More pics from Rome

So I've been told by a few of you that you want to see and hear more about Italy. Since its been over a week since I've blogged at all (and not much new news at home to share), I thought I'd add some more. So, here it is ... more from Rome!

Some basic facts about Rome - some things I didn't know until we started reading up on it. Rome was founded over 2700 years ago on 7 hills near the Tiber River. Rome now covers 580 sq miles and has 300 million people. It became the capital of Italy in 1870. It sits 17 miles form the sea. Inside Rome is the independent Vatican City State.

This is another shot of the Trevi Fountain - it was just beautiful. Rome's largest and most famous fountain. Also one of the more modern fountains - completed only in 1762. Yes, that is before the USA became the USA but that's still new compared to most of this city. It marks the site of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct built in 19 BC. Tradition has it that a coin thrown into the water guarantees a visitor's return to Rome.




Next, the Spanish Steps. These were built in the 17th century by the French owners of Trinita dei Monti who decided to link the church with Piazza di Spagna by building a magnificent flight of steps. There are straight sections and curved sections with terraces in between. The steps are now popular place to sit, write, take photos, perform or people-watch. On Saturday night, these steps became quite the party atmosphere. Many people gathered to watch dancers and singers and just to enjoy the evening. In the springtime, when the azaleas are in bloom there are big huge bunches of bright pink/red azaleas all over the steps.


I am in the Piazza del Popolo here. Its a big huge oval with an Egyptian obelisk in the middle. The obelisk is over 3000 years old and was brought to Rome by Augustus to adorn the Circus Maximus (place where chariot races were held). This piazza was the site of many public executions in the 18th and 19th centuries, the last being executed by the guillotine in 1826.

The church behind me on the right side of the picture is the Santa Maria del Popolo. This church is a Renaissance church commissioned in 1472. The Chigi Chepel is one of the most famous chapels as it was designed by Raphael and houses sculptures by Bernini and Lorenzetto. To Angels and Demons fans ... it is "earth" - Habakuk and the Angel is here. We actually stumbled into this church, by coincidence. It sounded kind of familiar to me but as we hadn't done our research on Angels and Demons yet, I couldn't remember why. That night when we did our research, I understood why. The Vatican City has rights to the Roman Catholic churches in Rome even though they no longer own them. They declined the permits that the movie Angels and Demons requested ... so the insides of the churches will not actually be used in Angels and Demons ... bummer! Had they not declined the permits, they would have been their shooting the same week we were there! The church itself is actually kind of blah on the exterior.

These twin churches sit opposite the Santa Maria del Popolo - behind where Steve stood to take the above picture. The two churches are not actually the same - one is oval shoped dome and one is circular because the space they were allotted was different. They were built between 1611-91.
A close up of one of the twin Santa Maria's.

This is Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa. This is one of Bernini's most ambitious works and it sits in the Santa Maria della Vittoria which is a Baroque church, lavishly decorated and lit by candles. The sculpture was done in 1646. The angel is piercing the heart of St Tersa who sits on a cloud. Yep, you guessed it. Another Angels and Demons site. This is Fire. The marble figures are framed and illuminated by rays of "divine light" that are done in bronze.

Piazza della Repubblica or Piazza Esedra (its old name). The Fontana delle Naiadi sits in the middle of a "round-about" and features 4 naked bronze nymphs and was unveiled in 1901. The nymphs each rest on a creature represnting the different kinds of water - seahorse = oceans, water snake = rivers, lizard = streams, swan = lakes.

Baths of Diocletian built in AD 298-306 by Emperor Diocletian who murdered thousands of Christians. These baths could accomadate up to 3000 bathers at one time. This now is a Museum but was a Carthusian monastery with a cloister designed by Michelangelo.

Sant'Andrea al Quirinale was designed by Bernini and built between 1658 and 1670. The site for the church was wide, but shallow so Bernini pointed the long axis of the oval toward the sides instead of the altar like a standard church. The eye is led around to the altar end by the feel of the interior. This was built for Jesuits. I loved the oval ceiling and was constantly amazed at the intricacy of these churches. Every ceiling, wall, and most floors were ornately decorated with mosaics, paintings, sculptures and frescoes. It was amazing to constantly be places and see things designed by Bernini, Michelangelo and so many other names that we treasure as the great artists.

