A Rinascita: Rediscovering The Eternal City of Rome

Writer, yoga instructor and Rome transplant Rachel Zitin writes about rediscovering Rome amidst her latest rinascita — the renaissance brought on by the pandemic and ultimately enjoyed by the Romans who, undoubtedly, deserved her spoils. Better yet, she’s inviting you to come rediscover Rome and enjoy them, too.

Photography by now Roman resident, @parisinfourmonths

I

will never forget the first day I walked through Rome after the 2020 lockdown. I remember the rust-colored linen dress I was wearing. I remember ordering a drink (Campari Bitter and soda) that was served in a little plastic bottle because we weren’t allowed to sit down at bars or restaurants. I remember the weather was slightly overcast but the colors of the buildings felt vibrant, technicolor. I remember how strange it felt to realize that all the people I saw actually lived in Rome. We weren’t allowed to travel between cities back then. I remember the police patrolling around the piazza. They sent us gently scattering away from each other and then coming back together again in small tentative groups, just like the flocks of pigeons who had claimed the piazza as their own. 

The city was blooming with the sweet smell of jasmine and the people on the streets wore a variety of expressions, from blissful to fearful and everything in between. When I arrived in Piazza Navona the first thing I observed was the bright green grass. It spread like a carpet over the cobblestoned square, a clear piece of evidence that there had been no foot traffic for the preceding two months. I recalled a scene from The Talented Mr. Ripley. Matt Damon and Phillip Seymour Hoffman meet in the middle of the piazza, right near Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain and it is gorgeously empty, a typical day in the 1960s in Rome. That was how it felt in the spring of 2020. 

We all know now that that wasn’t the end of the pandemic, not hardly. Yet in that moment, as I sipped my little plastic bottled drinketto, at Camillo, I remember feeling that this city was my movie set and I was ready to watch it blossom. Over the next months we all became more enamored with Rome. She is a city that changes slowly, and yet she changed.

Or maybe
I changed…

My former life saw me working long days as a private tour guide, shepherding travelers around the city and showing them the magnificence of the largest and most famous monuments. I was in love with Rome before the pandemic. My experience in this city, like many expats, is a love/hate relationship. It is easy to find the flaws below the surface and yet we remain dutifully loyal to her magic. Since May 2020, my appreciation of the city has grown and evolved. Again, this is my own growth. I also give credit to Rome. 

Before my life was about the big monuments: the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona. When you’re explaining the surface to a first-time visitor in Rome, it can be hard to look for beauty and nuance in the small things. 2020 gave me the opportunity to get to know Rome more intimately. The little things became the big ones — the way the sunlight hits the buildings at golden hour became an obsession, the way the city smells of fresh-baked bread in the morning, the consistency of seeing familiar faces walking around a city that makes you feel anything but anonymous. The lavender wisteria and white jasmine flowers that bloomed all over the city that spring have never smelled sweeter. 

And here we are, two years later. Rome is a city that doesn’t need to evolve, and yet evolve she will. The past two years have seen some exciting openings, from Soho House Rome to Vinificio from The Hoxton to Aliena Coffee Roasters; the culture is decidedly younger, hipper and more vibrant than it was before the pandemic. Over the next few years we will see dozens of well-known hotel brands start to welcome visitors to Rome. Younger Italians are innovating and small businesses are erupting all over the city. The city is evolving and she merits a longer stay, a more nuanced visit. 

Vinifico

Hoxton, Rome

Soho House, Rome

On a personal note, I’m thrilled to watch my adopted city grow into a more ‘international’ destination. Roma, la citta eterna, has a funny way of staying the same and evolving at the exact same time. As I watch her grow, I must admit, I’ll never forget the luxurious old-world glamour of Rome in 2020. Our own private movie set. La Dolce Vita. Rome will continue to rebirth again and again. 

When you come, I hope you get to experience the magical rinascita (rebirth) of Rome. I hope that you come and can see all the tiny gorgeous details in addition to the big obvious crowd pleasers. We are all a part of Rome, Rome can be a part of all of us. And I will always remember that tiny slice in time in 2020 when she felt like a movie set, and my life, despite the circumstances (or perhaps because of them) felt like I was acting in a film about la citta eterna, a film where I couldn’t help but notice the ever-present nostalgia of golden hour sunshine dancing across terracotta buildings into emptiness.