Rome in the
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain was commissioned by Pope Clemens XII to the architect Nicolò Salvi in 1732 who ended Bernini’s project. The sculpture represents the sea. The central figure of the fountain, in front of a large niche, 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.. The niche behind Neptune represents Neptune’s palace. A smaller-niche to the left contains the statue of Abundance and The niche on the right contains the figure of Salubrity. The legend says that if you toss a coin into the fountain over your shoulder, you will one day return to the eternal city.
The Spanish steps (Piazza di Spagna)
Walking through Via del Corso, on the right, you can find Via dei Condotti with many shops which offer a wide range of famous brands. Then you reach Piazza di Spagna . There was a meeting place for travellers who came from each part of Europe. Here many hotels, and cateterias (where painters, writers and rich men could meet) were built. Here there are two important Embassies: the French embassy and the Spanish one from which the Piazza takes its name. In the center of that irregular and sublime piazza there is Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat).
This unusually beautiful creation is the work of the famous team Bernini -- father Pietro and son Gian Lorenzo -- under the commission of Pope Urbano VIII Barberini in 1627. The design is a boat semi-submerged in a huge bathtub, with water gently flowing out through leaks. It's a brilliant solution to the problem of low pressure in the aqueduct Vergine, the feeding source of water to the fountain. The 138 steps were built in 1732 by Francesco de Sanctis to link the Piazza with the church of Trinità dei Monti built in 1500 with french funds.
Il Pincio
After going up Spanish steps go ahead for 200 metres
until you reach a junction: on the left you reach Piazza del Popolo and on the right you can find the The Pincian Hill, the first public garden planned by Napoleon, who wanted to celebrate himself in the new Jardin du Grand Cèsar.
From Pincian terrace you can have a wonderful view of a part of the city. Inside the garden, as suggested by Mazzini, there are 224 busts of famous people and a wonderful Water Clock that dates back to the 19th century and it works thanksto the water flow. A modern flyover links the Pincian garden to Villa Borghese, one of the most famous villas of Rome. Inside of it there is a little island with a romantic lake domined by the Esculapio’s temple, God of Medicine. This works was realized at the end of the 18th century.
Piazza del Popolo
Leaving the Pincio on the right there is a slope which takes to Piazza del Popolo. Piazza del Popolo is a large piazza that was originally the site of festivals and public executions. It is home to four Egyptian-style lion fountains and one of Rome's oldest Obelisks which was built by Sethos I in 13 B.C. who left the obelisk to his son Ramesses II.
The so-called Flaminian Obelisk was brought to Rome from Heliopolis by Augustus and erected in the Circus Maximus. The piazza takes to Via del Corso, Via del Babuino e Via Ripetta: three streets near the twin churches of S. Maria dei Miracoli (1675-79) and Montesanto (1662-75).
At the bottom of the Piazza there is the church of S. Maria del Popolo in which you can find Caravaggio’s masterpieces.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon were built in 27 a.C. by Agrippa. It was the temple of divinities. After many fires and calamities it was reconstructed. Hadrian's reconstruction (Hadrian was the adopted son and successor of Emperor Trajan) profoundly modified the original building.
The facade was set facing north, the porch was set on the site occupied by the original temple and the large rotunda coincided with the open area in front. Still today the large columned porch has a facade composed of eight columns in grey granite.
Two red granite columns each are set behind the first, third, sixth, and eighth column of the facade, thus forming three aisles. The central aisle, which is the widest, leads to the entrance. The side aisles end in two large niches destined for the statues of Agrippa and Augustus. The tympanum was decorated with a crowned eagle in bronze of which only the fix holes still remain. The ceiling of the porch was also decorated in bronze but this was removed by Pope Urban VIII Barberini
Photo from abcroma web site Photo from activitaly web site
Piazza Navona
The Piazza Navona is situated in the historic center of Rome, west of the Pantheon. It is one of Rome's liveliest squares, with many outdoor cafes, restaurants and night clubs in the neighborhood. Piazza Navona is one of the most famous the most beautiful of Rome's many squares. The large and lively square features no less than three magnificent fountains.The square is built on the former Domitian's stadium, built by emperor Domitian in 86 AD. Hence the long, oval shape of the square. The stadium, which had a larger arena than the Colosseum was mainly used for festivals sporting events. It was known as 'Circus Agonalis' (competition arena). It is believed that over time the name changed to 'in agone' to 'navone' and eventually to 'navona'. In the 15th century the stadium was paved over to create the Navona square, but remnants of Domitian's stadium are still visible around the area.
The main attraction of the Piazza Navona are the three fountains. The central and largest fountain is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers). It was constructed between 1647 and 1651 on request of the Pope Innocent X. The design of the fountain was first commissioned to Borromini, but it was ultimately handed to Bernini. 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 two other fountains on the piazza are the Fontana di Nettuno (Neptune fountain) at the northern end and the Fontana del Moro (Moor fountain) at the southern end.
The legend attributes meanings of the rivalry and enmity between Bernini and Borromini to the gestures of the statues of the rivers. Borromini was an author of the frontlying church Sant' Agnese in Agone: the Plata extends the hand to avoid the imminent collapse of the façade of the church. The Nile has the veiled head for to make the allusion to its unknown sources of the epoch and for not to see the disgust of the Borromini building. In its turn Sant' Agnese statue lying on the base of the bell tower of the church assures with the hand on the chest that the church would not fall.
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.
Giacomo della Porta also built the Fontana del Moro. The central statue of a Moor holding a dolphin, a design by Bernini, was added in the 17th century. The tritons are 19th century additions.
Another highlight on the Navona square is the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, commissioned in 1652 by Pope Innocent X and built on the site where according to legend, St. Agnes was stripped naked, but miraculously saved from disgrace by extraordinary growth of hair.
From 8th december to 6th January, the Epiphany day, Piazza Navona is full of stalls in which you can find socks full of candies, sweets, presents and many statues to complete the natività scene. There are also some kiosks where you can eat tasty sandwiches or candy floss.
On January 6th the feast ends and the original spaces of the square are restored.
