Nancy and Doug Trips

Nancy and Doug Trips

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Our lifelong travel bug has given us our most prized ‘possessions’ - the many memories from business and especially family trips.
“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” Read more🇨🇦British Columbia

Follow Message Statistics

Italy 2019 Traveler
Gallery Borghese
May 11, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Yes, another amazing place. The masterpieces go on and on! With pre-booked timed entrances, you have exactly two hours to get through the treasures. The entire building and its' decorations are amazing - it is visual overload. One does get a real feel for the talent of Bernini in his amazing sculptures - how he did all this from a single block of marble is a miracle really. The movement, detail and texturing of his subjects is unsurpassed. In comparison, sculptures prior to this look flat - he really did bring the life into this art form.

The park is lovely, like Stanley Park or Central Park, a reprive for city folk to get a nice walk or group bicycle ride amongst the lovely (and very Italian tall pine trees). People everywhere enjoy the same things it seems.

This art museum is housed within the Villa Borghese Pinciana, designed by architect Flaminio Ponzio as the suburban home of Cardinal Scipione Borghese. The home was given extensive renovations in the 17th century but dates back to when it was Scipione Borghese' home (1579-1633). The house has two floors with 20 rooms, the architectural and interior design features of the building are an attraction in themselves. One of the rooms has a trompe l'oeil ceiling fresco and another has Roman floor mosaics. In the entrance hall there is a mosaic featuring gladiators which dates back to 320AD and was found on the Borghese Estate at Torrenova.

The works of art on show came from the private collection of Cardinal Scipione, son of Ortensia Borghese (Pope Paul V's sister) and Francesco Caffarelli. The Cardinal was a patron of artist Bernini and an avid fan of Caravaggio. The collection includes pieces of ancient art as well as Renaissance and baroque art which re-evoke the Golden Age. The collection includes sculptures and paintings.
Canova's statue of Pauline Bonaparte (1805-1808) is one of the highlights of the collection. Among the paintings are 107 works received by the Cardinal as a gift from the Pope, the paintings had been confiscated from painter Giuseppe Cesari. Raphael's Deposition was another personal gift from the Pope and in 1682 Correggios' Danae joined the collection. Visitors can see Bernini's Apollo and Daphne, Titian's Sacred and Profane Love and works by Lorenzo, Botticelli, Lotto, Rubens, Savoldo, Bassano and Domenichino.

Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_BorgheseRead more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Spanish Steps
May 11, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We were running late for getting to our scheduled ticket time at the Borghese Gallergy due to an unexpected closure on the Metro to get to the People's Plaza and then a later opening at the Ara Pacis than expected. So we didn't get a chance to sit on the steps but rather got a good idea of how much of a jog it is to get from the bottom to the top. Thanks again for the shallow stairs but we were still puffed out by the time we reached the top!

In the 17th century the French had initially proposed a plan to build the Spanish Steps and top it off with a statue of King Louis XIV. However there was opposition from the pope and the plan was only carried out in 1723-1726, but without the addition of the statue. The designer Francisco de Sanctis was chosen for the job and the 137 step flight of stairs was built drawing on the technique of terraced garden stairs. The stairs signified the peace between the Spanish (below) and the French in the square above. The steps are one of the most romantic places in Rome (and the widest staircase in Europe) and attract a lot of attention from tourists. In May the steps are decorated with azaleas and once a year there is a fashion show here when the steps become the catwalk.
At the bottom of the steps is Piazza di Spagna, the Spanish Square got its name from the Spanish Embassy which stood close by in the 17th century.

Article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/piazzadispagn…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
1
Ara Pacis
May 11, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
They have housed this archaeological puzzle in a very nice building. Not a must see but impressive it's own singular way. The Romans were certainly fascinating and busy people!

