Day 127 of international places giving smiles – Remembering the Romans in Rome- Italy
Rome-the eternal city. Rome was not built in a day. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Rome, a lifetime is not enough. All roads lead to Rome.
There are so many things that we associate with Rome. Daughter was really eager to go to Rome after all the 2700 years of history that she had learnt about this place. Rome exerted tremendous influence over the world’s politics, religion, architecture, transportation and social norms! Rome was once the grandest city that the world would ever know! Though Girish and me had been to Rome before, this is one place that can be seen again and again!
Rome started out as a settlement for the Etruscan, Latin and Sabine tribes. In 753 BC the noble twin brothers Romulus and Remus were sent down the Tiber river as babies by their rival uncle Amelius. They were nursed by a she-wolf and raised by shepherds on the Palentine Hill. Years later the brothers deposed Amelius and took back control. The future empire of Rome was established on this Palantine hill. After some years, in a quarrel, Romulus killed Remus.
Rome was eventually built on 7 hills. It was ruled initially by Julius Ceaser who was assassinated in 44 BC. Then there was a power struggle between Marc Antony (Cleopatra’s lover) and Octavian (his grand-nephew, who was later crowned Augustus Ceaser- first emperor of Rome in 27 BC). In the first Century AD, Emperor Constantine made Christianity as the official religion of Rome.
Subsequent periods saw the rise and fall of Rome. The golden ages was followed by economic decline, discontent, split of the Empire and plundering by vandals. There was some revival of the arts during the Renaissance period of the 15th century. After some periods of foreign control, Victor Emmanual was declared King in 1861. In 1925 the Fascist party led by Mussolini ruled Italy and suffered defeat in the two World Wars. In 1946 the monarchy was abolished and the Italian Republic was born.
We reached the Buenos Aires hotel that was located in one of the suburbs of Rome that has a strong Argentine influence. Near to the hotel was the Beunos Aires Square that had 4 small palaces around the 4 sides of it, and we also saw an Argentine church with golden mosaic work on its facade.
Janos told us to notice the umbrella shaped trees that are a speciality of Rome. He told us to beware of gypsy women holding babies or little gypsy girls who are adept at pickpocketing. Though there are 2 Metro lines and 900 bus stations he said it is best to experience Rome by foot.
I changed into a saree and Shringar into a mini as we waited for our local friend (a pilot friend we had met in a Mumbai friends house) Captain Emilio Gentaluchi to take us out in his car. We started our evening by visiting a small local church but it was closed. I did manage to get a picture in front of the superb carved fountain outside it.
We then went to the Piazza delia Republica, this was the square that has the offices of the President and Prime Minister- the current rulers of the Italian Republic. Our next stop was the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church. In front of the entrance was the mouth of truth (Bocca della verita). Legend has it that if you put your right hand into the ceramic mouth and tell a lie, it will snap shut.
Gentaluchi parked haphazardly, we crossed crazily, this chaos reminded me of the traffic conditions in India. We were in front of the Capitoline hill and we climbed up the grand stairs called Cordonata that is presided over by the statues of Castor and Pollux. We find ourselves at the Piazza Del Campidoglio, a square that was redesigned by Michaelangelo. The Capitolini Museum, the Palazzo Nuovo museum, the Palazzo Senatorio (seat of city government) and the Palazzo de conservatori are the impressive buildings on the sides. In the centre is the bronze equestrian statue of Emperor Marceus Aurelius.
We clicked pictures with a just married couple. In Rome it is a tradition that newly married couples go to photograph themselves in front of sight seeing spots. We just walked to the right and went behind…we were amazed at the view…a lovely panorama of the Roman Forum!
We came back to the car from where we saw two more sights-the Chiesa di Santa Maia d’Aracoeli built on the sight where Constantine was told about the coming birth of Christ. The majestic white building we saw next to it was the monument to Victor Emmanual-II with its impressive equestrian statues.
We then went to see one of the oldest man-made structure in the world-the Pantheon. (Temple of all the Gods). This was originally built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of Emperor Augustus, whose name is inscribed on the entrance. The huge open temple dome is an architectural marvel even by today’s standards! It was closed, we promised to return the next day to see its interiors.
In the cold weather we need to go often to the washrooms and it helps that there are plenty of McDonald outlets all over the place! This lively square is called the Piazza Rotunda. We quickly rushed back to the car, Gentuluchi was waiting for us on the busy road.
