The Janiculum, considered the eighth hill of Rome, is a pleasant place to stroll, enjoying the extraordinary views of the city.
It became very popular for to the important historical role it occupied in defending the city.
Having become the scene of the battle in which Garibaldi fought the French troops, its summit is now full of sculptures in homage to the Italian patriot.
What to see in the Janiculum area
The Janiculum is a very pleasant area for walking, with its cheerful environment, away from the chaos of the city.
Usually there are activities for children, such as puppet shows or pony rides.
These are some of the most interesting places to visit in the area:
The Fountain of Acqua Paola
The Fountain of Acqua Paola:
also called Fontanone, in Roman jargon: It is a monumental marble fountain, created in the 17th century to celebrate the reopening of the ancient Roman aqueduct.
Manfredi lighthouse
Manfredi lighthouse:
the beautiful lighthouse built in 1911 was a gift from the Italians who emigrated to Argentina.
Church of San Pietro in Montorio
Church of San Pietro in Montorio:
Part of a Franciscan monastery, the church remained open to the public until today.In its courtyard is the Tempietto di Bramante, a small temple erected in the place where St. Peter was crucified.
It is a favorite destination for many, to celebrate their wedding, thanks to the splendid view of the whole city that it offers.
Garibaldi statue
Monument to Garibaldi:
The bronze equestrian statue depicting Garibaldi is part of the park that commemorates the resistance on the Janiculum Hill against the French army in 1849.
In the splendid setting of the Janiculum there is also the Banbin Gesù hospital, owned by the Vatican City.
Its fame for the care of pediatric and neo-infantile patients is a source of pride all over the world …
The most famous of the Roman fountains: a jewel of water and stone
Trevi Fountain, exhibition terminal of the Virgin aqueduct, unique of the ancient aqueducts uninterruptedly in use until our days, is the most famous of the Roman fountains.
Origin
Its name derives from a toponym in use in the area since the mid-twelfth century.
Regio Trivii, referring to the confluence of three streets in the square, or from the triple outlet of the water of the original fountain.
The construction of the current Trevi Fountain is due to Pope Clement XII who, in 1732, held a competition in which the major artists of the time participated.
Among the various projects presented, the architect Nicola Salvi was chosen.
Structure
Leaning against Palazzo Poli, the fountain is articulated in the large basin with a wide cliff enlivened by the sculptural representation of numerous plants and the spectacular flow of water.
In the center dominates the statue of Ocean driving the shell-shaped chariot, pulled by the wrathful horse and the placid horse, held back by two newts.
In the façade, articulated as a triumphal arch, there are two reliefs that allude to the legend of the source and the history of the aqueduct:
on the right, the virgin pointing to the spring to the Roman soldiers
on the left, Agrippa ordering the start of the construction of the aqueduct.
The decorative apparatus is completed by two allegorical figures that enhance the beneficial effects of water, Healthiness and Abundance, placed in the side niches.
The construction was completed by Giuseppe Pannini who partially modified the cliff regularizing the central basins.
After a restoration in the years 1989-1991, the last major restoration took place in 2014, thanks to the economic contribution of the Maison Fendi.
Before leaving, do not forget to throw a coin into the fountain, you will surely return to Rome, as the custom says.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a bit of romance, perhaps even an Italian love, you will have to throw a second and a third coin to make sure that the wedding bells resound soon.
Photos of the G20 Coin Toss
The Trevi Fountain was the splendid setting for the most famous scene of the film La Dolce Vita by director Federico Fellini;
a provocative Anita Ekberg wrapped in a long black evening dress calls Marcello Mastroianni: “Marcello, come here!”,
while sinuously immersing herself in the sparkling waters of the fountain.
Venezia Square is located at the foot of the Campidoglio, where five of the most important streets of the capital intersect:
via dei Fori Imperiali, via del Corso, the axis via C. Battisti-via Nazionale, the axis via del Plebiscito-corso Vittorio and via del Teatro di Marcello.
The square is dominated by the Altar of the Fatherland.
Three monumental palaces surround it on the other sides.
The oldest is the fifteenth-century Palazzo Venezia,
which gives its name to the square and which is home to the homonymous national museum.
