Holidaze: Rome, Italy

Rome, The Eternal City (Photo Gallery)

It's hard to say what I found most breathtaking about the eternal city - the timelessness of the Forum, the majestic ness of the Colosseum, the arrogance of the Vatican, the beauty of the Trevi Fountain, trying to cross a major intersection, intoxication of eating a gelati or the bill of my coke. All those add to the thrill of feeling centuries of turbulent history under my feet!!! I am truly blessed to have been there :)

Be warned though that sightseeing in Rome is exhilarating and exhausting. That it wasn't built in a day is quickly evident when you start exploring the temples, residences, basilicas, churches, palazzi, piazzi, parks, museums and fountains. All this and the Vatican too!!! Gosh, didn’t know how I survived it, all by my two little feet.

The Journey ~
From Pisa, it took us another 4 hours to reach our ultimate destination, Rome. After checking into our hostel which is quite a fair distant from town (near Vatican City), we decided to go for a city tour. The first point of interest which came into our mind is the Colosseum and so we set our navigator and head into the old town. Somehow, the elusive Colosseum could not be found but we did manage to check out some parts of the old town.The next morning, we started out at 8:30 am and the plan is to head straight to the Colosseum to avoid the long queue. From where we were, Colosseum is at the total opposite end of the city. With our energy level still at full bar, we thought it’s OK.

Hadrian's Mausoleum (Castel Sant Angelo) ~
As we crossed the Vitor Emannuel II brigde, we could see Castel San Angelo. It was Rome's most important fortified area. Anyone who held it had virtually the whole town at his mercy. Consequently, its history reflected the city's turbulent internal conflicts. During its many years of existence, the building functioned first as a mausoleum, then became part of the city wall and later was turned into a fortress before it functioned as a papal residence and finally as a barracks and military prison. It is currently a national museum.
A secret corridor, known as the Passetto di Borgo, connects the Castel Sant'Angelo with the Vatican. The corridor was used by Pope Clement VII and his Swiss Guards to take refuge from Charles de Bourbon's army during the sack of Rome in 1527. The papal apartments in the Castel Sant'Angelo feature beautiful rooms decorated with many frescoes. Below the apartments are several floors which include prisons and even a torture chamber. A spiralling corridor, part of the original mausoleum, leads to the bottom of the building. At the top of the fortress is a statue of an angel. The statue depicts the angel who, according to legend, appeared on top of the fortress in the year 590 and miraculously ended the severe plague that had infested the city of Rome.

Area Sacra Argentina~
Between the years 1926 and 1929 the Old Quarter in Rome was being demolished to make way for some new buildings. In the mix of old buildings were found (among many other things) the ruins of four churches/temples of the republican era: it is belived that these are the Temple of the Fortune of the Present Day, the Temple of Feronia, the Temple of the Lares Permarini, and what many speculate is the Temple of Juturna. Soon the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina became one of the most important archaeological complexes of the city of Rome. Centered on a large paved square these four temples served as a place where Romans could come and worship their gods.

Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio) ~
The Campidoglio is the smallest of Rome's seven hills, but it was the religious and political center of the city since its foundation more than 2500 years ago.Several important temples were built here including the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maxims Capitolinus, the most important temple in ancient Rome.
During the middle ages, the site became the center of civic government and several palaces were built on the hill. But when Charles V visited Rome in 1536, the muddy Capitoline Hill was is such a bad shape that Pope Paul III Farnese asked Michelangelo to design a new square, the Piazza del Campidoglio. Also in the plans was a monumental staircase, the Cordonata, leading from the bottom of the hill to the new square. It is adorned with granite statues of Egyptian lions at the foot and two large classical statues of Castor and Pollux at the top.

Roman Forum (Foro Romano) ~
The Roman Forum can look like a disorderly collection of ruins to the uninitiated, but with some imagination you can see the Roman empire come back to life. Remains of many buildings from different periods are visible as the forum is littered with temples, basilicas and triumphal arches or shall I say the remains of them. Here, triumphal processions took place, elections were held and the Senate assembled. It was not until the 19th century that the archaeologists began to unearth the half-buried ruins, digging sometimes as deep as 65 feet.

Temples ~
There are 3 remaining temples to be seen in Forum Romano.
The first, Temple of Saturn was built in 497 B.C. The current ruins date from 42 B.C. The temple was used as a treasury. It also housed the banners of the legions and the senatorial decrees.

