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Talking Location With… author Suzanne Hope – ROME

25th February 2021

Suzanne HopeTalking Location with… author Suzanne Hope, as she takes us on a virtual ‘walking tour’ around Rome to some of the locations in her mystery book – The Treasure Seeker.

Rome doesn’t need an introduction. The eternal city is already in many of our heads and hearts, with its iconic monuments, Roman heritage, breathtaking beauty and of course it’s delicious food and wine. An atmospheric city, oozing character and pulsing with life, it was a setting I always planned to use in my first murder mystery, The Treasure Seeker. But rather than using the well-known settings (the colosseum only gets a passing reference) I was determined through the course of the story to show another side of Rome – a side of Rome I have come to know and love after living there for many years, learning Italian and marrying a Roman.

Suzanne Hope

The book starts on Aventino Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. Aventino is a quiet, leafy neighborhood south of the Tevere (River Tiber) full of ancient churches, monasteries and perfect for getting away from the bustle of the city below. It’s here, in the Piazza dei Calvieri di Malta (Piazza of the Knights of Malta) you can find the ‘secret keyhole’ or the Aventino Keyhole. Take a look through for the most well framed, tiny view you could imagine.

On to Trastevere which is the iconic terracotta quarter of Rome close to the River Tevere. Here, you can follow in the footsteps of the main character in my book, Melody, by wandering cobbled back streets and taking in the stunning ‘Santa Maria in Trastevere’ Cathedral before dropping down at Bar Samovar in Piazza San Callisto to enjoy a cappuccino and watch the world go by.

If you’re looking for a less touristy district, I suggest we cross over the Tevere river and head to Testaccio. This is a quintessentially Roman working-class quarter, and the historical home of AS Roma football club. Its central square, Piazza Testaccio, always has a relaxed atmosphere, with locals of all ages hanging out and it is the location of L’Oasi della Birra a convivial bar with one of the best early evening aperitivi food buffets in Rome. There are many other parts of Testaccio to discover too. One location oozing urban cool is the ex Mattatoio (ex-slaughterhouse) now a home to festivals, contemporary art exhibitions and concerts. Take a walk through the part ruin, part renovated structures that make up the complex before heading across the road to monte dei cocci (Monte Testaccio) which is an artificial mound composed almost entirely of fragments of broken ancient Roman pottery, nearly all discarded amphorae, dating from the time of the Roman Empire.  Close by there’s the bustling Testaccio market and a fascinating stop for lovers of Italian food and wine, but today we’re heading over to the edge of Testaccio to check-out the often overlooked but stunning Piramide di Caio Cestio (pyramid of cestius) which was build 18-12 BC as a tomb for a Roman called Gaius Cestius. Adjacent you can also find the tranquil and shady non-Catholic cemetery where the poets Keats and Shelly among many others are buried. The cemetery is also a cat sanctuary so remember to leave your donation in the box marked ‘For the cats’!

Suzanne Hope

We’re now heading back to the river, but we’re not going to cross it. We’re making for Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island), a tiny island in the center of the river which in Roman days was shaped like a boat. Today it’s the home of a hospital, restaurant, bar and the basilica of St Bartholomew where Melody attends a funeral and meets Marco in The Treasure Seeker. It’s a great place to pause, take in Rome from a different perspective and even head down closer to the river.

For the evening I’m proposing something a little different – heading to San Lorenzo which is just north of Termini railway station. This is where in my book Melody meets Marco for a drink. It’s a neighborhood that has a different vibe to the rest of the city as it’s where many students live and go out. As a result there are an abundance of bars and restaurants to get a cheap glass of wine or plate of food – and hardly a tourist in sight. And if you feel like a pizza, try the iconic Pizzeria Formula Uno. After all what better way to end the day!

In these days of Corona Virus lockdowns, books can be a great way to travel to fabulous locations like Rome. Why not try The Treasure Seeker and take your own virtual trip to Rome.

About the Book:

Melody Meeks is a struggling freelance writer at Zenith magazine when a chance encounter on Facebook brings her back in touch with her first love, the love she never really got over: Spencer Channing. But little does she know that a simple click of a computer mouse will catapult her from London, to Rome and Panama on an unexpected adventure – a hunt for the long lost treasure of the privateer Sir Henry Morgan – and most importantly of all, on a hunt for the truth.

Suzanne Hope

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