Italy: Venice, Rome, Tuscany and Campagnia: Rome

Rome, the Eternal City, surely has no equal in the world. Its 2700 years of history are laid open with every step as ancient Rome rubs shoulders with the medieval, the modern runs into the Renaissance. The result is a bit like an open-air museum, a city that is a monument unto itself. It is packed with masterpieces from more than two millennia of artistic achievement. In five days, we can’t possibly see it all, but we sure tried …

Rome of the Caesars

Located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Roman Forum was for centuries the teeming heart of ancient Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections, venue for public speeches, and nucleus of commercial affairs. Today it is a sprawling ruin of temples, arches and other architectural fragments.

The Colosseum is the largest and most famous amphitheater in the Roman world and probably the most famous building of the Roman Empire. Its construction was started by Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and was finished by his son Titus in 80 AD.

The Colosseum could hold some 50,000 spectators who could enter the building through no less than 80 entrances. This one is entrance #52 (LII).

The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch, situated near the Colosseum. It was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate a military victory in 312 AD. During our visit, it was undergoing restoration.

The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome. According to Roman mythology, this was the location of the cave where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf that kept them alive. Romulus founded the city of Rome on this hill in 800 BC after he slayed his twin brother, Remus. Centuries later, Rome’s emperors built expansive palaces on the hill.

The Temple of Venus and Roma is thought to have been the largest temple in ancient Rome. It was built by the Emperor Hadrian in 121 AD. View here is from the top of the Colosseum.

The Basilica di Santi Cosma e Damiano is one of Rome’s most ancient churches, devoted to two Greek brothers, doctors, martyrs and saints Cosmas and Damian. Its main entrance and interior look very much like a church.

On the other side, we could see the old bronze doors – the entrance to what once was the Temple of Romulus. Today the Christian church still functions within the fabric of the ancient Roman temple.

Nearby are the ruins of the Basilica Aemilia. It was over 300 feet long and 100 feet wide; along the sides were two orders of 16 arches. Only the stubs of the columns remain, outlining the central nave of the Basilica. (Note that this layout served as a model for designing early churches.) The Curia or Senate building is in the background, with the Arch of Septimius Severus to the left.

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was begun in 141 AD by the Emperor Antoninus Pius and initially dedicated to his wife, Faustina. When Antoninus died, his successor Marcus Aurelius rededicated the temple jointly to both Antoninus and Faustina. The temple later was converted to a Christian church, known as San Lorenzo in Miranda.

The House of the Vestal Virgins was the residence of Vestal Virgins, located at one edge of the Forum. In ancient Roman religion, the Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. They took a vow of chastity and tended the sacred fire that was not allowed to go out.

The Main Square of the Forum was originally a marketplace. It was for centuries the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. It was the teeming heart of ancient Rome – it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. Today it is a jumbled mix of ruins and ongoing excavations.

The Via Sacra (Sacred Road) was the main street of ancient Rome, passing through the Forum to the Colosseum. The Arch of Titus is a 1st century honorific arch located on the Via Sacra; it was constructed in c. 82 AD to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem. Note the clearly visible Jewish menorah carved on the inside of the arch.

In the Piazza della Rotunda stands the Pantheon, one of the best preserved buildings of ancient Rome. It was built in 126 AD by the Emperor Hadrian as a temple for all the Roman gods, but has served as a Roman Catholic Church since the 7th century. The Pantheon consists of a large circular portico with three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns. The portico opens into a rotunda which is topped with a concrete dome open at the top. The floor has tiny holes to take away rainwater. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon’s dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

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Heart of Rome

Piazza Navona is one of the most famous of Rome’s many squares, it was established in the 15th century and preserves the shape of the stadium that once stood here. Built by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD, the stadium was mainly used for festivals and sporting events. The most famous structure is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, topped by the Obelisk of Domitian. This fountain stands in front of the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone.

The square features other important sculptural and architectural creations, including Baroque palaces and magnificent fountains. It is a popular place to sip a cappuccino, shop, and watch street performers.

Only a few steps from the crowds at the square, it’s easy to find a quiet street with a couple of shops, a church and a café ...

The Campo de' Fiori is a city square used as a marketplace during the day and party central for college students and tourists at night. The name means “field of flowers” and was first given during the Middle Ages when the area was a meadow. Today the market is a lively place, where people can buy fresh produce, as well as fish, meat, flowers and spices.