The other palaces are the seventeenth-century Bonaparte Building.
and the Building of Generali’s Insurence , built in the early twentieth century.
On Venezia Square there are the boundaries of three districts:
to the west of it extends the Pigna district, to the east the Trevi district and to the south the Campitelli district.
Five important streets that branch off from Venezia Square make it a fundamental node of the urban fabric.
The oldest is the central Via del Corso, which connects the square with the northern part of the capital.
The route of Via del Corso dates back to 220 BC, following that of the urban stretch of the Via Flaminia, one of the most important consular roads.
Altar of the Fatherland is also called Vittoriano…
The Vittoriano complex was built to celebrate and initially remember Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy, the first King of Italy.
It is also considered one of the monuments, symbol of the Eternal City and the country.
The monument was built between 1885 and 1911, and in fact represents the unity of the country and “love of country”.
The Unknown Soldier( Venezia Square)
In November 1923 the body of the unknown soldier was buried in the heart of the Vittoriano, to celebrate the victims who fell in the war.
In 1935, following the intervention of the architect Armando Brasini, the homonymous area dedicated to the Central Institute for the Risorgimento and its Museum, inaugurated on May 24 of the same year, was finally designed and built.
A monument, highly symbolic, immediately thought of as a place not only to look at but also to live, with museums and exhibition spaces, where great art exhibitions are held.
During the Christmas period the square lends itself to hosting the Christmas tree.
The square takes its name from the imposing Farnese Palace.
Farnese Palace
The Palace was built for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese by the greatest artists of the time.
Let’s talk about, Antonio da Sangallo Il Giovane, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Jacopo Barozzi called Vignola and Giacomo Della Porta.
The square began to be so named when the aforementioned Cardinal Farnese bought the houses of Cardinal Ferritz and others that he demolished, to make it a square where he built his splendid residence.
The palace was begun in 1514 on designs by Antonio da Sangallo Il Giovane.
Subsequently, both for the election of the cardinal as pontiff (Paul III) in 1534 and following the death of Sangallo (1546), the work was continued by Michelangelo.
Michelangelo, defined the layout of the first two floors,
he erected the third and embellished the façade with the central balcony and the splendid projecting cornice.
The material used for the construction of the palace was taken from the ruins of Ostia and those of the “Temple of the Sun”.
The travertine used was that from the quarries of Tivoli, while the beams for the ceilings of the palace, of exceptional proportions, were brought from the woods of Carnia.
It was nicknamed “the dice” for its square size, but it is also considered one of the four wonders of Rome.
In 1874 the French Embassy took up the palace through a lease with the Bourbons.
Purchased by France in 1911, the palace was resold to the Italian State in 1936, the year in which the two States signed an agreement to lease the two embassies,
the Italian one in Paris and the one French in Rome, for 99 years with emphyteutical rent.
The Fountains of Farnese Square
In the square there are also two beautiful fountains, consisting of two Egyptian granite tanks from the Baths of Caracalla.
In 1545 Paul III Farnese had one transported in front of his palace.
At the center of the then Del Duca Square (today Farnese), it was brought only for ornamental reasons as there was not enough water to feed the fountain.
In 1580 Cardinal Alessandro Farnese obtained permission from Pope Gregory XIII to take the second,
both still with a purely ornamental function.
It was Girolamo Rainaldi in 1626 who adapted them to fountains.
He attached them to the condes of the Acqua Paola, after Cardinal Odoardo Farnese obtained from Pope Gregory XV 40 ounces of water for the realization of the work.
The two pools are decorated with lion protomes and with relief rings and resting on as many travertine pools.
They have in the center two cups that support the Farnese lilies (originally in travertine, then redone in marble in the restoration work of 1938) from which gusps of water rise.
The square was long used as a space used for the organization of tournaments, bullfights and popular festivals.
Church of Santa Brigida in the heart of Farnese Square
On the right side of the square there is a building complex consisting of the church of Santa Brigida.
Del Gallo of Roccagiovine Palace
Another civil architecture that ennobles the square is Del Gallo of Roccagiovine Palace, today home to a lucky few.
What makes this palace unique is the magnificent staircase in the courtyard.
