{"id":45394,"date":"2026-09-05T08:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/45394\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T08:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T08:30:13","slug":"pickpockets-and-litter-abound-yet-why-i-keep-returning-to-italy-travel-books-here-and-there-by-reporter-jang-ju-young","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/45394\/","title":{"rendered":"Pickpockets and Litter Abound, Yet … Why I Keep Returning to Italy [Travel Books Here and There by Reporter Jang Ju-young]"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no such thing as a perfectly flawless trip. In fact, many journeys are awkward or uncomfortable. Perhaps it is precisely because of those difficult experiences that we preserve our travels as memories.<\/p>\n

\"Photo \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Photo = Unsplash <\/p>\n

Writer Shin Yang-ran\u2019s book *Brazen Rome* does not hide Rome\u2019s shortcomings, such as pickpockets and overcrowding. Instead, it reveals the history and charm that lie beyond them. *Travel Books Here and There* presents travel that embraces discomfort rather than pushing it away.<\/p>\n

*Brazen Rome* Written by Shin Yang-ran \u00b7 Photographs by Oh Hyeong-gwon | Bookpin<\/p>\n

\"Photo \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Photo = Bookpin <\/p>\n

As you walk through Rome\u2019s alleys, there comes a moment when time seems to become mixed together. Cars and tourists pass before your eyes, while beneath your feet lie roads once walked by people 2,000 years ago. Ancient ruins suddenly emerge between old buildings. Rome is a city where the past and present coexist without ceremony.<\/p>\n

Yet Rome is a remarkably brazen city. For one thing, it has many pickpockets. Trash lies scattered in the streets, and the walls are covered in graffiti. Traffic is chaotic, and cigarette smoke sometimes stings your nose without warning. It is also not uncommon to encounter homeless people and beggars. In crowded tourist areas, the streets can be so packed that there is barely room to insert an awl. Even so, tourists continue to flock to Rome.<\/p>\n

*Brazen Rome*, written by Shin Yang-ran and photographed by Oh Hyeong-gwon, begins with that strange appeal. The title itself does not blindly praise Rome. It acknowledges that the city has countless flaws, while arguing that it also offers such an abundance of sights that they can overwhelm those shortcomings. As readers turn the pages, they may find themselves grumbling about Rome\u2019s flaws before eventually longing to walk through the city themselves.<\/p>\n

\"Photo \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Photo = Bookpin <\/p>\n

The book guides readers through Rome in two broad journeys. The first takes them through the heart of ancient Rome. It begins at the Colosseum and continues through the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Imperial Fora, before reaching the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II and Capitoline Hill.<\/p>\n

Travelers visiting Rome for the first time will probably think of the Colosseum first. It is the enormous amphitheater they have seen countless times in films and photographs. Once they arrive, however, the entrance is far from easy. Even visitors with reserved tickets must undergo security screening and ticket and identification checks, then wait in line among countless others.<\/p>\n

The appeal of the Colosseum lies in more than simply viewing a massive structure. The author encourages readers to imagine the Roman citizens who once enjoyed gladiatorial contests and other forms of entertainment there. Behind the ruins of stone and walls, she overlays the lives of the people who lived at the time.<\/p>\n

Seen this way, Rome\u2019s ruins are no longer merely \u201cold piles of stone.\u201d The Roman Forum, in particular, requires an even stronger historical imagination. Today, it contains broken fragments of stone, foundation stones placed without obvious context, and shattered columns. First-time visitors may feel disappointed and think, \u201cIs that all there is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Photo = Bookpin <\/p>\n

But the author says the Roman Forum is precisely the kind of place that must be viewed with the mind\u2019s eye. Once visitors learn the stories held by each ruin, they understand why this was the heart of ancient Rome. Looking at the remains of the Temple of Vespasian and Titus, the author reflects on Rome\u2019s rise and fall. A structure that once symbolized the authority of a vast empire collapsed, was buried in the earth, and eventually reemerged\u2014a historical scene in its own right.<\/p>\n

