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Historic squares in Rome
This itinerary can start from nowhere else but the Piazza del
Campidoglio situated on the Capitoline Hill, which has always been
the privileged seat of divinity and power.
Although it is the lowest and least extensive of the Seven Hills of
Rome, in the early 6th century B.C. there stood the Temple of Jupiter
Optimus Maximus Capitolinus, by far the most important temple of ancient
Rome. Near the present-day church of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli
was, instead, the Temple of Juno Moneta.
It was precisely in the Temple of Juno Moneta, i.e. "exhorter,
admonisher", that the first mint of Rome was established, and the
goddess's epithet later gave rise to the Italian word "moneta", to mean
"coin".
In 390 B.C. the Gauls, commanded by King Brennus, stormed into Rome,
crossing the Capitoline Hill, but the sacred geese of Juno, kept here,
started squawking. The Romans, awakened by the noise of the animals,
were thus able to repel the assailants.
During the Middle Ages the summit of the hill, partially abandoned,
leading it to be called Monte Caprino after the goats grazing there, was
the site of a marketplace.
In the market the measure for wine was the inside of an ancient column
drum, while that for wheat (the ruggitella) was the urn of the ashes of
the Empress Agrippina.
The square, as an actual urbanistic element, was created only starting
in 1538, when Pope Paul III entrusted its arrangement to Michelangelo.
Michelangelo designed the lovely star-shaped pavement pattern, the
façade of the Palazzo Senatorio, the seat of the City of Rome
since 1143, and the two palaces embracing the square, today the
renovated seat of the Capitoline Museums, the oldest museums in the
world.
The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, of which a faithful
copy can be seen in the centre of the square and the original is in the
museums, managed to pass unharmed through the Middle Ages, a period when
metals were melted down and reused, only thanks to a misunderstanding:
the popes, who were its owners until the 15th century, had identified
the person depicted as Constantine, the first Christian emperor. Legend
has it that when the screech-owl between the horse's ears will hoot, the
end of the world will arrive. This event seems to be very far off,
however, considering that the owl is, in reality, a tuft of the horse's
mane!
A new passageway connects Piazza del Campidoglio to the Terraces of
the Vittoriano which offer a breath taking view of the city. The
monument, devoted to the first king of Italy Victor Emmanuel II, and,
since 1921, to the Unknow Soldier, includes the Museum of the
Risorgimento and the Sanctuary of the Flags. It is entirely
accessible to the public.
At the foot of the Capitoline Hill opens out Piazza Venezia,
which takes its name from the monumental palace ordered by Pope Paul II,
who was of Venetian origin, in the mid-15th century.
In 1929, when Palazzo Venezia became the seat of the head of the
Government, the square was proclaimed "Forum of Italy", becoming the
true centre of the city. One side of the square is dominated by the
theatrical backdrop of the Vittoriano. The construction of the building
unfortunately carried with it the total destruction of the pre-existing
medieval and Renaissance quarter where Michelangelo had lived until his
death.
From Piazza Venezia it is possible to reach fairly quickly, going down a
stretch of the Via del Corso, Piazza Colonna, thus named after
the 2nd-century marble column celebrating the victories of the Emperor
Marcus Aurelius over the Germanic populations.
The column escaped destruction because during the Middle Ages the little
Benedictine church of Sant'Andrea was built against it. It was
possible to go up to the little terrace at the top, using the internal
staircase, on payment of a fee. From there, where the statues of Marcus
Aurelius and Faustina were once situated, the pilgrims could admire a
vast panorama.
The square was the site of the papal post office, a place of famous
cafés, and famous band concerts. At present it is the centre of the
Italian political life, which gravitates around Palazzo Chigi,
the seat of the Prime Minister.
From Piazza Colonna we can go, passing in front of Palazzo
Montecitorio, seat of the Parliament of the Republic, towards the
Piazza called della Rotonda which takes its name from the
unmistakable structure of the Pantheon.
The Pantheon is the building of ancient Rome which has been
preserved best down to the present day, and is a true masterpiece of
architecture. The name of Agrippa, which can still be read on the
façade, remembers the son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus, who first
built this temple dedicated "to all the gods". The present-day Pantheon
however, completely different from the original, is the work of the
Emperor Hadrian, who rebuilt the monument in the early 2nd century,
keeping only the ancient inscription out of modesty.
In the 6th century the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the building to
Pope Boniface IV, who turned it into the present church of Sancta
Maria ad Martyres.
For the solemn consecration of the church, the pope had 28 cartloads of
bones of martyrs brought from the catacombs, putting them underneath the
altar. During the ceremony, as the notes of the Gloria were struck, the
Romans saw swarms of devils rise up and fly out the hole in the dome.
The most amazing characteristic of the building is the exceptional
covering dome. It is the largest dome ever created out of concrete:
it measures 43.30 m in diameter and is greater than that of the dome of
St. Peter's!
