BLOCAL blog
  • Home
  • Travel and Street Art blog
    • Be_Local in Amsterdam
    • Be_Local in Bristol
    • Be_Local in Rome
    • Italy
    • the Balkans
      • Albania Travel Itinerary
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria Travel street art
      • Croatia Travel and Street Art
      • Greece Travel and Street Art
      • Macedonia Travel Itinerary
      • Serbia Travel and Street Art
      • Slovenia Travel and Street Art
    • World
      • Belgium Travel and Street Art
      • Czech Republic Travel and Street Art
      • France Travel and Street Art
      • Germany Travel and Street Art
      • Israel
      • Palestine Travel and Street Art
      • Malta Travel and Street Art
      • Netherlands Travel and Street Art
      • New York Travel and Street Art
      • Norway Travel and Street Art
      • Portugal Street Art and Travel
      • Spain Travel and Street Art
      • Tunisia Travel and Street Art
      • UK Street Art and Travel
  • Street Art
    • Street Art articles
    • Street Art Travel Guides
  • Maps
  • Tours
  • Newsletter
  • Concierge
  • About
    • About Me
    • Kind of Personal posts
    • Privacy and Cookie Policy
Home Italy Travel and Street ArtCentral Italy Street ArtLazioRome Travel and Street ArtWestern RomeAnother Rome || Aurelio Aurelio neighborhood and the urban charm of an ordinary day
Another Rome || Aurelio

Aurelio neighborhood and the urban charm of an ordinary day

3.7K
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Via delle Fornaci, Rome

I didn’t plan to write this post.

I didn’t plan to have an urban safari either.
All I planned to do was to go to the optician to get new lens for the vintage frame I bought at Šmizla, in Belgrade.
But Rome can really amaze you if you allow her to!
Sometimes all you have to do is to leave the car at home and enjoy a walk in the sunshine; and just like that you will discover new angles, even in your hometown.

When I woke up the sun was shining (by the way: do you realize that we have +25° in February?!?) and I couldn’t help enjoying a long walk downtown; after all, I wasn’t expected at work before 2pm and the town was definitely hitting on me with that bright morning light.
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
I’m walking on sunshine
My first stop has been for a coffee at the Circolo Bocciofilo San Pietro, where old people from the neighborhood use to meet. 
The coffee was very bad, but the atmosphere was so odd-ish! I really enjoyed sitting at the plastic tables and writing down random thoughts. Plus, the old gang was hilarious: they were watching a documentary movie on kangaroos, acting as if it was a crucial football match! 
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Leaving the wooden cafeteria, I saw behind Saint Peter train station the shape of an Orthodox Church, and I decided to go on a scouting expedition.
The church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria is located inside Villa Abamelek, a park named after the Russian Prince Abamelek who bought it in 1907, which nowadays is the residence of the Russian Ambassador. 
Since Archimandrite Kliment’s original wish of building a Russian Orthodox Church in Rome at the end of the 19th century, Saint Catherine the Great Martyr was finally built in 2003.
The church’s feature I like the most is its dome, and the juxtaposition between its bright color and the green of the park, against a bright blue sky. 
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, Rome
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, Rome
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, Rome – picture from www.patriarchia.ru
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, Rome – picture from www.patriarchia.ru
From the top of Abamelek Park I noticed a round tower peering out from the surrounding buildings; I decided to head towards its direction but, after playing hide-and-seek for a while, I gave up because the above mentioned optician is at the opposite side of the hood and it was getting late.
Googling it later, I discovered it is part of the Vatican State and the antenna the tower holds is broadcasting the Vatican National Radio “Radio Vaticana”. 
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
picture from www.06blog.it
Leaving the ancient viaduct of Via Aurelia behind me, I walked into the core of the Aurelio neighborhood, eventually purchasing my new lens (albeit I still find more attractive to see the world all blurred and thus be in charge of filling it in with my imagination…). 
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Banksy in Rome? ;-)
I was definitely having a good time.
Mostly, I liked the fact that there will always be a place in Rome that I had never seen before. That’s basically what is putting my (R)homecoming into a brighter perspective during the last couple of years, even if I experience this kind of “release” only when I am outside the office and I go on an adventurous date with Rome.
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
And so I kept wandering around Aurelio neighborhood, looking for a squatted place called “EX-51” (which -at 1 pm- was predictably closed…). 
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
No biggie, because a few blocks forward I found Villa Veschi, a beautiful park from the beginning of the 20th century.
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Villa Veschi, Rome
Moreover, just in front of the park, I found a macrobiotic restaurant with a very relaxed and convivial atmosphere.
Inside the restaurant, where the use of cell phone is banned, I had a kind of epiphany: since when you don’t see someone engaging an actual, meal-span conversation with his table-mates?
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
macrobiotic restaurant in Rome
Going to Valle Aurelia station to take the train to the office, I saw another wonderful spot: the modern ruins of Valle Aurelia Furnace, which surprisingly still last after all the digging to construct of the nearby underground station. 
Aurelio neighborhood, in fact, was characterized by many furnaces cranking out bricks but also smoke and dust, hence this area is still known as “Hell Valley”.
Aurelio neighborhood Rome
Fornace (the Furnace) di Valle Aurelia, Rome
But somehow, on my way to the office, I was feeling that the Hell was yet to come…

