Armando al Pantheon

Armando al Pantheon

During my artistic journey, I got to know the sculptor Pier Gabriele Vangelli, who made the bronze bust dedicated to Bartolomeo Pinelli, “er pittore dè Trastevere". Back then, being a true Tuscan, I shared with him the love for le osterie, those places where artists hang out. One day, I took bus 26, and when it turned onto Salita de' Crescenzi, I saw it: the inn called “Armando al Pantheon". For me, like an unsuspecting robin, it became an icon, my little safe harbor. The inn was (and still is) family-run by Claudio, Fabrizio, Fabiana... my dear friends.

Such great times at Armando’s! I’d hear “Mimma ce sta tu sorella ar telefono", and think of Laura the tall one, Franco the tinker, Annina with her kid in the Netherlands... The inn is more than a place, it’s an intellectual feeling, a symbolic idea, a group concept, a word that sinks into us like liquid gold and becomes real the moment it touches the soul. When I went with the Master to the inn to draw, walking through alleys and little streets, it was easy to catch sight of a fountain, bringing me joy... as Dante said, “per letiziar là su fulgor s’acquista".
Once at the bistro, the pastels seemed to chat while doing nothing, flowing in the stream of perception. The Master talked about the inns with the same affection as when he spoke of his years in Paris. I listened, mesmerized—it was intoxicating. His words were like a song of fragrances: Guerlain, Chanel, Patou. So, the inn was a haven for wandering souls—childlike, wise, solemn, and sacred.