Rome’s medieval Jewish ghetto is long gone, but this area is still home to the city synagogue and fragments of its Jewish heritage. The synagogue sits in the center of the neighborhood where the Jewish community was sequestered for more than 300 years.

The Piazza di Trevi is the home of the famous Trevi Fountain. Completed in 1762, this Baroque fountain features a mythological sculptural composition of Neptune, god of the sea, flanked by two Tritons. The location of the Trevi fountain marks the terminus of an ancient aqueduct. The fountain was the setting for an iconic scene in Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita, and it has become one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions. Legend says that one who throws a coin in the fountain shall someday return to Rome.

The Spanish Steps, a truly monumental stairway of 135 steps, were built to link the Spanish embassy to the French church, Trinità dei Monti. The steps were crowded with tourists as well as locals who use it as a gathering place. At the foot of the Spanish Steps is the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square) and the Fontana della Barcaccia, a fountain designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

The Chiesa San Pietro in Vincoli (Church of St. Peter in Chains) was built in the 5th century to house the chains that held St. Peter, but it is most famous for its Michelangelo statue of Moses. This piece was commissioned by Pope Julius II, who intended for it to adorn his tomb.

The Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (Church of St. Louis of the French) is the national church in Rome of France. The façade is nothing fancy, the interior is quite spectacular, but … the reason for coming here is to the see three paintings describing the life of St. Matthew – done by the Baroque master Caravaggio in 1599. (Historical trivia: this church is where Martin Luther stayed when he came to Rome for his trial, which was held at the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.)

Nearby is the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola (Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola), named after the founder of the Jesuit order. We’d seen a lot of churches by this time, but this one was another stunner – a riot of Baroque illusions. Frescoes adorn every available space, including the ceiling, where one of the Jesuit brothers created the illusion of a lofty cupola, open to the sky and filled with floating figures.

The Piazza Colonna is in the historic heart of Rome. It is named for the marble Column of Marcus Aurelius which has stood there since 193 AD. The bronze statue of Saint Paul that crowns the column was placed in 1589, by order of the Pope. One side of the square is taken up by the Palazzo Chigi, now a seat of the Italian government. The piazza has been a monumental open space since Antiquity when the temple of Marcus Aurelius stood on this site.

The Piazza Venezia is a major traffic circle, in which many thoroughfares intersect. Here is the imposing Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), built to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy. The monument also holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with an eternal flame.

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Vatican City

The tiny independent country of about 100 acres, Vatican City is contained entirely within Rome. It has its own postal system, armed guards, helipad, train station, and radio station. Politically very powerful, the Vatican is the religious capital of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. We’d seen the postcard – we came to see the real thing!

We joined thousands of other eager visitors at the entrance of the Vatican Museums, our first stop here. Founded by Pope Julius II in the 6th century, these museums boast some of the world’s most important relics and religious art. And art is everywhere – floors, ceilings, walls, every nook and cranny.

The exquisitely decorated Sistine Chapel sits between the museum and the basilica. It is open to visitors except when the Church is about the business of selecting a new pope. Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. Today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgment, is widely believed to be Michelangelo’s crowning achievements in painting.

The Basilica of St. Peter is a huge church – the largest in the world – and the center of the Catholic world. With an interior height of 394 feet, the space shuttle with its booster rockets could fit inside, as could the Statue of Liberty. The basilica stands on the traditional site where Peter, the apostle who is considered the first pope, was crucified and buried. Construction on the current building began in 1506 and was completed in 1615. Many famous artists worked on the complex and its surroundings: Michelangelo designed the dome while Bernini designed the great St. Peter’s Square.

The entrance to the Basilica is through historical bronze doors, covered with ornate carvings. The huge white columns date from the first church here – 4th century AD.

Inside, thousands of people wander about, heads craned heavenward, trying to take it all in. It’s impossible to describe and difficult to make photos. Most memorable: Michelangelo’s Pieta sitting behind bulletproof glass – an incredible piece of work by a 24-year old artist. The dome and the altar canopy are pretty impressive, too.

Exiting the church, we entered St. Peter’s Square, a familiar scene on television. Whenever the Pope speaks, the people gather here in this most impressive setting. The Swiss Guards are stationed here to protect the Pope.

Near the Vatican, is Castel Sant’Angelo, which began life in 135 AD as the mausoleum of the Emperor Hadrian. Subsequent strongholds built on top of the mausoleum were in turn incorporated into a residence and castle by medieval Popes. The building was used as a prison until 1870, but now houses a museum.