In 13BC the Roman Senate had the Ara Pacis Augustae erected on the Field of Mars in honor of the Emperor Augustus who had returned victorious from battles in Gaul and Spain insuring peace in the Roman Empire. Augustus fulfilled the prediction made in the Roman epic: The Aeneid to "bring back the golden years to the field of Latium." Anchises predicted that Augustus would "govern the peoples of the world" and Virgil wrote "…it is a god who gave us this peace – for a god he shall ever be to me." Over the years the altar was buried by floods and silt from the River Tiber and it was Mussolini who instructed Giuseppe Moretti to reconstruct and restore the masterpiece. Today a protective building houses the restored altar.
The square, four sided altar is decorated with mythological figures and historical scenes of peace and prosperity which were intended to remind people of the ruler's achievements, competence and the importance of piety and peace. The stone reliefs on the structure depict women and children symbolizing Augustus' pro-family stance; processions show men in togas which represent Roman citizenship and one of the processions is led by Augustus himself. Romulus, Remus and the she-wolf are also depicted. An allegorical scene shows the Goddess Roma sitting on a pile of foreign armor representing the peace Augustus brought following war.

Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ara_PacisRead more
Traveler Wow!!
5/14/19Reply
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Mausoleum di Augusto
May 11, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We walked by this mausoleum built by Augustus for members of the family and then evolved over time into a number of other uses. Nothing stays the same even when we build great buildings hoping to gain some measure of immortality. Roman burials were by cremation, at least for those of status, Christians hoped for a burial underground, there are catacombs just outside the Roman walls where people went but these were robbed a lot in the 1600s and families such as the Pamphilij's applied for and were granted the removal of the mummified remains of certain individuals to be moved into private chapels in their palazzos or sponsored chapels within churches.

The Mausoleum of Augustus is a large tomb built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC.. The mausoleum was one of the first projects initiated by Augustus following his victory at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The mausoleum was circular in plan, consisting of several concentric rings of earth and brick, faced with travertine on the exterior, and planted with cypresses on the top tier. The completed mausoleum measured 90 m (295 ft) in diameter by 42 m (137 ft) in height. Included among those whose remains were laid inside the mausoleum are many of Augustus' family and six Roman Emperors.

In the Middle Ages the tumulus was fortified as a castle and occupied by the Colonna family. Throughout the Renaissance it passed through the ownership of several major Roman families, who used it as a garden; at the beginning of the 19th century it was in use as a circus. In the early 20th century, the interior of the Mausoleum was used as a concert hall until Mussolini ordered it closed in the 1930s and restored it to the status of an archaeological site.

Article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/mausoleumofau…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Santa Maria del Popolo
May 11, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
We had breakfast of buns and cheese and fruit and took the bus to the east of the Vatican to start our visit to this area. Walked through the People's Square which has an obelisk topped with a cross. How they transported these large stone structures from Egypt to Rome in Roman times is a wonder, then they were eventually topped with crosses by the Christians.

Piazza del Popolo ( People's Square) is a large ellipse-shaped square surrounded by beautiful buildings, and home to monuments, fountains and grand memorials. The square leads on to one of the ancient gates in the Aurelian Walls, Porta del Popolo which was once called Flaminia as the gate leads through to Via Flaminia which was built in 220BC to connect Rome with the Adriatic Sea. Their first step into the city would have been onto Piazza del Popolo. In 1562 the gate was built to welcome and impress the arriving travelers and later Bernini was employed to decorate the gate. The most prominent feature of the square is a 23.2 meter high obelisk placed here is 1589. The obelisk dates back to 1300BC and was originally from Heliopolis, Egypt. The square has the Neptune Fountain at the western end and the Fountain of the Goddess of Rome at the eastern end. At the southern end stand the symmetrical churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli separated by Via del Corso.

The Santa Maria del Popolo is a church built in 1477 and standing next to the Porta del Popolo. This church was constructed in 1099 to scare off the ghost of Emperor Nero (who was buried nearby) as locals were complaining that the evil old emperor was haunting them! So a chapel was erected on this site, later in the 1400's the original Romanesque chapel was expanded by Pontelli; in 1505 Bramante expanded the church further and in 1513 the now legendary artists began working on the interior décor.
The church is a treasure trove of renaissance and baroque art by many of the great Italian masters like Bernini, Raphael, Pinturicchio and Carracci. In the apse are Rome's first stained glass windows and two tombs carved by Sansovino. The Chigi Chapel is one of the highlights of the church and was designed and painted by Raphael. Sebastiano del Piombo was responsible for the altar piece, the Nativity of the Virgin, and Lorenzetto sculpted the bronze altar front and carved the statues of Jonah and Elijah. Bernini created niche statues of Habakuk and the angel and Daniel for the Chigi Chapel as well as the pietra dura skeleton which you can see set in the floor. Bernini also had a hand in the baroque parts of the building's façade. Two of the baroque masters, Annibale Carracci and Caravaggio painted the Assumption of the Virgin and the Crucifixion of St. Peter respectively.

