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01 May 2007: Eight Hours of the Eternal City on Foot!
May 1 is of course a holiday. And checking online we discovered that many of the main attractions (Vatican for example) were closed for the holiday. So off for an extended walking tour!
Heading east on the Via del Tritone, first vantage point was the Piazza Barberini with its Triton Fountain and the Palazzo Barberini just behind. The gateway to the Palazzo Barberini was fantastic, and the early morning light was the best we had all day.
Southeast down the Via delle Quattro Fontane, you come across…you guessed it the Quattro Fontane with nice 16th century renderings of gods in various states of repose. Apparently the aqueduct for the fountain is the same today as it was then (ditto for the fountains at Piazza di Spagna and Fontana di Trevi); hard to believe but undeniably cool if true.
We had planned on continuing straight down to Santa Maria Maggiore, but instead took a left turn…Northeast along the Via Nazionale we came into the Piazza della Republica which has two large semicircular buildings (palaces anywhere else…) that house a swank hotel and some travel offices. The
Naiad fountain at the center of the square has four wet and notably more erotic than the Quattro Fontane sculptural renditions of various myths. On the northeast side of the Piazza is Santa Maria degli Angeli, which was one the highlights of the day for sure. The interior was once a Roman bath, and it is immense—7 story ceilings and over 100 yards both lateral directions. On the southeast side of the church is a very detailed sundial inaugurated in 1702 by Pope Clement XI. A brass Meridian line extends for probably 50 feet and points due North. Apparently the Meridian was Rome’s official timekeeper until 1846. The outside exterior walls of Santa Maria degli Angeli are also fantastic and show the detailed 2nd and 3rd century Roman brickwork. The main door of the church is a recent edition by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj with very compelling brass images. Outside the main door, we turned northwest 100 yards to the Aula Ottagona (Octagonal Hall) for a preview of what to expect at the Pantheon. Capping off this unexpected detour, we walked in a square northeast up the Via Cernaia one long block, southeast on the Via Volturno, and southwest on
the Via E. de Nicola which faces the Diocletian Baths and Garden on the north and Termini train station on the south. The baths were constructed between 298 and 305 and were a sprawling complex that now houses one of at least four National Museums in Rome and a very nice garden (if the baths aren’t working, at least they planted a garden with very fragrant roses…).
Back on track down the Via Carvour we arrived at Santa Marie Maggiore, one of Rome’s four basilicas. Built in 432, it is a bit of a mish mash of styles both inside and out. And by this time (around 1015), the rest of the Roman tourist crowd was out in full force. The Pauline Chapel offered a great example of ornate. The line to see Bernini’s tomb was 40+ people deep (skipped it). Thanks to Rick Steves, we spent time looking at the early Christian mosaics on the north side of the nave which begin with Chuck Heston encountering the burning bush and coming down with the commandments (the rest is history…).
Next stop, San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains). The highlight here is undeniably Michelangelo’s Moses dating
from 1515. Carrying the ten commandments under his right arm, Moses wields a stern, forceful gaze having just seen God and now, presumptively, glimpsing his followers worshiping the golden calf. The statute makes for some very compelling storytelling!
Shifting gears to Roma Antiqua, we walked south and downhill to a viewpoint café on Via Salvi for lunch immediately in front of the Colosseo (Flavian Amphitheater). The exterior views were great and we’ll return other than on a holiday where the 1€ entrance generates huge lines. Past Constantine’s Arch, we walked up onto the Palantine Hill and the Forum, entering through Tito’s Arch. The Roman ruins are fantastic and the views were grand, but the archeological remnants and relics seemed less accessible than the wholly intact monuments and edifices we’d seen early. One thing is for certain: Spring is THE time to visit cities in and around the Mediterranean in my opinion. The flowers (poppies etc.) in and among the ruins make the setting all the more fantastic.
Leaving the Forum, we walked up past the Romulus and Remus statue to the Campidoglio (Capital Hill) which faces due northwest with its back to the Roman antiquities. No mistake there;
all the guidebooks reference the positioning and structure of Michelangelo’s design as intended to demonstrate Rome’s unequivocally new face. The Michelangelo staircase down from the Campidoglio is grand and by comparison, so much more so than the adjacent staircase of the Momumento a Vittorio Emanuele II which has a staircase twice its size. The Vittorio monument, commemorating Italy’s unification, is enormous and imposing, and even the Roma tourist panels describing it across the street are apologetic it was ever built. Ironically, although less than 100 years old, the monument is under repair and 2/3rds covered in plastic.
Heading back up north to close out the “circle” of our walk, we passed numerous Roman antiquity ruins including the Foro Traino and Foro di Augusto. On up the Via della Pilotta and past the Piazza della Pilotta with impeccable rust orange walls, we stopped for a much needed beer before hitting the Trevi Fountain. There were scores of tourists, so many you couldn’t get near the fountain’s edge. So executing the supposed tradition of turning your back to the fountain and tossing in a coin for good luck and to assure your return to Rome required chucking 0.50€ a good 30
feet. The coin made it, so guess I’ll be back!
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Aunt Mary
non-member comment
Fantastic
You take the best photos - this is just super - gives me some ideas for when I retire in a couple of years