Today we walked the Heart of Rome, seeing many of the historic piazzas around the city. Pictured above is the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), also known as the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Construction began in 1885 in honor of King Victor Emmanuel, the first King of a unified Italy since the 6th century, who is known as the father of the modern Italy fatherland. The massive monument is the site of Italy's tomb of the unkown soldier. It's marble white exterior gives a good idea of what the Roman Forum structures would have looked like at their peak prior to the marble being stripped by rock robbers. The monument sits with its back overlooking the Roman Forum.
Spanish Steps leading to Trinite Del Monti church at the top. The steps were built in the 1720's to link the Spanish Embassy at the bottom with the French church at the top, and have been featured in many songs, poems, tales and events over the last two centuries.
Looking down at Bernini's sinking boat fountain, the Fontana della Barcaccia (barely visible in the piazza below surrounded by people). Built in the early 1620's, the fountain is connected to an ancient Roman aqueduct, which produces low water pressure, so Bernini designed the fountain to need only a small amount of pressure. In 1598, the river Tiber flooded the piazza, and brought a damaged boat to rest in the square, which served as the inspiration for Bernini's fountain design.
Piazza del Campidoglio - Column of the Immaculate Conception and the Spanish Embassy.
Sant Andrea Della Fratte. A catholic church in Rome, with two angels sculpted by Bernini flanking the presbytery, shown in the picture above. In 1842, catholics believe Mary, mother of Jesus, appeared to a non-Christian visiting the church and converted him to become a missionary.
One of the few remaining accesses to the ancient Roman aqueducts.
Trevi Fountain. Built in the 1700's at the end point of the Aqua Virgo ancient Roman aqueduct, which fed the Baths of Agrippa. Today, the fountain feels more modern than most of the visited sites in Rome, and is full of coins visitors toss in.
Trevi Fountain
More of the Trevi Fountain.
Column of Marcus Aurelius in the Piazza Colonna. The column was completed in ~190 AD and consists of 28 massive marble pieces carved whole, with scenes of victorious battles of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was dedicated by Commodus to his father after the Emperor's death. Originally topped with a statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Vatican replaced the statue for one of the Apostle Paul, which still sits atop the monument today. Inside its hollow structure, you can climb spiral stairs to the top (which is not allowed today, but was a a popular climb in the Middle Ages).
Parliament.
The Pantheon. Completed in ~125 AD, the Pantheon, as the name describes, was a temple for all the Roman gods. It is well preserved, and is now used as a church. Roman Emperor Marcus Agrippa ordered it built around 30 BC, but a fire damaged the original structure in 80 AD, and it is not agreed upon by scholars whether this structure was largely the same, or a complete rebuilt version in ~125 AD. Either way, it is old and well-preserved.
Light shines in through the roof of the Pantheon.
Inside the structure is fairly basic, but has stood the test of time far better than most ancient Roman structures.
The details are still impressive considering the ~2000 year age.
The ceiling of the dome is one of the most striking parts, as it is carved to give a 3D design impression. This domed structure was unique in the ancient world, and would go on to inspire many other domed structures in antiquity through modern times. The Pantheon in Paris we visited last week was modeled after this dome and columned entryway structure, but the Roman Pantheon was built ~1700 years earlier.
Outside of the Pantheon. Like many other ancient Roman structures, the Pantheon was originally adorned in white marble, which has been stripped off sometime over the last 2,000 years. Sculptures surrounding the Pantheon have also gone missing over the previous millennia, making it hard to envision what the structure truly looked like when built ~2,000 years ago. Today it is a catholic church, and King Victor Emmanuel is entombed inside.
Largo di Torre Argentina. At this site sit the remains of four ancient temples of the early Roman Republic, dated to the 4th century BC, ~2,500 years ago.
Next we visited the Capitoline Museum. Here is the La Lupa Capitolina, a 5th century BC depiction of a she-wolf sculpture, depicting the two founders of Rome, twin brothers Romulus and Remus (added in the 15th century). Roman mythology states that the twin brothers were seen as threats by their father the king, and abandoned along the Tiber River. Suckled by a she-wolf in the Lupercal cave, they would later be adopted and raised as shepherds near present-day Rome. As grown men, they agreed to built a great city, but disagreed on the location. Romulus killed his brother Remus, and chose his site of Palatine Hill as the place he would build a city, naming it after himself, Rome.
Medusa's head (doesn't feel right looking directly at it).
Roman chariot.
Commodus, made to appear like Hercules.
Hercules again, near the 4th century BC wall of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, built in ~500 BC. The walls of the temple have been excavated under several buildings in Rome, with this one pictured under the Capitoline Museum. Directly behind me as I took this picture is a bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback, built in 175 AD...sad that I failed to get a picture of it, but it is an impressive statue for that era.
15th century marble sarcophagus, depicting a boar hunt scene. This one was unused, as the faces of the two would-be purchasers (on top) had not been carved yet.
Looking out over the Roman Forum from the Capitoline Museum.
Looking down on the Roman Forum from Capitoline Hill.
Back inside the Capitoline Museum.
An unusually shy Venus.
Michelangelo's Grand Staircase leading to the Piazza del Campidoglio. The staircase and piazza above were designed by Michelangelo, and he oversaw the renovation of Capitoline Hill in the 16th century.
The balcony from which the Fascist leader Benito Mussolini declared war on Britain and France on June 10, 1940, as well as many other speeches he made here (such as May 1936 when he proclaimed Italy an Empire).
We happened to be there to take this picture on June 10th this year, 78 years to the day after he made the declaration of war to the roaring crowd below. I find it disturbing to hear so many naive people today throwing around the term "fascist" at anyone they disagree with. Doing so shows ignorance of history, and does a great disservice to all the people who have suffered under true fascism in human history.
Italy recently reopened this balcony, after decades of keeping it covered. I'm glad they reopened it, there's no gain to be had in hiding from history or else you risk repeating it....another lesson many in our own country who are seeking to tear down historical statues could learn.
Trajan's column. Situated outside the Roman Forum, this column was built in 113 AD and dedicated to the victories of Emperor Trajan. It inspired the column of Marcus Aurelius later that century, mentioned previously in this blog. It was originally topped with a statue of Trajan, which was replaced in the Middle Ages by the Vatican with a statue of the Apostle Peter.
An appropriate end to the blogs on ancient Rome - a statue of Caesar (Trajan), in front of the Forum of Augustus, near the Column of Trajan.
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