April 17th in Rome

Today, April 17th, was my favorite day in Rome. It began like every other day of our trip, with an early rising and breakfast at the hotel. However, we had grown smarter, very quickly, and so unlike other mornings, we elected to take a taxi to our destination. We had already walked this route on Sunday as we headed for our Ancient City tour, so we reasoned that we didn't need to do it again. I vowed that upon returning from our trip to Italy, I would be kinder to and more appreciative of my feet. They did a lot for me in Rome, and now I owe them.

We began at the Capitoline Museums in Piazza Venezia, a very busy traffic area with a seemingly lawless rotary. The rule seems to hold that whoever is the bravest, is the one who goes. All others (whom I consider to be sane) yield. There are not a lot of cowardly drivers in Rome, based on what I’ve seen as a pedestrian and what we’ve experienced in the back of cabs. Vespa’s and other motorbikes jostle one another to be in the lead. They pass cars with abandon. It is not atypical to see a business man dressed in a suit, or an older woman in a skirt, on a motorbike. Fortunately, there is a helmet law. Joe and I often asked taxi drivers, exchange students, hotel employees, and other Romans how many deaths occurred each day due to vehicular mishaps. None would answer, obviously it's a well kept secret to keep the tourists coming. As they refused to answer, we'd wonder, “That many, huh?” The driving is something difficult to describe, that must be seen directly to be believed.

Drivers routinely ignore signs that indicate “no cars”, as they drive down the narrow streets anyway. Stop signs really mean “just pause.” On the way to the airport on our last day, our taxi driver was going 140 kilometers (or 86 mph), as I pondered whether it was better to close my eyes and not know, or to keep them firmly open so I would. Speed wasn’t the worst of it, however. There were two hazardous waste vehicles driving along side of us, when suddenly they both turned on their alarms. They were in the passing lane but not going overly fast, so the taxi driver turned into the lane and rode between the two emergency vehicles. There seemed to be no law against it.

On this morning, the taxi driver dropped us off across the street from the museum, which meant we had to somehow cross this busy piazza with no traffic lights. We waited until others stepped into the street, then hurried to keep up with them. We tried to always walk alongside others, but on the inner side, so if the crowd was hit by a car or Vespa, we wouldn’t be the first to feel the impact. We walked up the wide cordonata to the Capitoline plaza designed by Michelangelo. Did that guy ever sleep?

Every time we encountered a hill or stairway, Joe would gaze upward and say, “Great, we get to go up again.” He swore that no matter where we went, it was always uphill. We’d walk up a hill to visit a church, and when we came out, we’d walk up again. Or so it seemed.

The plaza itself is beautiful, its trapezoidal shape flanked by the two, identical buildings of the museum on either side, with the Palazzo Senatorio, once the senatorial seat of justice, across from the cordonata. In the center is a bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius on his horse. I loved, loved, loved the Capitoline museums, seeing with my own eyes the sculptures that I had up to now only seen in photos.

We started in the Palazzo dei Conservatori museum, thoughtfully and carefully laid out, with certain rooms dedicated to one famous artwork, like the she-wolf statue. There is a hall of philosophers and one room dedicated solely to the Venus. Trying to take it all in, and appreciate it, while trying to comprehend the history and genius of Rome and Romans, is often overwhelming . It is, at times, simply too much.

First we entered the courtyard, with the fragments from the colossal statue of Constantine from Maxentius' basilica. We walked down the Halls of the Horti Lamiani and saw the bust of of Commodus as Hercules, and down the Halls of the Horti of Maecenas and saw the statue of Marsyas. We made our way to the new exhibition space that houses another equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and the colossal bronze statue of Constantine's head.

Next we entered the Conservator's Apartment, and into the Hall of the Horatii and Curiatii, seeing Cesari's frescoes of Rome's history lining the walls of the room. We saw the fresco depicting the finding of the she-wolf and positioned in front of it, a bronze statue of Pope Innocent X.

There is also a fresco of the Rape of the Sabine Women and the doors leading out of this room are magnificently decorated, the wood carved elaborately and paintings adorning the sides. We walk through the Hall of Tapestries, leaning in to them for a closer look at the fine needlework, wondering how many years and how many people it took to complete them. The Hall of the Triumphs has the famous statue of the Spinario, or the boy removing the thorn from his foot, as it seems to be better known.