Farnese Square together with Campo Dé Fiori Square, both adjacent, are considered as favorite destinations for Romans and tourists for a walk.
Rich in clubs and restaurants, they are the best choice to spend an evening full of fun admiring, between a glass of wine and a plate of pasta, the history that characterizes them.
The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four papal churchs (church of higher rank) in Rome and the only one to have preserved the original early Christian structure, albeit with some additions.
Origin
Legend has it that it arose at the explicit request of the Virgin Mary, who appeared in a dream to Pope Liberius (352-366).
It was actually erected a century later by Pope Sixtus III on the site of an earlier church.
Position
The Church is located in Esquilino square on the top of the homonymous hill, on the peak of the Cispio, between the Rione Monti and the Esquilino.
It is the only Church in Rome to have preserved the primitive early Christian structure, albeit enriched by subsequent additions.
Legal status.
The building of the Church, including the external stairways, constitutes an extraterritorial area in favor of the Holy See.
The Church enjoys, together with other buildings and on the basis of agreements between the Italian State and the Holy See, the privilege of extraterritoriality
and the exemption from expropriations and taxes,
as established by the Lateran Pacts and formalized in the Villa Madama Agreement.
The Church
The Papal Church of S. Maria Maggiore is an authentic jewel full of priceless beauties.
For about sixteen centuries it has dominated the city of Rome.
Marian temple par excellence and cradle of artistic civilization, it represents a reference point for the cives mundi,
who come from all over the globe to the Eternal City to taste what the Church offers through its monumental grandeur.
Inside
Alone, one of the major Church of Rome, to preserve the original structures of its time,
albeit enriched with later additions, it has some peculiarities inside that make it unique:
The mosaics of the central nave and the triumphal arch dating from the 5th century AD made during the pontificate of Sixtus III (432-440)
and those of the apse whose execution was entrusted to the Franciscan friar Jacopo Torriti by order of Pope Nicholas IV (1288-1292).
The “cosmatesque” floor donated by the knights Scotus Paparone and son in 1288,
Coffered ceiling in gilded wood designed by Giuliano San Gallo (1450);
The crib of the thirteenth century. by Arnolfo da Cambio;
Numerous chapels (from the Borghese one to the Sistine one, from the Sforza chapel to the Cesi one, from that of the Crucifix to the almost disappeared one of San Michele);
The High Altar by Ferdinando Fuga and later enriched by the genius of Valadier;
finally, the Relic of the Sacred Cradle and the Baptistery.
Every column, every painting, every sculpture, every single piece of this Basilica epitomize historicity and religious sentiments.
The numerous treasures contained in it make S. Maria Maggiore a place where art and spirituality come together in a perfect union offering visitors those unique emotions
typical of the great works of man inspired by God.
Trastevere, is located on the right bank of the Tiber, south of the The Vatican City .
It includes the plain on the bend of the river and the Janiculum hill, (famous Roman hill, 88 meters high, from which it is possible to see the whole city.)
It is bordered to the south and west by the Gianicolense Walls and to the north by the Principe di Savoia-Aosta Gallery.
Origins
At the time of the founding of Rome, the Trastevere area was a hostile land that belonged to the Etruscans.
It was disputed with the newborn city because it was strategic for the control of the river and the ancient river port.
Trastevere was then connected with the rest of the city through the Ponte Sublicio, from which the Via Campana started, towards the salt pans on the Tyrrhenian Sea and later the Via Aurelia, towards the Etruscan cities.
In the Republican Age …
In the Republican age, it was populated by those workers whose activities were related to the river, such as sailors and fishermen, along with Eastern immigrants, mainly Jews and Syrians.
For this reason, some temples of oriental cults were built in the area, including the so-called Syriac Sanctuary on the Janiculum.
The consideration of the area as part of the city begins with the Emperor Augustus, who divided the territory of Rome into 14 regions.
The current Trastevere was the fourteenth and was called regio transtiberim.
However, the region remained outside the walls until the construction of the Aurelian Walls which incorporated Trastevere.
Thanks to the suburban character of the territory, in the imperial period many personalities decided to build their own villa in Trastevere, including that of Clodia, a friend of Catullus, and that of Julius Caesar.
