ROMA

Sept 2003
 Roma is like a tree - so many layers one on top of the other, past bare to the elements. I had always imagined that it must be a vast city to hold the capital of the world and so much of our past. In fact it's a very compact city which has been cannabalizing itself for generations - need more marble for your monument? Nick some off the Colosseum - they don't need it any more! With enough energy you can walk pretty much everwhere in the historical center. It was a joy just getting lost because no matter what corner I turned, I was presented with another ancient wonder (or modern monstrosity but only rarely).

I found Italians very open - much more inclined to engage you than the French. Italians are not precious about their language - they don't seem to mind if you slaughter it as long as you give it a good try.



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Published
Feb 2004
I stayed in a B&B in the Trastevere neighborhood and I couldn't recommend it more. It's right on the river and a pretty short walk from the Forum or Largo Argentina but it's not a tourist dive! The streets are packed every night with diners and shoppers but they are Italians - out on their evening strolls. This is the Piazza Santa Maria.
Foro Romano- I was truly overwhelmed at the "muchness" of it all. I had no idea that it is actually in a very small space but that space is packed with some of the most important moments in Western history.

Built over 900 years it was the center of political and social activity. The Forum was the marketplace of Rome and also the business district and civic center. It was expanded to include temples, a senate house and law courts. When the Roman Empire declined in the 4th century AD, the Forum was slowly forgotten. Finally it was buried and used as a cattle pasture during the Middle Ages.

Here we see the brown Curia (senate house), the Arch Septimius Severus depicting victories in Iraq/Iran (top of which was used as a barber shop during the centuries the Forum was buried), and the columns at the Temple of Saturn.

Above the Forum is the hill Palatino which is meant to be the founding place of Rome. It was the private residence to emperors and home to the famed Circo Massimo.
Gruesome and grand - the Colosseo is fascinating. As I walked through the arches I'm sure I heard the faint noises of ancient games - made the hair on the back of my neck stand up! The original Anfiteatrum Flavium was started in AD72 and held 50,000 spectators.
Me defacing an ancient column...but then they're everywhere and everyone sits on them!
On the upper floors of the Colosseo there is space for exhibitions - this one is called Nike (not the shoes but the Greek goddess of Victory). It was in celebration of the Greek and Roman games and included were fantastic sculptures, writings, and actual equipment from the Olympics of antiquity.
The Capitoline Hill and its museums have been around since Michelangelo designed them in 1538 and are now the seat of municipal government. I didn't have time to visit but that just gives me an excuse to go back!
Piazza Navona gives you modern man and the man of antiquity (see the Sisley ad in the background). The square must have been lovely with the Bernini sculptures but now it is really a dreadful tourist trap - perhaps it's better in winter? It was built by Domitian in AD86 and Bernini's Fountain of the Four River's was done in 1651.
This is the gallery at the Villa Borghese and the place where I fell in love again, this time with the young Bernini. This Piazzale contains one of the world's best private collections (private no longer) and things are in their original state as Cardinal Scipione Borghese intended in the early 1600's. A Bernini in his early 20's created some of the most moving sculptures ever known and they still sit here as they always have. Apollo and Daphne made me weep!

Please note that you need to make reservations to enter the gallery.

The Villa Borghese is a huge plot of land in the middle of Rome which was first purchased by the family in 1580 and was only purchased by the State in 1901. It contains several ring roads through parks, fountains, orchards, etc. The hot air balloon ride actually looked fab but just as I came to it the wind kicked up.

Around the Villa is an ancient wall and this little Ave Maria is only one of many dug into it at some more recent date.

The Piazza di Spagna is just as romantic as it seems - the light is just right here on a Sunday afternoon.
St. Peter's Basilica from front and back - were you thinking it was isolated from the din of the city like I did?

It was a very difficult decision for me to come here - I simply abhor the church and its human corruptions and hypocrisies. As I walked around inside and saw my beloved Bernini's work and the murals of Michelangelo I just couldn't help thinking "They could have used this wealth to save a starving world!" But they didn't. If they truly believe in the god they say they do, do they think he wants to be glorified with gold...or is that only a pope's desire?

One interesting surprise that shouldn't have been a surprise was the huge variety of Catholic garb at the Vatican...they come from all corners and in all manner of habit - burlap sandles to gold chains!

Bernini really did have his hands in everything and he was the one who designed this collonade at St. Peter's.

Excellent uniforms have the guards of St. Peter's!
This awesome spaceship is on the grounds of the Musei Vaticani. The museums are extensive and you should plan to come several times since they admit the last people early - around 3:30 pm depending on the exhibit.
Also from within the Vatican Museums.
Ancient architects really outdid themselves with the Pantheon - it is the largest masonry vault ever built and in 27BC! The large open oculus in the dome lets in the weather and you'll find yourself, like everyone else, looking at the ancient holes drilled in the floor for drainage.
And just to prove how packed Rome is, here is Trevi fountain which is literally just in front of the Pantheon.