We ended our stay in Rome with a bang- two walking tours in one day. Fortunately, the first tour was a bit light on content and walking. Our tour guide, Jennifer, was a true X-er complete with the best gravel voiced “yeaaaa…” we’d ever heard.
Palazzo Farnese: We started at the Palazzo Farnese, currently the home of the French Embassy. It was originally built for Cardinal Farnese, who became Pope Paul III in 1534. He commissioned Michelangelo, who had a plan for the Farnese gardens to be connected by a bridge to the Farnese home in Trastevere. The arch spanning Via Giulia is as far as he got with this project.
Palazzo Farnese: We started at the Palazzo Farnese, currently the home of the French Embassy. It was originally built for Cardinal Farnese, who became Pope Paul III in 1534. He commissioned Michelangelo, who had a plan for the Farnese gardens to be connected by a bridge to the Farnese home in Trastevere. The arch spanning Via Giulia is as far as he got with this project.
Photo courtesy of Flickr
Palazzo Spada: Another palazzo built for a Cardinal, it was built around 1550. When Cardinal Spada lived here in the 17th century, he commissioned Borromini to work on the building. The colonnaded gallery created by Borromini appears 4 times longer than it really is –a trompe l’oeil tunnel. It’s done with a rising floor, descending ceiling and gradually diminishing columns.
Palazzo Spada: Another palazzo built for a Cardinal, it was built around 1550. When Cardinal Spada lived here in the 17th century, he commissioned Borromini to work on the building. The colonnaded gallery created by Borromini appears 4 times longer than it really is –a trompe l’oeil tunnel. It’s done with a rising floor, descending ceiling and gradually diminishing columns.
Palazzo Spada Tunnel -Photo courtesy of Flickr
Campo di Fiore: The “Field of Flowers” was one of the liveliest markets of medieval and Renaissance Rome. In the center is a statue of Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake for heresy in 1600. The market was going strong as we walked through the piazza.
Palazzo della Cancelleria Still owned by the Vatican, it was built for the nephew of Sixtus IV. The money for its building was supposedly won by one papal nephew from another during a night of high-stakes gambling. Many claim that this is Rome’s first monument of the Renaissance. The marble used was plundered from the Theater of Pompei. .
Santa Maria del Orazione e Morte: This church is dedicated to St Mary of Prayer and Death. The doors and windows are decorated with winged skulls. The monks who founded this church collected and buried the unclaimed dead. The reminder, “Me today, three tomorrow” is on the façade.
Campo di Fiore: The “Field of Flowers” was one of the liveliest markets of medieval and Renaissance Rome. In the center is a statue of Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake for heresy in 1600. The market was going strong as we walked through the piazza.
Palazzo della Cancelleria Still owned by the Vatican, it was built for the nephew of Sixtus IV. The money for its building was supposedly won by one papal nephew from another during a night of high-stakes gambling. Many claim that this is Rome’s first monument of the Renaissance. The marble used was plundered from the Theater of Pompei. .
Santa Maria del Orazione e Morte: This church is dedicated to St Mary of Prayer and Death. The doors and windows are decorated with winged skulls. The monks who founded this church collected and buried the unclaimed dead. The reminder, “Me today, three tomorrow” is on the façade.
Santa Maria e Morte - Collage courtesy of romeartlove.it
Palazzo Falconieri: This palazzo at one time passed to the Florentine Falconieri family and in 1649, Borromini added the breasted falcons.
Via Giulia In medieval times, the only access to St Peter’s Square for pilgrims coming from all over Europe was through narrow, winding streets. There were stories of brigands, pickpockets and unscrupulous curio hawkers who made the route unpleasant and hazardous. This street was laid out for Pope Julius II in the early 16th century by Bramante. It was designed to cut through the maze of medieval streets as a way to bring more pilgrims into the papal city.
Church Sant’ Eliaio degli Ore Fici This church, attributed to Raphael, was built in 1509 for the guild of goldsmiths.
