Dafoe never hid his address and praised his neighbors. Unfortunately, he made a mistake

“You can’t dream in Rome. You have to take what is and keep your feet on the ground. Because this city loves its roots, ruins and traditions, but it does not freeze in a museum form, it lives intensely. And it is satisfied with this life. Even if it is not perfect,” says Piotr Kępiński, a poet, literary critic and essayist, about Rome, where he has lived for 10 years. His “Rome. City of Cities” is very personal in nature, the author does not describe the classic and flagship monuments of Rome, such as the Colosseum or St. Peter’s Basilica, but what – in his opinion – is worth seeing: the sports stadium, the former Olympic Village, National Museum of 21st Century Art Maxxi, the Auditorium Parco della Musica concert hall complex, an unusual “poetry gallery” on the Tiber, architecture from the fascist period, Regina Coeli, one of the oldest and hardest prisons in Italy, or what you personally participated in: an interesting theater performance during earthquakes, celebration of the Order of the Knights of Malta. Wherever possible, he looks for Polish accents. The book’s release is scheduled for June 5, 2024.

Willem Dafoe robbed

I recently went with Claudio to the ghetto, i.e. the Jewish district. It was established in 1555 as a result of the decision of Pope Paul IV, who ordered that Jews (living in this area since ancient times) be separated from Christians and a separate zone closed at night should be established for them. It existed until 1870, when the then city authorities decided to liquidate it. However, the name “ghetto” has survived to this day – the Romans commonly use it (it does not have such tragic connotations for them as for us).

Fabricius Bridge connecting the ghetto with Tiberina Island (2008) Photo Waldemar Gorlewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

We went there to the Ba’Ghetto restaurant. It is part of a small and ambitious chain that also has locations in Milan, Florence and Venice, where you can eat Jewish cuisine. For most of the year, the tables are outside, even when the temperature drops to ten degrees.

It was October, it’s still relatively warm in Rome. That’s why at 7 p.m. there were huge crowds sitting in the small square that constitutes the center of the ghetto. Among them, Isabella Rossellini, daughter of Ingrid Bergman and director Roberto Rossellini. At a small table, she drank red wine, ate Jewish-style artichokes and talked freely, probably with her grandchildren. Nobody took photos of the actress. No one approached her asking for an autograph. Not because she wasn’t recognized. On the contrary. I felt like everyone knew who he was.

Isabella Rossellini in 2004 in Warsaw Photo Robert Kowalewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

In this respect, Rome is a paradoxical city. In squares, on the streets, in the subway, people can stare at strangers, unscrupulously violating their comfort zone. And no one reproaches themselves for it. If you are in a public place, it means you may be watched. At the same time, the capital of Italy can be discreet and reserved. In restaurants and bars, a person becomes transparent not only to the waiter, but above all to other guests. It is possible that for this reason some foreign actors live here permanently, such as Willem Dafoe, who bought an apartment near piazza Vittorio Emanuele II in via Mecenate.

Dafoe moved to Rome almost twenty years ago. And his wife, Giada Colagrande, a director and actress from Pescara, Abruzzo, persuaded him to do so. In interviews, the actor says that he loves Rome, he loves the Romans, he sees the great weaknesses of this city, but he tries not to complain, because in exchange for sometimes having to cover his nose or ears, he gets something that is not available in New York or Los Angeles. Angeles: fantastic sky, great food, chill and carefree.

Willem Dafoe with his wife AFC / SplashNews.com / AFC / SplashNews.com/East News

Apparently he’s not a cocky person. Anyone can approach him and talk to him. He even agrees to take photos together.

Dafoe never hid his address. In many public conversations, he talked about the street where he lived and praised his neighbors. Unfortunately, he made a mistake. He trusted Rome too much. A few years ago, when he and his wife went to the United States for a few months (as is his custom), his apartment was robbed. The thieves knew exactly who they were breaking into. Their task was difficult because not only is the house where Dafoe lives located on a busy street, but it is also constantly monitored by a security agency.