The Hall of the She-Wolf obviously houses the famous statue and the room's coffered wood ceiling is sumptuously carved and decorated, and hanging from it are two lustrous chandeliers.

The Hall of the Geese housed the famous Medusa bust by Bernini.

Next, we entered the Capitoline Museum where we saw the Faun in rouge antique marble, the Capitoline Gaul in the middle of the Hall of the Galation, the statue of the Hunter in the Great Hall and many busts in the Hall of the Philosophers. In the small octagonal Cabinet of Venus we saw the Capitoline Venus. In the courtyard lay (literally) the colossal statue of Oceanus.


After our visit, we sat outside in a small courtyard in the plaza, happy to be off our feet, even if only for a few minutes, and enjoying the view of Rome below us. We didn't tarry for long, though, as there was so much more to see.

Next to the plaza is a church called Santa Maria in Aracoeli, across from the Capitoline Museum. We mistakenly thought we had to descend the cordonata and then climb up the 122 steps to the church. We found out later we could have just walked into the side entrance from the courtyard we had been resting in. However, I'm sure we had much more fun doing it our way. Those 122 steps are on the right side. If you start on the left side, you will walk up 124 steps. It looks formidable when viewed from below, but we were up to the challenge. Well, not so much that we started on the left, we took the easier, right side upward. The church is noted for its Santo Bambino, a wooden figure of the baby Jesus that is said to be carved from an olive tree taken from the garden of Gethsemene. Other than that, it didn’t seem overly impressive. I may have appreciated this church more if I hadn’t already seen my two favorite, the Jesuit churches of San’Ignazio and Gesu. It’s all relative when in Rome, for there is beauty to marvel at and behold everywhere.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli is still considered the Church of the Senate and Roman People. The Capitoline across from it is the seat of Roman city government. On this hill, side by side, exists the spiritual and temporal powers of Rome. “Perhaps nowhere else in Rome but this most ancient and seemingly highest hill of the Aracoeli does one feel so surely the triumph of Christianity over pagan Rome, and the victory of the spiritual over temporal power in Christianity's capital. Santa Maria in Aracoeli, built on the site of the ancient Roman capital, rises precisely above the ruins of a temple to Juno Moneta (home of the early Roman mint, hence our word "money"). The transformation of this temple for a pagan goddess into a church dedicated to the Madonna was an early (and not infrequent) Christian coup” (www.initaly.com).

We then descended the Aracoeli steps, steep enough that you have to take it slow while making your way down. Thankfully, neither one of us suffers from vertigo. So, what did we do next? We ascended the steps (didn’t count) to the Victor Emmanuel monument. You know the rest of the story: Later on, we found out that we could have accessed the monument from the Capitoline plaza. There were plenty of photo ops here, beginning at the bottom.

The Victor Emmanuel monument begins with a wide, high staircase leading up to the Altar of the Nation, where we see a huge statue of the king on his horse. Here also lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by two sentries. On top of the building on each end are two bronzed wings of victory. Inside are Roman artifacts and artwork, which we breezed through. At the top is a commanding view of the Esquiline and Quirnale areas of Rome. While the monument has some great statues outside of it, and offers many photo opportunties, the inside can be skipped. It was funny in that this monument became a landmark for us throughout our stay in Rome. It seemed that no matter what area of Rome we were in, that we'd look up and there would be the monument in our sight. Thusly, it served as a landmark for us when trying to navigate our way through the city.

At some point, we did wander down the street from Piazza Venezia in search of sustenance. Not counting on finding any food of high quality in this immediate area, nevertheless we were in need of a rest and refreshment. We had a so-so panini and diet sodas. The food sated our hunger and gave us a bit of energy to carry on.

Next, with map firmly in hand, and many frequent stops consulting it (try every block), we headed toward the Trevi Fountain. It wasn't hard to find, as the crowds indicated its direction. It was the most crowded place we had seen so far in Rome, but we were able to take good photos by going down the steps and standing right in front of it. I remember thinking that we should return in the evening to see it in a different light, so to speak, but we never did. So many museums, fountains, churches, galleries to see, so little time. As Joe liked to joke, “We saw 72 churches. And that was only the first two days.”

