Day 3 - A Stroll Up The Spanish Steps

We had breakfast at 9.00am & left the Hotel just before 10.00am. During breakfast Big bus sent out an update of planned demonstrations around the city centre between 10-2pm. Hopefully it wouldn’t effect our plans.

We headed north & strolled through the 1.5 miles to the Spanish Steps. En-route we passed a small gathering of well behaved protesters in Piazza della Repubblica with it’s once controversial La Fontana delle Naiadi. Apparently, even the Romans were shocked by the four naked statues of the nymphs.

It was a gentle climb past Fontana del Tritone, a fountain with 4 dolphins, before we arrived at the top of the Spanish Steps. We walked down the nearly 300 year old 135 steps trying to avoid the hoards taking photos and selfies. At the bottom we checked out the Piazza Mignanelli with it’s rather impressive Column of the Immaculate Conception.

We then climbed back up the Spanish Steps & walked the mile towards Galleria Borghese. Galleria Borghese is set in a park, known as Villa Borghese containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions, including a boating lake, replica of The Globe Theatre & Bioparko, Rome’s zoo. We didn’t visit the zoo after reading visitor reviews that it was disappointing because it only had one dog………apparently it was a Shih Tzu.

It is the third largest public park in Rome (80 hectares or 197.7 acres) after the ones of the Villa Doria Pamphili and Villa Ada.

The Borghese Gallery dates back to the 17th century, when it was the private home of Scipione Borghese, an art enthusiast. Borghese was an Italian cardinal and the Pope’s personal secretary. He commissioned architects to build the Villa in the style of an Ancient Roman Villa. And when his home was complete, he filled it with his private art collection.

1) Daphne & Appollo.
Bernini’s “From 1622 to 1625, the master sculptor cut and chiselled a large block of stone into a moving portrayal of Daphne as she fled from Apollo, all the while transforming into a tree. The transformation really seems to take place before your eyes, as you circle around, admiring the piece on its pedestal from below.

2) The Rape of Persephone.
Another world-famous Bernini sculpture on display in the Galleria Borghese is the Rape of Persephone. Persephone, also known as Proserpina, is portrayed as she is abducted and taken to the underworld by the god Pluto. Every detail of the work is life-like and remarkable, but most scholars tend to focus at the point where Pluto’s hand grips Persephone’s thigh. The texture is so soft and fleshy, it’s easy to forget that it’s made of stone.

3) David with the Head of Goliath.
Caravaggio’s daring depiction of David with the Head of Goliath has raised a lot of speculation over the centuries due to the suspicious familiarity of the main subjects. It has been suggested that this work is something of a double self-portrait, in which the young Caravaggio stares at the older version of himself in disdain.

4) Madonna and Child with St. Anne.
Caravaggio was without a doubt one of the most controversial individuals of his time. Without failing to include some shock value in this work, the painter took a non-traditional approach to the Madonna, with a very low-cut dress! Oh, and the Saint doesn’t look too flattering, either. In spite of his affinity for pushing the envelope, his craftsmanship and use of deep contrast between light and shadows made him a truly revolutionary artist who inspired creatives for centuries long after his death in 1610.

5) The Deposition.
In 1507, Renaissance master Raphael completed his interpretation of The Deposition. The painting depicts the deposition, lamentation, and entombment of Christ with incredibly accurate anatomy and rich, saturated colours.

6) Bernini’s David.
Sure, it would seem that Michelangelo’s David gets all the spotlight. But Bernini comes in a close second place with his handsome portrayal of the Biblical hero. David stands ready and determined to take down his nemesis, Goliath. Anatomical details and realistic expression are what really make this piece stand out.

7) The Sleeping Hermaphrodite.
Also known as Borghese Hermaphroditus, this sculpture is certain to shock the unexpecting as they make their way from the back to the front side of the restful figure. Still, there’s something soft and soothing in the way that the body sprawls across the pillowy mattress.

8) Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix.
Is there anything that screams “high art” more than a nude figure relaxing on a chaise? This iconic figure represents Ms. Pauline Bonaparte, the wife of Camillo Borghese, who commissioned Canova to implement the project. It was a controversial commission during its time, especially as Paolina had a reputation of marked promiscuity.

