Transcribe your podcast
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Welcome to get sleepy. The podcast where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas, and it's my honor to be your host. Thanks for tuning in. Tonight, we will take a relaxing stroll through the old streets of the Eternal City at dusk. As always, we have an exclusive bonus episode coming up tomorrow on that sleepy premium. Elizabeth will be guiding a really wonderful meditation that will not only lead you into a peaceful sleep, but will also fill you with self-love and appreciation.

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So if you'd like to hear that and get all of the other benefits of being a premium member, like had free access to our entire back catalog and 30 percent discount on merchandise, then simply go to get sleepy dot com slash support or just follow the link in the show nights to learn more. Tonight's episode is sponsored by Our Friends Have Better Help. I've spoken many times before about the importance of taking good care of our mental well-being. So if you feel like there's something interfering with your happiness or holding you back in any way, then please take a look at better help dot com slash, get sleep, better help assess your needs.

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A match you with your own licensed professional therapist. You can start communicating in under 48 hours. And the service is available for clients worldwide alongside scheduling weekly video or phone sessions. You can message your counselor any time and better help is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches so they make it easy and free of charge to change counselors if needed. Better help wants you to start living a happier life today, visit better help dot com slash get sleep. That's better.

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H e l p and join over one million people taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. And all of you wonderful get sleepy listeners will receive 10 percent of your first month. I better help dot com slash get sleepy. So let's get settled in for our story now. Tonight, we're heading to the beautiful Italian capital during the enchanting hours of dusk. So take a nice deep breath in. Hoad. And release. One more time breathing in, filling up those lungs.

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And backout. If your mind still feels a little busy at this point. Don't try to push it away or force it to stop. Just accept that it needs some extra time to wind down. And while your mind gradually setlist, you can just listen to my voice as I guide you on our dreamy travels to Rome. So with your eyes closed, move slowly into your imagination. There you may start to take note of your surroundings. As we venture to a brand new place.

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Perhaps you detect the scent of jasmine in the air. It mixes with the warm aromas of cooking wafting from a nearby window. You hear muffled voices chatting in Italian on the sound of trickling water from a fountain in the background. Now look around you and watch the images come into focus.

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Slowly revealing themselves. Allow yourself to savor the moment drinking in the beauty that surrounds you. You're sitting in a cafe in the historic center of Rome. It's late afternoon and early summer, although you're inside the cafe in a way, you're outdoors to. The two window opens right onto the street. And your table touches the gray cobbles of the piazza. This small square is one of the most beautiful in the city. It's tucked away in the heart of the ancient quarter and it feels like a tranquil refuge from the hustle and bustle of the nearby shopping streets.

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In the middle of the piazza is a gorgeous renaissance fountain as you sit in the cafe slowly sipping a cool drink, you admire the details. You notice how the fading sunlight sparkles on the flowing water and illuminates the limbs of the bronze boys for smiling statues that decorate the fountain. Each boy has an arm raised with a hand reaching out to catch a bronze turtle falling from a base and above. The boys rest their feet on a dolphin, which pours water into a shell.

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And then into the wide base and below. It's such an unusual, imaginative fountain, a true work of art. Your gaze drifts from the sculptures to the smiling faces of the passers by who've stopped to admire it. For tourists and locals alike, this is a special place. You take another sip of your drink. Relishing each refreshing mouthful and glance down at your guidebook on the table. There's a short section on the fountain and the intriguing Roman legend about its origins.

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According to the story, a young man fell in love with the daughter of a wealthy older man who lived in this square. The young couple wanted to marry, but fast, the man had to convince his potential father in law. It was a good idea. So in the middle of the night, the young man arranged for the Tatau fountain to be constructed at the center of the square. When the father opened the shutters of his bedroom window the next morning and looked out, he was astonished to see it had appeared overnight.

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He was so impressed that he allowed the wedding to go ahead. The young couple soon got married, and 500 years later, this bronze symbol of love and imagination is still standing and capturing the hearts of passers by. Looking up from the book, you see the fountain in front of you with a renewed appreciation. Although the legend is probably no more than a fantasy, it's still inspiring. If nothing else, it's a sign of the monuments importance in the neighborhood.