Article on Piazza:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/piazzadelpopo…

Article on church:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Santa_Mar…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Day 5 Travels
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Today' we toured "Centro Storico" -- the historic heart of Rome.
Our walk both started and ended at home.
Distance: 20,306 steps; 13.9 km
Weather: Sunny and warm, high of 23

Live map:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c2KQjqRkuO6fL…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Dinner at Dar Buttero Hostaria
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
We were the first customers to arrive at 19:30, but it soon got quite full with lots of Italians. We had salads and shared a Roman pizza -- their "deluxe" with ham, basil, cheese and artichokes. The Roman crust is super-thin and crispy. We find we really like the exceptionally thin crusted wood fired pizza in Rome - very thin and light tomatoe sauce which is also on the pasta. We both agree N American tomato sauce is made "too tomato-ey" and perhaps we can adjust some things at home, especially the sauce on the pizza. Here if you are local you fold your pizza in half so it looks like a slice of a quesedilla. It will be interesting to try the pizza in Naples to see how it compares.Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Santa Maria della Pace
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We needed our map to find this in a maze of small alleys. It is less "over-the-top" in decorations, and has very a pleasing, more classical, architectural design and proportions.

A tiny church off Piazza Navona decorated by Raphael and Peruzzi with architecture by Bramante and Pietro Da Cortona

This church's curving baroque facade (1556–57) by Pietro da Cortona struggles mightily to belong to a much larger, grander structure—but is instead warped and shoehorned to fit into this pocket-sized piazza just off the northwest corner of Piazza Navona.

Come inside this Baccio Pontinelli–designed (1480–84) church to see the first chapel on the right frescoed by Raphael with Sibyls (1514), heavily influenced by Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling (which Raphael has snuck in to see even before they were unveiled). The chapel next to it was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

Across the aisle is the Ponzetti Chapel, frescoed by Baldassare Peruzzi. Check out the bold purples, greens, skyblue, and burgundies of his Virgin and Child with Saints Brigida and Caterina (Cardinal Ferdinando Ponzetti joins the holy group, kneeling at their feet.)

We had a pleasant walk home south through Centro Storico re-crossing Campo de' Fiori, getting a brief view of the lovely courtyard at Galleria Spada and through Trastevere. We detoured to the Conad store to get a few groceries and a bottle of Nebbiolo.

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Santa_Mar…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Sant Agnese in Agone
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Designed by Bernini's rival Borromini. this is a 17th-century church with frescoes, large-scale sculptures & a shrine containing St Agnes' skull. It is notable for its mosaics, shrine of the virgin martyr St. Agnes, and catacombs. It is also another church with a remarkable story of a mix of history and myth, fact and fiction.

Saint Agnes was a member of Roman nobility born in 291 and raised in a Christian family. She suffered martyrdom at age 13 during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Diocletian, on January 21, 304. Saint Agnes is the patron saint of young girls.

According to tradition, the prefect Sempronius wished her to marry his son, and on her refusal condemned her to death. Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins, so he ordered her to be raped beforehand, but her honor was miraculously preserved.

St. Agnes was led out to be burned at the stake, but the bundle of wood would not burn. The officer in charge of the troops drew his sword and struck off her head.

The current basilica, as rebuilt by Honorius in the mid-7th century, stands over an early Christian catacomb. In the 4th century, the soft rock was hollowed out around Saint Agnes's tomb to create a gathering space, probably for her family to observe the anniversary of her death. The visits of her family and friends spread early to others in Rome, and the site became a place of pilgrimage.

The church of Saint Agnes was then built next to the mausoleum in the 7th century. The floor level of the 7th-century church is at the level of the catacomb floor, and the public street entrances are at the level of the second floor gallery.

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Sant&#039…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
1
Piazza Navona
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
This is a very spacious piazza with people enjoying themselves at restaurants and shops all around. Nancy purchased a small Christmas bulb to remember our time in Roma. Although there are some people asking for money there were very few homeless individuals seen during our time in Rome. Whether this represents better social welfare I don't know; it just was. Yes, that is another Bernini fountain - called four rivers. He was unmatched in both talent and speed. He introduced movement into sculpture and brought in the Baroque style.

