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A Roman terrace, a portrait shoot and an immaculate view of the Eternal City – John McRae Photography & Studio

A Roman terrace, a portrait shoot and an immaculate view of the Eternal City

PierFrancesco – Italian author and part-time Trastevere local

PierFrancesco Grasselli is a Rome-based author/novelist and local personality in the charming inner city locality of Trastevere (note: Tevere, is the Italian name of the river that runs through Rome; we call it the “Tiber” and “tras” is the prefix for across) which not surprisingly is the area “across the river”, at the level of the Ponte Sisto. Trastevere is a vibrant meeting place for young and old, with wall-to-wall restaurants and bars. During most evenings the streets are teaming with people.

Street scene in Trastevere

View of the Tevere from Ponte Sisto

I was staying with my friend Jonathan, an Australian who has lived in Rome forever. He happens to have the most magnificent terrace overlooking Trastevere and the many churches and cupolas of the inner city (not to mention he is an amazing cook, his table being one of the best in Rome). A perfect backdrop for a portrait shoot.

With his tongue-in-cheek, PierFrancesco Grasselli’s books and self-proclaimed trash novels include All’Inferno ci vado in Porsche (“I’m going to Hell in a Porsche”), Ho Scaricato Miss Italia (“I Dumped Miss Italy”) and his erotic autobiography I Maschilisti (“The Male Chauvinists”).

The weather was great. I used natural light to shoot PierFrancesco. The set-up was very simple and basic – sometimes this is all that is necessary.

We shot this image on the internal staircase leading up the apartment. I think this is PierFrancesco’s favourite shot.
Here I am with PierFrancesco (photo: Jonathan Turner)
View of Trastevere from Jonathan’s terrace…..magic!