He dropped us off at another nearest point from where we could go to visit the Piazza Navona. By now the light was fading off and I could barely get any pictures on the camera. This square was built on the ruins of the 1st century Domitian stadium. At the center is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, a fountain scupltured by Bernini. It has statues of the 4 great rivers at that time (the Nile, the Plate, the Ganges and the Danube). Girish remarked that if I would hire a sculptor then he would probably be called Borolini…ha ha…I just loved my Indian boroline cream in this cold weather!
Our next stop was at one of the most important sights of Rome-the Trevi Fountain. In the centre is the figure of Neptune flanked by 2 Tritons, one trying to master an unruly sea horse, the other leading a quieter beast, symbolising the contrasting moods of the sea. On the first storey is the statue of a young girl Trivia, who is said to have first shown the water springs to the thirsty Roman soldiers!
Our last sightseeing stop for the night was the Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Steps). We had not seen this the last time we came to Rome. We clicked pictures next to small fountain at the base, the Fontana Barcaccia. We sat on the steps as it is supposed to be a popular hangout joint. We looked at the French church Trinita dei Monti which was above.
We stopped for a moment in front of the Trajans column, built to commemorate the conquest of Dacia (now Romania). The minutely detailed carved scenes from the war campaigns cannot be seen fully from the ground level.
We then were treated to one of the most amazing meals that Girish and Siddharth had in their lives. We went to a seafood speciality Sardinian restaurant…there was variety of shrimps, muscles, clams, oysters and whatever. As for Shringar and me, we had to make do with cheese, fried veggies, and spagetti. The pasta in Italy is ‘aldante’-it means that it is generally not fully cooked. Even the bread in Italy is generally light and dry unlike the heavy and rich bread that we had got in Austria! If we want the crispy soft bread then we have to ask for mortedella bread. Unlike other European countries, Italy still has some variety for vegetarians!
Gentaluchi’s tall Brazilian wife Sandra joined us and it was nice to exchange views on the diverse cultures that we shared that evening. We finished dinner with a nice lemony flavoured dessert drink, something like a shorbet. A big thanks to our host for the evening who drove us around and treated us to a wonderful dinner!
Being a Saturday night, the night life is supposed to be happening event in Rome. We came back to our room around midnight, Siddharth went off to see the crowds at the nearby disc, but it still hadn’t opened!
Sunday 13th April was a day to experience Rome in detail.
Girish and me got ready very early in the morning as we had booked ourselves on the Optional tour to the church of St. Pauls outside the walls. (San Paulo fuori le Mura). St. Paul had fallen off a horse outside Damascus and he had a vision about Christ. He was a staunch disciple of Jesus and was condemned to death for his views. He was instrumental for the spread of Christianit, it is said that even when he was in the ship, he managed to convert fellow prisioners. He preached even during his 2 years of house arrest. He was beheaded in 64 AD and later declared a martyr.
This church was partially burned in 1823, it is partly made of the old material and partly renovated. As we entered, we were amazed at the heavily decorated triumphal arch. The restored golden mosaic work on the apse represented the colourful figures of Christ with the 4 saints – Peter, Paul, Andrew and Luke.
Inside the colourful inlaid columns are considered one of the most beautiful in Rome. Just below the ceiling were mosaic impressions of all the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church. It is said that when the ceiling space for the Popes gets finished the world will come to an end!
The Sunday morning mass was going on and the ambience felt as if we were almost in heaven! We gazed at the fine marble canopy above the high alter. Below it was the confessio where it is alleged that St. Paul was once buried. The church of St. Perters was built inside the Vatican city and since this bascillica of St. Pauls was built outside the Vatican walls, it was named St. Pauls Outside the Walls!
Our next visit was to the Catacombs, a network of underground burial sites of early Christians! The park depicted the 11 signs of Christianity. The Christians were forced to use the tombs in the 3rd century AD, not because of persecution but because they were simply obeying the laws of that time. The Tufflestone under the ground was initially soft and easily malleable, it later became hard when in contact with air.
These catacombs used to be richly decorated with marble, which were taken away by the barbarians when they ransacked the city after the fall of the Roman Empire. 250 years later the catacombs were rediscovered.
We first sat in the ruins of an old church, only 6columns remained now. The bodies of Aqila and Anto lay buried under 2 small poles. There were more than 150 graves in these catacombs. It was with an eerie feeling…that we walked underground in between a complicated maze of walls, knowing very well that there were dead bodies just behind the cold walls that we were touching! There were 4-5 levels of corridors one below the other, imagine the effort that had gone in making the catacombs.
