Back to home page
John Fort's CV
The enlightenment of a Roman fishmonger
Special interest walks and excursions
Review La Geisha, Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale, Palazzo Brancaccio, Rome (Wanted in Rome January 2006)
Review Das Rheingold, Rome Opera House (Wanted in Rome October 2005)
A Corner of the Agro Romano (Wanted in Rome September 2005)
Review Cosė Fan Tutte, Teatro Nazionale, Rome (Wanted in Rome May 2005)
A Taste of the Ciocaria (Wanted in Rome March 2005)
Train Ride to Sulmona and Castel di Sangro (Wanted in Rome Jan 2005)
Archive of older articles
Contact details
John Fort was born in London and educated at Eton and University College, Oxford, where he read Turkish with Arabic.
He then spent almost three years working in the City of London before moving to Rome in 1973, where, together with his wife, he owned and ran a wholesale and retail smoked fish business for 27 years, with a plant in Licenza, some 50 kms outside Rome, and a shop right in the centre, in the historic Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, where the Forts also live.
Over the years, having helped innumerable visitors, both family and friends, keen to get to know the city, and in the course of his working life, which gave him a unique perspective into sides of the city even most Italians are unaware of, he acquired an unrivalled knowledge of Rome.
In 2001 he received the commission to update and recast Georgina Masson's classic guide, The Companion Guide to Rome, originally published in 1964 and in print ever since; this came out in October 2003 to considerable acclaim. He now works showing individuals and small groups around the city, and is just as happy to introduce first-time visitors to the famous sights of the city as he is to dream up specially themed walks for those who already know the city well or organize private visits to the Sistine Chapel. Click on Special interest walks and excursions for some suggestions. At the same time he also reviews opera and classical music concerts for the online version of the Rome publication, Wanted in Rome.
In the summer, the Forts with their family are based in their country property at Licenza, near Tivoli, where they own houses which they rent to holiday-makers (see http://www.vigna-la-corte.com)