We took the long way back to our hotel, walking along the Tiber River and checking out interesting streets and monumental buildings. This monster is the Judicial Building – intended to loom large and menacing. It may accomplish that, but it is also very heavy – all those stones are causing the entire structure to sink.

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Northern Rome … near our hotel

The Villa Alboni was across the street from our hotel, with the Villa Paolina Bonaparte just around the corner. The Villa Albani was built about 1750 for Cardinal Alessandro Albani, to house his collection of antiquities and ancient Roman sculpture. The Villa Paolina Bonaparte was the home of Napoleon’s younger sister; today it houses the French embassy.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood there were plenty of magnificent houses (whose names were unknown to us). It made for a very pleasant place to walk around and look. It also made for an education in the fine art of parking a car in places where there’s nowhere to park.

The Borghese Gardens and Gallery were just a few blocks from our hotel. The gardens cover 150 acres of trees, landscaping, lakes, fountains, sculptures, cafes, and unsigned roads and paths that make this an easy place to get lost. It also is home to the Borghese Gallery in the villa once occupied by this super-rich luxury-loving family.

At one end of the garden, part of the old city walls is still standing, with much enlarged gates for traffic of today.

At the other end of the garden is the Piazza del Popolo, a vast oval square that marks the traditional north entrance to the city of Rome. The square lies inside the northern gate of the Aurelian Walls, the Porta Flaminia of ancient Rome.

The square is known for its symmetrical design and its art-filled churches. The 10-story obelisk in the center of the square once graced the temple of Ramses II in Egypt. At one side of the square are the twin- domed churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1681) and Santa Maria in Montesanto (1679). Across from these are two 19th century buildings that give the square its symmetry – the Carabinieri station and the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo (St. Mary of the People). Massive fountains are on the other two sides of the square.

The Piazza San Bernardo is named after the Chiesa di San Bernardo alle Terme, but it is best known as the location of two other churches (Chiesa Santa Maria della Vittoria and Chiesa di Santa Susanna) and of the monstrous Moses Fountain. There’s more art in these three churches than in most museums, but we came for a look at Moses.

The Fontana dell’Acqua Felice marked the terminus of one of the aqueducts restored in the late 1500s by Pope Sixtus V. At the beginning his reign, everyone had to go to a single fountain for clean drinking water. Pope Sixtus took on the restoration of other aqueducts; this new fountain was constructed in the form of an ancient Roman triumphal arch and featured, as ancient Roman fountains did, an inscription honoring its builder, Pope Sixtus. The central arch featured a large statue of Moses; to the left is Aaron and to the right is Joshua. Water flows from the statues into basins, where four lions are spouting water. The oversized statue of Moses was criticized at the time, but the fountain achieved its political purpose; it was a visible statement of how the Catholic Church was serving the needs of the people of Rome.

A few blocks away is the Piazza della Repubblica, a semi-circular square near the train station. The shape of the piazza derives from the Baths of Diocletian, which once stood here. The porticos around the piazza, built ca 1890, were in memory of the ancient buildings on the same sites. The Fountain of the Naiads stands in the center of the square.

Also on the piazza, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (St. Mary’s of the Angels and Martyrs) was designed by Michelangelo, using part of the ancient baths as one of the wings in his spacious Greek cross layout. The exterior of the church blends almost seamlessly into the structure of the old baths. The interior is another matter – wow!

The train station opens onto the Piazza dei Cinquecento, where there is an interesting statue of Pope John Paul II. The bronze-cast sculpture was meant to symbolize the concepts of protection and reception, but was heavily criticized by the public, politicians and the church. Some said it looked like an open tent or a bell, and the sculptor was forced to reconstruct the head and part of the mantle.

In the same area is yet another cavernous church. The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is a thousand years older than St. Peter’s and was built after the Empire collapsed, when the Roman Empire was crumbling. Its grand accumulation of art and artifacts embodies the wealth and eclecticism of the Church – sparkling medieval mosaics, Rome’s tallest bell tower, a fragment of Jesus’ crib, and two side chapels larger than some churches. We liked the back view (on the left) even better than the front side.

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Rome at Night

After a wonderful dinner in Trastavere area of Rome, we checked out some of the city’s notable sights at night. Our first stop was at the top of Aventine Hill, at the headquarters of the Knights of Malta - an ordinary looking building with big doors – and a peephole. We thought we would see into the garden, but what a surprise – it was a most unusual view of St. Peter’s Basilica!