Giardino degli Aranci
In December, I set off on a 3-week solo trip to Europe, not knowing exactly what I was searching for—but hoping to find it anyway. I wandered through streets, experienced Mass in some of the most beautiful churches in the world, and through the architecture, I felt a quiet connection to the past. I was reminded how much beauty there is in both permanence and change.
Giardino degli Aranci
My first stop was Rome. The second I stepped foot in the city, I felt an instant connection. I remember calling my mom and telling her I wanted to live there—and I had only been in Rome for about two hours at that point. There is just something about Rome. I felt like the city knew me before I got to know it. I explored the city on a vespa with a local I had met, his name was Valerio. Valerio took me to see some of the most breathtaking architecture I had ever laid eyes on. The Pantheon, its engineering and design left me in awe, with its dome and the oculus letting in a soft line of light that seemed to breathe life. The Colosseum, still standing, was a reminder of strength in survival. Walking through plazas made me feel as if I was walking through paintings.
Sandro Fiorentini
But Rome wasn’t just about the architecture, it was also about the people. I stumbled across a shop while I was looking for a place to eat and met Sandro Fiorentini. Sandro is an architect and currently owns La Bottega del Marmorato, a family treasure. He took over the shop after his father, who opened the shop in the 60’s. Here, he hand-carves marble pieces, does custom inscriptions, and even make statues. In Sandro’s eyes, I saw not just the determination of an architect, but also a deep respect for the art around us, if we take the time to notice.
Among the many carved marble inscriptions I saw, one stuck out to me. I read the phrase “Una vita non basta.” These words lingered in my thoughts for a while after, as if I was carrying a heavy weight. In this phrase, I understood the yearning for more than what time can offer. A yearning for experiences too immense to be contained within a single life, and moments that slip through our fingers. Una vita non basta—one life is never enough, and in that, I felt a sense of both sadness and happiness, with a side of guilt, and a bittersweet truth that love and life cannot be confined within the boundaries of a single lifetime.
Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Todos los caminos te llevan a Roma, and I wouldn’t mind visiting a thousand more times.
ARCH ECHO 