The New Normal - Christmas in Rome, part IV, Pantheon, Tiber River, Vittorio Emanuele II Monument

Richard near the Tiber River

Richard and I had a low-key and relaxed time wandering around Rome today.  The weather was sunny and clear, and much warmer than the past few days here.  We toured the Pantheon and the Vittorio Emanuele II monument, walked the Tiber River, poked our heads into various shops, and ate at a street-side cafe.  

The Pantheon (not to be confused with the Parthenon of Greece)

The rear of the building

The Pantheon (pan-theos "all the gods"), formerly an ancient Roman temple, is one of the oldest in-tact buildings in Rome.  Converted into the Santa Maria ad Martyres church and dedicated in 125AD, it was the largest concrete structure in the world until the 20th century.  Italian painter, Raphael and Victor Emmanuel II, Italy's first king, are buried there.  The church is still an active one.

Raphael's tomb

We found the architecture of the building just amazing.  It is large and symmetrical, 142 feet wide and 142 feet high, and is a perfect sphere.  A huge dome rests on the ringed wall, which is 25 feet thick.  The portico is made of 16 monolithic corinthian columns and there is a huge, bronze door (that used to be covered with gold) leading into the building.  

Coffered dome, poured in molds and mounted on temporary scaffolding

16 Columns in the front of the building

Richard near the bronze door

Looking up into the dome, you see natural light shining through an oculus.  This round opening is 27 feet in diameter, and today the sun shown through casting beautiful light and shadows.  

Sun creating shadows through the oculus

Creche scene (without the baby Jesus, as it's before Christmas)

The interior

Outside of the Pantheon, the Piazza della Rotonda contains a fountain, the Fontana del Pantheon, and the ancient Macuteo Egyptian obelisk  (similar to one we saw in Paris.)  We were serenaded by a cellist and enjoyed watching the horse-drawn carriages in the plaza.  

Addendum: We got to attend the Christmas eve midnight mass at the Pantheon, Santa Maria ad Martyres.  It was my first mass ever and I found the service interesting.  But, it was sure cold in the building!

  

Egyptian obelisk Macuteo and Fontana del Pantheon

After finishing up at the Pantheon, we decided we wanted to view the Tiber River next.  On the way, we came upon a fun shop that featured wooden toys, and was especially dedicated to Pinocchio. Richard enjoyed seeing the old tools and we bought a creche scene there.

“A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face.” 

Cool old tools

Our first views of the Tiber River (the third largest in Italy) were from one of the bridges, then we followed a walking path southeast along the river bank, and finally we headed the opposite direction along a tree-lined street bordering the river.  

The Pons Cestius Bridge, west of Tiber Island

The Pons Cestius Bridge, reflections

Graffiti along the river walkway

View from a bridge

Boat-shaped Isola Tiberina, the only island located in the river in Rome, is considered a place of healing.  It houses three hospitals, a castle, and a basilica.  Since the weather was so beautiful, the stroll was very pleasant. 

Tiber Island from the walking path

The island from the street side

Richard is getting to be an expert statue imitator; do you think there could be $ in this?

After the long river walk and some lunch, we arrived at our final destination the Victor Emmanuel monument (AKA Altare della Patria.)  We thought the Pantheon was large, but it was minuscule compared to this stark white monument, the largest in Rome.  The monument is a commemoration to the first king of Italy, who is credited with unifying the country in 1861.  

The Victor Emmanuel monument

Large patio on the second floor

Large patio on the second floor; Judy looks mighty small!

Statue of Victor Emmanuel atop the monument

Giuseppe Sacconi won the contest for the final design of the behemoth, started in 1895 and completed in 1911.  It is made of white marble, and stands 443 feet wide and 230 feet tall.  On the top of the monument is a statue of Victor Emmanuel on a horse.  It is said that when in Rome you can only escape looking at the monument if you're actually standing on it!  :-)

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Eternal Flame

There is a guarded tomb of the unknown soldier (as I've seen in Washington DC and Paris) outside on the first level.  Killed in World War II, the solider is a symbol for all Italian fallen unknown soldiers.  It can be said that the monument is for all those killed in war, not just the former king.  

Fountain at the foot of the monument

There has been some controversy around the monument.  First, in order to build it, many medieval and ancient buildings were destroyed, plus the slope of Capiloline Hill was changed.  Also, many Italians don't like it because it seems ostentatious, too large, is "glaringly white", and doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the hill.  Among the negative nicknames given to the monument are "The False Teeth", "The Typewriter", and "Wedding Cake."

View from the top of the monument

View from the top of the monument; yep you can see the Colosseum

Even the local seagulls are impressed with the view!

