My travel diary entry - Rome city

I flew in from London Heathrow to the Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome. To get to Rome City Center from here by public transport, there are two main ways that you can take –

Leonardo Da Vinci Express from Fiumicino to Stationze Termini which is the central station in Rome; or

Terra Vision shuttle from outside Fiumicino Airport to Rome City Centre / Stationze Termini. This takes about 45 to 55 minutes and a shuttle is available every 20 minutes.

I chose the 2^nd option in the interest of personal safety because I was travelling alone to Rome for the 1^st time and I had read that the Express train stopped at a remote platform.

I stayed in a hostel after my very good experience in other cities of Europe quite close to Stationze Termini. I selected two tours for seeing Rome by day and by night. These were from Dark Rome tours (www.darkrome.com). I would strongly recommend that if you are in Rome for the weekend and you want to not only see all the important places but know their history, then a local guided tour is the best thing to do. I loved both the tours from Dark Rome and I found that Tripadvisor had maximum 4.0 reviews of this tour operator and so, it was not a difficult choice to make.

The first tour was that of the Colosseum and the best of Rome. I could have taken either the bus (No. 175) or the Metropolitana (B line) from Stationze Termini in the direction of Laurentina; Colosseo is the 2^nd station from Termini.

However, since it was a bright morning and I wanted to visit the churches nearby, I decided to walk. Armed with a map of Rome (I recommend this to be your first buy), I went first to S. Maria Della Vittoria, a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Mother Mary built in Boroque style architecture. It is on Via XX Settembre and it is well known for Gian Lorenzo Bernini’ masterpiece – The Ecstasy of St. Theresa which is in the Cornaro Chapel. This is also the final resting place of St. Victoria martyred for her Christian faith. Next up was S. Maria Degli Angeli which is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Christian martyrs architected in Baroque style by none other than Michelangelo and you have to only see the interior to know his greatness even in simplicity. I crossed the Teatro Dell ‘Opera which is on Piazza B. Gigli on to Via Torino and stopped at the Piazza S. Maria Maggiore which houses the church of S. Maria Maggiore. This is the largest Catholic church in Rome and a Papal major basilica courtesy its size. It is dedicated to Mother Mary and under the high altar is the Crypt of Nativity which contains the holy wood from the crib of Jesus Christ. The buried remains of St. Jerome (from my Travel Diary of Israel is the one who has translated the pages of the Bible into Latin) lies here. There is a large Sistine Chapel on the right, outside which lies the tomb of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Impressed with the architecture and the styles of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Michelangelo, I walked on to Via Merulano and turned right on to Via Labicana. There it was looming before me – the Colosseum. Repair work was being undertaken but still it cannot mar its beauty. I met the tour group leader not before I took tons of pictures and selfies; skipped the line for tickets and went straight inside (that is the beauty of going with a tour operator… you can skip the huge lines and spend maximum time inside admiring the beauty and splendor of the largest amphitheater in the world). Started by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty, it was completed by his son Titus. It is capable of holding at least 50K people and was chiefly used for entertainment including gladiator contests and drama enactments and even public executions. Pretty barbaric to count for entertainment… still.

The seating arrangements had a social order to it – the socially superior people sat closer to the arena whereas people of inferior rank and women (yes, when the guide said that… I did wince) sat right up on top. However, getting to your seat from the multiple (I think I heard more than 75) gates or even the evacuation in case of an emergency has been designed with such precision that it just makes you go ‘Goshhhh’ / ‘Woweeee’. Much of the structure has been damaged due to natural causes and some of the travertine stones were ‘moved’ to build the churches in Rome.

Beneath the arena (little of which remains), there is the hypogeum which is a maze of underground tunnels to house the animals and slaves who would go by the vertical shafts to fight in the arena. There is also a training ground for gladiators which also provided for entertainment.

The Arco Di Constantino situated between Colosseum and the Palatine Hill was erected to commemorate Constantine’ victory over Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge which is depicted on this monument. But that is not all, there are depictions of Emperor Hadrian, sacrifices to Hercules, Apollo, Diana and other divine deities from classical Greek / Roman mythology.

Beyond this is Palatine Hill which as per legend gets its name from the ancient city of Pallantium which later merged into ancient Rome and hence the significance in ancient Roman mythology.

