People often ask me what it’s like living in Rome. And it’s hard to give an answer that pleases everyone.
There is the breathtaking beauty (the Colosseum, Saint Peter’s, a narrow alley in Centro, the fashionable people), as well as daily reminders of Rome’s unique character (nasoni fountains, commuting priests and nuns, ruins big and small). Of course, there are also the daily frustrations of traffic, waiting for public transportation, hordes of tourists, and touts selling trinkets and toys, among other annoyances you’ll find in a big city.
Francesco Filacchione’s “Living in Rome” video is a love letter to the Eternal City and one of the best expressions I’ve seen of Rome as both a tourist center and a place where people live, work, struggle, and hustle. Filacchione uses the emotionally charged song “Leave to Love You More” as the video soundtrack, breaking in at intervals to let us hear the sound of the Tiber, the hiss of spray paint from a street artist, the flapping wings of pigeons, the braking of a train. The director also gives us a look at Rome from on high and down low, getting down to street level as well as sending drones flying over the monuments and parks.
Watch the “Living in Rome” video and see if it doesn’t also give you goosebumps:
Post first published on May 29, 2018
