5cense 593> Sauntering San Saba R.XXI.


Sept 5, 2018 | Rome> Cranking rioni out now w/ newfound vigor, now dat our dayz in Rome = #'ed... tackled # XXI (9 of 22) yesterday eve, San Saba:

Looks bigger than she actually is, a good chunk occupied by the baths of Caracalla + private/unnaccounted for swaths of green space (like the "Sepulcher of the Scipioni").

The logo's perty cool, but who nose what it means. San Saba's named for the the monastery, that back in the day used to be the only thing sitting up on the hill, established by sum hermits dat occupied abandoned barracks from Roman times. After the unification of Italy, sum housing projects was put up there, desined by the same dude that did the neighboring Testaccio. But unlike the tall tenement blocks of R.XX, R.XXI's are lower. The middle cluster of units are 2-story duplexes w/ backyards, like bungalows u might find in Hollywood. There aint a lot of roads thru San Saba, which is nice, most of the axess pts are up stairs since it's on a hill.

standing in Circo Massimo looking at FAO, which anchors the northern corner of San Saba

The bedder-½ of Sound Furies sits at a desk at FAO by day, whens she aint singing or roaming rioni. The bldg was bilt in fatshits time of Moosilini to house the ministry of "Italian Africa"... until a few years later when she was repurposed by the UN to house FAO.

view from the roof of FAO

 

bell + constitution of FAO

 

The obelisk of Axum that the fatshits looted from Ethiopia used to sit outside FAO. The Italians agreed to return it in 1947, but it took them more than 50 yrs to do so cuz of "technical difficulties" (tho they had no problem quickly stealing + transporting it from Ethiopia) + when they did finally return it in 2002, it arrived broken in 3 pieces. Typical Italian maneuver. In it's place, the Italians put a 9/11 memorial, 2 teenie columns that resemble Spinal Tap's stonehenge more than WTC. It sits in in the middle of a busy intersexion (if u want to read the plaque u risk gitting hit by cars or trams), typically engulfed by garbage + overgrown weeds. Not sure what Rome had to do w/ 9/11 anyway.

the Spinal Tapping 9/11 memorial

They also named a nearby street vaguely for all "victims of terrorism." Being that it's right in front of FAO you'd think they'd at least name the street for victims of hunger? The Palestinian embassy is strategically located on Victims of Terrorism Ave, even tho Italy doesn't recognize Palestine + the UN didn't either until a month ago. It's been heavily guarded for as long as we can remember, when we run past we always have to cross to the other side. Perhaps they will sum day rename the street for pedestrians dat died X-ing the road to avoid the machine-gun wielding counter-terrorism soldiers w/ goofie elf-hats blocking the sidewalk.

Further up the road past the running track are the baths of Caracalla, which we edmit we didn't visit on this giro, but we have a few times before, or seen opera w/ them as a backdrop.

Caracalla (2010)

 

mosaic-work in Caracalla (2009)

 

leave it to Sorrentino to not only score a giraffe for La Grande Bellezza, but also secure Terme di Caracalla as a film location + sumhow transport the giraffe there

 

the free view of Caracalla (walking around behind)

 

the steps to basilica Balbina (+ the baths in the distance)

The wall museum is also in San Saba... again, we din't visit it on this outing but have before. The desolate areas near the wall + behind the baths of Caracalla are also notorious hotspots for ladies of the night, even in the middle of the day you'll find them in shorts + high heels selling their wares on the side of the road.

Porta San Sebastiano (from a visit in 2017, before we moved back)—the gate that spits out Appia Antica

 

where the mega-road Cristoforo Colombo spits out thru the wall

 

walking along the wall

 

Porta San Paolo

 

characteristic staircase leading up to the plateu of San Saba

 

typical San Saba architexture

 

 

San Saba monastery

 

 

 

 

 

along viale Aventino

Foodwise we ate at Queen Makeda, like eating dishes sourced from Trader Joes, washed down w/ craft beers, which for Rome is a rare comforting treat. We had nasi goreng, fish tacos + tuna poke, w/ a local sour ale. We've also been to that place (Villeta) owned by that Roma soccer player (Totti), just last week we had a disappointing experience there. And we've been to most of the other joints along viale Aventino, or at least our bedder-½ has for lunch or after-work apperetivos.

 592 <( )> 594 > Chile + Argentina, 1991, harmonically hitch-hiking along Chladni nodal lines

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