The entire building is conceived as a perfect geometric figure: a sphere
inserted in a cylinder. The diameter of the sphere coincides with the
height of the cylinder. The dome, created with different materials,
increasingly lighter as they go upwards, ends with a large open "eye",
of a diameter of 9 metres. Through this opening enters the rain, which
is conveyed into the drains visible on the pavement.
The Pantheon today is the sanctuary of the kings of Italy: in fact it
holds the tombs of Victor Emmanuel II, Humbert I and Margherita di
Savoia.
In an ancient sarcophagus there is also the tomb of Raphael. On the
cover of the sarcophagus are inscribed the two Latin verses that Pietro
Bembo wrote for the famous artist: This is Raphael: living, great Nature
feared he might outvie Her works, and dying, fears herself may die.
If you have time for a short pause, we suggest you have a coffee or a
coffee ice ("granita") with whipped cream at the Tazza d'Oro coffee
shop, at the corner of Via dei Pastini. Gastronomical delicacies can be
purchased at the Rossi delicatessen at Piazza della Rotonda 4.
From Piazza della Rotonda the distance is short to Piazza Navona,
one of the most extraordinary examples of town planning in the city. The
original shape of the piazza, in fact, repeats with extreme faithfulness
the perimeter of the ancient stadium of Domitian built in 86 A.D. for
athletic competitions.
The remains of this ancient complex lie 5-6 metres below the current
road level, and can still be seen underneath a modern building in
Piazza di Tor Sanguigna and in the basements of the church of
Sant'Agnese in Agone. The present-day name of the piazza derives, by
linguistic corruption, from the term "Agones", which in Latin means
"games".
The church of Sant'Agnese in Agone stands on the spot where, according
to tradition, the twelve-year-old Agnes was martyred at the end of the
3rd century during the violent persecutions of the emperor Diocletian.
The saint was exposed to the mockery of the pagans, but her nakedness
was covered by the miraculous growth of her own hair.
The nature and appearance of the present-day piazza were impressed in
the 17th century since the noble family of the Pamphili, who had
established there residence in the zone, entrusted the greatest
architects of the time with the task of monumentalising the area and
making it one of the most scenic spaces existing in the city.
One of the most amusing spectacles was the so-called "lake" which was
created in the piazza during the hottest months. The mouth of the sea
monster twisting amidst the waves, the only drainage point of the water
of the Fountain of the Four Rivers, was closed, thus causing the piazza
to be flooded. The carriages going to Palazzo Pamphili were
decorated in the most bizarre fashions, always in any case having to do
with water. As they went by they were admired by the people, who took
advantage of the lake to freshen up a little. The custom was interrupted
in the late 1800s for sanitary reasons.
The square is surrounded by excellent cafés and ice-cream shops: we
recommend a stop at Tre scalini, for their famous chocolate "truffle",
or the Caffè della Pace on Via della Pace, which for years has been one
of the liveliest meeting places of the capital. At night it is the
preferred spot for young people and entertainers, while in the daytime
it is the haven of artists and intellectuals.
The necessary close to the itinerary across the historic squares of
Romes is Piazza di Spagna. Extremely original in shape, with a
narrowing a the centre which divides it into two parts, almost like a
butterfly's wings, since the 17th century it has been the meeting place
for travellers coming from all over the world, who could easily arrive
here with their carriages.
Thus hotels, shops and cafés began to spring up, where painters,
writers, and children of rich families would meet, in an international
atmosphere, described in the late 19th century by Gabriele D'Annunzio.
The European nature of the area is clearly stressed by the presence of
the diplomatic offices of France and Spain, which also influenced the
name of the piazza itself. In fact, at first known as Platea Trinitatis,
after the church of Trinità dei Monti overlooking it, it later
became Piazza di Spagna, on the right side, in front of the building of
the Spanish Embassy, and Piazza di Francia, on the part towards
Via del Babuino.
In 1857, the column of the Virgin was raised in front of the
palazzo di Spagna. It is one of the last monuments of papal Rome,
ordered by Pope Pius IX to celebrate the proclamation of the dogma of
the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. Each year, on 8 December, the
city's firemen, in the presence of the pope, pay homage to the Virgin by
placing a floral wreath on the statue.
On the hilltop, where in antiquity there were fabulous residential
villas, today there is the striking façade of the church erected in the
16th century for the French monarchs on the spot preferred by St.
Francis of Paola for solitude and peace. In fact, the site was
completely isolated from the lower part and, where today the staircase
is admired, there was originally an actual wood, often the site of
crimes. The staircase built by Francesco de Santis, starting in 1732, is
made up of 138 steps which are ascended very easily because the
architect had included in his plan benches and small resting spaces
between one ramp and the next.
If it is afternoon, we recommend stopping for the ritual 5 o'clock tea
at the renowned Babington's Tearoom, a true piece of old England
established in 1893 by the enterprising Miss Babington and Miss Cargill.
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