May 12---last day in Rome

I began once again by boarding the #64 bus and going to Termini because I wanted to visit the Baths of Diocletian.  The most interesting part, to me, was the church designed by Michelangelo that had been part of the baths.  Today, it is very elaborate, as shown above.  I was there on a Sunday morning so, after a little exploring, I went to the Mass.  It was excellent, and I was glad I sat down a little early as "visitors" were held at the door and not seated in the pews, as I was.  I actually sat next to one of the most interesting features of the church, La Meridiana.  It was laid out in 1702 and points due north.  It acts as a sundial and is also a calendar.  A little ray of sun comes in through a hole cut high in the wall. It was overcast when I was there, so I didn't get to see it as it functions.  Here is a picture of a portion of it:

It is completely roped off as they don't want people walking on it.

After the Mass, I went to another church where I saw a famous Bernini statue showing Saint Teresa in ecstasy.  On a sunny day, the light shines in and illuminates her.  There is a quote printed out that explains Bernini's inspiration.  In that quote, Saint Teresa describes how she was pierced by an angel.  It is all very dramatic.  She felt pain and also ecstasy. I didn't take this picture. It wasn't that well-lit for me, but it is a beautiful statue and I could feel the emotion,

I then walked down the Via XX Septiembre laid out in 1870 to commemorate Italian nationalism.  I saw the Fountain of Moses which was quite dirty.  I didn't take a picture.  I then reached an intersection where there are four fountains.  It was pretty interesting.  I had expected a fountain in the center, but there were four fountains on building surrounding the intersection.  This is one of them:

This one is the goddess Juno.  

I continued on to the Palazzo del Quirinale which is the residence of the President of Italy.  It was open and tourable---but I didn't have reservations!  So I hung out for awhile in the Piazza del Quirinale which was great.  Here's a photo:

I then wound my way back to my favorite restaurant.  It was still pretty early, but Italians eat lunch late....particularly on the weekends.  I didn't write the name of it down, but I had polenta with meat sauce and it was amazing.  I was sitting outside and it started to rain and then hail, so I moved inside.  I had pretty much finished the polenta, but had a little more wine.  I left there and went to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain since it was my last day in Rome.  It was still raining, but I threw in a euro.   I wandered back and (I love this) my polenta bowl was still on the table.  So Italian--why go out in the rain to clean up?  Just do it when the rain really stops.

I hopped back onto the #64 bus to go to my apartment.  It was very crowded!!!  Sad to say, I think that is when I lost my phone...or it was stolen.  We had been advised to be careful of pickpockets on that bus, so I guess it should have been expected...but it wasn't.  I had planned on taking uber to the airport, but you can't do that without a phone.  I remembered seeing a taxi stand near my apartment, so that is how I got to the airport the next morning and headed for home.

It was a great trip!!!

May 11--Pilgrim's Rome---three churches

Church of Santa Prassede

This is the church I wanted to see a couple of days ago, but it was closed.  I was glad I went back.  The exterior, shown above, was not particularly impressive.  But inside---WOW!  It was originally built in 522 AD, and had been remodeled during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.  What impressed me the most was the mosaics.  They show the Byzantine influence and are similar to those I had seen in Ravenna. I didn't get good pictures and couldn't find ones on the internet that would work.

Another important feature in this church is the Chapel of St. Zeno.  It is only illuminated when you put in a euro.  I had brought euros because I had read about it before arriving, but I still couldn't get a picture. I found this one on-line of the ceiling:

The chapel was small, but impressive and absolutely covered in mosaics.  It also has a relic that is purported to be fragments of a pillar that was used to flagellate Jesus.  Whether one believes that or not, this was a place of peace and serenity..

Church of San Giovanni in Laterno
The next church I went to was the first Christian church in Rome, opened in about 318 AD.  It was the home church of the popes and, until 1870, the popes were crowned here.  There is still a chair that a Pope sits in after election.  For example, Pope Francis sat there on April 7, 2013.

It is a huge church with a statue of Constantine on the portico.  I think that may be original, but not much of the church is now.  It has been remodeled many times.  The ceiling is from the Renaissance.  Statues of the apostles stepping out "to spread the word" are from the Baroque period, as is most of the interior.

It is pretty impressive and the "in Laterno" designation means that it was the seat of the Pope and the original cathedral of Rome.

Oh, I forgot to mention the "holy stairs."  They are near San Giovanni in Laterno and are said to be stairs that Jesus climbed on the day he died.  They were brought to Rome by Emperor Constantine's mother.  They were behind a locked gate when I saw them.  I hadn't planned on going up them anyway as you are supposed to go on your knees and say a prayer at each step.