Ponte Mazzini The shortest bridge over the river Tiber
Via della Lungara: “Our street”, paved with square cobblestones (the same kind used in St Peter’s square) goes in a straight line from the Vatican to Trastevere’s main piazza. It is the longest of the streets built by the Renaissance popes and one of the most popular routes for pilgrims traveling to and from St Peter’s.
Villa Farnesina Directly across from our hotel, this villa was built in 1508. The frescoes of Raphael and his pupils fill the rooms- and left us cold.
Jennifer did point us in the direction of her favorite pizza place in Trastevere- pizza by the kilo and it was wonderful.
We grabbed the (free) J4 bus and headed out to St Paul Outside the Walls. This is Rome’s second largest church. It started as a tiny chapel honoring the supposed burial site of the Apostle Paul. The original basilica was erected by Constantine and enlarged several times in the following centuries. A fire destroyed most of the ancient basilica in 1823, but the bronze doors made in Constantinople survived.
Palazzo Falconieri: This palazzo at one time passed to the Florentine Falconieri family and in 1649, Borromini added the breasted falcons.
Via Giulia In medieval times, the only access to St Peter’s Square for pilgrims coming from all over Europe was through narrow, winding streets. There were stories of brigands, pickpockets and unscrupulous curio hawkers who made the route unpleasant and hazardous. This street was laid out for Pope Julius II in the early 16th century by Bramante. It was designed to cut through the maze of medieval streets as a way to bring more pilgrims into the papal city.
Church Sant’ Eliaio degli Ore Fici This church, attributed to Raphael, was built in 1509 for the guild of goldsmiths.
Ponte Mazzini The shortest bridge over the river Tiber
Via della Lungara: “Our street”, paved with square cobblestones (the same kind used in St Peter’s square) goes in a straight line from the Vatican to Trastevere’s main piazza. It is the longest of the streets built by the Renaissance popes and one of the most popular routes for pilgrims traveling to and from St Peter’s.
Villa Farnesina Directly across from our hotel, this villa was built in 1508. The frescoes of Raphael and his pupils fill the rooms- and left us cold.
Jennifer did point us in the direction of her favorite pizza place in Trastevere- pizza by the kilo and it was wonderful.
We grabbed the (free) J4 bus and headed out to St Paul Outside the Walls. This is Rome’s second largest church. It started as a tiny chapel honoring the supposed burial site of the Apostle Paul. The original basilica was erected by Constantine and enlarged several times in the following centuries. A fire destroyed most of the ancient basilica in 1823, but the bronze doors made in Constantinople survived.
It also had one of the angriest looking Christ mosaics we’ve ever seen.
We met Gregory for our 4 hour tour of “Christian Rome”.
He started with the earliest Roman Temples - Boarium - the Temple of Hercules and Portunus. These temples date from the 2nd century BC and were saved when they were reconsecrated as Christian churches in the Middle Ages.
Photos courtesy of Wikipedia
The rectangular temple was dedicated to Portunus, the god of rivers and ports. In the 9th century, it became the official church of the Armenian community.
The circular temple is the oldest standing marble temple in Rome. It has been misnamed for centuries because its circular shape resembles the Temple of Vesta, but the inscription says that it was dedicated to Hercules.
Santa Maria en Cosmedin This church was built in the 6th century by Pope Hadrian I to serve the Greek colony. Set into the wall is the Bocca della Verita (mouth of truth). It may have been a drain cover dating from the 4th century BC. But, medieval tradition had it that the jaws would snap shut over the hand of anyone who told lies.
Santa Maria en Cosmedin This church was built in the 6th century by Pope Hadrian I to serve the Greek colony. Set into the wall is the Bocca della Verita (mouth of truth). It may have been a drain cover dating from the 4th century BC. But, medieval tradition had it that the jaws would snap shut over the hand of anyone who told lies.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Arch of Janus This arch dates from the late Empire, probably the reign of Constantine. Janus was the Roman god who protected crossroads. It was built as a covering to protect travelers at this junction between the Forum Boarium (the ancient cattle market and the oldest forum) and the Forum Olitoria (vegetable and fruit market).