At Palatine Hill, visitors encounter Rome\u2019s point of origin, while at the Imperial Fora they examine traces left by the emperors who ruled the empire. Passing through Piazza Venezia and the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II before reaching Capitoline Hill, they see the landscape of ancient Rome continue in another form.<\/p>\n

The second journey presents a somewhat different Rome. It begins at Piazza del Popolo, once the final destination of the \u201cGrand Tour,\u201d during which the sons of European aristocrats traveled across Europe to broaden their horizons. From there, the route continues on foot to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona.<\/p>\n

The book does more than simply introduce famous tourist attractions. It explains why each place stands where it does and what history shaped it into its present form. In this way, readers move beyond being tourists and become \u201ctime travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Photo = Unsplash <\/p>\n

The section on Trevi Fountain is particularly memorable. The fountain is always crowded with travelers. Visitors must watch out for pickpockets, and the sheer number of people often leads to accidental collisions. In some absurd cases, a person may even be suspected of pickpocketing after bumping into someone else.<\/p>\n

Even so, everything changes the moment you stand before the fountain. The author says she spontaneously exclaimed, \u201cWow!\u201d when she first encountered Trevi Fountain. It is a moment when you immediately understand why people are drawn here despite the many fountains in Rome. Clear water pours down as its sound echoes around the square. The spectacle is so powerful that it can briefly make visitors forget even the voices of people from around the world speaking in their own languages.<\/p>\n

The book\u2019s appeal lies in its balance. It does not try to conceal the inconveniences that anyone traveling through Rome is likely to experience at least once. Nor does it tell readers to give up on Rome because of those flaws. Quite the opposite: even as they watch for pickpockets, avoid litter, and are jostled by dense crowds, they can look up and find the Colosseum before them. A short walk brings the Roman Forum into view. Turn down one alley and the Pantheon appears; at the end of another street, Trevi Fountain unfolds before your eyes. The entire city is, in effect, a vast history book.<\/p>\n

The author spent the first half of her life as a Korean-language teacher before leaving the classroom to become a travel writer. She says her dream is to share with readers the fascinating stories she has discovered while wandering the world. Oh Hyeong-gwon, who took the photographs, is also a traveler who loves the excitement of encountering unfamiliar places and the tension of waiting for the right moment before a subject.<\/p>\n

\"Photo \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Photo = Bookpin <\/p>\n

That is why the Rome seen by the two authors is more than a simple tourist destination. Their approach is closer to staying in one place and reading the layers of time accumulated there than to quickly photographing famous landmarks and moving on to the next stop.<\/p>\n

If you are preparing for a trip to Rome, you may want to read this book first. It will help you look more deeply at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Imperial Fora. At the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona, you may also discover something more meaningful than simply taking a photograph.<\/p>\n

And when you actually arrive in Rome, try not to become too angry at the city\u2019s inconveniences. Approach your trip with a little more generosity. It is all right if the roads are confusing, the crowds are large, or things are somewhat uncomfortable. Just lift your head and look at the ruins before you.<\/p>\n

In that moment, you will understand why Rome has drawn countless people to the city for more than 2,000 years. And if you read this book, travel to Rome, and become addicted to traveling, do not blame the book, as the author says. Rome alone is guilty.<\/p>\n

\u203b *Travel Books Here and There* has the ambitious goal of gathering and introducing all the travel books scattered \u201chere and there\u201d around the world. Professional publishers are welcome, as are books by individual travelers. Any subject is acceptable, from travel guidebooks to travel essays and photobooks. If you would like to introduce a book about travel, please knock on the door of *Travel Books Here and There*.<\/p>\n

\nThis article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is no such thing as a perfectly flawless trip. In fact, many journeys are awkward or uncomfortable.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1762,5,29357,13133,29358,29359],"class_list":["post-45394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-italy","tag-colosseum","tag-italy","tag-palatine-hill","tag-pickpockets","tag-unsplash","tag-vittorio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}