AMOROMA

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011: Week 1 Wednesday

Fountains of Rome

Trevi Fountain

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together;for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
From Handel's Messiah: Part I
Chorus

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011: Week 1 Tuesday

Fountains of Rome

At the Temple of Hercules

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.

Collect from the Book of Common Prayer
for the First Sunday of Advent

Monday, November 28, 2011

Advent Calendar: Week 1, Monday

Fountains of Rome

Piazza Navona

O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
9th Century Latin hymn

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Advent Calendar 2011: Week 1 Sunday

Fountains of Rome

Piazza San Pietro

INTRODUCTION: My blog has been dormant for several months. It seems that facebook and my classroom blog (www.Ambrit5L.blogspot.com) have been taking it's place. But with a new Advent Season I decided to dust off the AMOROMA blog and share a 5th Roman Advent Calendar. I remember Advent Calendars from my childhood, and over the years I shared them with my own kids, Emily and Peter. We would look forward to opening a window and revealing a picture, and sometimes a verse, relating to Christmas. (This year I have one on my iPad and a friend gifted me one in electronic form that I will begin opening on December 1st.)

Previous years I have posted Roman Windows, Roman Doors, Roman Gates and Angels in Rome. This year I will continue my Advent Calendar tradition with Fountains of Rome. Each day you will be able to log in and see a different fountain that I have encountered here in Rome.

Question: When do I start the Advent Calendar? Today, November 27, is the beginning of Advent in Christian Churches. There are just so many fountains in Rome, so I will begin today and let you "splash" in them until Christmas.

Monday, April 4, 2011

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?

Thursday, March 31, 2011

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.