It
seems pointless to waste a perfectly good inability to sleep, so let’s get up
at dawn and walk the deserted streets. Out
by 6am just as the sun was coming up on a day that alternates between bright
blue skies and dense overcast. Rumours
of rain and the grey clouds threaten.
The sun rises slowly over Rome,
hitting first the tallest church domes and towers, sliding down the stone faces
of statue and building. Then you can feel it on your back as you walk the
impossibly empty boulevards. These streets that within a few hours will be
virtually impassable can be sauntered across with ease.
On Sunday the bells start early from
every direction, talking in unison and at odds as each one goes off with its
own tone and clamour. It is hard to
imagine how many churches are within earshot and each one boasting a campanile with something to say.
I don’t know if there was a sale on jasmine plants, but they are everywhere! The air is dense with their fragrance and this early there is no bus exhaust to compete.
I made it past the Colosseo, through
Piazza Navona and the Campo to the river and back, stopping for a piccolo cappuccino.
The streets that were empty are now filled with cars and buses, the cafès
filled with people. What a magical thing to see before she has to endure
another day of chaos.