Piazza Navona is an elongated oval-shaped public square in Rome, it was built on the former Stadium of Domitian. The original name was Circus Agonalis. The Piazza was paved in the 15th century and used as a market place and a venue for special events including mock naval battles. Today is a lively and popular social meeting point in the numerous cafes, restaurants and places of entertainment which line the square. The Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone (1670) is also on the square.

The main attractions of the square are the three fountains, the most famous being Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. The Fountain of the Four Rivers was completed in 1651 and although originally the artist Borromini was commissioned, ultimately Bernini took over the design. The fountain features an obelisk brought from the Massenzio Circus and surrounding the fountain base are figures representing four great rivers: The Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata.

The Neptune Fountain (Fontana del Nettuno) or Calderari was designed by Giacomo della Porta and constructed in 1576. Further statues of Neptune and the sea nymphs were added in the 19th century.

The Fontana del Moro was also created by della Porta. The central statue was designed by Bernini in the 17th century and features a Moor and a dolphin. The Tritons (male mermaids) were added in the 19th century.

Article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/piazzanavona.htmRead more
Traveler Love this picture Daddy!
5/14/19Reply
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
San Luigi dei Francesi
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
The next church was a couple blocks from the Pantheon. It was fortunate that a funeral service had just finished and it was open. The interior has so much gold in it, but the feature was certainly the chapel with the three huge paintings by Caravaggio.

The church of San Luigi dei Francesi is the seat of the Cardinal of Paris, Rome's French National Church, and the heart Rome's French community. The church is named after Louis IX King of France. Construction began on the church in 1518. The plans for the church were made by Giacomo della Porta and architect Jean de Cheneviere began work on the structure, later Domenico Fontana took over the project and saw it through to the church's completion in 1580, and consecration in 1589.

Giacomo della Porta is responsible for the church's two level façade which bears white travertine marble carvings. Thanks to the immense wealth of the Medici family and the French kings the church interior is lavishly decorated. The ceiling fresco was painted by Joseph Natoire; Domenichino painted the cycle of frescoes in the Polet Chapel; a painting by Francesco Bassano hangs above the altar and three paintings of the life of Matthew by Caravaggio are the church's main attractions.

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/San_Luigi…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
The Pantheon
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Wow! Another feat of Roman engineering thankfully preserved by its evolution to a Christian Church and mausoleum. Raphael is here along with Emanuele, the first King of Italy (late1800s when the popes handed over government power). It is of remarkable architecture, design and longevity.

The Pantheon in Rome was built on the orders of Hadrian between 118AD and 125AD, it functioned as a temple to all the Roman Gods. The temple was built to replace Marcus Agrippa's temple which had burnt down in 80AD. The building is in such good condition thanks to renovations made by the Byzantine Emperor Phocas in 608AD when it was converted into a church. The church became the final resting place for several Italian kings including King Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I and the artist Raphael who was buried here together with his fiancée.
.
The Pantheon façade features a triangular pediment supported by three rows of columns leading into the front portico. From the rectangular front entrance hall bronze doors lead in to the main part of the building which is circular. The marble veneer covering the interior walls was a later addition but the geometric patterned marble floor is the original Ancient Roman floor.

Within the building intersecting arches rest on piers which support 8 round headed arches. The star feature of the Pantheon is the dome, supported by a series of arches brilliantly engineered to hold the heavy dome. To further help support the weight of the dome the walls beneath the dome gradually decrease in thickness. Also the builders used lightweight materials on the upper part of the structure and heavier, sturdy materials on the lower section.

Article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/pantheon.htmRead more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Lunch at Caffe Doria
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Doug had a pasta and Nancy had a rather small ie expensive salad and tea at this relaxing cafe after the visit to the palace. Pleasant and good service.
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
The Doria Pamphilj collection is housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and the collection is still owned by the Doria Pamphilj family. The stately home's rooms have been converted to galleries and you can also see the palace chapel and private rooms which retain some of their original furnishings.