This is a somewhat fuzzy picture taken of the lower portion of the church above. You can see the rich red marbles used on the wall and columns and niches with artwork that Bernini ordered and planned to work together.

This is one of my favorite views. I just loved the more modern (relatively speaking) church, with the ancient ruins in the background and the vibrant green trees in the foreground. I really just loved it. At the time I took this, I didn't know what I was taking pictures of. But later we realized we were right by the Roman Forum - so thats Ancient Roman ruins in the background... : )

This is a hallway in the Vatican Museums containing nothing but busts and a few statues - yes, the entire hallway all the way to the end that is way off in the distance is lined with busts and statues mixed in. The Vatican Musem's collection is one of the largest in the world and it is one of the oldest museums. For four centuries popes and cardinals have been collecting and commissing works of arts from the greatest artists and sculptures plus the church has supported excavations and gathered other works that way. Many of the items have been on display since the 18th century. The church controlled most of Rome at one point and during that time, they obviously frowned on all the ancient Roman temples to the misc gods. So, they encouraged "recycling" of the items in the temples, purchasing and confiscating many items to be used in other buildings and or to be put on display. Our tour guide told us that if you spent 1 minute on each piece the Vatican City owns, you would spend 12 years looking at it... I did the math, if you spent only 30 seconds on each one and only 8 hours a day, you'd hang out in the museum for 18 years (and spend $115,000 in entry fees - its about $25 to get in to the museum)!! Some you could look at in less than 30 seconds, but some you could spend much more on! Of course, not all of it is on display at one time. Much is located in vaults and libraries out of the public view. This hallway contained busts of just about every major "character" in Roman history - even some from as early as 200 BC. This is one of the many domed ceilings. All of the floors and ceilings and many of the walls are decorated with rich paintings, frescoes and mosaics.
This is Nero's bathtup ... yes, Emporer Nero who ruled during the 60s - ok, so I meant 60 AD, not 1960s. : ) (Actually from 54 -68) Nero is probably most known for persecution of Christians and the fire. During Nero's rule fires destroyed much of the city. He was blamed for the fires. Some say he didn't actually start the fires, but he didn't stop them either. He wanted a way to clear out the city and the fires were a convenient way to do it. He built an outrageous palace ... his private lake was turned into the Colosseum by the next emperor who wanted to avoid being associated with the horrible acts of Nero. Nero's palace grounds covered approzimately 25 times the area the Colosseum covers (and the Colosseum seated 55,000 spectators). He had gardens and woods with imported wild beasts. The walls of the buildings were supposedly adorned with gold and mother-of-pearl ... the dining hall rotated. This was one of his bathtubs! Imagine having a HUGE hot-tub for your bath tub ... and that's what you've got here.

This is a mosaic ... it was originally somewhere else, but moved to the Vatican by one of the Pope's or Cardinals. A lot of the floors are done in mosaics - you can see one under Nero's bathtub above too - but obviously not as fancy and important as this one (you couldn't walk on this one).
This is not a painting, it is a tapestry! It is one of many that line the hallway in this section of the museums. They were created in Brussels from sketches found in Raphael's workshop after his passing. They were made in 1531 and originally hung on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. They were moved to this gallery in 1838. They are very impressive - HUGE - and detailed for tapestries so old. This is the ceiling in the Gallery of Tapestries. When you first look at it, you think the arched ceiling is covered with reliefs and embedded sculpture work. But after our tour guide pointed it out, we realized the ceiling is smooth - these are paintings made to look like 3D reliefs - the shadows are painted and very realistic.
This is St Peters - out of a window of the museum.
I have to skip showing you the Sistine Chapel ... so I want to share why. NO PICTURES. Bummer! During the 1980s and 1990s, the ceiling and walls were restored ... the Vatican didn't want to foot the bill (and/or couldn't) so a company offered to foot the bill in exchange for the copyrights to the paintings. So, pictures are not allowed in order to keep their copyright intact. But, it was amazing. Reminder of your art history ... Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the chapel between 1508 and 1512. He created special scaffolding for the work, scaffolding they replicated for the restoration. The colors are amazingly vibrant - blues and reds and greens and their skin is creamy and smooth unlike the dismal "eggshell-cracked" figures that used to be in text books. Very beautiful. When he completed the ceiling he was temporarily blind from all the paint and chemicals getting in his eyes as he worked over his head. Michelangelo considered himself first and foremost a sculptor, he actually didn't like to paint. But he did this to please one of his most affluent patrons. He painted the ceiling when he was 34-38 years old. He did not sign this work (like almost all of his work - keep reading to find out which one he did sign). Instead, he usually created one of the characters based on his own self-portrait. Most patrons of art preserved their likeness by having the painter or artist use them as a model for a character, thus building themself into history.

