When you look back on the old classic Italian films of the last century, you cannot help feeling that life was so much more glamorous. Don't get me wrong, Rome is still a vibrant and buzzing city, one that is full of elegance and culture. As I relax in my Rome rentals apartment I do consider myself very lucky to be here and yet I pine for the times that I never knew.
La Dolce Vita is really the one that epitomises that glamour of old to my mind. The excitement of the script, the scenery of Rome in the nineteen fifties. Anita Ekberg being pursued through the city and that wonderful, wonderful scene at the Trevi fountain which everybody seems to know even if they have not seen the film.
Women dressed so much more femininely then; they looked glamorous in their headscarves in a way which we seem to have forgotten. Sitting primly on the back of those Vespas and enjoying life without the excesses of today.
In a way life seemed much simpler in these films and maybe that is what I am yearning after, a simplicity that we seem to have lost in our complicated and rushed lives of today.
If ever you get the chance, grab a bag of popcorn and watch one of the old Italian classics and you will understand what I mean.