We then came to Foro Romano (Roman Forum), a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of ancient buildings of Rome including earliest shrines and temples (e.g. Temples of Vesta, Regia, Saturn etc.) of ancient Rome. It is known to be the center of public life in ancient Rome and has witnessed many a triumphant procession, contests, trials and other aspects of public life and entertainment. At the northwest end lies Arco di Settimio which is a triumphal arch commemorating the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons - Caracalla and Geta; it is only after Caracella assassinated Geta, all references to Geta were removed.

We walked out to the Piazza del Campidoglio – Capitoline Hill; one of the seven hills of Rome. It contains several ruins which have been covered up by a spate of Renaissance palaces which are now the Capitoline Museums all architected by Michelangelo.

Ahead was Piazza Venezia which is like a central hub of Rome and takes its name after Palazzo Venezia built by Pope Paul II. Here lies the Altare della Patria / Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, a monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy. Most interesting is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame, built under the statue of goddess Roma after World War I. It is controversial because the building destroyed some of medieval neighborhood in Capitoline Hill.

We walked down Via Del Corso to reach to reach Piazza Del Spagna. You cannot miss the baroque fountain - Fontana della Barcaccia credited to Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Lorenzo Bernini built after Pope Urban VIII was impressed by a boat brought here by a Tiber river flood. Even harder to miss are the monumental 135 Spanish Steps linking the Palazzo of the Holy See to the Spanish Embassy and the Trinità dei Monti church above.

It was break time, and you have numerous pizzeria and trattorias to choose from to eat. When in doubt, ask your guide who are very friendly and kind. Being a vegetarian, I was recommended Suppli (croquettes with melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella cheese), Gnochhi (semolina dumplings with that tinge of nutmeg), crunchy pizza with cheese and tangy tomato sauce and pasta arrabbiata (with really tangy tomatoes & peppers). One thing that had me wanting for more was the gelatos (to die for at all the places in Italy that I visited… Italians can’t go wrong with gelatos).

We walked down Via Del Corso to reach Fontana Di Trevi, the largest Baroque fountain in this city and certainly one of the most famous in the world. It was designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi but was completed by Pietro after Salvi’ death. This fountain is the terminal point of Aqua Virgo; an aqueduct that supplied water to ancient Rome for over 400 years. As per a legend, a virgin directed thirsty Roman soldiers to a water source outside the city of Rome and Emperor Augustus commissioned Agrippa to build this aqueduct from the source to the ancient city of Rome and name it after this virgin girl. Also interesting to note was the fact that originally Gian Lorenzo Bernini was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII to build the Trevi Fountain but the project was abandoned after the pope died. Yet there are distinct Bernini touches to this fountain and the majority of the stone is travertine from Tivoli which is the same stone present in the outer wall of the Colosseum. Let the guide direct you to the spot from where you can throw coins in (note: it is super crowded, so hang on to yourself and your belongings).

Walk through Piazza Colonna and see Palazzo Montecitorio which is seat of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and originally designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini but was completed later by Carlo Fontana under the aegis of Pope Innocent XII. Go through Piazza Capranico and you will find the Pantheon looming right in front of you. This is also the site of Campus Martius a publicly owned area of ancient Rome and most populous in the Middle Ages dedicated to the Roman God Mars. Although the completion of the present building of the Pantheon is attributed to Emperor Hadrian, it has retained the original inscription from Agrippa who was commissioned by Emperor Augustus during his reign to build it. Since the 7^th century, it has been used as a church dedicated to Mother Mary and the Martyrs informally called Santa Maria Rotonda.

Piazza Navona is the most elaborate piazza that I saw in Rome. Built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian in the 1^st century AD where Romans went to watch games, it was declared a public space in early 15^th century when the markets were moved here. It was only under the reign of Pope Innocent X whose family owned the Palazzo Pamphili* architected by Girolamo Rainaldi which was situated in this piazza that it transformed into an example of Baroque Roman architecture. In the center stands the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, topped by the Obelisk of Domitian the pieces of which are from the Circus of Maxentius*, the church of Sant' Agnese in Agone by Francesco Borromini, Girolamo Rainaldi, and others.

Note: * 1. The Palazzo Pamphili accommodates the long gallery designed by Borromini and frescoed by Pietro da Cortona. 2. The Circus of Maxentius is a complex of buildings by Emperor Maxentius and a seat of games held during his reign. I did not get a chance to visit but you can take the Metropolitana A line from Termini towards Anagnina and get down at Colli Albani and you can take a bus to this place.

