The "Tivoli" you won't expect

I'm not used to post videos on my blog. This time I'll make an exception.

Via di Pomata

(Made and sent from my mobile.)

Up until a century ago there where two ways to get to the town of Tivoli, coming from Rome. One way was passing the old citadel walls walking along the ancient roman road Tiburtina (which means "leading to Tibur", i.e. Tivoli), the second was entering the south gate after climbing the hill across a true forest of olive trees, along what today is called Via di Pomata.
This narrow county road takes down to the valley below, where the Adrian Emperor's Villa is standing, dribbling through remains of ancient roman villas and pillars of the bridges of the aqueducts that used to bring water from the mountains behind Tivoli to Rome. It was the natural set of past centuries' painters (mainly Grand Touring water-colorists) and poets. Today it's the perfect place where to spend a nice hour, walking or running soaked by sunlight, safe from the blanket of mist and smog that's covering the Italian capital in these days. A place that I never miss to visit every time I go back to my youth's hometown.

This Year' Sunset

We're almost there. Few days to go. A new exciting year is just behind the corner. I'm spending my last hours in a sunny and warm Tivoli, before getting back to the mist and smog of Milan metropolitan area.

I'm not mentioning a cliche. Not this time. There's so much difference between the clear blue sky under which I've been trekking this morning together with my son and the dull grayness that I left few days ago.

This afternoon I took a last walk in the alleys of the old town and visited the new born Civic Museum, where an exhibition about the jubilee has just been opened. The view on Villa d'Este and Saint Peter church at sunset from the museum's windows has been breathtaking.

(Made and sent from my mobile.)

The Allure of Decadence - II

(Made and sent from my mobile.)

The Allure of Decadence

What remains of an old (textile?) manufacturing plant along river Olona, in Lonate Ceppino. I would say, made when the architecture was concerned about the places where we used to work. Now there's only a stretch of flat, all alike, mirrored buildings.

(Made and sent from my mobile.)

Merry Christmas

This is not probably the best picture I could post today. I don't have any better at hand, but it's good enough to bring you my Best Wishes for this day and the coming ones.

In Open Fields

A snapshot taken with a mobile is not able to convey all you feel in some situations. This is an example. Last Sunday, early in the morning, in the open field just out of the town.

(Made and sent from my mobile.)

The Trooper

And the boat goes on ...

Milano, Naviglio Grande, one week ago. In a typical misty afternoon of this unusually dry winter half town seems to be converging here. The other half is crammed around Piazza Duomo and La Scala, where the lyrical season opening is in progress.

I can hardly walk inside this endless worm of people moving aimlessly along the channel banks. I think it's simply because they don't have anything else to do and anywhere else to go. What everyone cares is just to be out of home and walk with someone to talk to. So do I.

Looks like that people have less to spend this year. Crowded streets but empty shops. I'm just another one among them but I have other concerns: little time and no idea.

Then a boat takes its load of people and goes on and on, till it disappears in he mist.

Everything under control

(Made and sent from my mobile.)