Isola Tiberina, 10×12″, oil on panelHow exotic, an island in the middle of the Tiber river, right in the middle of Rome! Of course this isn’t the first painting of the island, most famously Corot painted it in 1825. I love being able to see these old paintings, painted right in the place where I was this morning. It lets me see how much has changed and how much has stayed the same over time.The only original bridge left in Rome is the one connecting this island to the right bank of the city, it’s called Ponte Fabricio. Early on the Romans seemed to have thought this an evil or unlucky sort of place, so they avoided it and just sent the sick and criminals here. Eventually though the Romans built a temple to Aesculapius after a plague came to Rome and the temple they built was in the form of a boat (to read the history of the island, clickhere).Today one could easily walk through the city without realizing there is this magical island in the middle of a huge fast paced city.Tourists are lucky because they get to take the time to walk the streets and absorb the almost overwhelming greatness that is Rome. I’m continually amazed by Rome and its ancient contents popping out at you around every corner. Romans seem to think this is normal, but I hope I never get used to it.To buy or view today’s painting on my website, click hereTo see other paintings from the When In Rome project, click hereYou can alsocheck out my facebook page here