Pittsburgh vs. Rome - Liveable Cities?

I try to keep up with what's shakin' in the States while I'm here in Rome. I'm especially invested in the goings-on in and around Pittsburgh (it's home, people!). While checking out the Post-Gazette today, I happened upon an article on The Economist's "Liveable Cities" rankings. Turns out Pittsburgh is ranked 29th overall and the most liveable U.S. city by this poll's standards. That's proud news for Pittsburghers, I suppose, but I think we better not hold our collective breath that it indicates an increase in popularity or even that it affects the standard Steel Town image that the city's history invokes in most people's minds. Not that we might want folks to flock to Pittsburgh or that we're ashamed of its working class history, but to what extent is such an "honor" a boon for local economies? According to the Post-Gazette: "[T]he value of such publicity to the Pittsburgh area (priceless)." I'm not sure I'm sold on that.

So, what does this have to do with Rome? Well, my immediate reaction was to search for the entire list of "Liveable Cities" in order see where Rome falls in the rankings. I think I might need the print version of The Economist for that, so if anyone can provide that information, please do share. It's at least clear from the info available online that Rome did not make the top ten in 2009. In spite of this, and in relation to my musings above, populations seem to continue to boom in the places like Rome and where you'd expect - crowded urban and cultural centers like New York, LA, London, etc.

I used to think I'd like to live in a city like Rome. Now that I'm a little older, a touch stubborn, and more particular, I don't know that I'm so into it. It's wonderful to have the experience of seven weeks in an education abroad program here, but how would I be able to truly live here? Picking up the language could happen, but the euro is sure to kick my butt financially eventually. It's about as crowded with tourists as any place can get (although I can't speak for the 'off' season), and I'm certain that I'd miss my family and friends in the States too much to make it here long term.

Aside from The Economist's 'objective' standards, I think I'm ultimately questioning what makes for a 'liveable' city? It's got plenty to do with the rhetoric of the developed versus developing worlds, and I'm not without my biases toward the former. I do know quite a few folks, however, who put a lot of stock in the quality of the city's football team.

Vision of the Past . . . and the Future

My dear readers, you know my affection for Anna Magnani is strong, but this week's film, Mamma Roma, calls us to pay some close attention to one of its lesser characters. Bruna (played by Silvana Corsini), is Mamma Roma's worst nightmare, as she is a clear reflection of the aging prostitute/fruit vendor in her youth. Bruna is the young, single mother of a two year old son, she has no prospects in terms of work or family, and she exchanges sex with the young men in her neighborhood for gifts. We can see the fear and resentment in Mamma Roma's face as she eyes Bruna in the market - at least Mamma Roma was a bona fide hooker; Bruna is merely a promiscuous girl who stupidly expects she might get ahead in some small way using her body.

Bruna gets the short end of the stick in Pasolini's second outing as a film director. Were Mamma Roma to recognize the similarities between her life and Bruna's, were she to show the girl some compassion, were she to open her eyes to her own sons misguided decisions, the viewer mightn't be so opposed to Bruna's misguided decisions. Bruna is not so stupid as Mamma Roma assumes - she inhabits a space in which it makes sense for her to keep the gang of local boys on her side. They have no qualms about assaulting her, and she has no means to get out. When the boys are enraged over her decision to 'go for a walk' with Ettore, she sides with their violent group. This move appears cold, but I believe we are left to wonder what might happen to Bruna were she to reject them for Ettore's company.

This situation parallels Mamma Roma's - she who finds herself at the mercy of her old pimp. He needs money, so she must find her way back to the street and pay up, or face several consequences that are, I'm sure you know, undesirable. In spite of Mamma Roma's claim that the individual is responsible for her lot in life, Mamma Roma is very much a film about constraints, context, and inhibiting structures. Bruna gives us a glimpse of those constraints on Mamma Roma's past as the character of Mamma Roma provides insight into how they might affect Bruna's future.

Image found here.

When in Rome, go south!

Una and I are back from a weekend in Sorrento. We couldn't quite escape the scooter noise from Rome (our hotel room faced a busy street), but at least we were rid of the barking dog and cawing gulls for a couple of nights.

We took a ferry to Positano on Saturday, and I somehow managed to capture a pretty darn good photo of the Amalfi Coast's famed bouganvillea and picturesque buildings stuck right into the hillside (if I do say so myself). See . . .

It was weird to feel like I was actually on vacation this weekend, but I definitely enjoyed our downtime - especially the strolls through Sorrento's and Positano's narrow streets lined with shops. Eat, shop, enjoy the views - that's about it around these parts, and I was happy to indulge for just about 48 hours. All things are fabulous in and around Amalfi, as emphasized by this guy who apparently just hangs out in front of Missoni in Positano all day.

