Since it is Valentine’s Day, I am feeling a bit romantic. Alas, we are not in Rome at the moment, but I recall fondly one memorable February 14 when we visited Saint Valentine himself.
Laura and I were married in Rome, at the Campidoglio. Our reception was at a lovely restaurant (sadly now gone) in a little hidden piazza just off Piazza Venezia, one of the most chaotic spots in all of Rome. Just crossing the street at the traffic nightmare that is Piazza Venezia is enough to make you want a stiff drink — there are plenty of bars nearby for that.
I am very happy they have brought back the entertaining traffic conductor on the podium there. This vigile, situated at the head of Via del Corso, has been a staple of Rome’s traffic since the late 1920s. Many Romans are fond of this institution. There was great fanfare when the first woman was selected for this prestigious duty in 2021.
But if you wander up a little street from the piazza, suddenly you are somewhere completely different — and very peaceful. The tiny Piazza Margana is a relic seemingly untouched by modern Rome. One side of the piazza is a typical, grand, burnt sienna palazzo, from the 17th century.
But it’s one of the other buildings that gives Piazza Margana its name. This building is much older, with some parts dating back to the 14th century. This was the tower and the palazzo of the Margani family. It has barely changed over the years.
The base of the Margana tower is a great example of how Romans incorporate ancient bits into their buildings.
Piazza Margana is one of those places in Rome you may just stroll through; but it pays to take some time and “read” the buildings. The signs are all there, and as always, they tell the fabulous story of Rome, written and rewritten over many centuries.
The Spanish Steps Apartment on Via della Mercede 