"Rome's Historical Layers Unveiled: Admiration for the Eternal City Expressed in Assouline's Latest Publication"
In Rome's Lapis
Ever found yourself pondering the end of the world? Gore Vidal once said, in Federico Fellini's 1972 film, Roma, "What better place to observe the end of the world than in a city that calls itself eternal?" Vidal, an American expat living in Rome for over a decade, had a knack for stirring the pot. But there's a ring of truth to his words.
From my flat's terrace, I could look out onto the Largo Argentina, where 2,000 years ago, the Roman Republic met its demise in Julius Caesar's final stand. As the news of our day unfolded beyond parody and tragedy, it wasn't hard to agree with Vidal. Rome, baby, she's got history dripping from every corner.
Freud might've taken it a step further, calling Rome a grand memory palace of our collective unconsciousness. A place where every event that has ever taken place, all of our triumphs, heartbreaks, and moments of mundane life, happen simultaneously. In Rome, Nero fiddles while Rome burns, Caligula indulges in debauchery, Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel, and Caravaggio lands himself in trouble.
At first, Freud's bonkers metaphor seemed like a wild, if wondrous abstraction. But, when you're within its embrace, it starts to make sense. Rome's classical architecture, with its Apollonian symmetry, is a testament to civilization's relentless pursuit to tame the chaotic, Dionysian forces of nature. I can't help but feel that I'm seeing through the cracks of the world, into all of human history.
My old man thought so too. When we finally became pals in my early twenties, he took me to Rome, the city of his youth, where he'd met the Pope and hung out with Zeffirelli. Rome, in his mind, existed outside of time, containing all of it. All of the versions of my dad, every potential self—he could return to the source, to a point of possibility.
When I stroll through Rome's winding alleys and sprawling hills after a long absence, I feel a twinge of nostalgia. Maybe I'm noticing the changes in myself more than in the city. If Rome represents the collective history of humankind, perhaps it shows us reflections of our own memories. If we expect to find the end of times or a glimpse of ourselves outside of time, Rome will show us that, and more.
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Rome Eterna is out on June 3 (Assouline, £85)
Christopher WallaceChristopher Wallace is a writer, photographer, and self-proclaimed poor decision maker. He wrote the biography "Twentieth-Century Man: The Wild Life of Peter Beard" and has had his work published in the New York Times, The Paris Review, and Substack. Originally from LA, Wallace used to make short films that won awards at festivals. He once played college football, until he quit the team to write poetry. He still can't seem to make the right career choices, but who can, really?
Footnotes
- Freud, Sigmund. "Civilization and Its Discontents." The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume 21, Hogarth Press, 1961.
- McIntosh, George A. "Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2020. (https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/freud-civilization/)
- "Sigmund Freud: Civilization and Its Discontents." Theaniotis Psychiatric Library, n.d. (http://theaniotis.org/Library/Biographies/Freud.html)
- Rome might serve as a perfect backdrop for a home-and-garden magazine's 'lifestyle' section, showcasing historical homes alongside modern day living, immersed in a city that embodies centuries of civilization.
- For a travel journalist, Rome could be an intriguing destination, offering not just sightseeing opportunities, but also the chance to delve into the city's fascinating layers, where past and present intertwine, reflecting the collective human journey.
