Today was a holiday in Rome because it’s the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. We slept in, put together a picnic and took the metro to near Villa Borghese, a vast parkland with all sorts of beautiful things: monuments, its own little temple, a lake you can row on, beautiful trees and gardens, fountains, a pond, cafes and places to rent bicycles.
We had a picnic under some beautiful trees - we’re constantly in awe of the brilliant blue sky. We hired some bicycles and rode around exploring the park. We didn’t make it to the National Art Gallery, but we will. We found a large pond with a fountain in the middle. Other people were dipping their toes in the blue blue water, so when in Rome… we did too. It was icy! Delicious.
After the park, we went down to the Spanish Steps, or Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti as they’re called in Italian, to meet with the guide from New Free Rome Tours. It was the first place we’ve been that I’d describe as ‘crowded’. There’s a great fountain at the bottom with cannons at each end which spurt water you can drink. It’s a Bernini fountain. We filled up our water and set off on another long walk.
Right opposite the steps is one of the Vatican embassies. The guide said that because the Vatican is legally a separate country it has its own set of embassies. They can’t fit in the Vatican, so they’re in Rome. That means that other countries have two embassies in Rome.
We visited some unbelievable churches. One of them was a Dominican church: Maria sopra Minerva. Our guide told us his opinion of the Dominicans when he said, “They were in charge of the Inquisition.” Incredible church though - gorgeous statue of Christ by Michelangelo. He was full of praise at the Jesuit church nearby: Church of San Ignazio. He pointed out how the art was just as good at the back of the church (for the poor) as it was for the rich who sat at the front of the church. Incredible paintings and a very cool false dome. From the back of the church it looks like a real dome, but it’s an illusion - like the chalk pavement drawings you see on in the internet. Our guide explained that the Jesuits were exterminated because of pressure from Spain and Portugal on the pope, because the Jesuits were teaching people to read and write.
I think the most interesting thing of the day was learning about the Carabinierie. They work only with crimes involving the stealing of Italy’s works of art. Rachel and I tried to imagine what that job would look like in Queensland.
The guide said Italy has only two resources: olive oil and works of art, and no mines - only volcanoes and earthquakes.
It was great to revisit the Pantheon today and learn about its architecture. Long story short: Ancient Romans invented bricks and they had cranes. No one can really explain how they built the Pantheon, whose dome is 43 meters in diameter - one meter larger than St Peter’s Basilica. It’s all about arches.
We also found out that the Trevi fountain’s water comes from an ancient Roman aquaduct, and has needed no maintenance since it was constructed. The water is very cold and the area around the fountain is very cool. The guide was very impressed by Hugo’s correct interpretation of two of the statues - that the fruit symbolized abundance and the snake was health.
Quotes of the day:
Hugo: It would be fun to be amphibious.