The walls in the Sistine Chapel are painted by some of the finest artists of the 15th and 16th centuries. They were completed between 1534 and 1541 when Michelangelo painted the great altar wall with his "The Last Judgement." This wall is equally amazing to me as the ceiling. The blues are amazing. This is considered to be his masterpiece during his mature years. To create this wall, they removed previous frescoes and 2 windoes. A new wall was erected that slants inwards so that dust can't settle on it. He worked entirely on his own on this creation - without the help of his workshop as was common for the time. In this painting, he depicts himself in the skin held by St Bartholomew. Michelangelo also had a sense of humor ...after a member of the papal court objected to the nude figures in the picture, Michelangelo turned the face of Minos (from what I understand, the judge of the underworld - a bad guy) into a portrait of the man who objected and then added donkey ears and a serpent wrapped around him feasting on him. The moral of the story, never criticize the work of an artist, you might just show up as a demon in his next peice! By the way, if you do the math, Michelangelo was 67 when he completed this work. Although I can't share pictures with you, I wanted to just say, it is amazing! Angels and Demons fans, the voting for the next Pope takes place in this chapel. Not sure I remembered that and/or believed it. The voting takes place in the chapel. A fireplace is brought in (not there all the time) and placed by a doorway which also houses a chimney of sorts that funnels the white or black smoke up to the windows to be seen by the masses waiting for the vote of the next Pope. The smoke is actually created by chemicals now but originally they wet the votes to create the black smoke and left them dry for the white smoke.

This next picture is the interior of St Peter's dome, also designed by Michelangelo. AMAZING. My photography just doesn't do it justice. I wish I could even really depict the magnificence of all of these buildings, the art work and the environment. Just knowing how old things are was amazing. I also never realized why St Peter's was called St Peter. A shrine was erected here in the 2nd century at the site of St Peter's tomb. Peter was reportedly martyred here and the crypt below reputedly holds his remains. I also never knew that St Peter was the apostle Peter. I guess I never knew much about the Catholic religion and maybe just never thought it through.

This is Michelangelo's only signed work. He sculputed this statue when he was only 25 years old. This is his most famous Pieta' (although he did do others). This sits just inside the main doors to St Peters - in a chapel now protected by glass because someone damaged it in the 70s. The signature is actually on the sash that crosses the Madonna's chest as she clutches the body of Christ after the crucifixion.

Steve and I are standing in the domed apse of St Peters. Behind us you can see the altars and Bernini's "Throne of St Peter in Glory" The light shines through the dove amid clouds, and rays of sunlight and the flights of angels surround it. It was really impressive.
This is the view from the doorway of St Peter's. This is the Piazza San Pietro. People gather her on Sundays and religious occasions to hear the Pope bless the crowds from his balcony (next picture). Again, if you've read Angels and Demons ... you'll know this is a big scene. The piazza was laid out by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. It is a big ellipse with columnades on either side. The obelisk was actually erected before that, in 1586, using 150 horses and 47 winches. It really impresses me that these buildings, sculptures, obelisks etc are so old. The engineering feat of moving the marble blocks to create the statues, or the task of standing up a column or obelisk in precisely the right location ... no cranes or heavy equipment like we use today.
The next picture makes me laugh ... these are Swiss Guards, guarding the tunnel entrance into the Vatican that sits beside St Peters. The one guard was very formal, hardly moving. The other was more casual. He walked around a bit, moved in and out of the booth making phone calls etc. He also, at the request of the grandmother, allowed a toddler to enter the baricaded area around them and take a picture with him. It was cute. I also imagine the many Swiss Guards in Angels and Demons glaring at the main characters as they go to the vaults/libraries of the Vatican and are in the offices and police dept of the Vatican City.
This is the front of St Peter's. Right in the middle, above the center doors is "the balcony". This is taken from further back in the piazza showing you the obelisk in the center and St Peter's behind it (the obelisk is blocking a big glare from the setting sun). Also notice the BIG SCREEN TV's on either side of the piazza. There were at least 4 of them around (I can't remember if there were more than that). I assume they use them to show special masses when crowds gather, and also for the Pope's messages from his balcony. This is some bridges crossing the Tevere - Tiber River in English. This bridge sits not far from Castel Sant Angelo. I just thought it was really pretty - although don't look closely at the water.