According to the police findings, the thieves were real professionals, of which there is no shortage in the capital of Italy. Unable to get into the apartment through the staircase, they entered the building’s terrace, then lowered themselves to the kitchen balcony using a rope, broke down the door and ransacked all the rooms. They stole the actor’s film projector, computer, many valuable books and jewelry.

The residents couldn’t believe that someone had broken into their tenement house. In such a decent quarter? In broad daylight? In interviews for local television, they claimed that they had never been robbed before.

Twenty or thirty years ago, home thefts were common in the capital of Italy. I don’t know a Roman who hasn’t experienced them personally. And it didn’t matter whether he lived in a rich or poor district. The burglars knew no mercy for either of them. This is why in the city all apartments in tenement houses and blocks of flats from the ground floor to the second floor are usually barred. The owner of the building where Dafoe lives apparently forgot about it.

The last decade was a bit quieter. Currently, the police have again recorded a fifteen percent increase in robberies compared to last year. Thieves are now most likely to prowl the Torpignattara district, but they are also appearing more and more often around Ponte Milvio. In the tenement house where I live, during lunchtime they tried to break down the door to the neighbor’s apartment two floors above. They didn’t make it. The door was pre-war.

Ghetto district in Rome – Octavia portico Photo Waldemar Gorlewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

As the Romans claim, Mussolini had many flaws, he had no regard for people, he had no nose for politics, his dictatorial tendencies were comic and tragic at the same time. But he ordered the houses to be built solidly. Aldo, a driver I know who works for a transport company, claims that everything created during the fascist times can withstand even the biggest earthquakes. He cites tenement houses and bank headquarters in L’Aquila as an example.

In the year 2009, a tragic earthquake took place there. Three hundred and nine people died and over forty thousand became homeless. In the center of the capital of Abruzzo, almost all buildings constructed in the 1960s and 1970s collapsed. The churches couldn’t stand it. Only the walls remained of the dormitories. But the houses built under Mussolini have survived. Those from the 1950s and later are not worth a pound of fluff.

There’s something going on. The tenement house where I live was built in 1937. The previous owner of the apartment, like the neighbor above me, did not replace any doors – neither the entrance door nor the balcony door. I wanted to get myself a new balcony one. I was stopped by a specialist who assured me that I wouldn’t find better ones than the ones I have anywhere.

I learned firsthand how solid they are when I accidentally slammed myself on the balcony. I was smoking a cigarette and accidentally elbowed the door. There was a strong wind blowing. And it hapenned. Unfortunately, I didn’t take my cell phone with me. I fought with the door for over an hour. Unsuccessfully. Then, resigned, I started cleaning the balcony. Because what to do? I couldn’t call for help. I can’t scream. I didn’t know, however, that three elderly neighbors from the tenement house opposite were watching my battle the whole time. They called the fire brigade.

On that fateful day, I saw Willem Dafoe with my own eyes.

After getting out of the balcony, I went to via Dei Banchi Nuovi to the Guildenstern gallery, which specializes in selling movie posters. A collector friend of mine told me that this is one of the best places in Rome, that the owner has a wonderful collection, that he comes from Naples, is the son or grandson of an aristocrat and does not care about making money, but runs the gallery because he loves art. I was curious if he had any Polonica. It turned out that posters from Poland constituted almost a quarter of his collection. He had everything that was most valuable and expensive. I asked if he had posters by Wiktor Górka in his collection.

–?You’re welcome – he replied. – No problem. I have his poster for “Sunflowers”.

It is a 1971 film directed by Vittorio De Sica, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. In addition, he had Cieślewicz, Tomaszewski, Zamecznik, Fangor and Starowieyski. He had everything.

As I was leaving, I saw out of the corner of my eye that there was also a contemporary poster with a familiar face hanging in the corner of the room. Yes, that was Willem Dafoe. And the poster advertised the 2019 film “The Lighthouse”, in which the actor starred with Robert Pattinson. However, I didn’t buy it. I left there with posters for “Sunflowers” and Hans Hillmann for Luis Buñuel’s film “The Criminal Life of Archibald de la Cruz” in the German version. Both brilliant.

I drove home, telling myself that I would never, ever smoke a cigarette again. On the balcony.

Rome. The city above cities promotional materials Wielka Litera