In the Middle Ages…
Trastevere in the Middle Ages had narrow, winding and irregular streets; moreover, due to the Mignani, projections protruding along the facades of the houses, there was not enough space for the passage of the wagons.
At the end of the fifteenth century these mignani were demolished, but despite this Trastevere remained a labyrinth of paths.
Strong was the contrast between the rich and mighty houses of the lords and the huts of the poorest people.
The streets did not have any type of paving until the end of the fifteenth century thanks to the intervention of Pope Sixtus IV.
The pope had some streets paved first with bricks of bricks placed in a herringbone pattern, then with cobblestones, more suitable for carriage wheels.
Later he divided Rome into fourteen districts.
Thanks to the partial isolation (since it was located beyond the Tiber) and the multicultural environment since the time of ancient Rome, the inhabitants of Trastevere, called Trastevere, came to form almost a separate population.
They were considered commoners of known tenacity, pride and genuineness.
Furthermore, women were considered very beautiful, with very dark eyes and hair and beautiful features.
After 1870, the walls were built to block the flooding of the Tiber.
This certainly brought greater security at the cost of destroying all the most characteristic places that were on the shore.
Today
Today Trastevere still maintains its character thanks to the winding streets covered with cobblestones overlooked by medieval public houses.
The night is filled with people, both Italian and foreign, thanks to the wealth of typical Roman restaurants, clubs and pubs for every price range.
Santa Maria in Trastevere Square
The basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere (in the photo above on the left), which stands on the homonymous square, was probably the first official place of Christian worship built in Rome.
It is certainly the first dedicated to the cult of the Virgin.
Even today, walking through the streets of Trastevere it is possible to admire the characteristic tunnels and alleys of cobblestones that make tourists from all over the world lose their heads.
The Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State also called simply the Vatican, is a State of the Italian Peninsula.
It is the smallest sovereign state in the world, both in terms of population (453 inhabitants) and territorial extension (0.44 km), the sixth in terms of population density.
As a form of government it is a theocracy, that is, a form of government, according to which the management of religious and secular governmental activities coincide.
The city-state was born on 7 June 1929 with the Lateran Pacts, signed on 11 February of the same year between Benito Mussolini and the cardinal secretary of state Pietro Gasparri, respectively the representatives of the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See.
The official language is Latin and the state bills its own currency, but, as a result of the customs and monetary union with Italy, adopts the euro.
It issues its own stamps, which can be used for the postal service to the whole world (but obviously only with shipment from the Vatican Post Office).
The Vatican also publishes a daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, founded in 1861, and since 1931 a station has been operating, Vatican Radio, which broadcasts in various languages.
Three extraordinary points of interest can be visited in the Vatican City:
– St. Peter’s Square
– Saint Peter’s Church
– The Vatican Museums, where the Sistine Chapel is located.
St. Peter’s Square
The dimensions of the square are spectacular: 320 meters long and 240 meters wide.
On the occasion of important liturgical events, St. Peter’s Square has come to welcome more than 300,000 people.
The square was built, by order of Pope Alexander VII, between 1656 and 1667, based on a project by Bernini,
and in addition to its enormous size, the 284 columns and 88 pillars that surround the square in a four-row portico are truly impressive.
In the upper part of the columns there are 140 statues of saints, made in 1670 by Bernini’s disciples.
In the center of the square we find an obelisk and two fountains, one designed by Bernini (1675) and the other designed by Maderno (1614).
The obelisk, 25 meters high, was brought to Rome from Egypt in 1586.
The most suggestive way to reach St. Peter’s Square is to take Via della Conciliazione, a long road that starts from Sant’Angelo Castle.
Saint Peter’s ChurchSt.
Peter’s Basilica welcomes the Holy See and is the most important temple of the Catholic Church, where the Pope celebrates the most important liturgies.
Construction of the basilica began in 1506 and ended in 1626, and was consecrated on November 18 of this last year.
Various architects took part in its construction, including Bramante, Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno.
The name is due to the first Pope in history, St. Peter, whose body lies in the basilica.
The interior of the Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica can hold up to 20,000 people.
It is 190 meters high and the central nave is 46 meters high, while the dome reaches 136 meters in height.