Basilica of San Clemente
This was by far the most interesting of the churches I saw on this day.  It is a 12th century church built on top of a 5th century church built on top of a pagan temple.  The apse of the church is a mosaic with lots of gold.  Jesus is shown on the cross with the apostles as doves, the circular designs symbolize a Tree of Life, and there are animals and saints.

Another interesting art piece is in a chapel called the Chapel of St. Catherine.  It has frescoes all over it, including one by Masolino showing space perspective and telling a story of the martyred St. Catherine:

These perspectives were innovative at the time.  This blog is too long for me to elaborate on the story that is told.

Going down to the lower church from the fourth century, I saw more frescoes:

What is left of the fourth century church is modest, but beautiful:

And then I went to the Temple of Mithras:

This is another photo taken from the web.  It is a Mithraic temple. The pillar in the center is a reproduction and shows Mithras fighting a bull.  The cult of Mithras believed that he was responsible for bringing new life every Spring.  There were some other smaller rooms, but this is where the men (and it was only men) reclined and ate a ritual meal.  The ruins of this, and the fourth century church, were found by monks who were clearing out debris in the 19th century.   It is a real treasure.

May 10--Museo dei Fori Imperiali, Mortali/Immortali, Trajan

It was great to be part of a Road Scholar tour, but (by necessity) there were things I wanted to see that weren't included.  That is why I took a second week on my own.  I went to the Museo dei Foro Imperiali, which I had passed many times because it was close to the hotel.  I can see why Road Scholars didn't include it.  The museum itself is not that impressive.  There are lots of fragments of statues, columns, etc. and reconstructed statues.  The picture above is the upper interior with original arches.  It was part of Trajan's Forum.   There is a lot of natural light.  The lower floor has display rooms.  While I was there, there was a special exhibit titled "Mortali/Immortali."  It was a little confusing because it was about ancient Chinese treasures...which were not what I had come to see.

The truly spectacular thing is being able to walk out above Trajan's Market and Forum and take in some truly spectacular views....plus, it was a beautiful day.  Here's an example:

The Victor Emmanual Monument dominates the scene.  See that statue of a rider on a horse on the right?  I read that statue is so large that the moustache of the rider is five feet long.  But I was actually more interested in the remains of the Trajan's Market stalls in the foreground.  Trajan was Emporer 98-117 AD. In addition to the Market, there was a huge Forum.  I have to admit that I haven't taken the time to make distinctions of the various Fora---the Roman Forum, Caesar's Forum, and ones created by Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva, and this one by Trajan.

The above view interested me because it shows some of the excavation work going on now and also showcases some of the distinctive Italian pines.

In the view below, Trajan's Column is shown.  It was constructed during Trajan's reign and shows scenes of various military victories in a bas relief spiral going to the top.  It had a statue of Trajan at one time, but now the statue at the top is St. Peter.

May 9 Santa Maria Maggiore

I decided I needed to see more churches and started out using Rick Steves' "Pilgrim's Rome" as a guide.  Once again I boarded the #64 bus to Termini and then I walked from there.  It was a little longer walk than I anticipated but through a beautiful neighborhood.  The photo above is of the main altar.  This is an old church (432 AD) and has amazing mosaics that reminded me of mosaics I had seen in Ravenna.  It was, of course, updated during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.  The ceiling is coffered and gilded, and this only shows part of it.

When you go up to the main altar, you see that there are stairs to something below.  I went there and was treated to what is purported to be relics of the manger in Bethlehem:

It is hard to connect the simplicity of Jesus' birth with this opulent display.  There is also a powerful statue of Pope Pius IX in prayer before these relics:

But look at those floors!  They are throughout the church, and may date back to the 5th century AD.

This church is truly amazing.  Below is an example of the mosaics that are throughout the main sanctuary.  This particular one is in the apse and shows Jesus crowning Mary in heaven:

When I left, I hoped to go to another church, the Church of Santa Pressede.  I had forgotten that many of the churches are closed between 12 noon and 4 pm.  It was closed.  I had lunch at a great little place with lots of locals and it was great.

I walked back to Via Nazionale and did some shopping and then took "my bus" back to my apartment.

May 8--Palazzo Massimo alle Terme

Today I went to a different part of town.  My friend Karen Zens, who had lived in Rome several years, had recommended the National Museum of Rome.  It is near the train terminals (Termini), and the #64 bus goes there.  I also got to see what will be my shopping district, Via Nazionale, on the way.  This museum is actually several museums, but today I just went to the part housed in the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, the building above.  I didn't take any photos, but did see a guy sketching.  That looked like fun, but I hadn't brought my sketching stuff.

