by Claudia Viggiani
translated by Steve Barley
The sky of Rome frames the eternal and its continual flux, in the immense beauty of its natural setting. Few cities in the world are so alluring as Rome. And how good it feels to abandon oneself to the pleasure of its seduction.
Where or why holds no importance; what counts is how you feel in Rome, wrapped in such magnificence. Its works of art and its streets speak of patrons, of artists, of poets, of scholars, of musicians and of composers; they speak of history and culture. They speak of human passion of emotions, of communion. They speak of joy and pain.
Baudelaire said, “ No man can die while he retains the desire to seduce and be seduced”.
I believe that the secret of those who love this city is contained in this phrase.
The everlasting appeal of Rome lies in the power to seduce which nature itself has given it, with its enchanting landscape, an atmosphere which teems with life, its warm light and gentle breezes which have forever inspired the glorious works created here.
It is for this reason that Rome contains within itself such impressive power deriving from laws which can never be changed , unless the very nature of this magical place is itself changed; this place which is charged with energy and which was chosen, not by chance, by the heroic founders of the city.
The greatest work of art in Rome is the nature which hosts it, which gave birth to it and allowed it to expand to the point of rendering it immense.
Rome is a universe which enchants those who know how to love and its charisma is so great that one can ask for nothing more than to be seduced by it.
Images:
Piazza Colonna, Colonna di Marco Aurelio, 2nd century.
