Sensory Euphoria

Seeing the layers of history and culture all around me make for a constantly exhilarating experience. From the ancient ruins dispersed throughout this metropolitan city to local Romans making their way about, Rome is a visual timeline. Hearing cars, buses, trolleys and trains rush by on the continuously hectic streets of Rome, help me to recognize the modern, living city it is today. Yet still I can hear the accordion and standup bass playing for visitors in a confined piazza just steps away, contrasting back to a lifestyle of leisure. Touching the cobblestone underneath my feet, it is impossible not to imagine the contents in the ground beneath. Throughout the almost ten meters down to the streets of Ancient Rome, precious artifacts, hundreds of years old, tell the stories of our ancestors. Similarly, feeling the same railing Martin Luther did in 1511 along the nave in Santa Maria del Popolo, brings the historical facts studied for years in books to real life. Smelling the wafts of fresh fish around me while spending time in Piazza dei Biscione, a small space near Campo de' Fiori where a local fish shop serves hundreds of Romans daily, urges me to continue along. Just around the corner at one of the many restaurants nearby, fresh tomatoes and spices cleanse my nose and satisfy my cravings. Tasting the wide range of delicious wines while enjoying this sensory overload seems to help me understand what the beginning of this experience in Rome is: Unbelievable.

Photo: Piazza di Spagna, The Spanish Square