After two months of a very strict lockdown here in Rome, we were finally allowed to go out again (respecting the social distancing measures and wearing masks) and enjoy a bit the nice weather. As from the 18th of May shops, pubs, restaurants, parks and museums are officially reopened. But it is not that easy as it sounds. The social distancing measures make life completely different now, so things we were used to do are now completely distorted. With numbers going down daily, I finally saw my city again. And it was melancholic and beautiful at the same time.
We started with the Colosseum. Seeing it like this was indeed surprising, I’ve felt very weird and amazed by what I was looking at. Once in a lifetime. Few people on the bike and again, a distinct strange but magical atmosphere.
We headed towards Trevi Fountain (I saw it entirely without any tourists for the very first time in 28 years) biking through empty streets, with just a few people walking or working. I could still feel the vibe that Rome always gives me, full of colors and sounds, but I also felt a pulsing want of going back to what Rome normally is, a big open air museum where lots of cultures meet, share and live.
The Spanish Steps were already empty by law, but this time was so different. Just a few people walking around taking a shot at the empty piazza or a selfie (lowing the mask for a few seconds) and the sound of the fountain, exceptionally really loud. We don’t realize how the real city sounds, and I was glad to have heard it. The sun started to come out a little bit and it brought with it a sense of calmness.
With a very hot weather to be middle May we found a bit of shade on Via Margutta. This street is normally very calm but still full of life. A cat was sleeping on a step and looking around. I wonder if they are happy now that the city is less crowded, I guess they are the new owners of the city. Seeing cats for me it’s always kind of a prize, while walking around.
Running errands, doing the grocery, out for sport: life is slowly going back to what it was. Us, Italians, we now have to deal with something we are not very friendly with: patience. Staying in lines and respecting the distance while wearing a mask. I have to say, we are doing a pretty good job. We just need to adjust to this, I hope, temporary normality.
With the sky almost completely blue we headed to the Pantheon. Seeing it like this was incredibly weird. Normally to walk through this piazza you need kind of a talent, you move like a snake to avoid the crowd and to not get stuck in it. This time it was the opposite, I felt quite happy for that. Mass tourism is wrong, but I do miss tourists with their smiley faces when discovering around, that yes.
With the huge Italian flag waving above the piazza, the wind blowing, the silence and the only sound of the fountain as a background noise, this was, I think, my favorite moment of the bike ride. And by the way, I’m so proud of how many bikes are now used as a way of transport around the city. I’ve been biking for more than 2 years now, and the Mayor is actually building more than 150 kms of new bike paths around the city, to connect it at best with the different parts of Rome.
At least beautiful flowers were everywhere, at the end it is still spring (almost summer) and seeing a bit of colors around was definitely comforting. Around the city, indeed, I saw that flowers, plants and trees were all well maintained and I saw that Rome in a way was very organized and very very clean. I just hope that it will stay like that once we will go back to a “normal” life. At the end, who wants what was before? I guess this can be a way to restart? Respecting what we have around a tiny bit more.
This street is definitely packed with thousands of people during the day, if not more. This street leads you to the center, the heart of Rome. The sun shining on it and the lack of people, finally made me realize how incredible is this via. When so many people are walking you get distracted by sounds, colors and other details, but this time the focus was on what Rome is all about: beauty. And I’m so glad to have seen it in this shape.
roman gal goes around 
I love your going around!
Katy Riley
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