There are a lot of statues and fragments of statues on the ground floor of the museum.  Of particular interest was a gallery of stone heads.  They seem to be ordinary people and I learned the Romans made them to remember their ancestors and the likenesses were more important than idealizing them.  They date to 500-1 B.C.   A bronze statue of "The Boxer at Rest" shows his face as scarred and his back muscles knotted.  It is very compelling. 

One of the most well-known works is "The Discus Thrower."  It is actually a Roman copy of a Greek statue.  

This museum had a special exhibit showing examples of how, in the 19th century, copying Greek and Roman statues became common.  In fact, the idea was that if a person went on a European tour it would be expected that they would bring back a copy of a famous statue. 

There was much more, but the second floor had frescoes and mosaics from Roman family villas.  The Villa Farnesina frescoes were especially compelling and show gardens with birds and fruit trees.  Lovely!

On the way back to my apartment, I stopped to check out some of the shops.  I will return because I have more tourist sights to see in the neighborhood and some more shopping to do, too.

May 7 Vatican Museums again

I had hoped to get an early admission ticket to the Vatican Museums, but it was not to be.  I stood in line and got in after about a 15-minute wait, so that wasn't too bad.  The weather was great, so I went out on this overview of the gardens.  I then set out to go through the Museums at my own pace.  It was still crowded, so I didn't take many pictures.  I did get one, though, to bring back to the Smith family.  This is a fragment of a statue of Artemis and the Smith's sweet cat is named after her.

I spent quite a bit of time in the Octagonal Courtyard (at least, that's what I think it was called):

It was very pleasant and not too crowded there.  I mostly just wandered and took in the things I had seen last week, but didn't get time to really study.  One thing I hadn't seen on the previous visit was the staircase:

This shot doesn't even show the whole thing.  It is spectacular.  It actually is a double staircase and those going down don't encounter those going up.  I went down it and left.  

I then explored the neighborhood and had a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant.

May 6 Moving Day

The Road Scholar tour is closing and almost everyone is going to the airport by vans.  Jan left early for her trip back to Arizona.  I checked out at 11, but hung out in the lobby of the hotel until about 12:30 because I couldn't check into my apartment until 1. I "moved" by Uber.  In Rome, the only Ubers available are "black car"...a little more expensive than Uberx or a cab, but I felt it was a way I could trust.  At the apartment building, I met my hostess's husband Fabrizio and he gave me the keys I needed and oriented me to the neighborhood.  The apartment was nice, with a balcony that had a glimpse of the top of the dome of St. Peter's, as shown above.  The street was advertised as quiet, but it was pretty busy.  I was happy to see it was on the bus route for Bus #64, which was recommended by Rick Steves also goes by the hotel where I had been staying.

I did a little research on what I wanted to see and do and went to the local grocery store to get some "provisions."  This is my shopping bag:

I brought it home to DC with me of course after it had done it's duty in Rome.

My only disappointment in the apartment was that all of the tv channels I could find were in German!  Well, I didn't come to Rome to watch tv.  I went to bed early and got a good night's sleep.

May 5 Last Day with Road Scholars-Jewish Quarter, Borghese Gallery, Farewell Dinner

We began the day with a walk to the Jewish Quarter and that took us by the huge Victor Emmanuel Monument.  I posted a side view previously.  This is how it looks from the piazza.  We were on the way to the Jewish Quarter, where we entered a synagogue:

There are two synogogues now but, during the time of the Ghetto, there was supposed to be only one.  Because there were actually different congregations, evidently there were five.  The one above is still used today by descendents of Sephardic Jews who escaped during the Spanish Inquisition in about 1492.  The larger synagogue is in the same building and is called the Great Synagogue:

In the foreground of the Great Synagogue, you can see locked boxes where men are able to keep their papers relating to the services.  Even today, women sit in the sides or at the back.  However, women have been very important in these religious sites.  We learned that in the times of the Ghetto, when Jews were mostly confined to the Ghetto and had to wear hats and garments that identified them as Jews when they left the area, the women used second-hand textiles to make religious tapestries.  The  museum has preserved some of the most remarkable examples with brocade, velvet and elaborate embroideries.  I did not photograph those, but they were stunning.

We then went by van to the Borghese Galleries, which are truly amazing.  I couldn't get over the ceilings, much less the works of art.  Here, for example is a ceiling:

Those figures at the top of the column, which appear to be three dimensional are actually frescoes.  As you will notice, the arches have painting at the top, too.  When I say "over the top," it may be an understatement.  The ceilings are decorated throughout and there are numerous rooms.  There are so many paintings, frescoes, and statues that I cannot even begin to summarize them.  For me, the most amazing thing was a statue by Bernini of  "The Rape of Persephone."  By the way, Pluto is the one who is raping her.  What I loved the most (from an artistic standpoint) was this:

This is marble, and yet it seems that he has actually indented her flesh...and look at those hands...they are so realistic.   Just for perspective, here is a larger view of the statue.  