Piazza Navona has two other fountains - Fontana del Moro to the south and Fountain of Neptune to the north, both sculpted by Giacomo della Porta; Fontana del Moro has additions by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Fountain of Neptune by Antonio Della Bitta. At the southwest end of the piazza is the ancient 'speaking' statue of Pasquino, where social messaging that was otherwise repugnant could be left anonymously to be then ‘spoken’ by Pasquino.

Next to Piazza Navona, built atop the ruins of the ancient baths of Nero, lies Palazzo Madama which was completed in 1505 for the Medici family and after the unification of Italy, it became the seat of the Senato del Regno.

The markets in Piazza Navona have since moved to Piazza d. Campo Di Fiori which is a rectangular square south of Piazza Navona. It get its name from the Middle Ages when it was a meadow and is famous for its street markets; the various streets around this are named after some trade.

If you are not too tired and if you are into art, you must not forget to visit the Borghese Gallery which is housed in the Villa Borghese. Cardinal Borghese who was the first owner of Villa Borghese was an avid art collector of the works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (most of his famous sculptures like David, Apollo and Daphne, Rape of Proserpine to the bust of Cardinal Borghese to his self-portrait painting are housed here), Caravaggio (paintings – St. Jerome’ Writing, St. John the Baptist, Madonna Child & Serpent, Boy with a basket of fruit, Young sick Bacchus), Raphael (paintings - The Deposition, Lady with a unicorn) ), Titian (paintings - The Scourging of Christ, St. Dominic) and others. The Borghese Gardens are supposed to be beautiful but I was already running late so I skipped it.

I had booked a night walking tour with the same tour operator (www.darkrome.com); I do admit that I wanted to check for myself how Rome is different by day and night and hence this tour. Note: Please be careful at night and only travel in groups.

We started at Campo Di Fiori and moved on to Piazza Farnese which houses the identical twin fountains - Fontana della Piazza Farnese bearing the emblem of the Farnese family and Pope Paul III who built the Palazzo Farnese. The palazzo is one of the important High Renaissance palaces; its building involved several High Renaissance architects including Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta and others. It has been given to the French Government since 1936 for a period of 99 years and serves as the French embassy.
We came to Ponte Sisto which connects Campo Di Fiori to Trastevere where many a Roman craftsmen go after a hard day’ work to have an aperitivo. Legend about Ponte Sisto has it that sometimes you can see a ghost carriage charging towards you carrying the female Pope fleeing with the Church’ gold. I did not see any ghost or carriage but there were some couples taking photographs or generally a stroll hand-in-hand across to Trastevere which made it seem very romantic. We proceeded through Via Giulia to the Palazzo della Cancelleria. It is the earliest Renaissance palace in Rome again in travertine stone mostly from the nearby ruins of the Theatre of Pompey and the property of the Holy See housing the Papal Chancellery. Moving on to the main road Corso Vittorio Emanuele, we crossed over to Via Gov. Vecchio to the Chiesa Nuova / church of Santa Maria in Vallicella one of the principal churches of the Oratorians a religious congregation formed during the Counter Reformation in the 16th century. We took some in-roads which were deserted but I found comfort in the fact that I was in the company of 21 other people including our guide. Our guide pointed out pictures and photo frames of Mother Mary at all the corners; apparently it deters the robbers who cannot rob while the Holy Mother of God is watching. Finally, we reached the Ponte S. Angelo from where you can see Castel S. Angelo looming beyond in the moonlight. Actually what comes at you are the Baroque statues of angels holding aloft elements of the Passion of Christ. This was originally commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for him and his family. Legend has it that Michael the Archangel appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague and hence the name and bronze statue of St. Michael atop the castle.

Still marveling at the beauty of this amazing castle and St. Michael looking down upon me, I went to the bus stop where I was advised by my ever-helpful guide that buses no. 40 and 64 would take me to my hotel. I got bus no. 40 and reached my hotel without any event.

Thus ended my Rome city tour by day and night. I could not do some parts of Rome but I got some advice from the girls at my hostel – take the map and go on any route and when you get too tired, either drop into the numerous trattorias or pizzerias or hop onto one of the buses on the route or the Metropolitana. Next time maybe. For now, I was happy with the piazzas, fontanas, palazzos and most of all the people and the food especially gelatos.