Climbing the Walls, Part I

So, we haven't yet made it to the climbing gym we planned to join here in Rome. It's pretty far from us and we haven't gotten scooters as quickly as we'd hoped. We both miss rock climbing quite a bit. It's interesting how when you're a hammer, everything around you starts to look like a nail. Take a look at these pictures, and try to guess what they all have in common:

Some bank on the Via Merulana

The Pantheon (from the back)

Villa Aldobrandini, South Wall

Nameless wall on the Via Panisperna

Trajan's Market/Tower of the Militias

Near our old school's old school (they changed locations about a week ago).

Collegio Maronita Mariamita, back side (this one seriously looks like a great crack climb with a grate at the top perfect for rapping back down, and if we could see where to add protection we would have probably tried it already)

Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo



Give up? They are all walls that when I look at, I think "I could probably climb that!"











I think Trajan was probably a little worried about me at first, but, as with most things, with steady peer pressure, I have brought him around to my way of thinking.

Here he is in a more candid moment, outside the Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo. You can see he's just looking at the tower.

Or is he?

I suspected he was considering an arete climb.

Later on, inside, I caught him doing this.
















Well, from the number of pictures I've taken of blank walls, you can tell I'm excited about climbing some unauthorized Roman walls, or what I have (perhaps prematurely) dubbed "urban climbing." There are cracks, crevices, footholds, drainpipes, brick gaps, and the like on almost every wall you see here. It's gotten so bad that now, when I walk up to a wall and examine it, Trajan will wait for me and when I come back he'll hold up a hand and say "You don't even have to say it, I already know what you're thinking."

So, hopefully we won't get into trouble. But don't be surprised if you hear of Roman street ninja warlock vatican assassins running amok. Because we're just biding our time, casing the joint, scouting the routes.