there is just so much to do! What a treat this was and once again justification for return visits to this city. San Clemente has sublime, beautiful, intricate
frescoes that capture you--you know that you are not absorbing and can not absorb it all. But this is not all as below the medieval church are the remains
of two earlier places of worship with clearly understood remnants going back more than 2000 years to pre-Christian observances. In the lowest level,
which is only partially excavated, there is a Mithraic altar where the ancient Mithraism cult sacrificed bulls. There are also the remnants of a Roman house
with an 'in-house" temple for the cult worship.
Between this and San Clemente at ground level are the remains of several rooms of a 5th century church with frescoes still discernible along its high
walls. There isn't a whole lot here but what is here is interesting, fascinating and enlightening. Restoration work is being undertaken now to preserve this
art. Again, we highly recommend including a visit to this place on a first visit to Rome--particularly if you may not be returning. Reminder: as with most still
consecrated churches in Italy, San Clemente is closed from 12:30 - 3:00 pm.
time we chose the PALAZZO MASSIMO ALLE TERME which is a fairly new addition to museum offerings. It is located across from the main bus and train
terminals for the city which means it is off the main track and not a particularly inviting section of the city when thinking about the glories of Rome. But--the
museum itself is interesting--not extensive but worth going to for what it does have. It is housed in a 19th century palazzo-- a perfect showcase for its many
attractions--truly beautiful sculptures, paintings, frescoes, murals and mosaics from the Roman age. Perhaps the most remarkable is an exquisite large
wall-painting from the Villa di Livia on the Palatine Hill. This painting and its preservation is often referenced in publications and in information about the
Palatine, making me want to see it for a long time. It was nice to finally find it.
There are several other such frescoes in the museum, all incredibly well preserved--some of the best we have seen in Italy and seemly hardly dimmed with
time or by the harsh elements--truly amazing. And---not to be ignored are the mosaics, both floor and wall. These, too, have been taken from the villas of the
ancient rich and famous. Today's wealthy shouldn't strut when compared with the rulers of Rome--both before and after the Empire.
alle Terme
Frescoes and Mosaics
treasures in this museum is an
incredible coin display below
the ground level. The history of
coins, from ancient
wanted more time to see. Save time for it as it is very unique in its completeness and the window it provides on ancient monetary standards. We had to rush
through this exhibit as we had an assigned time for the top floor tour which has the murals and mosaics--you can only visit that floor with a guide--and the
museum closed at the end of our tour.
event took place
some ways from
here at the
temporary Senate
building set up in
the Theatre of
Pompey. You can
visit the church of
S. Barbara de'
Librai to see the
few remains of
this. (This
information
complements of
my cyber-
friend--Bill Thayer)
you? Did Shakespeare create for
you mental visions of Julius being
desecrated by knives as he stood
between pillars on marble steps,
knowing that those he trusted and
called friends had turned on him?
Has Et Tu, Brutus rung in your ears
over time? If so, be sure to walk
down Corso Vittorio Emanuele to
Via di Torre Argentina. There
below ground level you will see
AREA SACRE D'ARGENTINA and
this, the sign board says, is where
Julius Caesar was assassinated
that fateful day in March. And,
some would say, this was the day
that doomed Rome.
hundreds. The tourist can only explore with
a pre-arranged guide so you stand on the
sidewalk trying to absorb the event that
took place here--as given to us by
Shakespeare.
Brutus and co-harts lay in wait for Caesar? Is
this where blood flowed and the history of
the world was forever impacted? Archeology
says no. (Don't believe all you read on signs!)
been added to the Museo Nazionale d'Arte Romana. Basically, this is an excavation of the 1st century BC Theater of Balbus. The museum is almost all
below ground level so once down you are under the streets and surrounding buildings of today's Rome. You walk through several medieval streets and
arcades to a Roman road which leads to what was the theater. I should clarify that these are not well-defined streets, buildings and roads--more like
remnants that leave enough clues to piece out what they were--using a great deal of imagination. Do not expect an underground city. This is interesting
but doesn't need to be highly placed on a must-do list. Unless you have a lot of time in Rome or have already had several visits here, I would suggest not
including it in your itinerary. I think in time as more is excavated--a hard thing to do as it is under existing Rome--it will become more interesting
--perhaps. Also, if you are monolingual English, find out when the tour will be offered in English.
was a good place to take Casey and there are some wonderful views of the roof tops of the Vatican and over to the other side of the Tiber where Rome
lies. Casey enjoyed it here as there are climbing opportunities and big spaces. Of course, it is so imposing from the outside that any child and the child in
all of us wants to explore it. Then--for anyone who has read Brown's novel Angels and Demons, it is fun to speculate on the location of the secret corridors
and walkways. Of course, it is well known that there is the long corridor between the Castel and the Vatican which was to allow the Pope to move in secret
when in danger. Our apartment was just across the bridge from the Castel and so this was an easy visit for us. Beware--the bridge is lined with fellows
providing you with opportunity to buy Gucci or any other designer bag you could want.
STEPS--doesn't every trip to Rome require this obligatory stop? Actually,
we were on our way -- or was it on the way back? Don't recall--to PIAZZA
DEL POPOLO. We wanted to go to Santa Maria del Popolo because of the
art work that is there and which we had missed on other visits to Rome.
Unfortunately, most of the church and the art is non-seeable right now
due to major restoration taking place. So--another time another trip--too
bad! This, too, is a venue for one of the more gruesome events in
Brown's book Angels and Demons (which I found to be a much more
enjoyable, grabbing read than the bizarre and silly, highly over-rated and
over-hyped Da Vinci Code.
Anyway, back to the Spanish Steps--they were as crowded as ever but
somewhat cleaner than the last time we were there. We, all climbed to
the top and then back down. At which point we were hungry and so
wandered until we found a restaurant that appealed to us--of course, all
restaurants around there are busy and tourists geared; however, we
selected one that had Romans actually represented at the tables. We
had an excellent lunch--well-prepared, fresh with menu items that were
not just ordinary, run-of-the-mill dishes and service was good. So--we
recommend a mid-day meal at Ristorante 34.
week in Rome; however, they are
well covered in books. There is
nothing I can add to those much
more qualified sources, and in fact,
it would be quite presumptuous to
try.
So, I finish this with pictures that
will share with you a little more of
our time, the fun we had and options
before you.
night--vibrant, soothing,
busy, exciting,
absolutely gorgeous!
As you plan your time,
plan on extending into
the evenings. If you
don't, you will miss the
magic.
Coronari there are many
fascinating shops. Casey
wandered into this
one--Porcellana 55. There
are cute kitchen gadgets
and other things here. As
you can tell, Casey had new
friends before we left--along
with a very expensive plastic
pig pencil sharpener.
If you find yourself here, be
sure to tell them "Casey
says hello."
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