This is Castel Sant Angelo. It started in 139 AD as Emperor Hadrians mausoleum but over the years it has served as part of the city walls, a citadel and prison and even the residence of the Pope in times of unrest. There are dark cells in the lower levels and fine apartments of Ranaissance pope above. It was also the home base of the Hassassin in Angels and Demons. There is a corridor that leds from the Vatican Palace to Castel Sant' Angelo. It was built in 1277 to provide an escape route for the pope if he was in danger. There really is a spiral ramp leading to the upper levels - just like in the book. We didn't actually go inside because it was evening and they were hosting an event and we jsut never got back to it. But its an impressive exterior if nothing else. Besides, it was in Angels and Demons so we had to see it! : ) Steve is on the bridge that is directly in front of it and crosses the Tiber River (a bridge similar to the one pictured above although they all had unique decor).
Another picture of our favorite fountain - this time at night.
This is the back side of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is one of the great Roman basilicas - there are a lot of Roman Catholic churches in this town. I think I heard a tour guide say there were like 98 churches in town and only about 5 or 6 are not Roman Catholic. (I guess kind of like Utah County is for Latter Day Saint churches). Steve and I both love Egyptology so we love the Obelisks. I love that they add a cross to the top of some of them. This one was erected in 1587 by a Pope - surprise, surprise. The Popes had control of most things and if they didn't commission it, you could almost guarnatee it was a Cardinal that did.
This is the front of Santa Maria Maggiore. This church was built first finished in 440. But it underwent several expansions, renovations and other construction during the 1200s, 1600s and 1700s. It is an impressive blend of different architectural styles (if you know your architecture) you can see 5th century collanaded nave, Cosmatesque floors, Romanesque bell tower, Renaissance ceiling, Baroque domes and facades. (don't ask me to tell you the difference - I don't know my architecture ... just have a good book that reminds me of the things my tour said). When I took this picture I was standing by a fountain and massive marble column. The came from the Basilica of Constantine in the Roman Forum and on top of it was a bronze statue of the Virgin and Child (1615). Another example of why build it when you can "recycle" it from somewhere else. The Roman Catholics basically pillaged ancient Roman sites to get materials that they wanted - including sheets of marble, art work, columns, and so much more. Its amazing how much still stands considering the history.
The inside of Santa Maria Maggiore was covered with mosaics, the most spectacular ones done in the 5th and 13th centuries. This church sits on the top of the Esquiline hill. This church houses an impressive baldacchino (a canopy supported on columns rising over the main altar) that was built in the 1740s.

Ok, so that's the end of this post, finally. : ) It only took my 3 attempts to finish it - including one that was completely lost. Next will be some Pompei and Naples pictures. Then I'll come back to Rome for some ancient Roman stuff (Steve's favorite - mine too) including the Forum and the Colliseum. Then I'll move out to Tuscany including "OC Beach" (see my previous post about Forte dei Marmi), Pisa and Florence. Then I'll do a little more of Venice too.

If you are reading these posts, thanks! Please let me know so I keep going. I'd love to know who all is lurking out there and not saying hi! Even if you don't know me but hopped to my blog from a friend, just say hi and let me know where you hopped from.