Walking around the Eternal City can be a daunting prospect. We had of course done some research before coming and had some confidence around what we would see. We were so naive and unprepared. When one thinks of Rome, images of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum will undoubtedly float through your mind. In reality, they are (well they are really unbelievable), but truly such a small piece of the puzzle of what this city truly represents. From tribes of people first discovering iron ore, to the god and goddess worshiping pagans, all the way through the beginnings of Christianity, the Holy Roman Empire, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and Reformation, through to the Present Day. Honestly, how do you fit all of that into one trip? The sad truth is, you don’t; you pick the things that interest you the most and know that somewhere down the line you will kick yourself over something you realize was a “Don’t miss”.
We decided to hit the town in districts, similar to what we did in Venice and the most obvious choice was the one we were already in- Central Rome. Right next door to the Pantheon is an innocuous little (well it looks little from the outside) church- the first and only Gothic church in Rome- called Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Before even entering the church, there is an oddity right in the piazza in front- an Egyptian obelisk sits atop the back of an elephant. This site, originally thought to be an ancient temple dedicated to Minerva, was found later to have been a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis. When the obelisk was discovered in 1665, monks from the church wished to place it in the piazza out front, deciding to use as its base an elephant designed by Bernini. The inscription on the saddle states “it takes a strong mind to bear the burden of wisdom”.
This unassuming church houses many tombs, including several popes and St Catherine of Siena. Corinthian columns and flattened vaults, pointed arches and stained glass windows are some of the many original features of this beautiful church. What I liked best about this church si that for all of it’s beauty, history and stunning architecture, the crowds were at the greater known sites, so there was plenty of space and time to simply wander around and really look at things.
Michelangelo’s statue of Christ (actually this statue was only begun by Michelangelo. Partway through is work, a black vein appeared in the face of Christ and Michelangelo abandoned the project. It was later completed by his student Pietro Urbano), is to the left of the apse; Bernini’s monument to Maria Raggi; Fillipino Lippi’s famous frecoes St Thomas Aquinas and The Assumption; all of these adorn ths church. This is really worth taking the time to see.
Moving on from here we made our way to past the little shops on small streets (be sure to look in on the little store offering priest, cardinal and bishop kits (no it’s not a Halloween shop- it is a true vendor of all items one would need for the offices of the order). After about three blocks you will come out on to one of the main roads- the Corsco Vittorio Emanuelle. Crossing this carefully we find ourselves, standing road side and looking down on to what appears to be just a regular set of ruins. This is, in fact the site where Julius Caesar was said to have met his doom.
From the corner of Vittorio Emanuelle and Via Arsenale, we continue down Arsenale until we get to Via del Falegnami. Taking this road will leads us to a small piazza with a lovely little fountain called Fontana della Tartarughe (or, The Tortoise Fountain). Heading back to Via Arsenale, we continue down to Via d Specchi. This is really a great place to do some window shopping as you head towards Palazzo Spada; the shoe stores just beg for you to enter them and try something on- so we do!
We arrive at Palazzo Spada and are impressed by the outer facade; that is however where it ends. We specifically go here in order to see the Colonnade- a perspective trick created by Borromini. Quite frankly I would have been happier saving the money we paid to see that- extremely anti-climatic and the gallery leading up to this, while it has some nice works, is not something I would go and see again.
Somewhat dejected, we leave the Spada and head out towards Piazza Campo dei Fiori. Center to the square is a dark and haunting figure of Giordano Bruno. It was here that he, and many others, were publicly executed (burnt at the stake). Bruno was executed for his belief in the separation of Church and state. Today however this square is an open-air food market, one of the busiest and most popular in Rome. Here you can purchase anything you like, and we did- keeping in mind that we do have to bring everyhting back ona plane with us, we settled for buying some fresh fruit to munch on while we walked around as well as some herbs. I highly recommend this as worth walking through.
Our second day in Rome continues in Piazza Navona; to be posted very soon.
Add A Comment