Only three pillars remain of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The original temple was built in 484 B.C., the current ruins date from its last reconstruction in 6 A.D. The temple was built by the roman dictator Postumius who vowed to build the temple if his army would beat the Tarquin Kings who previously ruled Rome. According to the legend, Castor and Pollux, mythological twin brothers, helped the Roman army to victory and announced the victory at the forum.

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was built in 141 A.D. by emperor Antoninus to honor his deceased wife Faustina. In the 11th century the temple was converted into a church.

Arches ~
Three triumphal arches were built on the forum. They were used by emperors to commemorate their victories. The first one, constructed by Augustus, does not exist anymore.

Near the capitoline hill is the Arch of Septimius Severus. The triumphal arch was built in 203 A.D. to commemorate the victories of emperor Septimius Severus in Parthia (now partly Iran and Iraq). The relief panels at the top depict various stages of the war between the Romans and the Parthians. Other panels show Romans capturing barbarians. Bronze inscriptions in the attic dedicated the arch to Septimius Severus and both of this sons, but soon after Septimius's death, Caracalla killed his brother Geta and had his name removed from the arch on the fourth line.

At the other end of the forum is The Arch of Titus, built in 81 A.D. to commemorate the victory in the Jewish War. Titus captured Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and completely crushed the Jewish revolt after the fall of the Masada fortress in 72 A.D. In 79 A.D. Titus became emperor of the Roman empire. He died just two years later. His son, emperor Domitian built the Arch of Titus that same year both to honor his father and to commemorate the victory in the Jewish War.

Arch of Constantine ~
Outside the Forum, right next to the Colosseum stands the Arch of Constantine, the most recent of the three remaining imperial arches in Rome. After years of civil war, the victory of Constantine's army over the numerically superior army of Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD brought some peace to the Roman empire. To commemorate this victory, the Senate of Rome awarded Constantine a triumphal arch.
The large arch with 3 archways is almost 26m (85ft) wide and 21m (69ft) high. During construction, many parts from older structures were reused. There are statues of Dacian prisoners taken from Trajan's Forum and reliefs of Marcus Aurelius, including one where he distributes bread to the poor.

Colosseum (Colosseo) ~
As we have detoured a little bit, we only reached the Colosseum at 10:30 am. By that time a huge crowd had gathered outside waiting in line to get in.
The Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it was the largest building of the era. The monumental structure has fallen into ruins, but even today it is an imposing and beautiful sight.

The emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian Dynasty, started construction of the Colosseum in 72 A.D. It was completed in 80 A.D by Titus, Vespasian’s son. The huge amphitheatre was built on the site of an artificial lake. The elliptical building is immense, measuring 188m by 156m and reaching a height of more than 48m. The Colosseum could accommodate some 55,000 spectators who could enter the building through no less than 80 entrances. Above the ground are four storeys, the upper storey contained seating for lower classes and women. The lowest storey was preserved for prominent citizens. Below the ground were rooms and cages containing wild animals and mechanical devices. The cages could be hoisted, enabling the animals to appear in the middle of the arena.

Emperors used the Colosseum to entertain the public with free games. Those games were a symbol of prestige and power and they were a way for an emperor to increase his popularity. Games were held for a whole day or even several days in a row. They usually started with comical acts and displays of exotic animals and ended with fights to the death between beasts and gladiators or between gladiators. These fighters were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals.

Foro Di Traiano ~
It is the most recent and most grandiose of five Imperial Fora. The big part of it is covered by different modern constructions and streets built over in the centures. While the Fora of other emperors had supplimentary functions, the Forum of Traian became the real center of political and administrative life of Rome, moved here from the old Roman Forum. The Forum was bordered by a large rectangular portico and had in the middle of it a colossal equestrian statue of emperor Traian.

Victor Emmanuel II Monument (Il Vittoriano) ~
The enormous white marble monument at the Piazza Venezia was built as a tribute to the first King of a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. The monument, also known as 'Il Vittoriano' consists of a large flight of stairs leading to the Altar of the Nation, dominated by a colossal 12m long equestrian statue of the King. Near the statue is the tomb of the unknown soldier, guarded by two sentries of honor. At the back is a long corridor with 15m high columns. On top of the corridor are two bronze quadrigae, each with a winged Victory.