This was very worthwhile and unique in that it was closed up for many years before the present owner decided to open it to the public. It is pretty much in the same condition and decorations that the last couple who lived in it (married 1839) left. Great audioguide as you tour the works of art and the private apartments of the couple. Very enjoyable and a nice change from crowds of the day prior. Gives a good idea what all the palazzos were like as you see these large buildings but don't have any idea what they are like inside

In 1763 the rivalry between the Borghese, Colonna and Doria families over who would succeed the son-less Girolamo Pamphilj ended when Clement XIII granted Prince Giovanni Andrea IV Doria the name, property and all rights to the Pamphilj inheritance. With this honor and all its riches the new heir and his successors in perpetuity were compelled by the terms of the grant to reside in Rome and so he moved with his wife, to the palace on the Corso. In this way the Doria, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families were united through marriage over the years. The illustrious family history of Doria and Pamphilj included popes (Pope Innocent X for example who started this incredible collection in 1644) and great leaders, who were in a position to acquire fine works of art. The family's enthusiasm for art led to this incredible collection growing over the years and being passed on from generation to generation.
The gallery holds 17th century masterpieces by great artists such as Carracci, Caravaggio, Annibale, Guido, Bruegel, Ribera, Dughet and more. Renaissance paintings include those by Titian, Lotto, Parmigianino, Correggio, Lorenzo, Raphael and Garofalo. In addition to the paintings the gallery holds marble busts (for example Bernini's bust of Pope Innocent X), furniture and antique sculptures.Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
From Sant' Ignazio, Doug walked through Pz di Pietra past the Temple of Hadrian, an impressive collection of columns that has been incorporated into another structure as is so common in Rome, this time what is now the Chamber of Commerce. A short walk through a maze of lanes filed with small shops and restaurants brings you to Piazza della Minerva which was quite lively with street musicians and artists.

Built on the site of three pagan temples, including one dedicated to the goddess Minerva, the Dominican Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is Rome’s only Gothic church. 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. Behind a restrained Renaissance style façade the Gothic interior features arched vaulting that was painted blue with gilded stars and trimmed with brilliant red ribbing in a 19th-century Neo-Gothic restoration.

Inside, to the right of the altar in the Cappella Carafa (also called the Cappella della Annunciazione), you’ll find some superb 15th-century frescoes by Filipino Lippi and the majestic tomb of Pope Paul IV.

Left of the high altar is one of Michelangelo’s lesser-known sculptures, Cristo Risorto (Christ Bearing the Cross; 1520), depicting Jesus carrying a cross while wearing some jarring bronze drapery. This wasn't part of the original composition and was added after the Council of Trent (1545–63) to preserve Christ's modesty.

An altarpiece of the Madonna and Child in the second chapel in the northern transept is attributed to Fra' Angelico, the Dominican friar and painter, who is also buried in the church.

The body of St Catherine of Siena, minus her head (which is in Siena), lies under the high altar, and the tombs of two Medici popes, Leo X and Clement VII, are in the apse.

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Santa_Mar…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio di Loyola
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Nancy bailed out on this and the next church to spend more time at the Doria Pamphilj.

The church is set in a small piazza of gorgeous buldings. It is beautiful inside, but the most interesting feature is the "dome".

Look at the ceiling of the nave overhead. It is breathtakingly, dizzyingly, swimmingly decorated in a riotous, colorful, and amazingly masterful tromp l’oeil 1685 fresco depicting St. Ignatius and his Works by perhaps the greatest baroque master of perspective there ever was, Andrea Pozzo (who was himself a lay brother of the Jesuit order).

Find the first marble disc set in the floor of the nave, then look back up. This is the spot from which the perspective is designed to all line up and cause the ceiling to literally seem to extend right up into the heavens. Now continue down the nave to the second marble disc set in the floor and take a look at the dome over the crossing up ahead, dimly illuminated by a golden light. Now keep walking toward the transept, but keep your eye on that "dome." The closer you get, the odder and odder it looks. That's because it isn't a dome at all. It's actually another masterpiece of trompe-l'oeil, painted on a flat surface by Andrea Pozzo, on canvas this time.

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Sant'Igna…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Chiesa del Gesù
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
The entrance to this church was hard to find only because the address was listed on the street behind when you simply enter the front, but interesting as the first and model Jesuit church. It is one of the more lavishly decorated churches we visited in a city full of lavish decorations.

