AS Roma: sold to Americans

American investor group to buy AS Roma football club
Rome, March 30 (IANS/AKI) An American investor group led by Thomas DiBenedetto, part owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, has agreed to purchase the AS Roma football squad... Roma, founded in 1927, last won the Serie A title in 2001 and is currently in sixth place, trailing leder Milan by 12 points.

AS Roma flags and logos above a Garbatella bar.

This news was big in our neighborhood. Garbatella residents are enthusiastic supporters of the AS Roma team, as evidenced by flags, murals and graffiti.

A wall painted in the team colors.

Murals all over Garbatella celebrate the 2001 Championship.

The team mascot under the window.

Graffiti honoring one AS Roma's stars: #10 - Francesco Totti

Was this a shrine to the Virgin before its makeover?

Garbatella: Lotto XXIV

I live in the “popular” quarter of Garbatella. The oldest section of our neighborhood was built in the 1920’s and 30’s. The design was inspired by the English Garden Apartments and provided housing for workers who were active with the many municipal projects undertaken by the Italian government in Rome during that era. While close to the city center, Garbatella was given an appearance of a rural district, with small villa-like structures containing multiple apartments. This created a familiar environment for the workers who were moving into Rome from the countryside for the new job opportunities.
The original part of Garbatella was built in blocks, called “Lotti.” I recently explored Lotto XXIV that is diagonally across the public garden/park from our apartment complex.

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 13 - Plinio Marconi (1893-1974)

This Lotto was built for the 12th International Congress for Housing and Master Planning held in 1929 and consists of thirteen model “urban villas” designed by young Italian architects.

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 3 - Mario Marchi (1900-1996)

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 1 - Mario De Renzi (1897-1967)

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 5 - Mario De Renzi

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 5 - Mario De Renzi

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 2 & 3 - Mario Marchi

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 13 - Plinio Marconi

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 13 - Plinio Marconi

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 6 - Gino Cancellotti (1896-1987)

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 12 - Luigi Vietti (1903-1998)

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 12 - Luigi Vietti

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 4 - Pietro Aschieri

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 8 - Pietro Aschieri

Lotto XXIV: casa modello 4 - Pietro Aschieri

Garbatella Windows

The architectural details in my neighborhood of Garbatella are always a feast for the eyes.

Today as I walked home along the Viale Guigliemo Massaia, named after a 19th century missionary to Africa and the Orient, I took some pictures of interesting windows.

The bathroom window is open!

This basil on the window sill

might end up as pesto for tonight's dinner.

All You Need is Wall

During the month of June there was a mural project on the walls of some public housing buildings in Garbatella.

The "All You Need Is Wall" theme is repeated along this sidewalk.

These pictures were taken just before the images came down.

You can CLICK HERE to see the earlier posting about this project.

Garbatella Urban Gardens

Last Spring I noticed that people were working in a field down the street from our apartment in Garbatella. They were preparing garden plots. This happened with support from the Province of Rome and the Municipality XI who decided to reclassify some of the green space along the Via Cristoforo Colombo and make it accessible to the public.This is the first community garden to be built in Rome. There are hopes that these initial fifteen plots will be a model of how self-grown organic fruits and vegetables can be available at low cost as well as demonstrating how a community can come together to redevelop abandoned or unused parcels of land. The founders also see the community garden as a place to initiate new social relationships, fostering support networks between families and bridging the gap between the young and older generations.

A scarecrow among the tomatoes.

(You can see the blue water tanks along the fence.)

Peppers and Eggplant

Melons waiting to be ready for prosciutto!

Corn growing in Garbatella

I took these pictures on what would have been my mother's 99th birthday. She was a great gardener.

Garbatella on a Sunday Afternoon

This afternoon I went a couple blocks from our home to get a picture of some graffiti that greets people upon entering Garbatella on one of the roads from the Basilica of San Paolo Outside the Walls.

I was on my way to view some temporary murals installed on the sides of buildings here in Garbatella.

The works are part of OUTDOOR, an open air urban art exhibition.

This is the first Italian exhibition of street art on occupied public buildings. It continues until June 15, 2010.

Advent Calendar: Roman Gate 20

Gates, lift high your heads,

raise high the ancient gateways,

and the king of glory shall enter.

Psalm 24: 7 (New Jerusalem Bible)

Chiesoletta Gate in Garbatella

The Chiesoletta was built in 1818 and is dedicated to Saint Isidoro and Saint Eurosia. According to legend, St. Philip Neri and St. Charles Borromeo first met where the church stands today. It is across the Piazza from our apartment building and is part of the parish of San Felipo Neri. The Communty of Sant't Egidio has regular prayer services in this little church.

Anglican Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
1979 Book of Common Prayer

Catacombs in Garbatella

On Sunday I explored a relatively new (and small) park in Garbatella, several blocks from our apartment on the Via delle Sette Chiese. Inside the park are two locked entrances to the Catacombs of Commodilla, discovered in 1905. The site is not too far from the Via Ostiense and the Basilica San Paolo fuori la mura. I hope it will be possible to arrange a visit to these catacombs in the future.

Commodilla is an unknown Christian matron, on whose property were buried Saints Felix and Adauctus, martyred during the persecution of Diocletian.

This 4th century frescoe was dicovered in 1953 on the ceiling of an underground corner of the Catacombs of Commodilla. It is of Jesus the Alpha and Omega and is the earliest representation of Christ with a beard. Before this time Jesus was usually depicted as a young beardless man. (Image is from www.religionfacts.com.)

Flora (and fauna) in the park...