I enjoyed the monument mostly because of the access to the top.  A glass elevator to the upper level afforded a most spectacular panoramic view of the city.  The day was exceptionally clear and I could even see snow on the distant mountains.

My favorite thing about Rome so far, seeing Golden Retrievers! . . . 

. . . and, the middle dog is named "Emily," just like our golden at home in NC!

The New Normal - Christmas in Rome, part III, Vatican City, Spanish Steps

Vatican City State, the center of authority of the Roman Catholic Church, was our destination on day three in Rome.  Citta del Vatincano was founded in 1929 by the signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy.

"The Good Shepherd" Rudolf Marshall (Austrian sculptor/metalist), taken in the Vatican Museums

Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world in both area and population, sitting on only 100 acres of land with about 1000 people living there, including the Pope.  It contains many interesting sites including the Vatican Museums (with the Sistine Chapel), as well as Saint Peter's Square and Basilica.

The entrance to the Vatican

The Vatican Museum(s) is massive, and is actually referred to in the plural because of the many Christian and art galleries contained in its walls.  Like the Louvre, it would take many visits to get more than a cursory look at the more than 20,000 works on display (the Vatican actual owns 50,000 more pieces that are currently being stored.)  Therefore, we had to be selective, and moved through some sections more quickly than we would have liked.

Pope Julius II established the museums in the 16th Century, donating his private collection in 1503 shortly after he was named Pope.  Since then, many subsequent Popes throughout the centuries, as well as private families, have contributed, making the museum(s) one of the largest in the world.  

Art abounds . . . We saw tons of Greek and Roman classical sculptures as our tour began.  

Every ceiling was a work of art throughout the museum(s), including those by Raphael and the famous Sistine Chapel fresco painted by Michelangelo (No pictures allowed there, but we did buy a puzzle!)  

Paintings by the masters to modern artists were everywhere, along with Christian artifacts, maps, globes and other interesting antiquities.  

"Virgin and Child" stained glass 1922, Joseph Bertini & Caesar Ponti

Matisse

Matisse

"Resurrection" 1925-1930, Emile Bernard

"The Trinity" 1960, Salvador Dali

"The Embrace" (Pope John Paul II embracing his mentor Cardinal Wyszynski) 1980, Pedro Cano

Pretty view out the window, table made from colored marble

I was especially interested in the "Gallery of Maps" room.  It is named for the frescoed maps on the walls.  These maps are representations of the papal properties and Italian regions during the time of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1583.)  They were painted based on drawings by the famous geographer Ignazio Danti.  It took Danti 3 years to paint the 40 panels in the gallery.  I loved looking at the detail, including drawings of ships, compasses, and the land forms themselves.  The pictures I took don't really do the maps justice.

Below is "Sphere Within a Sphere", located on the grounds of the Vatican Museums.  It is a bronze sculpture by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro (born 1926) and is part of a series that the artist began creating in the 1960's.  These spheres can now be found in locations all over the world.  Richard says it looks like the Death Star from Star Wars!  I loved the way it rotates and the gear-like look of it.  

We descended a very unusual staircase as we exited the museums.  It is a double helix staircase, know as the "Bramante staircase."  Actually, Bramante designed a similar staircase in 1505, but this one was designed by Guiseppe Momo, and was inspired by the original.  The double helix allows people to ascend one staircase and descend the other, without ever having to meet.  I loved looking at the symmetry, the way the natural light shown on it, and the clear space in the middle.  It reminded me of a conch shell.

You can barely see Richard near the top of this picture

Looking up toward the skylight

Speaking of steps, our evening started with a visit to the Spanish Steps.  In 1717, Francesco de Sanctis won a competition to design the famous steps.  They were built in 1723-1725 and link the Bourbon Spanish Embassy with the Trinita dei Monti church. 

Richard in front of the Spanish Steps

Poet John Keats lived in a home at the bottom of the steps, which is now a museum.  There is also a fountain at the base called "The Fountain of the Ugly Boat."  It's a half-sunken ship with water over-flowing its sides into a basin.  Legend says that during a flood of the Tiber River in the 16th Century, a fishing boat was carried all the way to this exact place, hence they built the fountain.  It is also said that the flowing water of the fountain soothed Keats when he was on his deathbed.  

We ascended all 135 steps and enjoyed the view.  We also saw an interesting Christmas tree on the landing.  It was sponsored by a watch company called Bulgari.  The tree is made of gold-colored pipes with changing light effects and the base moves like the internal workings of a watch.

We finished the night with some more great Italian food. Molto Bene!