Our local guide explained that these lands were donated by a rich noble lady called Flavia. Depending on the status of the family, they were given burial sites which they could decorate accordingly. Wooden plaques were meant for the poor and marble plaques for the rich. It was touching to see the tomb of a small girl that was decorated in a childlike fashion! We had missed this eerie visit the last time we came to Rome and I am glad that Sid and Shigi did not come for this optional tour.
We then joined the kids and the rest of our group in our coach and went together to our next included sight seeing visit. We got down outside the Palantine Hill, where the first settlements of Rome was founded. Though the ancient buildings were plundered and then used as pasture land, excavations are systematically continuing here. Our local guide Patricia was very knowledgeable.
We found ourselves on the great square of the majestic Colloseum. On one side was the remains of the Arch of Constantine which depicted events in which Constantine was involved. We also saw the pathetic looking remains of what was once the Temple of Venus and Rome build in AD135. In the middle of the square, once stood a huge gilt bronze statue from Nero’s palace.
The place was very crowded and we had to follow the yellow flag of our local guide. As Patricia went off to organise our group tickets, Shringar held the flag and we all followed her in the long line. It felt as if we were waiting to enter a crowded stadium for a cricket match…the only difference is that this structure is many centuries older!
Janos had asked us to buy 20 postcards for 1 Euro. We also brought a book that shows in pictures the Past and Present of Rome. We looked at the picture of the present ruins and then on top of that we put on, another transparent picture of how it must have looked at in the past!
The first impressions as we entered the Colosseum was breath taking. The size of the place could not be truly gauged from outside. Patricia used the past and present book to rekindle our imagination. The underground rooms in the middle where the slaves and animals used to be imprisoned were now visible from above. The thought of men fighting lions and tigers to the roar of audiences in this very place many centuries ago, made me in awe of the piece of history that I was standing on! In its heydays this marble covered arena would have been cramped with 50,000 spectators, complete with boxed seats, toilet facilities, refreshment stands and a giant retractable sail to act as a roof!
From the lower level we ran up to the higher level of the stadium to get a different view from above and then we came running down within 15 minutes to catch up with the rest of the group! I am surprised that I did not enter the interiors of the Colosseum five years ago, probably we did not have the time or maybe we were put off by the long line for the individual tickets!
Many years ago when Girish first came to Europe, he had told us amazing stories about Rome, where Julius Ceaser’s body was thrown and burnt, etc. Shringar was learning about Shakespear then and expressed great interest in Roman history. Like a doting father, at once Girish had promised to take her to that spot someday…that day had come finally…for the first time in our trip I saw Shringar really excited about going to the next place …
Our local guide Patricia took us through on a long walk around the different structures in the Roman Forum. She told us about the general history and importance of this commercial, religious, political and legal centre of ancient Rome. While the rest of the group walked out of the Arch of Titus and went off to their next destination we decided to stay back inside the Roman Forum.
I was tired and hungry and irritated. Still looking back, I think that the next 2 hours that our family spent alone in the Roman Forum were one our closest brushes with ancient history! Using the past and present book, the book on Italy and our internet printouts as our guides, we discussed every corner of the Roman Forum in great detail.
We found ourselves facing the 3 large arches of the biggest edifice of the Roman Forum –the Bascilica of Maxentius and Constantine. The 3 vast barrel vaults were used for the administration of justice and conducting business.
We then went in front of the Temple of Romulus which is now a part of the church of Santi Cosma i Damiano that stands behind it. We could still marvel at its original 4th century bronze doors.
Next we walked upto the temple of Antonius and Faustina which are now incorporated into the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda. Since there was construction upon construction in the Roman Forum, the later invaders could see only half the pillars of this temple. The barbarians has made holes at the top of the pillars to uproot them but were not successful and we could still see the holes as an evidence of attempt to destroy this temple!
We walked past the Bascilica Amelia and we imagined how in the 2nd century BC, this sheltered place would have been when it was used as meeting hall for money exchange and other business! The marble floor of this place, still preserves the traces of burnt coins, etc. of the fire that destroyed this Bascilica in 410 AD. We also saw some carvings here that depicted some Roman origins.
We then entered the Curia, which was the ancient Roman Senate house. It was here that the Counsels and Senators had their official seat and offices. In front of the Curia is the Lapis Niger, a large piece of black marble that purportedly covered Romulus’s grave.