Fauna, Fauna Everywhere

Class time consisted of a walk on the Aventine Hill today, and every place we went, we encountered busy little animals either hanging out in their habitats or eager to interact with all of the people infringing on their habitats. I figured a gratuitous photo entry was in order. You may want to shield the kiddies' eyes from the beetles pic.

Friendly kitty at the Protestant Cemetery.



Snail that almost met its end at the sole of my sandal in the Protestant Cemetery.


"Busy" beetles at the Protestant Cemetery.


A rather tame herd of humans at Giardino degli Aranci.


Happy dog and his pine cone in Giardino degli Aranci.


Curious kitten in Giardino degli Aranci.


The bee does its part in Roseto Comunale.

MU-JI-Oh(!)

There's a tempting little store on Via del Tritone called MUJI. I'm a little bit in love with it, but I also cannot make a solid argument to myself in favor of actually making a purchase there. The Japanese company's "philosophy of 'no brand quality goods'" is reflected in the minimalist packaging and store design. I'm a little perplexed, however, how they maintain a reputation for earth conscious production and packaging when most of their appealing little products (and I do mean that they are actually wee little things) are mostly plastic and kind of unnecessary.

I think I might hold out for one of the MUJI stores in the States, since the prices in euros seem to differ greatly from the prices in British pounds (both are printed on the tags), and I don't think it's simply a matter of currency conversion. So the next time I make it to the Big Apple to visit my girl Jenny, I think a little trip to MUJI SOHO might be in order.

*Google tells me that today, this is the euro-pound equivalence: 1 Euro = 0.866634158 British pounds.

A Man and His Dog . . . and the Maid

I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats wondering what this week's film selection was for CAS 415 in Rome. Lucky for you, the wait is over. Today, we watched Umberto D, another neorealist staple directed by Vittorio De Sica. Critics love this movie, which succeeds in so many ways in spite of it's fundamentally trite premise (did you catch the title of this post?).

Maria-Pia Casilio plays Maria, the maid in the boarding house where Umberto rents a room and from which he is soon to be evicted. Although it has the potential to develop as maudlin and exploitative, empathetic is the way in which I would describe the relationship between Maria and Umberto. She seems to have no significant ties to family, but she does not seek out Umberto as a surrogate father or grandfather, nor does she wish to be his caretaker. This might have been an easy move for De Sica to make, but he is appropriately restrained in the presentation of Maria and Umberto's friendship (which might also be stretching it).

Maria is rather no-nonsense, but then, she must be, as she is three months pregnant and on the verge of poor, single motherhood. However, De Sica does not neglect her the complex character portrait that such circumstances require - she cries quietly over her situation as she makes the morning coffee, alone in the kitchen, but she does what she can to help out with Umberto's dog when he requests it. The stereotypical notion of the Italian mamma who feeds others' problems with a heaping plate of pasta in red sauce is lost on De Sica and neorealism generally. Maria has her own business to worry about, after all.

Umberto D poster found here.
Maria-Pia Casilio image found here.

02.06.2009

Today is a national holiday in Italy, folks. I blogged about it a touch last time around, but I've got a very different perspective on it this year. Part of that different perspective is based in geography. This year, we're living in an area that is directly in line with the parade route, and today's parade route is, on most days, the most efficient way to walk to our classrooms off Piazza del Collegio Romano. As Una and I walked along Via dei Fori Imperiali this morning, however, we were trapped like rats - forced to watch the parade of endless segments of the Italian military marching in all their masculine, uniformed, glorious lock-step. I didn't think I'd be up for it, and especially not without at least one cappuccino under my belt.

The point is, we beat a hasty retreat out of there, roundabout though it was, and did the more sensible thing - hung around a group of military folk just off of Piazza Venezia in white riding pants, gold chest plates, and patent leather riding boots. It was their beautiful horses rather than the sharp dressing that drew us in, which to us, did seem more sensible.

Okay, so aside from the way in which today's parade makes the navigation of a chaotic urban center feel even more chaotic than usual, I am uneasy about the show of military might (warranted or not) that is Festa della Repubblica. There have been alternative parades for peace in previous years, especially during the 'W' years and the height of the Iraq war, but I found no information on any alternative celebrations this year. The symbolic purchase of flexing the national muscle in the June second parade has somehow become less significant to peace movements in Italy, or in Rome at the very least, in this, the year of Obama. As with the declaration of a 'post-racial' era in the U.S., I have to imagine/hope the lack of alt festivities does not necessarily prove this to be true.

On a lighter note, do check out Joe Augello's blog for the most surreal experience that any of us CAS in Rome folks had on Festa della Repubblica this year. You won't be disappointed.

Top: Firefighters scale/hang out on the Colosseum.
Middle: The horses . . . with distinctive haircuts.