Trajan’s Column ~
Right next to the Piazza Venezia. Stands the Trajan's column, erected in 106 to 113 A.D. in honor of emperor Trajan. The column commemorates his victories in Dacia (now Romania). The Trajan’s column including its base is 42m high. This was exactly the height of the hill that stood at this site. It had been leveled to create an open space for the construction of Trajan's Forum.
A band of beautifully carved reliefs winds around the column. The band is more than 180m long. There are more than 2000 carved figures depicting the story of Trajan's Dacian wars between 101-102 and 105-106 A.D. It starts with soldiers preparing for the war and ends with the Dacians being ousted from their homeland. Initially, a statue of an eagle topped the column, but after Trajan's death it was replaced by a 20ft tall statue of the emperor himself. His ashes and later those of his wife Plotina were placed in the base of the column. In 1587 the statue was replaced again, this time by one of St. Peter.

Trevi Fountain (Fontana Di Trevi) ~
At the end of a narrow street just off Via Del Corso, looms the most stunning of the fountains of Rome, the Trevi Fountain. The fountain brings water all the way from the Salone Springs (approx 20km from Rome) and supplies the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water. That is why in the blistering heat of summer in Rome, the water is still very cool. The central figure of the fountain is Neptune, god of the sea. He is riding a chariot in the shape of a shell, pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a Triton. One of the horses is calm and obedient, while the other is rebellious. They symbolize the fluctuating moods of the sea. The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea.

Legend has it that, the bliss of returning to the Eternal City is guaranteed to all foreigners who, with their back turned, toss a coin over their shoulder into the fountain. I followed obediently and let’s just see what happens :)

Gelati ~
It’s 2pm and I can’t believe that the scorching summer heat of Rome peaks at 38 degrees Celsius!!! Not only the heat saps away my energy, it almost charred my already dark skin. Guys, don’t be surprised if I come home looking much tanned.I was confident that I had a sun-burn. In the midst of moaning, I suddenly caught sight of a Gelati (Italian Ice-Cream) stall. Without any hesitation, I rushed to the stall and ordered a vanilla flavored Gelati. The god-sent creamy Gelati just melted in my mouth as I licked away the last drops of the 2 euro Gelato. I was slightly energized :)

Pantheon ~
Just around the corner is the Pantheon. Built more than 1800 years ago, the magnificent Pantheon building still stands as a reminder of the great Roman empire. Originally a temple for all pagan gods, the temple was converted into a church in 609 A.D. The Pantheon contains the tombs of Rafael and of several Italian Kings.

The building's dome, more than 43 meters high is most impressive. It was the largest dome in the world until 1436 when the Florence Cathedral was constructed. At the top of the dome is a large opening, the oculus, which was the only source of light. The front portion has three rows of 8 columns, each one with a diameter of 1.5m. A huge bronze door gives access to the cylindrical building.

Navona Square (Piazza Navona) ~
Situated west of Pantheon, Piazza Navona is arguably the liveliest square in Rome, with many outdoor cafes, restaurants and night clubs in the neighbourhood. The eye-catchers on this square however are the fountains.

The central and larger fountain is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers). The fountain features four figures, each representing a river from a different continent - the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio della Plata. The statues are at the base of a rock supporting an obelisk, originally located at the Massenzio Circus.The Fontana del Nettuno, also known as the Calderari, was built in 1576 by Giacomo della Porta. The statues, Neptune surrounded by sea nymphs were added in the 19th century.

Mausoleum of Agustus (Mausoleo Di Agustus) ~
From Navona Square, we had to walk 1 km to our next destination, the Mausoleum of Agustus. Unfortunately, it was not justified at all as the tomb was not open to the public. Worst still I had a dejavu feeling that I was running in a 400m race round the field when I circled the tomb in search for an alternative entrance.
Anyway, history has it that in 28 B.C., Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, built this monumental family tomb. The circular monument had a diameter of almost 88m and was about 44m high. It consisted of several layered concentric circles with a slope on top of each ring. The bottom slope was planted with Cypress trees. On top of a tumulus on the top ring stood a large bronze statue of Augustus. Today only the brick core is left of what once was one of the most sacred of all monuments in Rome.