Among the works of art preserved inside are Bernini’s Baldacchino, Michelangelo’s Pietà and the bronze statue of St. Peter.
This last sculpture has the right foot consumed by the kisses of the faithful.
The dome
It was designed by Michelangelo and was carried out by Giacomo Della Porta and, in 1914, by Carlo Maderno
Vatican Museums
The Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel is one of the most important treasures of the Vatican, Rome and the world.
It is famous for its frescoes but also because it is where the Popes are elected.
All the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti, who took four years to paint the vault (from 1508 to 1512).
Among the most fascinating images of the frescoes are the stories of the genesis, which occupy the central part, from the Drunkenness of Noah to the Separation of Light from Darkness.
Creation of Adam
The Creation of Adam is, without a doubt, the most famous image in the Sistine Chapel.
It is located in the central part of the vault and represents the passage from Genesis in which God gives life to Adam.
Universal Judgment
On the main altar there is another masterpiece by Michelangelo, The Last Judgment, a large fresco (13.7 by 12.2 meters) which illustrates what is narrated in the book of John’s Apocalypse.
Michelangelo took five years to fresco the apse, from 1536 to 1541.
The task was assigned to him by Pope Clement VII, to replace the frescoes that previously decorated the walls of the apse.
Rome is not just a city, but it is a history book that can be read by walking through it …
Sant’Angelo Castle in Rome is perhaps one of the most representative and impressive monuments of the Eternal City.
Unmissable stop for those wishing to admire one of the most exciting views of the city and for photography enthusiasts.
The large fortress overlooking the Tiber indeed offers truly superlative views of Rome.
For this reason, if you are thinking of taking a tour in Rome, a stop at Castel Sant’Angelo certainly cannot be missing from your program.
Origin
It all began in 153 A.D. when the emperor Hadrian asked the architect Demetriano to build a funeral mausoleum for himself and his family, inspired by the model of the Mausoleum of Augustus, but with gigantic dimensions.
The works lasted several years and were completed by Antonino Pio in 139 .
This imposing monument is in fact known also as The mausoleum of Augustus but also Cagliostra Over the centuries, in fact, Castel Sant’Angelo has had many destinations, including that of prison.
From the name everyone would think it is a castle but it is not so.
In fact Castel Sant’Angelo was built to be the sepulcher of the emperor Hadrian and his descendants.
Features and Dimensions
The cubic base is covered with Lunese marble with decorative friezes with Bucrani.
The names of the emperors buried there were also written along this frieze,
and the structure above the cube, on the other hand, is covered in travertine.
At the apex there was the sculpture of a bronze chariot headed by the emperor Hadrian.
It has a height of 48 meters.
Furthermore, Castel Sant ‘Angelo is connected to the Campo Marzio by means of the Elio bridge.
It is located between the Prati district and Borgo Pio.
During the Middle Ages, Castel Sant’Angelo was instead attributed a defensive function.
For this reason, the emperor Honorius included it in the Aurelian walls.
The appearance of the monument then turns into a fortress.
In fact, Caste Sant’Angelo still appears today as a mighty impregnable fortress.
Later, Theodoric turned it into a prison.
Here the inmates were kept in terrible conditions.
Obviously the richest inmates could have the privilege of being locked up in more luxurious prisons located in the upper part of the castle, called Cagliostra.
The property of Castel Sant ‘Angelo was disputed between many families and eventually ended up among the possessions of the Orsini family.
In 1200 Pope Nicholas III, belonging to the Orsini family, ceded it to the church during his pontificate.
It was he himself who wanted the construction of the Passetto di Borgo, or an underground tunnel that connects the castle to the Vatican.
In this way, in case of enemy attacks, the popes could escape to a safe place using a secret passage.
In fact, the passage was used on several occasions for this very purpose.
From the Renaissance to the present day
Starting from 1400, Castel Sant’Angelo began to be embellished.
Courtyards, arcades and papal apartments with luxurious decorations were added.
Today Castel Sant’Angelo houses a permanent national museum and temporary exhibitions.
It preserves numerous rather heterogeneous collections, merged in different historical moments.
Visiting the castle, it is possible to walk along the mighty ramparts overlooking the river and admire a poignant, truly breathtaking, 360 ° view over the city.
