Angels & Demons by bus tour

Chris Helgren — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:34:45 +0000

Angels & Demons by bus tour

Chris Helgren — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:55:59 +0000

With all the fuss kicked up about the premiere in Rome of director Ron Howard's film Angels & Demons, I thought it would be fun to hop on a bus tour based on the novel by Dan Brown. I must stress that I am not a fan of Brown's writing, but it's surely a different way to see many of the Eternal City's sights.

In the following audio slideshow the tour guide, who can't be named due to his company's policy, discusses the book and how it relates to the landmarks of Rome

Angels & Demons by bus in Rome from Chris Helgren on Vimeo.

Italy’s virtual election

Chris Helgren — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:42:42 +0000

The casual observer could be forgiven for wondering whatever happened to the Italian election. For a country which prides itself on the "colourful" antics of its political class, this year the vote was devoid of spectacle and celebration, which photographers prey upon. Silvio Berlusconi won the prime minister's post after Walter Veltroni conceded defeat in a deadpan speech in Rome, and the best Silvio could do was telephone a few TV stations to say he was "moved". I pleaded with our staff photographers to provide reaction pictures from party supporters either on the winning or losing side, but it was the equivalent of an emotional dustbowl in the streets of Rome. The only things missing were tumbleweeds blowing through the streets like in a Spaghetti Western. I've seen countless election campaigns in my career but this goes into the books as the dullest one... As a colleague noted, due to the stagnant economy this was probably a good election to lose, which may explain the lack of fanfare.

On the plus side, freelance photographers will be happy at the result. Whether or not one supports him, one thing is as sure as the sun rises -- Silvio Berlusconi sells photos. Freelancers tell me that their incomes go up significantly during a Berlusconi term, now his third, because he creates news. The grey outgoing prime minister, Romano Prodi, failed to generate the same amount of editorial interest as his predecessor. Now, although the Italian economy may be in the doldrums, at least some of my colleagues can benefit.

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Angels & Demons by bus tour

Angels & Demons by bus tour

Italy’s virtual election