Spanish Square (Piazza Di Spagna) ~
We quickly made our way to Piazza Di Spagna just to land ourselves in another disappointment. First of all the French Church at the backdrop was under construction and all wrapped up. Secondly, the decoration of colorful flowers at the steps was gone.

With all that said, Piazza di Spagna is still one of the most popular meeting places in Rome though not one of the most visually pleasing squares today. The church is connected to the Piazza di Spagna via a long staircase, known as the Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti or Spanish Steps. The elegant staircase consists of 137 steps over twelve different flights. It has an irregular albeit symmetric structure.

At the bottom of the Spanish Steps is the Piazza di Spagna or Spanish square. The long, triangular square is named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. At the foot of the Spanish Steps is the Fontana della Barcaccia, a very sober fountain commissioned by Pope Urban VIII and designed by Bernini. The design, a small boat, was inspired by the flooding of the Tevere in 1598, when a small boat stranded here after the water subsided.

Piazza Del Popolo ~
The piazza del Popolo is a large oval square near the Borghese Park. On the north side it is dominated by the Porta del Popolo, which leads to the Via Flaminia. In 1589, Pope Sixtus V had an Egyptian obelisk moved from the Circus Maximus to the center of the square. The 23,2m/73ft high obelisk was originally built in 1300 B.C. and was taken from the Sun Temple in Heliopolis in 10 B.C. by the Roman Emperor Augustus. The obelisk was erected at the Circus Maximus to commemorate the conquest of Egypt.

At the southern end of the square are two symmetrical churches on either side of the Via del Corso. The churches, the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and the Santa Maria in Montesanto were commissioned by pope Alexander VII in 1658. The churches are not identical since the surface area for the Santa Maria in Montesanto (on the left) was smaller. In order to preserve symmetry, he created an oval dome for this church and a circular dome for the Santa Maria dei Miracoli.

Palazzo Di Giustizia ~
Known best as the "Palazzaccio" or "Big Bad Palace" due to its harsh lines and excessive decoration, today it is the location of the Supreme Court of Appeals. It was built by Guglielmo Calderini between 1888 and 1910 in giant blocks of travertine stone, which caused a sink hole.

It was already 6 pm and everybody was totally exhausted. So we went back to our hostel and freshened up. The Sun had just set when we drove back to the city for dinner and also to enjoy the night view. After snapping some breath-taking pics of the Colosseum, the guys wanted to retire for the day as everybody’s stamina was stretched to their limit. It was not the case for me.

Equipped with a city map and my remaining strength, I wished them goodnite and continued my journey around the city. Basically, I made another round of site-seeing almost identical to the one we made in day time in an attempt to enjoy the city’s night view and didn’t make it back to the hostel before 3 am.

Vatican City (Citta Del Vaticano) ~
The next day was dedicated to the Vatican City. It was well planned as it is only 5 mins walk from our hostel. Emperor Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, ordered to build a basilica on Vatican Hill. The location was symbolic: this was the place where Saint Peter, the chief apostle, was buried in 64 A.D. The Vatican then became the residence of popes who succeeded him. The basilica was then enlarged and ever since, this church has been the center of Christianity, drawing Roman Catholic pilgrims from all over the world.

I would say that there are 3 main areas to visit in Vatican City.

Firstly would be the Saint Peter’s Square. The famous square is a wide ellipse in shape to enable a large crowd to see the Pope during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing. It also features a central obelisk and two identical fountains, all bordered by a quadruple colonnade. Note that if you stand on the marble disk near the fountains, you can see only one row of column, instead of four. Amazing!

Second in the list would be the largest church in the world, Saint Peter’s Basilica. The building itself is truly impressive. The basilica's dome, designed by Michelangelo is the largest dome in the world measuring 42m in diameter and reaching 138 meter. The interior, which includes 45 altars, is decorated by many famous artists. The opulent interior can be visited daily for free although a strict dress code is enforced (No shorts and sandals allowed). You can also visit the dome itself but entrance is not free.

Near the entrance of the Basilica you will probably encounter some of the famous Swiss guards. Since 1506 when pope Julius II invited Helvetian soldiers to join the small Vatican army, they have been the guards of the Vatican and the pope in particular. All entrants to the army must be Swiss, catholic and they must take the oath of loyalty to the pope.

Lastly have to be the Vatican Museum. It houses Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms. Their wonderful collection of classical sculpture makes it the finest museum in Rome.