I made it to Rome! Although only for a short time, but so happy to be here and find out what I can. Looking for inspiration to be encouraged about ancient history, I was happy and none too surprised to discover that there is cool stuff EVERYWHERE in Rome. And there was no way I was going to be able to see it all!
Right near my hostel I found the The Lateran Basilica, or the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Consecrated in 324, it's actually a very important building, claiming to be the oldest and ranked number one of all other catholic churches in Rome, including the mighty St Peters in the Vatican. I wasn't staying in the Vatican, the surrounding area is actually rather ordinary! But here it sits.
With barely more than a day thanks to a heavy night on the town, I hit the streets in search of my chosen destinations. There is a distinctive feeling to the streets of Rome. The buildings are high and bulky, yet the streets are narrow and busy. There is plenty of smog and grime on the walls and cobbly pavement, yet it all seems somehow clear and fresh. Armed with a map and a terrible sense of direction, I made my way towards the Pantheon.
PANTHEON. I absolutely loved this place. As soon as I saw it I had to stop and just admire it. Its just got such a presence, those huge columns and the darkness beyond. It certainly looks as old as it is; it's been sitting here for a pretty long time.
M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIUM·FECIT or "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this building when consul for the third time". This Facade is outdated however! for it is from the previous building which was built in 27 BC, which was destroyed. Its current form was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD. There is a little bit of uncertainty over who originally designed it and what its purpose is, which makes me like it even more.
Inside reveals a large round room covered by a concrete dome, with a hole in the top and usually a beam of sunlight shining through it. The word Pantheon means All Gods, and there were once many Statues of ancient Gods decorating it. I could sit in here for ages!
Its like an eye looking to the heavens, the people inside are the tiny optical receptors, and those collective opinions are the mind of the brain called humanity! So cool!
The outside wall is pretty interesting as well! Ahh what a place!
From the Pantheon I weaved my way towards a certain church I knew of, which has highly decorated and illusionistic interiors. I had trouble finding it, as the exterior is almost camouflaged in it's grey concrete surroundings!
On the inside however, it was very colourful! This is the Sant'Ignazio Church, which contains some very large and awesome trompe l'œil ceiling paintings.
The ceiling and many other paintings in the church were done by Andrea Pozzo. It feels as if the paintings are taking over, as though the churches modesty was somewhere put aside in favor of the very pretty and colourful decorations.
When seen in the room the real architechture of the room where wall meets ceiling is blended with the fantasy content of the painting, making a compelling illusion especially when seen from a vantage point in the centre of the room.
You can see the distortions when inspecting it far from the intended viewing point!
Theres a lovely dome over there.
Moving closer, yep dome.
But when you look from the side, ah hah! its a painting!
Ok moving out, I felt rather strapped for time. I forced myself to go to the Trevi Fountain, which from my imaginary high horse called thunder, I was rather tempted to skip - but it since I was in the area! And it is a beautiful fountain. But...
Oh dear. All those euros, thousands every day. Of course it is all collected and used for something charitable!
Decending down the spanish steps, through the hordes.
I continued on through the much richer streets and across the river Tiber.
After a bit of a walk and coffee with some entertaining italian barristas, I arrived at the lovely space of the St Peters Square in Vatican City.
St. Peter's Basilica is truly massive. It was finished in 1626 and took 120 years to design and build. And its huge.
ST PETER: Welcome to my Basilica!
So big!
To be absolutely honest, to a fatigued me at the time, it was like every other church, only much bigger. I'll have to revisit it with more time and research to better appreciate it and learn from it!
The Vatican putting on a show as I left.
To squeeze a little more out of my visit, I went for a late visit to Castel Sant'Angelo. In contrast to the earlier elegance enjoyed by the higher powers of the Roman Catholic, this fortress was used by popes when someone was trying to kill them! There is an elevated corridor called the Passetto di Borgo running the 800m from Vatican City to the Castle. Originally however, the fortress was built by Roman Emperor Hadrian, who also rebuilt the current Pantheon, as a Mausoleum for himself and his family. I guess a tomb is a fitting prison for a pope!
Well it was suitably unpleasant inside, all of the ancient heratige had been squandered hundreds of years ago, and I had little interest in bits of Popes clothing left there, like a change of clothes in case of an extended stay. Although it is a fortified castle, which is always an interesting place to be! The museum operators were hasseling me to get out so they could go home.
With so few days, I think I got what I wanted out of Rome - a taste for more! I'll be back one day.
UNTIL NEXT TIME, ROME!
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