ROMAN LUNCH W/ de CHIRICO / his home / his studio / his cafe greco

+METAPHYSICAL MAGIC IN ROME+

>(only rome,  >could produce<

>chirico, fellini, torosantucci)<

+ANCIENT HOLOGRAPHIC POWER+

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+MARIO TOROSANTUCCI+

+our hassler  hotel pianist, was born on<

>sardinia but the >power< of his music<

+(LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC+

>(i recorded, in rome)<

+ON MY FACEBOOK PG)+

>reflected an ancient drama of old rome<

>revealed in the towers of chirico vision<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+CHIRICO LOVED TOWERS+

>as much as i do,  >so we have become good friends<

>& one of the attractions of our "scalinata de spagna"<

+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+

+> / ANCIENT TOWERS)+

>hotel near the spanish steps is that chirico's home &<

>studio is just a block away, at the bottom of the steps<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +ANCIENT ROME TOWER GATE+
>no large city possesses the powerful ruins<
>that rome possesses & that fuel the drama<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>> / POWER OF RUINS)+
>that galvanizes the work of chirico, fellini<
>and totosantucci into>metaphysical magic<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +METAPHYSICAL ART+
>is a passion i share w/ giorgio de chirico<
>that synergies art and life / >rome has a<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+ / METAPHYSICAL ART)+
>similarity w/ new orleans in regard to a<
>"power of ruins"  >i absorbed this early<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +de CHIRICO'S LIVING ROOM+
>the elegant >townhouse de chirico shared<
>w/ his wife was across the plaza from the<
+(GOOGLE :> EUGENE RAY+
+SPANISH STEPS / ROME)+
>spanish steps & across the side street from<
>the >famed cafe greco, oldest cafe in rome<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +de CHIRICO'S STUDIO+
>is a skylighted top floor orderly work<
>place clean and >organized w/ a vital<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+ / GIORGIO de CHIRICO)+
>book case along one wall filled w/ the<
>reference books that fueled his vision<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +CHIRICO'S PALETTE+
>de chirico's generation >all used palettes<
>and it is  >powerful artifact of their very<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+> / VISIONARY ARTIST)+
>radiant essence of enlightenment as they<
>provided fortunate patrons their nirvana<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+CHIRICO'S PAINTS+
>powerful waves of childhood memory<
>came over me as i >absorbed chirico's<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+ / RANDOLPH J. RAY JR)+
>palette & paints / my brother's artistic<
>life / my early life, our art filled home<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +CHIRICO'S STRUGGLE+
>it was >poignant to stand w/ a handful<
>of de chirico scholars in his old studio<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+> / GENETIC MEMORY)+
>sensing his struggle to produce modern<
>art out of >old world data / i share this<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +de CHIRICO'S BOOKS+
>giorgio de chirico was a very thoughtful<
>artist and his roman-greek heritage gave<
+(GOOGLE :> EUGENE RAY+
+ / MAIL ART GRAPHICS)+
>him a love for history that i relate to w/ a<
>body of mail art graphics >see Facebook<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+"CAFE GRECO", ROME'S+

>(chirico's favorite place,<

>of this he said / >its the<

>perfect place to die >(if<

>one has to reach that pt)<

+OLDEST COFFEE HOUSE+
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>lovers please note  >casanova loved<
>cafe greco, >the romantic ambience<
+(ROME'S ROMANTIC+
+NIRVANA >POWER<)+
>is akin to a living opera, fantabulous<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +ARNOLD @ CAFE GRECO+
>in case you wonder, i  >introduced cafe<
>greco to the alchemy of "arnold palmer"<
>(the drink) i prefer wine at dinner / it is<
+(CALIFORNIA MEETS+
+CAFE GRECO ROME)+
>my memory of seeing arnold's 1st tour<
>in baton rouge, 55 / (shall post photos)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +CAFE GRECO LUNCH+
>marianne and i enjoyed the ambience<
>of the back room famed for the lovers<
+(CHICKEN SALAD ON >OLD+
+WHEAT, de CHIRICO TABLE)+
>who made it radiant / our green marble<
>table reeked w/ the casanova charisma<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +CASANOVA'S ESSENCE / ROME+
>fills cafe greco at night w/ its candlelight<
>please do not miss the >video< i made of<
+(CANDLE LIGHT / STILL+
+A PERFECT AMBIENCE)+
>mario torosantucci's piano magic at night<
>up the spanish steps at the >hassler hotel<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +NOLA NAPOLEON HOUSE+
>as i reflect on it, the napoleon house in<
>new orleans has the same charm as the<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+> / NAPOLEON HOUSE)+
>cafe greco in rome / >fellini & nino rota<
>like chirico & casanova loved this locus<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 +SPANISH STEPS 2016+
>this photo of the spanish steps was taken<
>from directly in front of the cafe greco &<
>reveals trinite de monte french church as<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>> / SPANISH STEPS)+
>the french built this area >our great hotel<
>"scalinata de spagna" at the top and right<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+HOTEL HASLER+
>oldest rome "grand hotel", >is just across<
>the street from our scalinata and is where<
+(RADIANT DRAMA OF OLD+
+ROME / >TOROSANTUCCI)<
>we discovered the >piano genius of mario<
>torosantucci >(we heard him on 3 nights)!<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+ENGLISH NOTE+
>the great english poet john keats lived<
>in the first building, right of the steps<
>(keats / shelly museum) and the 19th<
+(POETS, KEATS & SHELLY+
+BABINGTONS TEA ROOM)+
>century english "grand tourists" came<
>to babingtons tea room,  >(steps left)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+RESTAURANT "ALA RAMPA"+
>(is located behind valentino's<
>boutique at right but the cops<
>ruined with >new regulations)<
+OUR FAVORITE >ANTIPASTA+
+HAS GONE  AWAY FOREVER+
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
eugene ray, mfa, architect
professor emeritus, sdsu