More Than Its Sights by Minh-Anh Nguyen

Dedicated to my family, who have given me the privilege of traveling—

—and who I wish the most to share my experiences with.

• • • colosseum, rome

MORE THAN ITS SIGHTS

Roma Summer 2015

Minh-Anh Nguyen

ALL FIVE SENSES

Photos are amazing. I love taking photos, and I’ve taken thousands since I’ve arrived in Italy. “A picture is worth a thousand words”, or so they say. And I do believe they are worth a lot—I’ve been sharing my photos with my family and friends, in the hopes that they might have a glimpse into my Roman adventures. But Italy is more than its sights. I looked at a lot of pictures of Rome before leaving for Europe, but as much research as I did, there are so many more things that I could never have anticipated—things I’ve heard, tasted, smelled, and felt since my arrival. These have defined my stay in Italy as much as the sights have. Although pictures make up the majority of this book, I’ve chosen to write about all five senses. My hope is that, after reading this book, you’ll be a little bit closer to being in Italy.

• • • tempietto di san pietro in montorio, rome

SOUND Street noise in Rome is not just cars.

It is people chatting, fountains babbling, vendors trying to sell you their goods, and waiters inviting you into their restaurants. It is accordions on the Piazza Navona, a cheer from a crowd watching a football game, and a saxophone cover of “it’s a wonderful world.” Occasionally, it is the clop of horseshoes on cobblestone. It is important, though, to keep an ear out for cars and vespas.

• • • via del pellegrino, rome

accented english The Spanish Steps is one of my favorite places in Rome. However, it is also one of the most crowded, and is nearly always filled with tourists. It is afternoon, and I’m sitting on the Spanish Steps, people-watching. A group of German women sit behind me, passing around a Rome (“rom” in German) city guide. To my right is a British family—the mother scolds her children for sitting in the middle of the steps. A Chinese family is coming up the steps in front of me. I am surrounded by many more languages I fail to recognize. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this many languages at once in my entire life.

• • • fontana di piazza colonna, rome

• • • via dei condotti, rome

“buongiorno.”

• • • janiculum hill, Rome

I tried learning a little italian before coming to Rome, but you can never really know how people talk in Italy without being in Italy. “Ciao.” “Buongiorno.” “Prego.” “Grazie.” You can get close, but it’s impossible to pretend to be a Romam.

• • • piazza di spagna, rome

• • • janiculum hill, rome

It’s midday, and we’re paying a visit to janiculum hill. At the stroke of noon, a cannon is fired from the top of the hill, in the direction of the tiber. This has been happening every day, without fail, for decades. People of all ages are milling around on janiculum hill, taking pictures, taking in the view, chatting. We join the waiting crowd. The guards start counting down. Everyone quiets.

Then—a huge blast. The cannon can be heard all the way in rome’s city center. I can hear my ears ringing for the next fifteen minutes.

“tre, due, uno!”

• • • janiculum hill, Rome

It’s evening. From our bedroom window, we can hear the Campo de Fiori down below— forks clinking, kids playing, people on their evening stroll. Street musicians come to the Campo de Fiori regularly. Sometimes it’s the saxophone player, sometimes the xylophone man, and occasionally, an opera singer sets up outside our window. Tonight, it’s the guitarist. He plays the same songs every night—all covers of popular songs. I open the windows, prop my elbows on the window sill and listen, because live music outside of my window is one thing I won’t find back home.

• • • via del pellegrino, rome

• • • campo de fiori, rome

hotel california

• • • campo de fiori, rome

TASTE& SMELL There are so many foods that I thought I knew before I tried them in Italy. Tomatoes. Olive oil. Balsamic vinegar. Olives. Pasta. Pizza. Ice cream. Pomodoro. Olio d’oliva. Aceto basalmico. Olive. Pasta. Pizza. Gelato. • • • fattoria la tancia, tavarnelle val di pesa

As it turns out, I didn’t know them at all.

• • • via del governo vecchio, rome

pizza, pasta Four (of many) kinds of pasta in Italy. Pesto: a creamy sauce made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, and sometimes, cheese. Carbonara: a sauce made from egg, cheese, and small bits of bacon. Ragù Bolognese: a meat sauce with tomatoes and vegetables. Arrabiata: a spicy sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, and chili.

• • • pizzeria, bologna

olive oil & basalmic

The owner of the olive oil company opened up a huge metal vat of olive oil. Back in the States, I never was a huge fan of olive oil. But the smell of fresh Umbrian olive oil is heavenly—absolutely beyond any other description. The room was silent as the olive oil was ladled on to our freshly toasted bread. I’ve never been more excited for a slice of toast in my life.

