Tuesday 12

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our first day in rome

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breakfastNot much of a view was to be

had outside our window - Alex’s mum’s courtyard was a lot nicer!

We had to walk around the corner for breakfast to Alex’s mothers place.

In a tiny kitchen seated around a tiny table we had a breakfast of Italian style dried toast with creamed cheese or jam. A Dutch girl and her mother were also there - they had 9 days in Rome and were doing a detailed trip - gave us a few tips.

Alex’s mum was very sweet and friendly but did not have very much English. We returned to our apartment, sorted ourselves and then prepared to hit the town.

Although it had been pouring rain earlier in the morning it had now turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day of the most perfect temperature of around 22 degrees.

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Piazza San Pietro was on our way so we stopped for a few photos. The colonnade is so beautiful and so simple. While it does create a wonderful space of the Piazza, I especially loved the experience of walking around inside it and being able to enjoy the texture of the stone which you never get from looking at pictures.

The facade by Maderno was also very impressive and you do get a view of the dome from the front - though perhaps not enough of a view and you also don’t get any idea of the shape of the building behind.

what a first view of rome!and I don’t think that I really have to explain

how very wonderful it was for my scottish lassie friend to experience blue skies, sun and 22°C

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After a couple of photos we started our walk down Via D Conciliazione - a big broad road on axis with the dome. We started looking for hats as we knew that without protection we would get burnt on a day like today. Only American style hats... so we both purchased a scarf to use as head covering - I then decided that it wasn’t ‘right’ for me so now I have a souvenir from Rome - actually it came in handy in Scotland for a scarf to keep my neck warm.

Took a quick photo of Palazzo Torlonia by the very important Bramante - I had done a sketch of this in my Rome Sketchbook at home a few months before - will have to look it up when I get back...

which is what I have now done!

palazzo torlonia

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The Blue Giude states “A delightful reproduction of the Palazzo della Cancelleria, built by Andrea Bregno in 1495 for Cardinal Adriano Castellesi. The cardinal gave the palace to the English King Henry VII and he then donated it to his papal legate.”

A bit of interesting history like everything in Rome...always many layers of history! but I am confused now as to its author! I suspect that it is incorrect!

Bramante’s more famous palace is Palazzo della Cancelleria.

I have just realised that we walked past it on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and that the beautiful courtyard is “always visible from the main doorway”. A h- you always miss things that you are close to.

(I think that as I go through this journal that I will realise how much I didn’t see - rather than how much I did see.)

a typical bay - interesting use of double pilasters

I am not sure which book I got this comparison of palaces with Farnese from, but it obviously interested me... little did I suspect that I would lead me to a detailed little research project on the other two buildings!

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I think Peter Murray has sorted me out...Palazzo della Cancelleria is the work of a man profoundly influenced by Alberti, and the quality is so much higher than contemporary work in Rome that Vasari and others have attributed it, in whole or part, to Bramante. But he was not in Rome when it was started but it is possible that he took part in the design after he arrived.An additional complication is caused by the Palazza Corneto-Giraud-Torlonia, which is a revised version of the Cancelleria, built at a time when Bramante was certainly in Rome. There is such stylistic continuity between the two facades that they are probably the work of one man, and Vasari attributes both to Bramante. He does, however, choose his words carefully, saying

“ He found himself, with other excellent architects, resolving (the problems of) a larger part of palace...

which was executed by a certain Antonio Montecavallo. The palace of Cardinal Adriano Corneto was also his design...”

Whoever that master was, he had learned much from Alberti and was able to extend what he had learned to create something new.

Paolo does not think that either are the work of Bramante“Although the geometrical composition of the facade, especially in the courtyard bears some resemblance to the Milanese works of Bramante, taken as a whole the palazzo does not fit in with the architect’s self-critical approach. The principal facade has no sense of plastic unity and is composed of bands possessing a marked horizontal development. The harmonic composition of the coupled order was not matched by a primary structure strong enough to gather and conclude a succession, the slight protusion of the two final projecting sections can be seen as timid and artificial expedients when viewed from above. Bramante’s sense of structure,which he considered an inflexible law co-ordination the individually parts in

a controlled design, is totally lacking in this facade composed of three superimposed bands of equal thickness corresponding to the rusticated base and the first and second orders.

Pevsner has something to say as well...The Cancelleria is the first Renaissance Building of more than local importance in Rome. About the time, however, when it was completed, Rome took the leadership in architecture and art out of the hands of Florence.

This moment marks the beginning of the High Renaissance. The Early Renassiance was essentially Tuscan. The High Renassiance is Roman, because Rome was at that time the only international centre of civilization, and the High Renaissance has an ideal classicity which made it internationally acceptable and in fact internationally canonic for centuries.

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Brukhardt says that these two palaces are the most accomplished examples of the use of rustication and pilasters that developed in Florence. The paired pilasters “accord perfectly with the rustication” and the top cornice harmonises with the pilasters on the top storey. He believes that Pal Giraud (c.1504) is more advanced than Cancelleria in respect of finer and more mature detailing and better proportions...

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We crossed the Tiber river over the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele enjoying views of the Castel S. Angelo. I hadn’t intended to walk down the main road of Corso Vittorio Emanuele but we were finding crossing the road a bit scary at this point so we continued along. As it turned out I am really glad as we passed a number of buildings that I knew along the way... and now I realise that there were more that we walked straight past! I won’t do that next time I am in Rome!