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The locals were so moved by its beauty that they dreamed up a story to explain its appearance. Sitting here listening to the trickling water is so relaxing that you could happily stay for the rest of the day. But glancing around the square, you notice the light fading slowly softening. It's the beginning of the blue hour, the perfect time for a stroll around the streets of Rome. The blue hour is a phenomenon that happens across the world. When the sun dips below the horizon, be in direct sunlight is transformed into a beautiful shade of blue.

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This moment is particularly spellbinding in the historic center of Rome. You notice the contrast with the golden lamplight against the darkening streets, which creates a little shining pools on the cobblestones. Some details seem to fade away in the encroaching darkness, while anything that contrasts with the sky becomes more defined. Against the deep blue backdrop, the towers, domes and rooftop gardens are clearly visible. Even from street level. In these narrow, winding alleys, you can always catch a glimpse of the skyline.

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It's a magical twilight. Twilight. Tantalizingly close yet. Just out of reach. You're also aware of the Swifts, which dive and spiral high above the rooftops. These birds spend the winter in Africa before returning to Rome for the spring and summer. Judging by their aerobatic displays and joyous cries. They seem to be celebrating their homecoming. Wherever you go at this hour, you can hear their ecstatic song echoing through the city. As you stroll through the back streets, you admire the beautiful old buildings patterned by time.

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In the daylight, they're mostly shades of red, orange and pink, the colors of sunset. But once the sun goes down and the blue hour begins, even the walls of the buildings seem to magically change color, turning blue, silver or black. Some of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood were constructed many centuries ago. You can even find the remains of an ancient Roman fish market beneath the crumbling archway nearby. But what interests you most are the apartment blocks that line the narrow street.

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It's incredible to think that they've been inhabited for hundreds of years, home to countless generations of Roman families. Hearing voices above you, you look up and see an old man laying out the window to pull the shutters closed. There's something comforting about this mundane little ritual. Signaling the arrival of the dog on the end of the working day. You imagine the man in his kitchen now beginning to prepare the evening meal, perhaps he's making a traditional Jewish Roman dish something characteristic of the neighborhood.

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Deep fried artichoke or savory treats with zucchini flowers and mozzarella. Breathing in deeply, you can smell the aroma of garlic and vegetables sizzling in a pan. It's a nice image, the man closing the shutters and then bustling around his kitchen. But you're happy to be outside exploring the streets and breathing in the fragrant air. The mingling sense of food and flowers. Something else that strikes you about the buildings in this neighborhood is they're multi textured facades. Layers of paint flake away, revealing remnants of signs, love messages and lines of poetry written on the walls.

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These buildings are so old and have rarely received a fresh coat of paint or plaster. The result is a cracked, colourful surface with countless layers, the walls may be flawed, but they create a sense of character and history that's far more interesting than perfection. And then there are the buildings that have been assembled from ruins. As you walk through the streets, you sometimes notice a decorative detail embedded in the wall, the head of a sculpture or even an entire Roman column emerging.

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These unusual architectural details are known as Boulia from the Latin word, meaning spoils. In the past, builders would often use parts of old buildings in new construction, which is why you find fragments of ancient temples peeking out of the walls of a home during the medieval and renaissance periods. This practice was particularly widespread. Even some of the most recognizable landmarks you find in Rome today could have been taken apart without a second thought. For example, it was only the conversion of the pantheon from a pagan temple to a Christian church that prevented it from being plundered.

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Today, despite being 2000 years old, the pantheon remains more or less intact. On your walk through the neighborhood, you stop to admire the Roman remains displayed on the wall of a building on the corner, running your fingers over the cool marble. While the idea of recycling ruins may seem strange to us, now, at least these beautiful fragments have been preserved. Rome is like a large, open air museum with overlapping layers of history. There's something to discover on every street.

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From a colourful fresco to a plaque commemorating a famous person or event the past surrounds, you ready to be discovered by anyone who happens to pass by? You could spend the whole night exploring these alleyways, taking your time, moving from one corner to the next. Slowly, your gaze drifts up from the walls to the sky. The streets in the center resemble a winding labyrinth, but all it takes is a glimpse of the deep blue overhead to feel a sense of peace and scale.