Why Sant’Angelo Castle?
Famous is the terrace of the Angel so called because a colossal statue of the Archangel Michael was placed there.
The statue refers to the plague that occurred in the period of Gregory the Great.
The saint decided to make a procession to the castle and there he had the vision of the angel in the act of sheathing his sword.
This vision ended the epidemic.
From this anecdote, here is the current name of “Sant’Angelo Castle”.
Condotti Street, known simply as via Condotti, is one of the best known streets in Rome.
Located in the northern area of the historic center (the so-called Trident), it connects Corso Street to Spanish Steps – Gabbia Services
Origins
Opened in the first half of the sixteenth century under the pontificate of Paul III Farnese and continued under Julius III.
The street, so called because it led (and still leads) to Trinità dei Monti, also included Fontanella di Borghese Street and Clementino Street.
Trinitatis Street
Street Before assuming the mystical name of “Trinitatis Street”, this road, albeit in a reduced format, must certainly have been part of that modest road complex that descended from the Horti Luculliani towards the lower area of Campo Marzio.
As proof that our road followed the layout of an ancient Roman road, a stretch of paving was discovered at the corner with Corso Street
In the Middle Ages, various houses of little importance formed a first urban fabric in the street, which was defining itself after centuries.
Precisely between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, a period followed by the Baroque phase that still appears today.
Despite the transformations made in the modern phase (19th and 20th centuries).
Why Condotti Street?
The “Trinitatis Street” assumed the current name of the Condotti when Pope Gregory XIII made the conduits (in Latin “ductus”) of the Acqua Vergine pass underground.
According to the legend, however, the term “condotti” derives from the Latin “ducti”, but in the sense of “led, led”,
with reference to Agrippa’s soldiers who in 19 BC, thirsty, were “led” by a girl (in Latin “virgo”) to the source of the water, which was given the name of Acqua Vergine.
Condotti Street, Today.
The street today is known by tourists from all over the world as the favorite destination for luxury shopping.
In fact, it constitutes a catwalk of prestigious fashion houses and prestigious brands, where Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hermès, Prada, Dior, and Dolce & Gabbana have their best boutiques.
The Colosseum, originally called the Flavian Amphitheater, stands in the archaeological heart of the city of Rome.
Origins
The amphitheater was built in the Flavian period on an area on the eastern edge of the Roman Forum.
Its construction was started by Vespasian in 70 AD. and inaugurated by Tito in 80, with further changes made during Domitian’s empire in 90.
The building, known as the Colosseum because of a colossal statue that stood nearby, until the end of the ancient age, shows of great popular appeal, such as hunts and gladiator games.
The building was, and still remains today, a spectacle in itself.
It is in fact the largest amphitheater in the world, able to offer surprising scenographic equipment, as well as services for the spectators.
Able to hold an estimated number of spectators between 50,000 and 87,000.
It is the most important Roman amphitheater, as well as the most imposing monument of ancient Rome that has come down to us.
Symbol of the glories of the empire, the Amphitheater has changed its face and function over the centuries, offering itself as a structured space but open to the Roman community.
Building forms an ellipse of 527 m in perimeter, with axes measuring 187.5 and 156.5 m.
The arena inside measures 86 × 54 m, with an area of 3 357 m².
Current height reaches 48.5 m, but originally it reached 52 m.
Decline
In 438 with the abolition of gladiator games at the behest of Valentinian III the amphitheater undergoes a slow and progressive decline so much so that it was used in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance as a quarry for materials,
also used for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica,
and as shelter for animals and home for craft workshops and homes,
while the process of its Christianization is long.
From the romantic period in which the charm of the ruin attracted writers and artists,
it soon passed to that of systematic excavations and restorations.
Today
Today the Amphitheater is a monument to the works of human ingenuity that survive the time and still presents itself as a welcoming and dynamic structure that offers a wide overview of the interior spaces, but also evocative views of the city when you look out from the external archways.
It periodically hosts temporary exhibitions related to the themes of antiquity and its relationship with the contemporary, as well as modern shows.
This result of events and experiences has made the Amphitheater a place that is renewed every day, meaningful for everyone and capable of telling everyone a story.
Rome is not just a city, but an open-air history book …
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