Juan Claudio de Ramón's 'Roma desordenada' Explores the Eternal City Through Fragments and Personal Experience

Juan Claudio de Ramón's book 'Roma desordenada. La ciudad y los demás' was published four years ago by Siruela, with a prologue by Ignacio Peyró. The work offers a fragmented, disordered approach to Rome, drawing on the author's experiences as a diplomat in the city and engaging with literary and cinematic representations. De Ramón argues that Rome cannot be fully known, only intuited, and that art, literature, and film provide more valid means of approaching it than meticulous study. The book includes references to Goethe, Stendhal, Chateaubriand, and Winckelmann, whose writings form the foundations of our vision of Rome. It also touches on figures like Rossellini, Bergman, Ramón Gaya, María Zambrano, Giordano Bruno, and Rafael Alberti, and covers topics from ancient ruins like the Foro to modern peripheries like Corviale, as well as everyday elements such as pine trees and pasta carbonara. The essay is described as a seductive kaleidoscope that opens doors to an extensive bibliography and filmography. The review concludes that Rome is never far away, as everyone is part of Rome.