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Looking up, you forget for a moment that you're in the heart of the city, you could be in the countryside in the middle of boundless space. You sense this change in atmosphere even more intensely during the blue hour. It's as if the city is taking a deep breath and winding down for the evening. You continue to look up at the rooftops reflecting on how the low skyline creates a sense of openness. In the historic center, it's rare to find a building more than three or four stories high.

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There's a room that no building here can exceed the height of St. Peter's Basilica, the Renaissance Church in the heart of the Vatican City. Walking through the center of Rome, it strikes me that everything seems to be built on a very human scale, despite the astonishing beauty and history of this city. It feels relatable and left in. The vast number of piazzas adds to the impression of space and airiness. Every winding street eventually leads to one of these humps of neighborhood life.

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But there are few quite as striking as the one you find yourself in now. Following your instinct has led you to Piazza Navona, perhaps the most beautiful square in all of Rome. One side of the large oval shaped space is lined by restaurants and bars with tables spilling out into the center. On the other side stands a breathtaking 17th century baroque church. The white marble has a silvery shine at this time of the evening. You see the outline of a crescent moon, the gradual, dreamy transition from task to night is almost complete.

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You wander across the square listening to the murmur of voices in the restaurants, a blend of Italian, English and other Melodist languages drifting towards you. You can't quite make out the words, but the sound is soothing. The mix of languages makes sense as this square is a meeting point for both Romans and tourists. It's where locals come for their evening, Pastor Jatta or Aimless Stroll. Lovers walk hand in hand, children run and play. And visitors chatter happily while soaking up the atmosphere.

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Despite all the people coming and going, Piazza Navona retains its tranquil ambience, in part perhaps because of its many fountains. They stand at each end of the square and there is a huge majestic one right in the middle opposite the church. You woke up to this beautiful central fountain to get a closer look when you're standing next to it, all the other sounds of the square disappear. Or you can hear is the flow of the water gushing into the serene turquoise pool in the basin below.

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This magnificent monument is known as the Fountain of the Four Rivers. And was designed in sixteen fifty one by the artist Panini. The impressive statues that each side represent the gods of four major rivers, but the grandeur of the fountain is almost overshadowed by the Egyptian obelisk at its center, an imposing pillar that surges up into the deep blue sky. From where you're standing, it looks as though it could almost touch the crescent moon coming into focus above you.

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You decide to sit down on a marble bench nearby. When you close your eyes, the sound of rushing water seems to intensify, resembling a waterfall rather than a fountain. The further you explore, the more you discover that Rome is full of these magical illusions where one thing seems to transform into another. With the slightest movement or change in light, the same before you seems to shift. The city of St. often has a transient, dreamlike quality. One example of the city's solutions is a little known street high on a hill overlooking the Vatican.

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It opens up at the end to reveal a perfect panorama and the view of the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. But as you get closer, the dome appears smaller, as though it's receding into the distance. And when you move away, the tone seems to be moving towards you, growing bigger and bigger. This effect is particularly mesmerising after dark. On another evening, perhaps, you cross the river and discover this beautiful optical illusion for yourself. You'd like to understand how it works.

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Some say the changing dome is a trick of perspective created by height and distance. Amplified by the wide terrace at the end of the road. One day, perhaps you'll find the answer. But for now, you're quite happy to continue walking through the city center. Feeling rested. You stand up from the bench and move on slowly. But before you leave the square, you turn back for one last look. When your eyes were closed, the blue hour transformed into night.

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The sky is now black, streaked with soft gray clouds. The moon has risen fully and now shines high above the obelisk, paving the square in a Silverlight. Beneath this perfect night sky, the buildings and monuments look somehow unreal, like the backdrop on a stage. It could be the setting for a play or an opera. For a moment, you might also believe that there's nothing on the other side of the walls, it's only an illusion like so much else here in the Eternal City.

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But the beauty of Rome is that there's always something else to discover. Beyond every wall and around every corner. There's part of you that wants to walk on and on learning everything there is to know about this enchanting place. For a little while, you allow yourself to get pleasantly lost in the back streets. Wherever you walk, it feels like you're stepping into the past. This neighborhood has hardly changed at all throughout the centuries. When you look up, you notice a few windows with open shutters and catch occasional glimpses of ceilings with old wooden beams and ornate painted frescoes.