Find these (and many more) cool spots in my Rome Google Maps!

Would you like to explore Rome off the beaten path with me?

Then book one of my alternative walking tours in Rome!

 

 

You can hover over these (or any image) to quickly pin it!
Aurelio neighborhood Rome Aurelio neighborhood Rome

Circolo Bocciofili San PietroMacrobiotic restaurantSanta Caterina d'AlessandriaUrban SafariValle Aurelia FurnaceVilla Veschi
Giulia BLocal street art travel
Giulia Blocal

I'm a writer who is specialised in street art and graffiti. Since 2011 I have run this independent street art blog, which has been the media partner of important street art festivals around Europe. I create content for creative enterprises and museums, and my writing was published in street art catalogues and art publications.

previous post
Naples off the beaten path
next post
Breaking out of my Comfort Zone at Italy vs Scotland Rugby Match

You may also like

Bordalo II in Rome (or, better, behind the...

2 February 2016

About Me

About Me

Hello, my name is Giulia. I'm a writer who is specialised in street art and graffiti. Since 2011 I have run this independent street art blog, which has been the media partner of important street art festivals around Europe. I create content for creative enterprises and museums, and my writing was published in street art catalogues and art publications.

Beyond the Walls: A Street Art Newsletter

Would you like to receive my stories, travel guides, and interviews straight to you inbox? Every 1st of the month, I will send you my latest articles along with more surprises!
It’s a more intimate and more direct way to connect with you than through social networks :) 

Join up!

Explore Rome with me!

Personalised walking tours to discover Rome with a local: me.
Street Art and more alternative tours on which I'll bring you to my favorite spots in my hometown.

Your BLocal Friend

My travel and street art maps will come in useful.

They are the same Google maps I created for myself and then tested on the field -no random places taken from the web, all spots approved by yours truly.

Get my maps!

Custom Travel Itinerary Service

Do you want a personalised itinerary based on your interests and passions? Tell me what you like.

Personalised Travel Tips
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Bloglovin
  • Spotify
  • About
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

Privacy and Cookie Policy © Copyright BLocal — All Right Reserved. Managed by TomStardust Web Design


Back To Top
BLOCAL blog
  • Home
  • Travel and Street Art blog
    • Be_Local in Amsterdam
    • Be_Local in Bristol
    • Be_Local in Rome
    • Italy
    • the Balkans
      • Albania Travel Itinerary
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria Travel street art
      • Croatia Travel and Street Art
      • Greece Travel and Street Art
      • Macedonia Travel Itinerary
      • Serbia Travel and Street Art
      • Slovenia Travel and Street Art
    • World
      • Belgium Travel and Street Art
      • Czech Republic Travel and Street Art
      • France Travel and Street Art
      • Germany Travel and Street Art
      • Israel
      • Palestine Travel and Street Art
      • Malta Travel and Street Art
      • Netherlands Travel and Street Art
      • New York Travel and Street Art
      • Norway Travel and Street Art
      • Portugal Street Art and Travel
      • Spain Travel and Street Art
      • Tunisia Travel and Street Art
      • UK Street Art and Travel
  • Street Art
    • Street Art articles
    • Street Art Travel Guides
  • Maps
  • Tours
  • Newsletter
  • Concierge
  • About
    • About Me
    • Kind of Personal posts
    • Privacy and Cookie Policy