A Month in Bella Italia

[Richprins]

Aha! I've seen that fountain often in movies...and a video of a drunk Russian jumping in...

Fantastic stuff about the colosseum!

Nice trees there too! Wonder what kind?

Flutts!

[Pumbaa]

Unfortunately so far never been to Rome, Flutterby,

but you really made me wish to visit this wonderful City still one day especially with all the culture things to discover there

The Ravioli and Gnocchi did look yummy - And I definitely can life from Pasta and pizza

[RogerFraser]

Stunning report Fluts

Just love the details on the statues .It always amazes me to see the skill artists have to capture such detail in stone and marble .I battle to split a brick in half with a hammer and chisel

[Peter Betts]

Roma ..my favorite European City

[Flutterby]

Aha! I've seen that fountain often in movies...and a video of a drunk Russian jumping in...

Fantastic stuff about the colosseum!

Nice trees there too! Wonder what kind?

Flutts!

Yes, it has been featured in quite a few movies. I already looked the trees up for my uncle ...they are called Italian Stone Pines. I also loved them!

Unfortunately so far never been to Rome, Flutterby,

but you really made me wish to visit this wonderful City still one day especially with all the culture things to discover there

The Ravioli and Gnocchi did look yummy - And I definitely can life from Pasta and pizza

You must go Pumbaa...it's an amazing place! The food in Rome wasn't bad , but I didn't enjoy it in Florence.

Stunning report Fluts

Just love the details on the statues .It always amazes me to see the skill artists have to capture such detail in stone and marble .I battle to split a brick in half with a hammer and chisel

I know Roger...they were so talented!! I love your comment about splitting a brick!!

Roma ..my favorite European City

I haven't seen enough of Europe to say which is my favourite city, but I certainly loved it and would love to return one day!

[Flutterby]

For our last day in Rome we took a closer look at the Altara della Patria. You can see how huge it is when you compare the size of the people to the columns!



Being so high up you get some nice views from the Altara della Patria.

Piazza Venezia



St. Peter's in the middle.



The Brat messing around again.



Changing of the Guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.



Our next visit was to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore ('Basilica of Saint Mary Major) which is a Papal major basilica (Major basilica is the title given to the four highest-ranking Roman Catholic church buildings, all of which are also "Papal basilicas": the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, St. Peter's Basilica, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore). It is the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome. Marian churches are religious buildings dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary. These churches were built throughout the history of the Catholic Church, and today they can be found on every continent including Antarctica! The 14th century campanile, or bell tower, is the highest in Rome, at about 75 m.



This was the only church we saw in Rome which did not have a domed ceiling, but rather a wooden one. The 16th-century coffered ceiling is said to be gilded with gold, initially brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus, and presented by Ferdinand and Isabella to the Spanish pope, Alexander VI.





Under the high altar of the basilica is the Crypt of the Nativity or Bethlehem Crypt, with a crystal reliquary designed by Giuseppe Valadier said to contain wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus Christ. Here is the burial place of Saint Jerome, the 4th-century Doctor of the Church who translated the Bible into the Latin language (the Vulgate).

Reliquary of the Holy Crib





The Crypt of the Nativity seen from above.

[Lisbeth]

A balcony overlooking Piazza Venezia was the location of public speeches given by the Italian dictator Mussolini to crowds of his supporters (and not ) in the 1920s-1940s.


Mussolini declares war on Britain and France in 1940.

[Richprins]

Flutts!

Traffic looks fine around that circle!

What a massive building, the Mussolini one!

[Flutterby]

Thanks Lis...interesting!

Flutts!

Traffic looks fine around that circle!

What a massive building, the Mussolini one!

The traffic wasn't that bad in Rome, but it was their summer holidays when most locals go away.

[Flutterby]

We then took the hop-on hop-off bus to get one last look at Rome. All around Rome, on the busy pedestrian streets, were these armoured vehicles blocking the road. We worked out that they were anti-terrorist measures, to stop anyone ploughing through pedestrians in a car or bus.



The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine Hills, it was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. It measured 621m in length and 118m in width and could accommodate over 150,000 spectators. In its fully developed form, it became the model for circuses throughout the Roman Empire. The site is now a public park.





Another church! The Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva (near the Pantheon) is one of the major churches of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers (better known as the Dominicans). While many other medieval churches in Rome have been given Baroque makeovers that cover Gothic structures, the Minerva is the only extant example of original Gothic architecture church building in Rome.



These gold candlesticks (without the candles) were taller than me!! Can you imagine what they must be worth!!



One last visit to the Pantheon. These horse drawn carriages are all over Rome (and Florence). The horses all have poop bags attached to the rears which catch all their droppings so you don't see unsightly horse poop all over the place...very clever!



We made our way towards Piazza Navona which we had not visited yet, and on the way found the church of San Luigi dei Francesi which had some Caravaggio's!



The Contarelli Chapel contains a cycle of paintings by the Baroque master Caravaggio in 1599–1600 about the life of St. Matthew. This includes the three world-renowned canvases of The Calling of St Matthew, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew. While admiring these paintings the lights went off. We then realised that you have to put ‎€1 into a little box which switches the lights on for a couple of minutes...the Brat thought this was a rip-off but I thought it was a quite a clever way for the church to make some extra money and also ensuring that the paintings are not under bright light all the time.



Piazza Navona is a square built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium.



In the center of the square stands the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, topped by the Obelisk of Domitian.



Piazza Navona has two other fountains. At the southern end is the Fontana del Moro with a basin and four Tritons sculpted by Giacomo della Porta (1575) to which, in 1673, Bernini added a statue of a Moor, wrestling with a dolphin. At the northern end is the Fountain of Neptune (1574) also created by Giacomo della Porta; the statue of Neptune, by Antonio Della Bitta, was added in 1878 to create a balance with La Fontana del Moro.

Fountain of Neptune



La Chiesa Sant'Agnese in Agone is a 17th-century Baroque church which faces onto the Piazza Navona. Construction began in 1652 under the architects Girolamo Rainaldi and his son Carlo Rainaldi. After numerous quarrels, the other main architect involved was Francesco Borromini.







The square is full of artists drawing/painting and selling their artworks, and buskers entertaining the crowd. After spending a pleasant hour or two taking in the sights and sounds, we then went to the Spanish Steps for the last time and had dinner nearby, and that was it for our Roman holiday!! Next up...Sicily.