Theatre of Marcellus

One of the best things about renting an apartment is the freedom to pad about from bedroom to kitchen to make early coffee. This morning I brew an enormous pot and take it back to bed. With the shutters open, I can look out over the rooftops and hear the street noises from below. I’m surrounded by churches and their bell towers peal out the quarter-hour in ascending notes on the scale. The bell-ringers are obviously not in sync as there’s a 2-3 minute delay between sides.

My guidebooks are spread out on the bed and I’m dithering between visiting Trastevere, the Campodoglio or the Theatre of Marcellus. All are roughly south, or south-east of my base in the Campo.

Eventually I decide on the Theatre first, then Trastevere.

A left turn onto the Via di Guibbonari and my first stop is straight along; 600 metres at most. Down below street level, the Theatre stands solidly in a grassy field and is ancient; nearly a century older than the Colosseum. Caesar began it, and the Emperor Augustus completed his work, dedicating it to his nephew Marcellus. It was eventually modified into a palace and you can see the family quarters, complete with windows, above the old travertine arches.

I’m very close to the Tiber. The river is yellowish-grey and is running fast. Weirdly, the trees along the edge are festooned with plastic bags. I can only assume the river runs higher and the flotsam gets caught in the branches.

A footbridge takes me over to Tiber Island, a crescent-shaped bit of land where the river widens. I can see Trastevere ahead and it looks shuttered and closed for the siesta. Its now raining in a fine, horizontal drenching way and I decide to head back by the Ponte Sisto bridge. Think I'll save Trastevere for another day. And anyway, this afternoon I'll be in the kitchen.