Travel, Travails, Trevi and The Sweet Life

Original Movie Poster

If you did not read a post of mine from a few weeks ago, you missed the reason I am in Rome. On top of getting to enjoy the great sights, eating wonderful food and seeing beauty in both art and human form, I have to work. Today was the first day of a conference on global compliance laws for pharmaceuticals. It was about as dull as dust. To be honest, I don't know why they had to fly all of us to Rome for something we could have met in New Jersey for. That would have saved money and the environment a bit of wear and tear since most of us came from San Francisco or the greater New York area.

Toward the end of the seventh hour, I looked longingly outside and saw the rain had stopped. We got out an hour later. I ran up to my room, grabbed my camera, guide book scarf, coat, and map and headed out. I wanted to see the Trevi Fountain again. My visual taste of it yesterday was not enough.

Fontana di Trevi

According to my guide book, Rome Encounter by the Lonely Planet, they say of the Trevi Fountain:

Rococo extravaganza Trevi Foutain (Fontana di Trevi) was immortalized by Anita Ekberg's midnight dip in La Vita Dolce. Designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732, it depicts Neptune's chariot being led by Tritons with sea horses - one wild, one docile - representing the various moods of the sea.

Docile

I think the various moods of the sea horses symbolize the conflict in all humans. We are broken docile animals that society makes of us as we shuffle about our daily chores of pulling others' chariots, but many of us still have wild desires, needs, anger, and passions that tear at us to live again.

Wild

According to local lore, if a visitor tosses a one coin into the fountain, they will return to Rome. Tossing in two coins will bring a new romance. Tossing in three coins will bring a marriage or a divorce. I wonder what I have in my pocket.

As you can tell by the scale of the fountain, it isn't subtle. It is bold, in your face, maybe even gaudy and goddamn I love it. I love it when art can be big, balls out and unavoidable. Screw being subtle for all art. Sometimes you just have to make a spectacle that draws a blond beauty to go splashing about in its waters as it did in La Vita Dolce.

Below is the famous scene from La Vita Dolce. It is a stunning piece. Both actors are beautiful and give a brief taste of a time that died away before I was born. Now that I just watched this scene again, it is interesting how she baptizes him just moments before they almost kiss. How transgressive is that? She is taking the role of a priest (baptism) to cleanse him before that sensual (and to some, sinful) moment.



Sadly, my Rome Roamin' is slowing down to tiny half hour excursions until this conference ends.