Living on the Aventine Hill, I’m always fascinated by the hundreds of people who come to the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta to peer through the keyhole to see three countries: the Sovereign State of the Order of Malta; the Italian Republic; and the Vatican City, crowned by Michelangelo’s majestic dome.
Few of them will know much about the work of the Order of Malta and its 13,000 members. Even fewer will know that the Grand Priory’s church lies hidden behind the walls, a small masterpiece designed by Piranesi.
Piranesi had strong British connections. He was patronised by all the Milordi visiting Rome in the 18th century and his only disciples seem to have been Robert Adam and James Wyatt. Their curious classical style of architecture was at variance with the more austere Neoclassical tastes of the time. But what a beautiful legacy they left behind.
Opposite my flat rises the great Benedictine monastery of Sant’Anselmo, where I go most evenings for Vespers, sung beautifully by the monks.
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The downside of Italian life is the difficulty of getting things done. No telephone landline for two months and no WiFi for three is enough to try the patience of a saint. The upside is the friendliness of the Romans, especially when you try to talk to them in Italian. I attribute this to the influence of St Peter. I quickly found that I was making friends and was even invited to dinner, which had never happened when I lived in Paris.
The Romans I meet all think that Brexit is a tragedy and at the same time moan about the political state of their own country and its parlous economy. The general election earlier this year eventually produced an extraordinary outcome: a coalition between the populist Lega, led by the charismatic Matteo Salvini, and the anti-establishment Cinque Stelle (Five Star) movement, led by the Neapolitan Luigi Di Maio.
On paper it shouldn’t work, but such is the lure of power that so far it seems to be holding together. Italian politics, from the Middle Ages, has been all about the quest for power.
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Mass tourism is ruining some of the most famous parts of Rome but as soon as you get off the beaten tourist track there are amazing things to see. The churches on the outskirts are generally quiet and decorated with the most sumptuous mosaics. I love Sant’Agnese on the Via Nomentana, and next to it the amazing circular Mausoleum of Constantia, daughter of the Emperor Constantine.
An interesting church for art historians is San Giuliano dei Fiamminghi, where William Kent painted the apotheosis of St Julian in the 18th century. He is surely the only Englishman to have decorated a Roman church.
Little museums like the Galleria Spada, the Museo Napoleonico and the Museo Mario Praz are always quiet. Be careful in the Museo Praz not to trip on the stairs or get trapped in the lift. Signor Praz was rumoured to possess the malocchio – the evil eye – and strange accidents still occur from time to time.
The best guide books I know are Georgina Masson’s Rome, James Lees-Milne’s Roman Mornings and Anthony Blunt’s Roman Baroque.
Compared to London, most restaurants are inexpensive and good. I sometimes go to a restaurant in the ghetto, which serves delectable Jewish food, including carciofi alla giudia (deep-fried artichoke).
I’m lucky enough to have a reciprocal arrangement between my London club and one of the Roman clubs, and there the food and service are outstanding. The specialità della casa is a hazelnut bombe with hot chocolate sauce.
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On Tuesday evenings as many as 450 poor people gather outside Roma Termini station, and we go to hand out food to them which has been prepared by nuns in the Vatican. It’s harrowing to see these men, women and sometimes children who have such incredibly tough lives. All credit to the Order of Malta for arranging the soup kitchens every evening somewhere in Rome. It’s quite usual to see a cardinal or some other high-ranking cleric working among us.
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These are exciting times to be living in Rome and rumours abound about the debates taking place at the youth synod as I write.
This isn’t the first time that there has been dissension in the Eternal City and it won’t be the last. For me, as a member of the Order of Malta, it is sufficient to remember our daily undertaking to “practise and defend the Catholic, the Apostolic, the Roman Faith against the enemies of religion”. There are plenty of those in Rome too! Truly, God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.
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