PlaceHistory3

Rome in the

Capitoline Hill

Ascending the cordonata, a steep ramp designed by Michelangelo, past the twin ancient Egyptian granite lions at the bottom and the mammoth statues of Castor and Pollux at the top, you arrive at the top the Capitoline Hill, the seat of Rome's municipal government for generations, and the beautiful Piazza del Campidoglio. The current appearance of the piazza dates back to Michelangelo's 15th century design.
The buildings, structures and even the pavement were intended to form a single organic unity, although the years have brought a number of modifications. As you reach the peak you will be directly across from the Palazzo Senatorio. Although this building has stood since the 12th century, Michelangelo completely altered the facade.On the left and on the right there are two ornamental gardens; on the left there is a column with Carducci’s Ode and the momument dedicated to Cola Di Rienzo on the place where the people conferred absolute power to him and where he was killed. On the ornamental garden on the right there is the monument dedicated to Innocenzo XII.
Between the steps and the Palazzo Senatorio stands a gilded bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius - the centre-piece of the piazza. Michelangelo originally imagined it to be in the middle of an oval space filled with a star-shaped pattern. The paving of this area, which was originally bare earth, was carried out immediately. It was not until 1940 that the star-shaped motif was added.

St. Mary's in Cosmedin church and mouth of truth
(Mouth of truth square)

S. Maria in Cosmedin or Mouth of truth was built in 7th century.
The name “Cosmedin” (which means “ornament” in greek) was probably due to the beautifications done by Adrian I.
It was rebuilt many times: from 12th century to il 1894-1899 by Giovan Battista Giovenale. The 12th century bell tower is a fine example of Medieval brick work.Entering the porch there is the Alfano’s monument, who was a prelate sent by Callisto 2nd (1119-1124) to follow the restorations at that time.
From the entrance you can see two whale’s jaws kept as mirabilia. At the bottom on the left there is a marble mask called Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità). According to popular belief it was said that any one putting his hand in this mouth and swearing falsely, could not withdraw it.
In Mouth of truth square you can find the quadruple Arch of Giano on the left of the 'Palazzo al Velabro'. This Arch, of the age of Costantino (XII century), was a meeting place of merchants. Just behind the arch you can notice one of the oldest Churches in Rome, S. Giorgio al Velabro (maybe of the VI century) with romanic porch and steeple. Going ahead through Via S. Maria in Cosmedin you can reach the Circo Massimo where you can see Palatin’s walls. .

Municipal Rose garden

The site of the Roseto was once the Jewish Cemetery. A new plan of the city was drawn up in 1934 and it was decided that this area should be transformed into a public green area, with the old Jewish cemetery being transferred to a part of Campo Verano.
In 1950 the Rome Town Council asked the Jewish community if the area could be transformed into the new Roseto, the president of the Jewish community gave his consent with the condition that a single star be placed above the entrance in order to remind visitors of its sacred origin. This star is still present today.
May is the best month to visit the rose garden. If you walk down from the Orange Park, not far from the Circo Massimo, you will find the rose garden. It has 2 sections. The most beautiful one is with the tea roses. It is a real enchantment. They come in every colour and shape imaginable: yellow, red, orange, white, pink, even blue! Climbing roses, dwarf roses, bush roses… You can go smell them, but don’t touch !

Orange Park

On the top of the Aventin Hill there is Savello Park, known as the ''Orange Garden'', which offers a magnificent view of the city. In the Middle Ages this was the site of the Savelli family fortress whose walls still border the exquisite garden. The citrus trees which give the garden its name were planted in memory of St. Dominic, who was the first to bring the Spanish orange to Rome in 1220.
Near the orange park there is S. Alessio Church. On the façade of the porch and through a hole you can see the original orange tree still alive where St Dominic preached.
In May-June, when the orange trees are in bloom, the fragrance and the thousands of white flowers feel like you’re in a fairy tale.

Tiberina Isle

Tiberina Isle was dedicated to Esculapio God and it has the typical shape of a vessel; this has inspired the legend according to which the island rests on the site of a sunken ship.
Actually, the whole island was arranged as a ship: a travertine facing resembling a vessel's prow and stern was added by the banks, and an obelisk stood in the center of the isle, as a mast.
The island is surrounded by many legends: the Romans say that this island was formed after the overthrow of the Tarquin kings when the angry people threw into Tiber the grain from the fields which belonged to the exiled royalty. Until the temple was built, it was actually considered a place of ill omen.
Surviving inscriptions and ex-votos show that Tiber Island was a place of healing. To this day, on the western half of the isle stands the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, linking to the Tiber Island's ancient medical tradition.

Trastevere district – St. Mary in Trastevere

On the left edge of Tiber there is Trilussa square with a majestic show-fountain of acqua Paola known as the “fontanone del Gianicolo” which was created for Pope Paolo V Borghese (1605-1621) by the architects Van Santen (called il Vasanzio) and Giovanni Fontana. The fountain commemorates the reopening in 1612 of an acqueduct built originally by the Emperor Trajan in AD109. Near the fountain there is the statue of the poet Trilussa whose name was Carlo Alberto Salustri born in Rome in 1871 and died in 1950.Going ahead through the district you can find characteristic streets when you can breathe the air of the ancient Rome. The life of Trastevere centres around several piazzas, especially the lovely Piazza S. Maria in Trastevere, home to the city's oldest official church, founded in about AD 220. The present nave of this Romanesque church, rebuilt by Pope Innocent II (1138 –1148), preserves its original basilica plan. The 22 granite columns with Ionic capitals separating the nave from the aisles came from the ruins of ancient Roman buildings. It is believed to be the first church in Rome to be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Inside the church are a number of late 13th-century mosaics by Pietro Cavallini on the subject of the Life of the Virgin (1291), as well as Domenichino's ceiling painting, Assumption of the Virgin (1617) in the ceiling setting he designed. The facade of the church was restored by Carlo Fontana in 1702. The church keeps a relic of Saint Apollonia, her head, as well as a portion of the Holy Sponge. Among those buried in the church, are the relics of Pope Callixtus I .
Trastevere disctrict is close to some of the city's major parks, lovely for strolling, relaxing and in the case of the Janiculum to the north, for some of the best views of Rome. At night, this is the recognized meeting place for locals and visitors alike, where they can experience the nightlife of the excellent restaurants, clubs, wine bars, pizzerias, and bars. In the centre of the square there is a fountain built by Carlo Fontana in 1694 and on the left St. Callisto di O. Torriani palace.

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant’Angelo is also called Hadrian’s mausoleum, because it was commissioned by Hadrian to use it as a dynastic tomb. It was started in 135 and finished in 139.
It is linked to left edge of the Tiber by a bridge called St. Angelo bridge. On both sides you can see 10 marble statues with symbols of Christ’s passion built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. According to the legend, St.Gregory the Great, while crossing the Pons Aelius (the bridge Sant'Angelo) at the head of a procession to pray for the cessation of the plague of 590, saw on the top of the fortress an Archangel Michael sheathing his sword. The vision accurately announced the end of the plague and from then onwards the castle has born its present name.
It was decorated and fortified as a place of refuge for the popes. Although outside of the Vatican city itself it was connected to the Vatican by a secret passage for their escape route in times of danger. It was used as a fortress and prison until 1870 and is now a museum - the Museo Nazionale Militare and of Art.

Vatican City (St. Peter’s Basilica – St. Peter square)

