Barcelona and Rome in a week.. any places you recommend?

[R_P_A_S]

I get to go to Barcelona and Rome in a week.

Are they are any places that are symbolic to the left in these cities? (im sure there are some in Barcelona.. but i need some ideas)

thank you!

[Dzerzhinsky's Ghost]

Il Vaticano!

Enjoy yourself you lucky bastard.

[Smyg]

I can't think of any obvious ones in this moment, but good luck anyway. :D I want to go to Barcelona, dammit...

[An archist]

Well, the CNT offices in Barcelona, apparently they have some old civil war posters reprinted and lots of interesting books.

[R_P_A_S]

thanks guys! yes I know I'm pretty damn lucky. I never thought I'd get to visit all these places.. let alone in a 3 month span.. OK so nothing really in Barcelona nor ROme.. ?

[Triple A]

In rome go to termini and eat at arab kebab shops.
I ate the best kebab ever there :wub:, even tough I read it was dangerous and stuff people were nicer than people in touristic and rish parts of the city.

[bcbm]

in barcelona the telephone exchange mentioned in george orwell's 'homage to catalonia' still stands at the plaza catalunya and you can see bullet holes from the civil war. the liceo theater was bombed by an anarchist in 1893. a nearby infoshop has a replica (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2214/2526797141_04624214f9_m.jpg) of the bomb in its window. there is a spanish civil war tour (http://iberianature.com/barcelona/history-of-barcelona/spanish-civil-war-tour-in-barcelona/). there are plaques (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2527616168_5fab3afbc6_m.jpg) around the city dedicated to famous partisans and organizers. and you should goto montjuic cemetary where several famous anarchists (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/2527660256_0f573d40e6_m.jpg) are buried, there are monuments for the international brigades (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2527668872_f15131cf4f_m.jpg) and franco era guerrilla fighters (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2526850519_8cb9039c1d_m.jpg) and you can see the field (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2526837357_9594eb1d0c_m.jpg) were many dissidents were executed by the franco regime. thats all i remember off the top of my head

[Dzerzhinsky's Ghost]

thanks guys! yes I know I'm pretty damn lucky. I never thought I'd get to visit all these places.. let alone in a 3 month span.. OK so nothing really in Barcelona nor ROme.. ?

Are you kidding me? In Rome there is Il Vaticano, Catacombe di Roma, Colosseo, Foro Romano, Circo Massimo, etc. etc. There is a bunch of shit you can see. I personally would want to see the Piazzalo Loreto, that's where Mussolini and the other Fascist scum were hung up like dead cattle but it's in Milan.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

In rome go to termini and eat at arab kebab shops.
I ate the best kebab ever there :wub:, even tough I read it was dangerous and stuff people were nicer than people in touristic and rish parts of the city.

I ate at an awful arab kebab shops. Our 'regular' cheap pizza shop was closed and we went next door, should have known things would be bad when a greasy bloke with no teeth served us with an eery smile. I'll eat anything, and even I couldn't take more than a bite from anything.

But yeah, aside from that, the Termini area is really lively and not that dangerous, I don't think. We stayed in a hostel opposite Termini station, quite nice and only walking distance from some of the touristy stuff.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

The Vatican is shit, by the way. Don't bother.

[Smyg]

Are you kidding me? In Rome there is Il Vaticano, Catacombe di Roma, Colosseo, Foro Romano, Circo Massimo, etc. etc. There is a bunch of shit you can see. I personally would want to see the Piazzalo Loreto, that's where Mussolini and the other Fascist scum were hung up like dead cattle but it's in Milan.

He's asking for places "symbolic to the left", not just general historical locations.

[Sasha]

In Rome don't think every squatted social centre is a leftist place, some are fascist, make sure you know whats what before you walk in.

[Triple A]

The Vatican is shit, by the way. Don't bother.

Musei di vaticani are preety cool.

And I stayed in termini and it was nice too. Its near to a roundabout with buses and to a metro station.

[Dzerzhinsky's Ghost]

The Vatican is shit, by the way. Don't bother.

I thought it was pretty interesting.


He's asking for places "symbolic to the left", not just general historical locations.

I realize this but that doesn't mean the "general historical locations," couldn't have deeper symbolic significance to the leftist in so much as I'm sure there is historical locations which have seen the struggles of the people throughout Roman/Italian history before the rise of the worker's movement, Communism/Anarchism, etc.

[Red Commissar]

Well, for sites symbolic to the 'left' in Italy, the few that I know of (and I apologize, I've not been there. Wish to one day though):

There's a plaza, Campo de' Fiori, which has a statue of Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake around 1600 for heresy against the Church in regards to his pantheist and hermetic views. Bruno was an interesting figure, having studied in astronomy and even supporting the Copernican viewpoint. Had some other interesting bits too. His statue was constructed, backed by a Freemason lodge, essentially to spite the church, and was (and still continues to be) a meeting ground for freethinkers and the like.

The San Lorenzo district might have some stuff pursuing. In the old histories this place was a working-class district, listed as being one of the largest concentration of left-wing activity before WW II in Rome, most of them working in the railroads and breweries that were nearby. Significantly, they were the only part of Rometo oppose and block Mussolini's "March on Rome". Much of Mussolini's repressions was focused on anti-Fascist elements in this district. Unfortunately, the district seems to be undergoing gentrification by college youth or something from what I gather, but there might be something left in there. I think Gramsci is buried in Rome too, in one of the cemeteries there (the Protestant Cemetery according to wikipedia, the historical burial place for 'non-Catholics' in Rome).

There are other 'significant' places for the left in Italy, at least in regards to labor struggle, but they were outside Rome, like the Fasci Siciliani, the Caltavuturo Massacre, the Bava-Beccaris Massacre, and the heyday of Turin. I just can't think of any in particular in Rome- but there's plenty of general history there.

[R_P_A_S]

Hey guys.. I'm in Barcelona.. I saw a couple "occupied houses" by some sort of Catalan youth movement and an other by antifascist n anarchist. Anyone know if they would be open to a complete stranger knocking on their door asking for a place to crash or just a chat?

[Smyg]

I realize this but that doesn't mean the "general historical locations," couldn't have deeper symbolic significance to the leftist in so much as I'm sure there is historical locations which have seen the struggles of the people throughout Roman/Italian history before the rise of the worker's movement, Communism/Anarchism, etc.

In that way, Colosseum might count. :D

[R_P_A_S]

anyone here know of these "occupied houses?"

[bcbm]

some of them have infoshops or some sort of public space, that might be a place to start. showing up and just asking to crash can be kind of sketchy given the nature of the project though. i don't think anyone i know is still in barcelona so i can't really offer you much else sorry :(