February 10, 2021

Rome, you’re just so beautiful 💛

I have honestly never tired of this city, even when it was filled to the brim with tourists. I must confess: I’m not tired of seeing it empty either (although I’m so looking forward to you all returning ).

In @priyaparker’s brilliant book, The Art of Gathering, she talks about the Japanese concept of “ichi-go ichi-e” she defines it “...we could meet again, but you have to praise this moment because in one year, we'll have a new experience, and we will be different people and will be bringing new experiences with us, because we are also changed.”

Like most monuments in my beautiful Eternal City, I have had a lot of new experiences with a lot of different people at these steps. If you’ve been, you know. They’re normally packed. They make for a beautiful picture, but I’ve always found them a little... over-rated. Still, the reason they were built in the first place always brings a smile to my face.

The Spanish Steps were designed as a place for people to gather. International visitors planning meetings via handwritten letters in the 18th century is kinda my favorite type of nostalgia-filled romantic image.

The concept of #ichigoichie has also been translated as something being “once in a lifetime”. So, here are the Spanish Steps at 7pm, during a national lockdown that feels a little like its been going on forever. For now they are almost empty and I’m going to enjoy this moment, knowing that soon enough it will pass and people will gather here again