The Galleria Borghese has 2 hr time limit for all visitors, but we had completed our visit after just 1hr 5 minutes. It probably says more about us!

We walked back to the nearest hop on hop off bus stop & took a ride that lasted 1.5 hours until we reached the Vatican stop.

We arrived at 3pm, but soon discovered that we had no choice but to join the long queue for all visitors. It felt slightly more palatable that there were 5 nuns in queue behind us. 30 plus minutes later Jackie (only one of us was allowed) collected our papal address tickets. Apparently no identification was required.

We then walked to the Pantheon where there appeared to be a long queue amongst the crowds. My watch told us that we had already walked 9.19 miles that day, so we took a well earned rest at a tourist trap bar in Piazza della Rotunda looking out on Raphael’s Grave statue. We had an Aperol Spritz, which appeared to be the local drink of choice. It is an orange flavoured liquor & Prosecco, which cost us the eye-watering price of €9.50 each. When in Rome!!!

The queue had subsided, so we joined & had a mooch around the Pantheon taking in the all the artwork & sights.

Pantheon facts.

1. It’s not as old as it looks.
The inscription indicates that the Pantheon was built by Marcus Agrippa at the time of his third consulate (27 BC). However, Agrippa’s original Pantheon burned down in 80 AD and was followed by another two later versions which were also destroyed. The present structure was in fact built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian and dates from between 119-128 AD.

2. It’s a church.
The Pantheon was originally built as a pagan temple dedicated to all the gods, but in the year 608 Emperor Phocas gave the temple to Pope Boniface IV as a gift who, in turn, removed all remnants of paganism and consecrated it as the church of St Mary and the Martyrs.

3. There’s a big hole in the ceiling.
The oculus, which measures 9.1m (30ft) in diameter, provides the only source of light, aside from the entrance door. When it rains, it also rains inside the Pantheon but the water drains away due to the slightly sloping floor.

4. It still holds the record for the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.
The spectacular 43.2m (142ft) dome was built using concrete combined with lighter materials such as tufa and pumice to gradually decrease the weight as the dome rises.

5. It used to be covered in bronze.
The bronze decoration of the Pantheon has been gradually stripped away over the centuries for use elsewhere. In 1631 Pope Urban VIII Barberini famously and controversially stripped the bronze from the inside of the portico to make cannons for Castel Sant’ Angelo giving rise to the saying “quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini” (what the barbarians didn’t do, the barberini did).

6. You could put a perfect sphere inside.
The harmonious dimensions of the Pantheon follow the classic rules laid out by top Roman architect Vitruvius and still inspire awe. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior are both exactly 43.2m (142ft) meaning that a perfect sphere would fit exactly inside.

7. You can visit Raphael.
Famed Renaissance artist Raphael was buried in the Pantheon at his own request after his death in 1520. His marble sarcophagus carries the inscription “Here lies Raphael, by whom nature herself feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he dies, feared that she herself would die.”

8. There’s a link with food…
The tombs of the first two kings of the unified Kingdom of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I can both be found in the Pantheon, along with the tomb of Umberto’s wife, Queen Margherita. Margherita has now gained international fame as the inspiration for the Margherita pizza. When the royal couple visited Naples in 1889 a local pizzaiolo made them a pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to represent the colours of the Italian flag and dedicated it to the queen.

We then walked on to the ultra busy Trevi Fountain. Trevi Fountain is described as the most beautiful fountain in Rome. Measuring some 20 meters in width by 26 meters in height, Trevi Fountain is also the largest fountain in the city. We didn’t have any coins to toss into the fountain, so it was just a quick photo & then we moved on.

We found a bar nearby, where we had another Aprrol spritz & plate of sushi each for just €9 each. Jackie had both plates of sushi.

We had ravioli & mussels for dinner, then we popped into the Termini to pick up some cakes (too many), then it was back to the Hotel.

Song of the Day - Spanish Stroll by Mink DeVille.Read more