s Golden Hour all day in Rome, but the setting summer sun does all the heavy lifting in travel photography. x On our last day, we went to the Museum of the Liberation of Rome, located in an apartment building at Via Tasso 145 that used to house the cultural offices of the German embassy, before being converted into an SS prison during … Continue reading “The Museum of the Liberation of Rome” →

by jad

Decontextualized Antiquities (and an Auspicious Toe)

I’m bored out of my mind on the flight back to Seattle that’s already been delayed three hours, so here’s a lucky frame I captured of the monument to Cola di Rienzo that’s next to the Campidoglio steps leading up to the Capitoline Museums. x Speaking of luck, here’s an auspicious toe and a couple of stern statues near the Colosseum. x There’s a lot of construction and renovation all over Rome. If I had the book with me, I’d make a reference to one of Italo Calvino’s invisible cities. But I don’t. x Decontextualized antiquities carry an eerie affect. … Continue reading “Decontextualized Antiquities (and an Auspicious Toe)” →

by jad

The Grand Tour Ritual (and the Spanish Steps)

This was my first time in Italy, so, of course, we did all the basic rituals that people have done since the days of the Grand Tour. This one in particular was a top priority, however, the magical thinkers that we are. We even visited it twice; passing through on our first morning in Rome, and then again on our last day, when we did the thing and landed two lucky coins over our shoulders, despite the usual area where people congregate being roped off that day, for some reason. I guess we’ll be returning. Swipe to see how drastically … Continue reading “The Grand Tour Ritual (and the Spanish Steps)” →

by jad

A Part of Us Left in Italy

We’re back in New York, but we’ve left a part of us in Italy. Going through my photos and thinking about our trip feels a little like this scene around Constantine’s Colosso in fragments at the Capitoline Museums: bits and pieces indexing other bits and pieces, a mosaic of affect still in need of putting together. It’s a good thing I have so many photos to go through. I’m going to need more time processing this experience. x Our trip to Italy was a convergence of several “tracks,” for the lack of a better word, one of which being @christine.bingham.art’s … Continue reading “A Part of Us Left in Italy” →