Talking Location With author Maggie Hamand – ROME

2nd April 2022

#TalkingLocationWith ... Maggie Hamand, author of Virgin and Child (set in County Cork and Rome)

My latest novel, Virgin & Child, is set in Rome. I think it’s impossible to write about locations convincingly without visiting them, and though I’ve been to Rome on several occasions, I needed to see and experience as many locations in my novel as I could.

The author, Vatican Gardens

My story centres around the Vatican, and while some areas are closed to the public, there is much that you can see. I found out purely by chance, when doing my desk research, that you can stay in convents and monasteries in Rome at low cost and in very central locations. This was perfect! My first choice, right in front of St Peter’s Square, was fully booked for a conference, but there was another convent right by the Vatican walls which did have rooms. The Casa di Accoglienza Tabor is a beautiful villa of yellow stucco surrounded by cool gardens, on Gelsomino Hill , with views over the city and the Vatican. Our room was clean and comfortable with en suite, shower room and twin beds and a view out over the courtyard. It had everything you needed and we didn’t need luxury –after all, who wants to spend lots of time in their hotel room when you could be out exploring Rome!

The convent became the model for the convent which features in my novel, so it was wonderful to sit in the chapels and gardens and walk along the corridors and soak up the atmosphere. The best part was that when we went down to the delicious buffet breakfast on the first morning, there were tickets at the desk for the Pope’s weekly Wednesday audience in St Peter’s Square–a must-do for my novel. It was a beautiful April day and the atmosphere in the square was incredible, with people gathered together from all over the world. At one point we were only a few feet away from Pope Francis as he sped past in his Popemobile. I also observed an incident, trivial in itself, which turned out to be the inspiration for my dramatic opening scene. Pope Francis had opened up the Vatican gardens to the public, so I book tickets for a tour–this was very special as there were only a few of us and it didn’t feel at all touristy – I found that the Vatican Museum itself was so busy it was almost impossible to enjoy looking at the incredible artwork, though I did spend time in the Sistine chapel and St Peter’s Basilica itself as I knew I would be setting scenes there.

Pope Francis has also recently opened up the house and gardens at the summer palace of Castel Gandolfo which is about 20 kilometres outside Rome in the Alban hills. I have a Roman friend who took us there by car – we had a delicious lunch in the street running up to the palace before we had our tour. The Palace stands high above Lake Albano, with a splendid view and the most incredible sheer drop down to the glassy blue surface.

The Villa Barberini gardens further down the road were magnificent and almost deserted –the gardens also include part of the remains of the old Roman Villa of Domitian, built for the Emperor in81–96 AD, which were also impressive. After the visit we drove back via the ancient Appian way, still paved with its old Roman stones and flanked by ruined villas and monuments. The sense of history was intense. I tried to stay away from the main tourist locations –my characters weren’t going to be visiting the Coliseum, the Borghese Gallery or the Spanish Steps! Instead, I investigated various places which I knew my characters would visit, such as the church Santa Maria della Vittoria, which houses Bellini’s incredible statue of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila.

We spent a lot of time wandering round the streets near the Vatican – it was incredible seeing cardinals in their crimson robes just casually buying an ice cream or having a quick coffee, and this certainly helped me imagine myself into their world.

We did have one crazy journey across Rome with a taxi driver, where it felt like we had taken our lives into our hands as he wove in and out of the notoriously bad traffic, and that journey was the inspiration for my car chase scene. We also walked down lots of backstreets, finding little cafes and restaurants, one of which became a location for a key conversation.

It’s impossible to walk for long without stumbling across some ancient monument or other – most surprising perhaps was an enormous old crumbling mausoleum covered with weeds and creepers which turned out to be none other than that of the Emperor Augustus, where Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius were also buried. I couldn’t believe that a monument of such importance could be so neglected, but then there are so many in Rome that it must be a challenge to preserve them all. I believe that since our visit restorations works have started, and that it is now open to the public. I’ll certainly go back one day to pay it a visit – along with the many other things I didn’t get to see this time. I know that the eternal city will be waiting for me.

Catch Maggie on Twitter and if you fancy staying in a convent or monastery, here is the link

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