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The living room offers two, facing sofas and three
arm chairs so there is room for everyone to lounge and
enjoy this unique and elegant apartment in the heart of
Rome.
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The living room and dining room open onto the
slender balcony. Plaid silk curtains in jewel toned reds
and yellows frame three full sets of French doors.
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Original, contemporary art adorns the walls. You can
step out onto the balcony to view the courtyard.
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Sun streams through the French door that open to the
balcony. Imagine sitting down to dinner at this table,
right in the heart of Rome.
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The gleaming dining table appears to be of ebony. It
seats eight. Just beyond, you can see the large kitchen.
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The kitchen has a breakfast bar and marble counters.
It overlooks the internal courtyard.
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Stainless steel covers the wall that contains a full
sized refrigerator/freezer. It even has an icemaker on
the exterior, a rarity in Italy.
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The entry way in warm yellows, is paved in classical
Roman mosaics. The walls feature contemporary art. The
entry door is on the left, a hallway to the bedrooms
straight ahead and the living room is entered to the
right.
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A slender balcony runs the length of the living room
and dining room. It overlooks a nice internal courtyard.
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Serene, handsome master bedroom with king bed,
windows overlook Via Condotti.
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Open either of the bedroom windows and look to the
right: you can almost touch the famous Spanish Steps!
The Trinita dei Monti Church is undergoing external renovation
so the screen in front of the scaffolding has
ever-changing advertising! Sometimes the ad is animated.
It's interesting to see what companies will pay for this
prominent space; I wonder it it is funding the
renovation. "Is nothing sacred?" is a
particularly ironic question.
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A sofa and ample reading light invite you to lounge
in the well-appointed master bedroom. Enjoy modern
masterpieces on the walls.
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The master bath is truly Roman in its use of white
marble. You will find double sinks, a full tub and an enclosed
shower in addition to a toilet and bidet.
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Rich red in the roomy second bedroom. Windows
overlook Via Condotti.
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The twin bedded room has an ensuite bathroom.
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Also featuring copious white marble, the second bath
has a tub with shower and double sinks.
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Approximate layout of the Elegante apartment in
Rome, illustrating relative room locations.
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On the ground floor of the building, you'll find the
flagship store of the Bulgari family.
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Gucci also occupies the ground floor..
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And the entrance to the building, staffed by a
doorman, is right between Bulgari and Gucci, fine
company to keep. The entrance leads to a pretty
courtyard.
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Directly across the street is the famous Caffé Greco, meeting place of artists and poets for centuries.
The Keats-Shelly
House where John Keats died in 1821 is a few yards
away beside the Spanish Steps. It is now a museum
dedicated to English Romantic Poets that include John
Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron
and others.
For generations, Piazza di Spagna has been visited
by architects, painters, musicians and poets who all
lodged in this area. As you wander the quarter, look for
plaques dating famous artists' stays, including George
Eliot, Goethe, Coleridge, Shelley, Byron, the Brownings,
Henry James, Edith Wharton, Oscar Wilde and Joyce just a
few of the many who were attracted and inspired by this
celebrated 'centro storico'.
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Dine indoors or out on Via Margutta that is just a
few steps away; it is famous for its
beauty and antique shops.
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This fountain is also on Via Margutta. Click to
enlarge photo and note the political comments on the
wall to the right. Romans have a lot to say about their
government. I wonder if the happy and bitter faces
on the fountain have anything to do with that
attitude.
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A notorious forger has gone straight and sells
authorized copies of famous art on nearby Via dei Greci.
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Modern, eclectic design merits your attention in
this corner shop.
Italian style leads the world.
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Beautifully presented goods abound in this world
center for designer fashion near the Spanish Steps in
Rome.
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The home of famous neo-classical sculptor Antonio
Canova (1757-1822) is just across the Via del Corso.
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Nearby, too, is Canova's shop, now a restaurant that
features the plaster molds used for casting his bronze
statues.
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Neighborhood da Gusto restaurant has a special
cheese room that contains more than 300 Italian and
French cheeses at any one time. You can indulge in your
favorite or get a super sampling plate.
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There are several nearby supermarkets but it is
always more interesting to visit the neighborhood "alimentari"
with personal service.
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Donna in
Piazza di Spagna
(Woman
in Piazza di Spagna)
Irving Layton
This
morning I had spaghetti
al
pomodoro with your wraith
after
we'd greeted each other
at
the Piazza di Spagna
It
had your perfect mouth
your
smiling melancholy eyes
and
stroked my hand without cease;
smiles
fell on me from the air
Who
thought of thievish Romans
the
violence in the streets
or
in one's own soul?
Once
more you worked your miracles
Only
when I pressed against you
did
you recede and disappear
and
my aching fingers embraced
A
vanishing waistline of air
Love,
so long as I draw breath
this
city is you, and I shall always see you
Sitting
on the steps of the Piazza
Surrounded
by flowers and ruins
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Here's the landscape map again. Click
on it to enlarge.
For an interactive map that you can
zoom in and out and also use to calculate distances,
follow this link.
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