Momentary Blindness Part one: ~en Roma~

The loss of sight in the Piazza Navona was almost a welcome gift. In prime tourist hour the open space felt like being lost upon a tumultuous ocean of stimulation that I could finally pull apart sitting on the curb in front of the Basilica of St. Agnes closing my eyes.

               As I descended into a self-imposed darkness the noise the sounds and smells gained a new significance in how I pieced together the Piazza. The first thing I noticed was the echoing of the many languages coming from all around me, because I did not understand much of what was said they seemed to join the sound of the water cascading from the Fountain of four rivers just behind me. However, as they became apart of the background some phrases and conversations in English would jump out at me as they were the few things that I could understand. Joining the chorus of the background noise in the Piazza, the sounds of screeching birds as they hunted for the scraps left by tourists seemed to accompany, and be nearly indistinguishable from, the sounds of crying babes being faced with long days around the city. To finalize this mass of noise that all seemed to belong together the long blasts of car horns echoed throughout the Piazza only being matched in volume and sporadicness by the echoing cries of vendors pushing their wares on the hordes of tourists.

               The smell of Navona seemed to be one unique, perhaps not to the Piazza, but to Rome. The ever-pervasive smell of the many people smoking seemed to create a base scent that was complimented, in a surprisingly enjoyable manner, by the sweet smells of Gelato and finely prepared foods. This smell seemed to be held in place from the moist air that was created from the three fountains creating a musk of the Piazza. The only difficulty I faced at all in enjoying the different senses of the Piazza was from myself. As I attempted to let them engulf me my sense of feeling also purveyed through my body: my sore legs against the hard concrete, the blisters on my feet that seemed to not be able to settle, and the sun complementing my lethargy in a way that made the pavement to be the most comfortable day bed I had ever experienced.

Piazza Navona: May 21^st at 3:00 PM.