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While the shops are closed at this time, it's fascinating to peer into their darkened windows. You never know what you might see, perhaps a collection of intriguing antiques. Or an artist's studio with unfinished sculptures. Some of these shops resemble miniature museums. Gazing through the glass, your mind begins to wonder you find yourself daydreaming, imagining the stories behind each object. Whether a marble statue or a tiny glass bottle, are they as ancient as they look? When you reach the corner of the street, you pause for a moment, enjoying the sense of peace and serenity.

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This area is busy during the day. But now you're one of just a few strolling along and enjoying the calm atmosphere. Across from where you're standing, you notice a wide space between the buildings revealing an open stretch of dark sky and some lights twinkling in the distance. Suddenly, finding this gap in the skyline can mean only one thing. You're near the river. You cross the street. Then the next and paused beneath a row of plane trees that overlook the Tiber River.

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You lean against the low wall and gaze down at the waterway. It flows far below you. Moving at a slow, dreamy pace. The Tiba is not quite what you would expect from the central river in a capital city. The water moves lazily and there are no boats, just the occasional bird bobbing on the surface. It seems like something you might find in the tranquil countryside. Looking to your left, you see something quite unexpected, an island in the middle of the river.

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Its size and curved shape make you think of a ship. And for a moment, it seems to be moving towards a. Then you look again more closely this time and realize it's another illusion. The top part of the island is thick with umbrella pine trees, which sway and dance in the evening breeze. In the moonlight, the movement of the boughs makes it look as though the whole island is slowly drifting down the river. Tyber Island is a beautiful place, a sanctuary of peace and quiet in the city center.

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On the western edge is a hospital dating back to the 16th century, but the island's associations with medicine can be traced back even further as far as the third century BCE. According to legend, a group of Romans took a snake from a temple in Greece. On their return to Rome, while they were sailing their ship up the river, the animals slithered off and disappeared into the vegetation of Tyber Island. The people interpreted this as an omen. And decided to build a temple to the god of healing.

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A stone bridge connects the banks where you're standing to the island. Built in 62 BCE, it's the oldest Roman bridge still in use in the city. As you walk towards it, planning to cross, you become even more convinced of the island's resemblance to a ship. This is no coincidence and it stems back to the same tale. The legend of the ship and the snake was so popular with the people of Rome that they created a carved stone outline around the island to make it look even more like a boat.

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There's an obelisk in its main square resembling a mast. And while it's not visible from this distance in the dark, if you look closely in daylight, you can even spot a carving on the wall. A depiction of the sacred snake. Although you're the only person crossing the bridge at this particular moment, you're not quite alone. On each stone parapet stands an enigmatic statue with four heads watching over the river. These statues are representations of Janus. Roman God of beginnings, transitions and passages.

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A mythology Janus was the father of time baroness. The God of the river. It's as though a father is watching over his son. Through the centuries and the changing seasons. You'd like to learn more about this intriguing island and explore it in depth. But you're beginning to feel sleepy. You decide to walk just a little further and find a place to sit and rest for a while. You cross through another moonlit piazza and continue until you find a flight of stone stairs leading down the side of the island.

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You begin to descend, taking them one by one. With every step, the noise of the city fades further away, replaced by the rushing water. The river flows faster here. Propelled by a kind of waterfall next to the island. Soon, all you can here is its perpetual flow and the occasional cry of a seagull. It's as though you're moving into another wound by the water's edge. When you reach the bottom step, you take in a deep breath and catch the unmistakable scent of the river.

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Cool, fresh and earthy. There are a few other visitors nearby who have also come to appreciate the Tyber at water level. Looking around, you noticed that there were a handful of deck chairs scattered along the stone walkway. It's the perfect place to sit quietly and take in the atmosphere. You wander over to the nearest chair and sit down. It feels so good to rest your feet after your long walk. You close your eyes. You've seen so much this evening that you no longer feel the need to look.

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It's enough to just sit here by the river's edge, breathing in and out and relaxing. Images of your journey move through your mind. Colors and fountains. The Swifts soaring above the rooftops. The moonlight spilling over the cobblestones. But these beautiful memories slowly begin to drift away. As your sleepiness takes over. You let go. Allowing the images to fade and disappear. Soon you're aware of nothing. But the rushing water. And your comment, perhaps?

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Leading you gradually into sleep.