We returned to have a farewell dinner with our fellow Road Scholars and then tomorrow we will part ways.   I, however, will stay in Rome another week and so will have more to say.  

May 4 Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Hotel Rooftop, Rome's Legacy

The photo above is a panoramic shot from the rooftop of our hotel, Hotel Pace Helvezia.  I just wanted to see how it would look on a blog.  More on the rooftop later.

We began the day with a van ride to the Piazza Navona.  It was raining heavily, but we persevered.  This piazza is interesting because the location goes back to the first century AD and was built by the Emperor Domitian for track and field games.  Today, it maintains the same configuration, with buildings around the piazza where the bleachers had been.  I did not get a good picture because of the rain and I couldn't find any on the internet that I liked.  The piazza features Bernini's Fountain of Four Rivers  The Four Rivers were representative of the four continents known at that time--the rivers are the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata in South America.  I know, what about North America?  This was in 1651, well past Columbus' discovery.  I will not quibble with Bernini's vision, though, because it is an amazing fountain. Here's a picture I pulled off the internet of the fountain:

The figures are magnificent.  We then walked to the Pantheon, still in rain so I pulled another image off the internet for this blog.

I have to admit that it was far more impressive than I had imagined.  Since it began as a pagan temple, I was unprepared for the grandeur of the inner space.  Again, this is not my photo, but one I found:

Because of the rain, the center was wet and roped off.  There are actual drain holes and the floor is stone.  The oculus is always open.  In good weather, the light moves across the space.  It became a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 609.  There are many altars in the niches, but this is the central one (aha! my own photo):

Back at the hotel in the late afternoon, Jan and I went back to the rooftop garden for more pictures.

Great views, and I won't even pretend to describe what we could see.  Jan also took this fun picture of me:

We had a presentation before dinner reviewing the history of Rome and some of the things we had seen.  I have lots of notes!  That evening, we walked to the Jewish Quarter for dinner.  I just have to share the menu:
                              Fried artichoke
                              Fried Zucchini flower stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella
                              Veal slice filled with prosciutto and mozzarella with mushrooms
                               I can't remember the dessert
                               Of course, wine...red or white

It was a good day!!!

May 3 Trevi Fountain, Foro Italico, MAXXI, Neighborhood Walk

One of the truly iconic sights in Rome is the Trevi Fountain.  We waled there from the hotel.  It is pretty spectacular and coins are thrown into it over the shoulder by people hoping that will bring them back to Rome.  The city collects the money and gives it to the poor.   We then had lunch and went for a van ride along the Tiber River to the Foro Italiano, formerly known as the Foro Mussolini.

I had not heard of this Foro, but learned that it was built under the direction of Mussolini between 1928 and 1938.  The Olympic logo is from when it was used for ceremonies in the 1960 Olympic Games.  The centerpiece of this sports complex is a stadium surrounded by marble statues of men engaged in sports, such as the one below:

Below is how it looks today.  A huge parking lot was the first thing I saw.  The stadium is still used today for sports events. There is this track, a swimming pool, tennis courts and probably other sports venues.  The statues are actually not very inspiring.  Compared to those of the Renaissance, they are stiff and overly posed.

The formal entry to this complex is actually a huge marble obelisk that is a tribute to Mussolini. 

....and there are black and white mosaics between that obelisk and the rest of the complex that are tributes to Mussolini, and to fascism generally.  Below is a photo of one with of them showing the symbol of fascism:

I do wonder how these survived and why they are not found to be offensive, but I think Italians have dealt with so many difficult eras over centuries that they just don't worry too much about it.

We then went to a very modern museum called MAXXI celebrating art and architecture of the 21st century.  There were quite a few architecture displays that were innovative and then some of our group just relaxed in the lobby on some unusual lounge chairs:

We went back to the hotel and took a walk around the neighborhood before dinner.  Below is the building that dominates the cityscape.  It is the Victor Emmanuel Monument, also called the "Altar of the Nation."

This view is from the side.  It is much larger in the front. It was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1861 unification of Italy.  We did not go in it, but you couldn't avoid seeing it.

We also saw something interesting and typical of Rome.  Below is a theater that was abandoned.  People have built homes above it and are living there.  Building on top of ruins is a theme of the city!

We also walked through part of the Jewish Quarter, where we'll see more in a couple of days, and saw the ruined church in the photo below.  It is a church and was spared when most of the Quarter was destroyed, though it is pretty much ruins now.  We learned that Christian churches were in the Jewish Quarter and that Jews were forced to attend them.