St. Peter’s Basilica is the biggest church in the world . The dome was built by Michelangelo, as well as the plant of the church and the wonderful “Pietà” which is situated in the first chapel in the lateral nave on the right. In the Pietà Michelangelo represents the isolated aspects of the Virgin Mary holding in her arms the body of the Christ right after it was taken down from the Cross.
The square is a Bernini’s masterpiece, as well as the colonnade in St. Peter’s square which has an elliptic form which seems to embrace all the visitors. St. Peter’s square is 320 meters wide with a central ellipsis of 240 meters and is surrounded by 4 rows of 284 columns and 88 pilasters. The balustrade above the columns is decorated with 140 statues of Saints. Below, a huge stairway of three flights flanked by the statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. In the centre of the square there are two great fountains and an obelisk.
But Bernini’s genius is also inside the Basilica with a baldachin. In fact Urbano VIII charged Bernini to realise the Baldachin of St. Peter for the main altar of the Basilica at the age of only 25 years old. The Baldachin in bronze has a squared plan and is roughly thirty meters high; four spiral columns, each one culminated by the statue of an angel, sustain the architraves and the big volutes that unify one to the other going up towards the centre.
Bernini also did the funeral monuments for Popes Urban VIII Barberini and Alexander VII Chigi.
The latter situated in the left transept, originally had the statue of Truth carved nude; but the pope, judging the female figure scandalous, had it covered with a bronze robe.
The door at the bottom of the monument is the Door of Death, symbolised by the macabre skeleton with hourglass in hand, through which all mortal beings must pass sooner or later.

Vatican Museums ( on the left: the central scene of "Last Judgement" ; on the right: "The creation of Adam" )

Vatican Museums are probably the most visited places in the world. Inside, you can visit the Sistine Chapel. which is a chapel in the Palace of the Vatican, the official residence of the Roman Catholic Pope in the Vatican City. It was built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of Pope Sixtus IV, and it is one of the most famous churches of the Western World.
It takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere who had the old Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. The 15th century decoration of the walls includes: the false drapes, the Stories of Moses (south and entrance walls) and of Christ (north and entrance walls) and the portraits of the Popes (north and south and entrance walls). It is known worldwide both for being the hall in which conclaves and other official ceremonies are held, including some papal coronations, and it is located to the north of St. Peter's Basilica, after the Scala Regia, and originally served as the Palatine chapel inside the old Vatican fortress.
It is also known for Michelangelo’s masterpieces and in particular for the Last Judgement .Painted between 1474 and 1484, it is one of the most important artistic works of the end of the Middle Ages. It is 16.4 meters wide and 15.6 meters high. All the 400 characters are naked which was a scandal for that time. Volterra covered the nudity of all characters. In the Last Judgement you can identify three levels: heaven, earth, and hell. Paradise is represented by angels, apostles, and the Chosen. Earth, represented by a frenetic gesturing of the Infidels, occupies but a small part in the whole. In the lower portion, hell is depicted as a series of views of the Mortal Sins.
It is also possible to visit Raphael’s rooms painted between 1509 and 1512 and Borgia’s apartment painted by Pinturicchio at the end of 15th century.

Janiculum’s gardens

Through the slope called “Passeggiata del Granicolo” you can see a beautiful panorama of Rome where you can see the monuments you have already visited. Going ahead you can see the lighthouse better known as the "Janiculum Lighthouse"; it was granted to Rome in 1911 by the Italians from Argentina and it is a work of Manfredo Manfredi. From the point where the lighthouse stands you can see one of the most beautiful views on the Eternal City. When the sun goes down, it’s possible to see three-colored lights coming from the lighthouse. On the left there is St. Peter’s dome, Castel S. Angelo, the Justice Palace with Prati district and S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini. You can also see Villa Borghese, the Pincium hill and villa Medici, with the French Academy and Trinità dei Monti from a distance. On the right Montecitorio’s tower with the clock. In the same direction there are Salario and Pinciano districts. Below on this way of Tiber Regina Coeli’s prison, Palazzo Farnese, Pantheon’s dome and the Quirinale.
On the right there is S. Andrea della Valle church and St. Mary’s Major ‘s two domes and bell tower, the Vittoriano, the Campidoglio’s tower, St. Mary in Aracoeli’s church and the cover of the synagogue. At the bottom you can see the Viminale and, behind, the statues of St John in Lateran’s facade. On the right the Palatin and the Aventin hills.
Proceeding for the slope, on the right side, there is the equestrian statue of Anita, Garibaldi’s wife realized by Mario Rutelli in 1932.Going ahead, you can reach Piazzale Garibaldi. At the centre of the piazza there is the equestrian statue of Garibaldi realized by Emilio Gallori in 1895.