• • • antico frantoio carletti, clittuno

• • • acetaia malpighi basalmic vinegar, modena

We get to the kitchen at 2pm to start on the main course for dinner that evening—there are no “quick and easy” meals in Italian cooking. We prepare meat sauce. We make peach and cherry tarts with a lemon crust. We throw pizza dough. We make salad and pizza bianca and lentils and meatballs and caprese. Four and a half hours later, we’re standing in front of a table on which rests our delicious, homemade Italian dinner. We grab plates and dig in. In Italy, it’s not just about the food—it’s about the process, and the people.

• • • palazzo pio apartments, rome

italian kitchen

• • • palazzo pio apartments, rome

TOUCH Italy is not a country run by machines—all of the best stuff is handmade. Its most famous sculptures. Its most beautiful church. Its fashion. Its food. The traditions, the craftsmanship, and the pride that comes with it all are passed down generation to generation, person to person. In other places, one hundred years is ancient history, but in Rome, the past is close enough to touch.

• • • palazzo pio apartments, rome

pride & joy

• • • schedoni, modena

We walk into the office on the upper floor of Schedoni, a producer of luxury leather goods. The walls are filled with pictures and newspaper clippings from the company's history. By the window, there is a pile of old leather seat covers from famous race cars. The cabinet on the far wall has an array of old Schedoni artifacts from generations past.

• • • lamborghini factory, sant’agata bolognese

veloce

I’ve never been much of a car person—as a kid, I left the toy car collecting to my younger brothers. But in the Lamborghini factory, it’s hard not to be a car person. Lamborghinis are from another world. The cars are all sleek lines and angles, glossy paint and slick details. Just being around them makes my heart beat a little faster.

• • • lamborghini factory, sant’agata bolognese

hand made

• • • grevi, florence

There's a spool of material on the right. We watch as an old lady runs the material through a tiny little sewing machine, stitching the material together in a perfect spiral pattern. Skillfully, she turns and tilts the partially-formed hat, shaping it perfectly. Within minutes, she holds a completed sun hat in her hands. She lays the hat on the wooden model that she is referencing—and it is a perfect fit. We applaud at its completion.

SIGHT Around every Roman street corner, at the end of every winding alleyway, there is something new to discover. A beautiful old church, housing a famous work of art. A huge piazza, bustling with tourists, vendors, and street musicians. Buildings that are thousands of years old. Rome doesn’t follow agendas. There’s too much to do, too much to see.

• • • roman forum, rome

• • • antinori, san casciano val di pesa

architecture & light I press my nose into the glass as the bus pulls into antinori, a contemporary tuscan winery. I’m looking at the most amazing architectural work that I’ve had ever seen—a beautiful spiral staircase, connecting the differing levels of the winery. Shafts of afternoon sunlight filter through the railings, casting patterned shadows on the ground. The orange, rusted metal glows in the warm light. When you step onto the staircase, you become a work of art.

• • • antinori, san casciano val di pesa

church

It’s not quite silent, but there is a serenity that is difficult to find anywhere else in Rome. Although I am not religious in the slightest, the church demands reverence. It is lavishly decorated. Everywhere I look, there are elaborate paintings and detailed sculptures, gilded columns and glowing windows. I pick out religious figures that i recognize—Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary. Saint Peter. Saint Paul. Saint Francis. I can hear faint organ music, but i can’t locate its source. I raise my camera to take a picture, and the click of my shutter feels a little too loud.

• • • santa maria degli angeli e dei martiri, rome

• • • san carlo alle quattro fontane, rome

• • • pantheon, rome

I squint at my map, but I can’t seem find the name of the street that I’m on. But in Rome, it’s alright to get a little lost. I round the street corner, and suddenly encounter what feels like the biggest building I’ve ever seen in my life. Among the coffee shops and gelaterias, there is a huge, ancient temple. My mouth hangs open. I’ve run into the Pantheon.

ancient history history

• • • pantheon, rome

• • • maxxi national museum of 21st century arts, rome

xxi It’s a slow walk through MAXXI, up to the top floor. Not because it’s a difficult walk, but there is just so much to see—you take a look at something, walk past it, and a little while later you find yourself back in front of it once again.

• • • maxxi, rome

Photos, text, and design by Minh-Anh Nguyen. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Display text / Futura Medium Body text / Utopia Regular 9/10.8 Captions / Utopia Caption italic 8 Paper / Duo Matte 80 Cover paper / purchased at Mendaia Federica Software / Adobe InDesign CC Printer / Epson StylusPro Camera / Nikon D5200 Lens / 35mm f/1.8 Handbound Perfect bind Roma 2015

• • • portrait taken by madeleine harrison