We then walked through the Arch of Septimius Sevrus, a triumphal Arch that was erected in AD 203, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his accession. It also used to depict the exploits of his 2 sons. Later when the brothers fought with each other, the depictions of one of the brothers was removed from the Arch!
We then face the remaining 6 front pillars of the Temple of Saturn, dedicated to the God of disaster in 497 BC . Its huge base space was later used as a State Treasury. In front of this temple Agustus had erected a tall column called Miliarum Aureum in which was inscribed in letters of gilt bronze the distances from Rome to the principal cities of its great empire! This column was considered to be the centre of Rome.
This square in front of the Temple of Saturn was at the base of the Capitole hill and was called Clivious Capitolinus. We saw the ruins of 2 more temples here.
– the ruins of the Temple of Concord built in 367 BC, frequently reconstructed, used to house the pictures and statutes of famous artists and was used as a museum. Its portico was called the Portico of the consenting Gods as it housed gilt bronze statues of the 12 Olympic gods housed in pairs.
– the ruins of the Temple of Vespasian and Titus.
There was barely anything left of the old structures, and without our past and present book it would have been impossible to imagine the magnificance of this amazing place.
We now make a U-turn and find ourselves on the actual Forum Romanum. In the proper sense of the term, Forum means a square where people can assemble. This is the place from where many historical speeches were made.
Shringar climbed up on the platform here called the Rostra from where Mark Antony made his speech in honour of the murdered Julius Ceaser…here on 15th March 44 BC. Though this platform looks like a simple stone structure now, it used to be adorned with bronze rams taken from the ships of Antony and Cleopatra.
Just next to it, was a memorial to Julius Ceaser at the same place where a frenzied mob threw his body and most of his belongings and set it on fire! This Temple of Divius Julius erected by Augustus in 29 BC on the site where Ceasers body was burned. We looked at the ruins of the Bascilica Julia, which was the seat of the civil magistrates court, constructed from the time of Julius Ceaser in 54 BC.
We can easily recognise the next Temple of Castor snd Pollux from the remaining 3 white columns built in 489 BC. Legend has it that these handsome heavenly twins led the Roman cavalry to victory in war, gave people the news and then disappeared!
Our last stop was to look at the ruins of the House of the Vestal Virgins. They were chosen around the age of 10 for their virtues and beauty, they were required to stay chaste, perform the rites connected with the cult and committed to keeping the flame burning in the adjoining Temple of Vesta. There were broken statues all around and we could actually imagine their living quarters around an open courtyard.
Though the place may seem to be just a collection of broken stones now…if we really let our imagination go wild, then we can picture in our minds, how important this place must have been in the ancient past. Every single piece of pebble in the Roman Forum may have a story to tell from the ancient past.
(Just imagine the life of different people frequenting the Roman Forum…judges, public officials, counsels, senators taking decisions…advocates, litigants, witnesses in courts…orators with speeches…religious processionists…gladiators, state guests…perjurers, liars, braggarts, prostitutes hanging around the square… old and new shops in front of the bascilicas…bakers, butchers, fortune tellers,dancers…fish and vegetable marketeers, bankers and brokers conducting business…quiet gentlemen near the canal…even beggars, drunkards, gossip mongers, vagabonds, criminals, etc.)
This time we felt that we did full justice by understanding the different ruins of more than 20 structures of the Roman Forum. We were really hungry when we came out of the Roman Forum. At the Metro station outside the Colosseum we picked up some veg sandwiches and veg pizza to regain some energy. These sandwich counters are called Panini . Janos had also told us to try out the blood red orange juice a speciality in Rome.
We were ready for our long walk across Rome .As we walked on road of the the Imperial Forum road we looked at some more structures. The ruins of the Forum of Ceaser was seen on our left, this square was built by Julius Ceaser when there came to be a need for more space, since the old political centre was over-crowded. Opposite to it, is the Forum of Augustus, built by his adoptive son to meet the growing need of an expanded Roman centre.
The Imperial forum is made up of the ruins of some more structures. We still had to explore the Forum of Trajan and Nerva, the Temples of Peace, Venus Genetrix, Mars Ultor etc. Oh there is so much to see in Rome if you are interested in European History.
We decided to walk across Rome to get a true feel of the city. We came from the side of the Victor Emmanuel Monument and found ourselves on the Piazza Venezia square. During my last visit here, I remembered seeing the building where Napolean lived as a child.
