I arrived in Rome yesterday in the late afternoon and immediately started out to see some of the major sights. My first was to the Pantheon. If you remember a few weeks ago, I was in Athens and we went to the Parthenon. So, what’s the difference? The Parthenon is Greek and is the temple of Athena. While the Pantheon is Roman and is the temple to all the gods. Just a history refresher, the Greeks came first. The Romans came later.
The Pantheon is amazing. It was build by Emporer Hadrian in 120 AD. After the fall of Rome, it became a Christian Church. The dome of the Pantheon inspired the dome of the Duomo in Florence, the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and even the US Capitol dome in Washington. The dome is made of concrete, a Roman invention, and is 23 feet thick at the base. It gets thinner as it goes higher - 142 feet - and is only 5 feet thick at the oculus, which is completely open. The sixteen columns outside are 40 feet tall and 16 feet around. Unlike most columns of this size, they were each created out of a SINGLE piece of granite! I got to tour the inside of it, as well. Raphael the painter, as well as Victor Emmanuelle II and Umberto I, Italy’s first two kings, are buried here. As day turned into night I got to sit just outside at a cafe with a glass of wine and watched the Pantheon light up.
From here I walked to the Trevi Fountain and threw coins in to guarantee a return trip to Rome. Each night the coins are removed from the fountain to help feed the poor in Rome! I threw all of the coins I’d been collecting into the fountain, knowing that they’d help those in need. I can see why the fountain is a draw for locals and tourists alike. It is spectacular! However, in November at night (when there are supposed to be fewer people) it was packed. I can’t imagine what the crowds are like in the summer.
Today was my Colosseum and Roman Forum day. Along the way, about a 30 minute walk from where I’m staying, I stopped at a number of churches. There are over 900 churches within what is considered the city of Rome and, of course, most are Catholic. I’m not including any of the pictures I took in the churches. I’m sure they pale in comparison to St Peter’s tomorrow, but it was interesting to see several different styles and artwork.
Here are some pictures of the Roman Forum: each column, pillar, arch, stone, or ruined structure was part of Ancient Rome and a temple, palace, or public building. I can’t begin to tell the story of each of them, but taken as a whole - simply breathtaking. My day was spent trying to visualize what it must have felt like to live 1900 years ago among such huge buildings of grandeur.
The Colosseum:
In 80 AD, the amphitheater was built in ten years! It was inaugurated by Titus with spectacles lasting 100 days for the enjoyment of the Roman people. It was later called the Colosseum from the statue of Colossus that stood at its front. Spectacles included the hunting of beasts from all over the known world that the Roman people had never seen before, as well as gladiator exhibitions, and the sentencing of criminals. Gigantic canvas awnings could be rolled out to cover the stands of spectators and each level (there are four of them) were segregated by your social status. The labyrinth of rooms you see on the floor of the Colosseum where hidden beneath a floor of wooden beams and sand. It is also where the beasts, gladiators, and prisoners were kept prior to the events. 80 different doors around the arena and within the floor could be opened at random and the games would begin. Our modern sensibilities have a difficult time understanding this bloodthirsty past time, but that was a different culture. A small section of marble seats have been reconstructed to understand what the entire arena must have looked like.
Tomorrow I head to Vatican City, the smallest country in the world, to see St. Peter’s Square/Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. I also have a ticket to visit the Borghese Gallery first thing in the morning. Because I’m cramming so much in, I might not blog tomorrow, but save it for when I’m down in Sorrento, which is where I’m going on Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment