The citizens of all great cities speak of home with pride, but what they emphasize can vary. I enjoy learning through conversations with locals what about their city keeps them enthralled.
Take Daniela and Samanta, locals who we met near the Spanish Steps in Rome. With attention on the Olympics, they noted how Paris is a wonderful city with amazing museums, but the whole of Rome is a museum, and you only need to walk the streets to see great works of art. Only a touch of competitive sensibility! Or consider Fabrizio, whose reserved demeanor masked assured pride in the quality of red coral he showed us from Sardinia. And Silvia, our guide at the Colosseum, who spoke with admiration of the Arch of Constantine, and how all the other great triumph arches of the world imitate the original in Rome. Through these conversations, I experienced how deeply a love of beauty, craft, and history unites Romans.
We also met Sara, whose eyes sparkled when we asked about the remains of the Baths of Trajan. She referred to them when showing us the Domus Aurea - Nero;s palace, exorbitant beyond imagination but then stripped bare and lost to time, buried for over a millennium to make way for public works after his condemnation by the Senate. Rome is literally a city of layers, with the current streets standing dozens of feet over earlier iterations of the city. She appreciated our attention to the dramatic stories and vivid personalities that shaped Rome, not just politically and historically, but physically, playing out over time periods those of us living in America struggle to grasp.
My most memorable conversation was with Rasan, with whom I discovered a special connection. After a very effective sales pitch touting the virtues of aged balsamic vinegar at Campo de Fiori, I inquired as to his country of origin. Bangladesh, he said. I shared I was born in India, but grew up in Singapore. It turns out his whole immediate family lives in Singapore. He came to Rome to earn money, which he saves and sends back to help them. We share having family in that part of the world, have a shared experience as immigrants making our way in a new place, and share an understanding of the hustle involved in lifting our families into better circumstances. It is a story that transcends Rome, London, Paris, New York, and other great cities, and in that sense, also unites them.
Rome is so different from any other city I have visited, and yet, in its own way, so similar. Every city has its sights, sounds and wonders. Each also has stories of shame, cruelty and indifference. They form the backdrop of our human struggle, but also of our resilience. Story by story, layer by layer, year by year, cities have brought together people of all kinds to advance human flourishing, albeit with uneven results. To do better, perhaps we can start by understanding each other better. May your city reveals its layers and stories to you in some small measure, as Rome did for me.
J
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