After this, we really needed more refreshment - this time in the form of gelati. We looked for the famous San Crispino but it wasn't open yet. We found some elsewhere and after getting our fill and savoring every smooth, delicious, creamy bite, we came to a crossroads of sort. We could either bear left to the Spanish Steps and to the del Popolo area, or bear right toward Quirnale and two churches. I must confess that we never did see the Spanish Steps, as we made the decision to go right.

More walking upward, a long walk too, up Via del Quirnale, and past the plaza of the same name, left on Via delle Quattro Fontane, past Palazzo Barberini and to Santa Maria de Concezione. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were very close to the Borghese area. The church itself was small and unremarkable, but it didn’t matter, as we were here to see the bones of the Capuchin monks. There is one crypt where various bones form a frame around a painting. In another are artfully placed and arranged skull bones, along with two monks laid out on each side of the room in a carved niche. Everywhere you look, including the corridor in which you stand to view the crypts, are bones adhered to the walls and ceilings. It is creepy. There is another crypt composed of leg and thigh bones, seen here. In the last crypt the following profound sentence is written: “What you are now we used to be, what we are now you will be.”

We were happy to come out of the dank, musty crypt and into the fresh air and sunlight. After stopping in at the church above, we made our way up (again) via Barberini, past the Galleria Nazionale D’Arte Antica, which was on the itinerary. Joe asked me if I was sure that I wanted to skip it, and with many more churches to go, I assented. There must be a reason to return to Rome, and I have several so far. We first came to Santa Susanna, known as the American church in Rome (http://www.santasusanna.org/). Next up was Santa Maria della Vittoria to see The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa. It was easy to spot where the sculpture was located, as that was the place where everyone was congregating and snapping photos.

Despite Joe’s assertion that “all roads lead to Rome, uphill”, this time we actually began to walk downhill, and for a very long time before arriving at Piazza Navona. We had crossed from the south end of Rome to the north, and then back southeast. This helped to burn the calories from all that gelati! Although they weren’t on the itinerary, while consulting the map for the best route back to our hotel, we saw two churches clustered together, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and Sant’Andrea al Quirnale. Joe was such a good sport on this trip, never hinting or suggesting that I might want to skip a church or two, instead gamely venturing wherever I elected us to go.
First we stopped in at San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, a small, Baroque church designed by Borromini. The oval ceiling is beautiful.

San Carlo is designed by Borromini, who did not live to see its completion. It is a Baroque church and is very small compared to all the other churches we have visited. Sant’Andrea is designed by Bernini and has beautiful mosaics on the floor. You feel almost criminal stepping on them because of the prodigous labor in composing them and their stunning beauty. I was so pleased that we had stopped en route to enter these two places, which despite their lack of space, still offered a stunning grandeur of architecture, design and art.

Thus we concluded our church tour for the day. We made a stop near Piazza Navona to shop for souvenirs. Joe quickly picked out wallets for his kids and Kelly, while I lingered over mini Colosseum’s and Vatican’s, and pondered the pen and ink drawings of the famous sites. As we looked up, we could see that rain was not too far off in the distance. Joe warned, “We better get going, right now, because look what’s coming.” We beat a hasty retreat, but really, who can outwalk a fast approaching rain storm. As we were walking quickly, I noticed that everyone coming towards us was gazing upwards behind us. I turned to look and saw a rainbow in the sky. We didn’t make it much further before it began to rain, and fortunately, we were in the right area as we made our way into a large, partially covered courtyard of a convent, where a few others were waiting out the storm. Suddenly, hail came raining down in the open courtyard, almost the size of golfballs, while we all watched in amazement. Shortly the storm stopped, as quickly as it had arrived, and we made our way – finally – to the hotel.

At the end of every day, I was so exhausted that upon arriving at our hotel doorway, I would bow down to the welcome mat and say, “Oh, I could kiss you right now, I’m so glad to see you.” Then we’d go upstairs, take off our shoes, and plop onto the bed. On this day, because it was such an exhausting one, we slept right through dinner.