Rome, Part 4

Museo Nazionale Romano.

I designated this day as my museum day, and started first by walking to the Museo Nazionale Romano (National Museum of Rome). It was a great way to start as it wasn’t too crowded and had some really amazing pieces, like a fresco of a garden with birds and pomegranate trees. The whole thing had been removed from its original building and placed in its own room.

Headless statue.

Next I went across the street to the Baths of Diocletian (Thermae Diocletiani), formerly the largest of the imperial Roman baths. Part of them was transformed into St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, which I visited on my first day, and other sections were changed into another church and the museum.

Rhino and Elephant Heads.

While the museum had a great collection of artifacts from the baths and other sites, I thought the most beautiful parts were the rose garden in front and the courtyard in the center, which contained giant stone heads of rhinos, elephants, and horses. However, when I got close to the heads I realized that their mouths were full of black and green, writhing lizards. It was kind of repulsive, but I guess that was the shadiest spot in the courtyard for them.

Elephant Obelisk.

I stopped by the Palazzo Altemps to see the rest of the National Museum of Rome collection and then wandered around and happened upon the above Elephant Obelisk, officially called the Pulcino della Minerva. The elephant was designed by Bernini and is topped by one of the eleven Egyptian obelisks found throughout Rome, all of which have been Christianized by the addition of a cross or other icon at their peak. This obelisk is in front of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Basilica of Saint Mary above Minerva), built over a temple to Isis which was mistakenly attributed to Minerva. It still seems to hold some its previous mystical history through its star covered blue ceiling.

Book Fountain.

There are endless fountains in Rome where you can refill your water bottle or just tilt your head for a drink. I thought the above was the coolest, with water pouring from books around a deer head.

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary.

Roman cats are the unpaid guardians of the city’s ruins, most notably at the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. About 250 cats live in the temple remains excavated there, stretching out in the shade of columns and steps. This is also the site of the Theatre of Pompey where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.

Centrale Montemartini.

Next I went to the Centrale Montemartini, an old electrical power station transformed into a museum for ancient Roman statues.

Busts at the Centrale Montemartini.

The juxtaposition between the antiquities and the industrial machinery was fascinating. Rome itself is such a mix of old and new that I think displaying the works this way displays the history of the city much better than in a large empty room. I often felt in Rome that I wasn’t in one city, but many cities on top of one another. It’s not like Paris or Berlin or New York where you can look at any corner of the city and feel like you’re in the same place. The Centrale Montemartini really embodied Rome’s multiple incarnations.

Colossal Remains at the Musei Capitolini.

From the Centrale Montemartini, I walked to San Paolo fuori le Mura and then got on the metro to the center of town. There was still one last museum I wanted to visit: the Musei Capitolini.

Capitoline Wolf.

The museum is housed in the massive palaces around the Piazza del Campidoglio on Capitoline Hill. Many of the greatest works of Rome are there, including the iconic Capitoline Wolf, nursing Rome’s legendary twin founders Romulus and Remus.

Statue of Marcus Aurelius.

When I entered the room containing the statue of Marcus Aurelius, there was a swarm of people dressed formally and news reporters and photographers scurrying around. All the activity was around the man in the sash in the picture above. I’m not quite sure who he is, but he must be important. Also, the man behind him seems to be trying the touch the statue. The bronze used to be outdoors on the Piazza del Campidoglio, but now a replica stands in its place.

Sunset on Capitoline Hill.

And here is the sun setting before the replica. I was absolutely exhausted so I sat on the Piazza and watched the sun go down. Then I walked past the evening-lit Roman Forum and got a slice of pizza to take back to the hostel.

Rome, Part 1

It seems like absolutely ages ago that I was in Rome, but I’m going to post about it all the same. I hope I haven’t forgotten too much to tell the story. On my first day I flew from Lyon to Rome and then successfully navigated to my hostel. All the Italian I knew was from the phrases I’d downloaded to my iPod and all my information on what to do in Rome was contained in a tiny guidebook completely written in French. I was set up for potential disaster, but the trip was far from that. That first evening I didn’t do much, just met up with two friends who were also staying in Rome and had some pasta and then red wine at the hostel bar.

I woke up early the next morning and decided my first destination would be the icon of Rome: il Colosseo. However, being that this was my first day, I got a little over confident with my free hostel map and ended up going in the completely wrong direction. I think I ended up at an old city wall, but I’m still not exactly sure. Anyway, I did eventually make it to the Colosseum and dodged the fake gladiators to get inside. It was spectacular. I had downloaded an audio tour to my iPod, so I wasn’t completely lost, and there was a cool exhibit on the history of the Colosseum on one of the floors. I wish that it was possible to see a bit more of it, although I would soon see many pieces of its former marble scattered around the city.

After my personal tour through the Colosseum, I met up with Mari and Natalie (both assistants in France, from England and Scotland respectively) at the Arch of Constantine. While waiting for them, I took the first of many portraits of strangers that I would take in Rome. Apparently I am completely nonthreatening and don’t look like I’ll steal your camera. I hope they turned out.

We bought some much needed pizza and bottles of water at a bakery before going to Palatine Hill. I mention the bottle of water because this turned out to be the only one I had to buy, as Rome has drinkable water everywhere. Even the water that comes out of the spouts in the fancy fountains is okay to consume. It was amazing, especially as the sun never stopped shining and there was limited air conditioning.

Palatine Hill was very cool, although I was glad there were so many walking tours in English and French for eavesdropping because it was hard to work out the imperial buildings from the ruins. The legend is that Palatine Hill was where the twins Romulus and Remus were kept alive by the wolf in a cave. Eventually in their story, Romulus kills Remus and it is from his name that Rome gets its moniker. Due to this, Palatine Hill was the most prestigious of the seven hills in Rome and was where many of the emperors had their palaces.

We got some gelato and then there were the first of many church visits. I stumbled upon San Pietro in Vincoli, known for its statue of Moses created by Michelangelo. It also contains the above relic, St. Peter’s chains, which give the church its name.

Then I saw St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, which has, in addition to this rather unsettling angel, the meridian line of Rome. The basilica was built over what used to be Roman baths.

That evening, we took a free walking tour that started at the Spanish Steps. It covered all the big piazzas of Rome and gave me a good idea of the city, which would come in handy later when the ticket machines in the metro wouldn’t take my money or card and I had to navigate the streets.

From the Steps we made our way to the Trevi Fountain (where we threw coins over our shoulders) and then to the Pantheon, which was just as amazing as it was made out to be. We ended up at the Piazza Navona and then headed to the Piazza di Fiori and had dinner outside. I had a pizza. Yes, for the second time that day. This would be a trend.

From there we walked back through the piazzas we had just visited, starting with the Piazza Navona. The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers) by Bernini was even more stunning with the lights and shadows.

The Temple of Hadrian was also beautiful in the dark. It’sthe remains of the old temple built into a new building, but at night you can almost imagine the modern fading away.

The Trevi Fountain wasn’t any less crowded at night, but more atmospheric. Rome is definitely a city to experience by both day and night.

Wow, I did that all in one day! No wonder my feet were tired. I’ll post more about Rome soon!