Arch of Janus This arch dates from the late Empire, probably the reign of Constantine. Janus was the Roman god who protected crossroads. It was built as a covering to protect travelers at this junction between the Forum Boarium (the ancient cattle market and the oldest forum) and the Forum Olitoria (vegetable and fruit market).
Photo courtesy of Flickr
Arco degli Argentari Built in 204 AD by the money-changers in honor of Septimius Severus, his wife and two sons Geta and Caracalla. They are shown in the relief in the act of making a sacrifice. After Geta’s murder by Caracalla, Geta’s name and effigy were removed.
San Giorgio in Velabro This church is dedicated to St George, whose skull lies under the altar. In 1993, a Mafia bomb caused extensive damage to the church.
We walked back to the Forum – and learned of the connection between ancient Rome and Christian Rome. While seeing the same sights as on our “Roma Antiqua” tour, we learned of the Christian connection of places like Basilica Gulia, the little, private Greek Church, the temple of Caesar, Temple Antonicus e Faustina, and Church Cosmillin/Temple of Romulus
San Pietro in Vincoli: According to legend, the two chains (vincoli) used to shake St Peter in the Roman prison were subsequently taken to Constantinople. In the 5th century, Empress Eudora put one in a church in Constantinople and sent the other to her daughter in Rome. She in turn gave them to Pope Leo I, who had this church built to house it. Some years later, the second chain was brought to Rome and it linked miraculously with its partner.
Arco degli Argentari Built in 204 AD by the money-changers in honor of Septimius Severus, his wife and two sons Geta and Caracalla. They are shown in the relief in the act of making a sacrifice. After Geta’s murder by Caracalla, Geta’s name and effigy were removed.
San Giorgio in Velabro This church is dedicated to St George, whose skull lies under the altar. In 1993, a Mafia bomb caused extensive damage to the church.
We walked back to the Forum – and learned of the connection between ancient Rome and Christian Rome. While seeing the same sights as on our “Roma Antiqua” tour, we learned of the Christian connection of places like Basilica Gulia, the little, private Greek Church, the temple of Caesar, Temple Antonicus e Faustina, and Church Cosmillin/Temple of Romulus
San Pietro in Vincoli: According to legend, the two chains (vincoli) used to shake St Peter in the Roman prison were subsequently taken to Constantinople. In the 5th century, Empress Eudora put one in a church in Constantinople and sent the other to her daughter in Rome. She in turn gave them to Pope Leo I, who had this church built to house it. Some years later, the second chain was brought to Rome and it linked miraculously with its partner.
Reliquary containing the chains of St. Peter Photo courtesy of WIkipedia
The famous statue of Moses, carved by Michelangelo is here. He is depicted at the moment when God first appeared to him in the Book of Exodus. A sarcophagus in a small crypt behind the altar house the bones of the seven Maccabees brought to Rome from Constantinople in 560.
The famous statue of Moses, carved by Michelangelo is here. He is depicted at the moment when God first appeared to him in the Book of Exodus. A sarcophagus in a small crypt behind the altar house the bones of the seven Maccabees brought to Rome from Constantinople in 560.
Moses - Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
What a tour- we were exhausted after our full day. We stopped for a sunset view of the Forum at a little café on via de Fiori Imperati.
For our “graduation dinner”, we decided to try an up-scale Roman restaurant, Antico Arco. Without reservations, they could only give us a table for 2 hours. We had a good dinner, fine wine, good pasta. But, we decided that our Roman rule is “Eat at the local places, the expensive places are just not us”.
What a tour- we were exhausted after our full day. We stopped for a sunset view of the Forum at a little café on via de Fiori Imperati.
For our “graduation dinner”, we decided to try an up-scale Roman restaurant, Antico Arco. Without reservations, they could only give us a table for 2 hours. We had a good dinner, fine wine, good pasta. But, we decided that our Roman rule is “Eat at the local places, the expensive places are just not us”.
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