The Church of the Gesù (Italian: Chiesa del Gesù; is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), a Catholic religious order. Officially named Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all'Argentina (English: Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus at the "Argentina"), its facade is "the first truly baroque façade", introducing the baroque style into architecture. The church served as the model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world, especially in the Americas. Its paintings in the nave, crossing, and side chapels became models for Jesuit churches throughout Italy and Europe, as well as those of other orders. It is interesting to see the home of the Jesuits, given the prominence of that order in early North America, where we still have today many schools, colleges, etc. with names like Loyola and St. FX

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Il_Ges&ug…;Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Largo Argentina
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Stopped here - it is right in the middle of the city. Paused to think what it must have looked like and muse that this is where Caesar met his end.

Today, Largo del Torre Argentina is largely known as the piazza where you frequently have to change buses, but set into its middle is an excavated zone sporting a trio of ancient temples, their columns poking up like broken teeth, their grassy foundations prowling with Rome's largest colony of stray cats, which legend holds are hosts for the ghosts of ancient Romans.

The Largo Argentina ruins are all the more remarkable for the fact that they just sort of sit there, un-remarked upon—which is especially puzzling given that every 9th grader has read Julius Caesar, and here is the exact spot where he was killed! Against the eastern edge of the excavations you can see the jumbled remains of some brick walls. This was the exit to Pompey's Theater and Baths complex, which the Roman Senate was using in the 1st century BC to hold their meetings while the main Senate house in the Forum was being rebuilt. It was while exiting one of these meetings, on these very steps now covered in cats, that Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators fell upon Julius Caesar and stabbed him to death.

Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largo_di_Torre_Ar…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Breakfast and a Walk in the Ghetto
May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
As we did not have breakfast supplies we took off to find breakfast in the Jewish part of town across the river. We found the Jewish bakery visited by Rick Steves in his video and recommended on trip advisor so bought two of the cheesecakes. These actuallly are pastry filled with ricotta and either a fruit jam or chocolate. We ate one and Nancy packed the other around all day and we had it for dessert. It was better warmed up. We had it with another Nespresso in a paper cup on a bench in the square where the sparrows were quite aggressive trying to get crumbs before they hit the ground, or even snatching from your fingers. Doug got quite annoyed at the pigeons and birds wanting his breakfast - not the most relaxing time but memorable. 🤨
The area included the very impressive ruins around the Marcellus Theatre and Portico d'Ottavia near the Tiber up to the pretty Turtle Fountain and lovely Piazza Margana.

More at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_GhettoRead more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Day 4 Travels
May 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Today's theme was Vatican City.

Took a taxi to Vatican at 07:00 and walked back. Home around 18:00.

Distance: 17.061 steps 11.8 km. Another active day.

Weather: Threatening when we went into the museum and some sprinkles as we left St. Peter's, but cleared and ended up 21 degrees.

Live map:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c2KQjqRkuO6fL…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Dinner at Papa Re
May 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Papa Re is a trattoria (definition of a trattoria is that which serves local/ Italian foods vs a Ristorante which also serves international food, (our foodie guide Riche told us that Rome is not known to do international well but does Italian VERY well so try to stick with that). It is a just a few steps from our apartment and is open all day - many places close at 3 pm and open again about 7:30 which is the very latest that we'd want to start a meal. Good prices and average to above average meal. Doug started with gnocchi followed by pan fried veal scallopini and Nancy had a Roman salad (chicory slices, a bit of anchovy, garlic oil and vinegar - very good!) followed by spaghetti cacio e pepe (spaghetti with pecorino and pepper (this is a sheep cheese - no don't order Parmigiano in Roma! how much of a tourist are you?) - a well known Italian dish. Back to the apartment for hazelnut and almond cookies from the bakery Innocente and some reading to prepare for tomorrow.Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Via Giulia walk
May 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Interesting Renaissance area street (1500s-1700s) which had less traffic. Not many shops or things of interest on it for Nancy but Doug enjoyed taking pictures and the architecture. Mostly architectural firms, design studios, a prison guarded by machine gun carrying young men, a lot of churches for people visiting from other countries. In that time churches were built for those travelling (eg Henry VIII so an English Church, Church of Spain, Florence etc; one to three on a block).

Designed by Bramante in 1508 as part of an urban development program ordered by Pope Julius II, Via Giulia is one of Rome's most charming streets, an elegant, largely car-free strip of churches, colourful Renaissance palazzi and discreet fashion boutiques. At its southern end, the 17th-century Fontana del Mascherone features the face of a man seemingly surprised by water spewing from his mouth. Just beyond it, and spanning the road, is the Arco Farnese, an overhead arch designed by Michelangelo as part of an unfinished project to connect Palazzo Farnese with Villa Farnesina on the opposite side of the Tiber. Down Via di Sant’Eligio, is the lovely Raphael-designed Chiesa di Sant’Eligio degli Orefici.

