Roma

At last, the long awaited Rome post.  Before I let you pursue the pictures, let me just give you my impression of Rome.  Rome is huge.  It is packed full of history and art and I think I had more mind-blown moments in Rome than in any other city thus far.  My mind was blown by the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, all within a 48-hour period.  I was exhausted by the time we were done, and we didn’t even see half of what Rome has to offer.  Everywhere you go there are Roman ruins, old churches,  architectural wonders, and whispers of ages past.  Visiting Rome is literally a course on history.

I know there are a lot of pictures, but Rome has a lot to offer.  I’ve tried to walk you through all the big moments of my time in Rome, and to give you a little bit of an idea of what you’re looking at.  I hope you don’t get overwhelmed, and that you actually take the time to read the captions.  Enjoy Rome’s history.

Our hostel was in the China town of Rome. It wasn’t the most glamorous area of town. Here’s what we saw when we walked out of our building.

Yes, this is THE Trevi Fountain

Trajon’s Column

The Pantheon – the front was inspired by the Parthenon but unlike the Parthenon in Athens, the rest of the temple is round. This Pantheon was built by the emperor Hadrian to replace the original which burnt down.

These columns are each a single piece. They were cut and transported as you see them here. They’re huge.

Inside the Pantheon – note the famous dome (it doesn’t look old, but it is) and the roundness of the room. The Pantheon is the resting place of several famous people including the painter Raphael.

Piazza Navona

A friend who had recently been to Rome recommended this absolutely fabulous little gelato place. I had orange chocolate and cherry cheesecake gelato and it was AMAZING. Pretty sure it was the best I’ve ever had.

Completed by Emperor Hadrian in 134 AD, here is the Ponte Sant’Angelo and the Castle. The Castle is his mausoleum. Some of the statues on the bridge now were created by Bernini.

Along the Tiber River

Palazzo di Giustizia

Piazza del Popolo – there is an Egyptian obelisk in the middle of this piazza as in several other prominent piazzas in Rome.

Rome

garden terraces of the Pincio – we think this is a depiction of Moses’ mother setting him in the river

The cover of my pizza box – I find this extremely amusing. Yes, this pizza was amazing. Rome had the best pizza of the 3 cities of this trip.

The outside wall of the Vatican.

The Vatican Museum – mummies!

Since I’m in an archeology class this semester, old stuff is even more exciting than usual. These are Canopic Vases, which hold the embalmed organs of the deceased, usually the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines.

Apollo Belvedere

One of the most famous sculptures ever – Laocoon and His Sons by Agesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus. This is in my top 5 favorite works of art I’ve seen this semester and I have seen quite a few. It is a Hellenistic era Greek work, as evidenced by the dramatic, almost theatrical quality of the sculpture. I love the sense of movement the artists created. Look at how twisted Laocoon and his sons are, not to mention the serpent. The sculpture captures a specific moment in a movement, and movement fascinates me. Also, side note, if you look closely, you can tell the serpent hasn’t bitten Laocoon yet. Now check the expression on his face. Interesting.

Whenever you’re in a European museum, never, ever forget to look up.

The Belvedere Torso – while this may not look like a lot at first glance, it is an extraordinarily important sculpture. The revival of classical sculpture is attributed to this statue, as it served as Michelangelo’s inspiration for many of the Sistine Chapel figures, and for David.

Look at the muscle definition. The detail is amazing. As someone who has studied the human body, I am fascinated and amazed at how accurate and detailed the musculature is.

Original Roman floor mosaics

Nero’s (the crazy one) porphyry bath tub. It’s huge and it’s absolutely beautiful.

The map hallway. Check out the ceiling.

This is not the Sistine Chapel but I’m going to talk about it now. I cannot describe to you what it is like to stand in the chapel. It is a lot smaller than I thought but it is amazing. I cannot fathom how Michelangelo painted all of it. There is so much to look at and to understand. It is breathtaking. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia website (note I don’t know if all the info is correct, but the pics are) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel. I didn’t take one because we weren’t allowed and I was too busy taking the chapel in anyways.

The famous School of Athens by Raphael.

I believe this is the Pope’s residence, but don’t quote me on that. I might be wrong.

Stairs into the Vatican Museum

St. Peter’s Basilica

The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica is only opened during a Holy Year, which only occurs every 25 years. The Pope himself must open it.

Basilica dome

Check this door – I believe it is called the Door of Death

This is St. Peter’s Square, built on the sight that was the Circus of Rome, where the chariot races were held. This is where Peter was crucified upside down, and many other Christians were martyred. It blew my mind to stand here, were one of the 12 disciples died, in what is now part of the courtyard of a church.

Ponte Sant’Angelo by night

Pantheon at night – note the difference between the shape of the facade and the rest of the building.

The Spanish Steps

The Arch of Constantine

Our first stop at the Colosseum was Palatine Hill, the original hill of the city of Rome. Here is where, according to legend, Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf.

Part of a large palace garden

ruins of Roman homes

Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine – We usually associate the word basilica with a church but in ancient Rome a basilica was usually a court of justice and a meeting place for merchants.

You can see the Roman forum off to the left, in the midst of the modern city of Rome.

The Roman Forum was the marketplace of Rome and the central area, around which the city developed. It includes remains of several temples.

The remains of the Temple of Vesta

Behind this wall in the Roman Forum is the grave of Julius Cesar.

I’m sorry I didn’t get a better picture, but this is the inside of the Senate building today. Julius Cesar was killed here. I couldn’t believe I was actually standing in the Roman Senate.

The building that housed the Roman Senate – My mind was blown yet again.

Welcome to the Colosseum. More than anything else, it reminded me of Ohio State’s football stadium, the Horseshoe. Amphitheaters were used to keep the people of the Roman Empire happy through free games. Contrary to what I have always thought, there were not a lot of Christians killed here. A lot of Christians were executed in Rome, but probably not here. As I said before, they were most likely killed in the Circus, where the chariot races were held.

The platform on the far end is a reconstruction of the floor of the Colosseum. Underneath you can see the rooms and passages that served as “backstage.” Here is where the gladiators’ had their rooms, and the wild animals were kept. Animals and men would appear on stage through trap door elevators.

This cross is to commemorate all martyred Christians and is the first stop of the Stations of the cross on Good Friday.

• April 23, 2013
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