On the way to the Pantheon last evening we had marvelled at a scuplture of an Elephant with an Egyptian Obelisk on its back. Today I came to know that it was made by the famous Bernini. We just happened to enter the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church which was open. We were surprised at its tombs of famous Italians as well as the superb collection of art and sculpture, especially the statue of the Risen Christ begun by Micheal Angelo. The scientist Galileo was said to be tried in the adjoining monastery. This rare Gothic building was said to be built over the ruins of the Temple of Minerva.
We finally get to see the amazing interiors of the Pantheon. There is a line of tombs inside, ranging from a restrained monument to Raphael, to a huge marble sarcophagi holding the bodies of Italian monarchs. When I stood at the central point of the huge circular building and looked up at the open dome, I realised that the radius of the dome is equal to the height of its cylinder. It is only from inside that one can truly appreciate the scale and beauty and the effort that has gone in the making of one of the oldest nan-made structures of the world!
We went back to the Piazza Navona and this time we were able to appreciate Bernini’s sculpted fountains in the light of the day. We entered the Sant’ Agnese in Agone church and were again amazed at the sculptures on the wall by Boromini done in 1657. Even though I think…again, an ABC (another beautiful church)…still I feel that it is worth entering every ABC in Italy if we have the time to do so!
Gellato icecream is our standard option in Italy for refuelling our senses. They are available in many exotic flavours. We tries the kiwifruit and the wild berry flavours. We walked upto the Umberto Bridge on the Tiber River and saw the impressive Palazzo Giustizia on the other side.
Here we parted ways with the kids, They decided to see the Vatcan city church on their own today, as tomorrow morning they would be doing the Vatican Museums. Girish and me decided to take a long walk back to our hotel. Walking actually gives you a true feel of the city. I first ate a chocolate croissant to regain some energy, there are lots of bakery products available all over Europe.
Armed with a map in our hands we walked and walked and walked through the bye lanes and main roads of Rome. We found ourselves in front of the Palazzo Montecitorio. It is the seat of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies and we saw many uniformed guards around the place.
The book Angels and Demons is based on many places in Rome and Girish was waiting to see the Chigi church. We walked further and looked at the Palazzo Chigi which is the official residence of the Prime Minister. The square in front of it is called the Piazza Colonna. Here the majestic column of MarcusAurelius depicts the victories against the barbarian tribes. This column is an imitation of the Trajan’s column and was made 80 years later with simplified clearer pictures.
We walked on the bustling main road called via del Tritone. I couldn’t resist entering shops that had a sale board and my husband patiently waited for me. We saw the traffic hurdles around the Tritone Fountain by Bernini. We took a turn here at the Barberini square and it was a steep upward climb. In the distance we could see the church of Santa Maria Maggiore but we had no energy or inclination to see another beautiful church. We were on a main road called thevia Settembre and it was quite a boring walk with not much to see.
By now I was waiting to reach our hotel. We saw the British and the American Embassy offices near the Arch of Porta Pia and I thought we were closeby. We had walked upto the nortwest corner of our big map and were on the last familar landmark road called via Margherita. Suddenly I saw a Sunday evening flea market with a collection of nic-nacs. My energy came back and I suddenly felt that the long walk across Rome was worth it. I brought another pair of closed red shoes and felt good about it.
It was a classic case of being so close, yet so far! Inspite of continuously asking for directions and having a small map of the hotel in our hand, nobody seemed to know where exactly was the Beaunos Aires Square. In the searching we visited the local church that was closed on the previous day and also went inside the Argentinian church that we had seen previously from outside. I finally saw the small beautiful Beaunos Aires square and soon enough, I was thrilled to slump in the bed in the hotel room!
The kids had no problem to search for our hotel at all. For just 1 Euro each, they took tram no.19 directly from the Vatican to our hotel!
We did not feel like going out for dinner again out of tiredness, so we brought some delicious pieces of Pizza upto our hotel room. We relaxed and talked as we ate together. Shringar realised that a combination of sunny weather and good food is what keeps her energy levels high. Girish is on a high with his glass of beer or wine. Siddharth gets highly thrilled just looking at the architectural marvels of the place. As for me I get a high when I capture all these memories forever in my camera!
I read as much information as I could in the book of Rome. Returning back to this city after 5 years, I realised that there was so much that I did not see last time and still so much to see for the next time. I felt that even though it is a repeat visit, this day was well utilised in Rome.
So what place made you smile today?
Be thankful for the places that make you smile!
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