Article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/viagiulia.htmRead more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Castel Sant' Angelo
May 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
From the Vatican area we walked back home. We viewed Castel Sant'Angelo and did not go in here but it is an impressive sight. As usual, many Roman buildings were saved by Christians putting the structure to use for their own purposes and then things evolving as time went on.

The Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as The Hadrian Mausoleum, was constructed 130AD-139AD on the edge of the River Tiber by Emperor Hadrian for himself, his family and his successors' internment. The mausoleum has a cylindrical colonnaded drum, 64 meters in diameter, on top of an 89 meter wide square base which was covered with lush planted gardens and trees.

Over the years the function and appearance of the Castel Sant'Angelo changed. In the middle Ages additional towers and fortified walls were constructed. It became an impenetrable defensive bastion and was incorporated into the city walls (270-275AD). For the protection of the papal community a secret, fortified passage way, Passetto di Borgo, was constructed (14th century), connecting to the Vatican.

Article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/castelsantang…Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Lunch at Be.Re
May 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Via Vesppasiano, 2
Trapizzino

Italian fast food - a trapizzino is a bun cut on a triangle and filled with a warm filling. Nancy had chicken cacciatore (chicken, rosemary, garlic, vinegar and white wine - no tomatoes - very good) and Doug had a beef meatball. He splurged €6 on a filtered cofee (no refills!) and Nancy had a cappuccino. Adequate, food reasonable, drinks crazy expensive!Read more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
St. Peter's Basilica and Square
May 9, 2019 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
The Square is a very impressive sight and beautiful setting for the Basilica. One reflects how large and impressive this is and what it must have been like for those from the 16th century who were not accustomed to such grandeur in their day to day lives. Designed by Bernini with 13 meter columns topped by 10 foot statues. The obelisk was taken from Egypt by the Romans, placed at the centre of Nero's chariot race course which was there before the square and eventually topped with a cross to befit its new use.

Inside the Basilica is amazing - the largest church in the world filled with so many things and stories. Interestingly, Christians mummified their important people - saints, popes and the ones that are especially loved are on the main floor. The chapel housing one of the recent popes (the "Polish Pope) had quite a few people in it who were praying.

Article:
https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/St_Peter's

Short article:
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/sanpietro.htmRead more
0 likes
Italy 2019 Traveler
Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
May 9, 2019 in Vatican City ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
We waited with the masses and were efficiently escorted to the Sistine Chapel for the early opening. Still quite a few people there and it was annoying they were not going with the signage and the guide's request for silence during the viewing. You get 20 min to look at this incredible set of paintings on the ceiling that took Mike M four years to paint. The rest of the tour was a bit of a blur, a walk with the crowds stopping momentarily for some highlights and then on. With 30,000 people a day going through they have to keep it moving! If I went back again, I would go later in the day and just spend time going through some of the amazing galleries and collections there. From 500 AD to 1800 the popes were both the religious and government head so had tremendous power and resources which they used to collect many precious arts, do interior decorating and sponsor great works of religiously themed art. They also saved a lot of treasures from being destroyed as they appreciated the value of antiquities.

The Vatican Museums are within Vatican City and comprise several exhibitions housed within several museum galleries. The collection began with the purchase by Pope Julius II of the statue of Laocoon and his Sons in 1506.

The Sistine Chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV (pope from 1471 to 1484). Each surface of the chapel is covered with exquisite art, the Last Judgment is painted on the wall opposite the entrance; the story of Christ is featured on the North Wall and the stories of Moses on the South Wall. However the main painting which visitors come to see is the ceiling fresco by Michelangelo. Michelangelo was originally commissioned to paint 12 apostles and ornamental motifs however he was not too enamored with this idea and eventually was given a free hand to plan the ceiling painting as he pleased. He painted 9 important events from the Book of Genesis down the center of the ceiling, the most famous being God giving Adam life with the touching of their two finger tips.

Offical site:
http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivatica…Read more
0 likes

Get your own travel profile

Free

QR code