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chiesa nuova

oratory of s. filippo neri

After a couple of blocks I thought a facade of a church-type building across the roadcould very well be Borromini. A quick look at my Blue Guide proved that I was absolutely correct!

That subtle curve was unmistakable.

It was the Oratorio dei Filippini re-built in 1652. And next door was a Renaissance facade of Chiesa Nuova by Rughesi. Inside features work by Cortona but we didn’t go inside.

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From a RC website:When Santa Maria in Vallicella was rebuilt in the late sixteenth century (1575-1605), Rome was just emerging from a dark period of spiritual indifference, religious schism, and social decay. Many Renaissance popes had been worldly and corrupt, and the Protestant revolt had exploded throughout Europe, sending its soldiers to humiliate and pillage the Pope’s capital (1527).

Santa Maria in Vallicella, the center of Philip Neri’s reforming activities in Rome, became a beacon of spiritual and social renewal. It was immediately dubbed “Chiesa Nuova” (New Church) by enthusiastic Romans.

maybe not the most exciting baroque facadebut it is still rather imposingespecially on your first day in rome obviously based on the gesu model which we will see shortly...

and yes! i rather like

the green doors!

Rughesi, a little known artist designed the “broad, un-accentuated frontage” in 1605

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Borromini described the facade of the Oratory as being like a man stretching out his arms.

Borromini was not allowed to use columns - so that it would not dominate the facade of the adjacent church, it must be articulated entirely by pilasters and also must be in brick not stone.

“With these conditions in mind Borromini produced a facade of extraordinary subtlety. Since he could not treat it in a sculptural Michelangelo-esque manner, with effects of relief produced by columns and decorative sculpture, he went to the opposite extreme and did everything he could to keep the plane dominant. The pilasters are shallow, the entablatures and the string courses are light and the windows project less than is usual for him.”

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The form of the gable is new, because round and straight shapes were here united for the first time. The facade looks a little like a palace because of the large number of windows, but the gable adds a more religious aspect to it but does not dominate.

The upper order supports a large corbelled cornice but it supports nothing but the small gable!

The facade greets the eye as a continuous surface marked by the rhythmic succession of pilasters and topped by a mixtilinear tympanum reaching toward the sky.

This was a totally new vocabulary

in the new language of Baroque.

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The pilasters are shallow, the entablatures and the string courses are light and the windows project less than is usual for him. Because he had to use brick he he employed an immensely precise technique to make the facade look as though it hadbeen baked as a single unit.

The unusual aspect of the facade is not the use of a concave curved but the fact that it is so subdued. Apparently, this had great influence on the architecture of the Rococco... I have to believe Grundmann on this point as I know nothing whatever about this period of architectural history.

“It is totally un-monumental

but is maturely Baroque in that it forces the eye of the observer to move across it along determined lines.”

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The pagoda-shaped pointed window coverings add a dynamism to the facade and contrast with the capitals which were deliberately left plain.

The more I look at this building the more I

get out of it - what a wonderful facade!

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another palace

We were so busy worrying about crossing the road that we missed another important palace Palazzo Vidoni-Caffarelli attributed to Raphael.

This is a copy of the famous House of Raphael by Bramante - a very very significant building which no longer exists This was Bramante’s most important work in Rome in the field of palace architecture.

A clear distinction between the two functions public on ground floor and private above.

It finally exploded Alberti’s theory that the orders must be seen as just an aspect of the wall, a theory which Bramante, through his exclusive use of pilasters, had until now been faithful.

Each element is clearly definedand proclaims its precise static function. The treatment of the corner is particularly striking - corners were always a tricky part of the building to Renaissance architects.

A light fine noble first floor rests upon a foundation that is strong and coarse.

A few idiosyncratic ‘licences’ that point forward to Mannerism include the paired keystones and the tiny windows inside the arches.

“The development from Early to the High Renaissance, from delicacy to greatness, and from a subtle planning of surfaces to a bold high relief in the modelling of walls encourages an intensified study of the remains of Imperial Rome. Only now was their drama fully understood. Only now did humanists and artists endeavour to visualise and perhaps re-create the Rome of the ruins as a whole.”

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Then further down the road was Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne a Renaissance palace built on a irregular site. It is somewhere that I would definitely like to visit next time. Because it was on the other side of the road, we didn’t step into the front colonnade.

It was on a far busier street than I had imagined from the pictures that I have seen in my books.

pal. massimi alle colonneIn this building Peruzzi shows

“Poetic intensity and an extraordinary

wealth of ideas”

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The most radical innovations in the Palazzo Massimo are to be found in the facade. It is here, in fact, that the typological discoveries of the first three decades of the century, which had contributed so greatly to spreading a knowledge of classical culture,

were radically re-examined. Against Sangallo’s model of continuous superimposed bands terminated by a frame

(cornices and rusticated quoins) and Bramante’s model of a rhythmical order resting on a continuous base,

Peruzzi took a third course: that of rejecting a perspective closure and

choosing open continuity....the facade has the appearance of a continuous ribbon.

Having established the principle of the indefinite continuity of the rhythmical sequence, Peruzzi

concentrated his whole attention on the vertical accentuation of superimposed plastic

elements.

It has quite an important

courtyard inside...

but I will have to wait till my next trip to go into it in more detail!

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Peruzzi applied the resources of his mature scholarship to the Pal Massimi alle Colonne located in a winding and (until 1888) narrow street,

sacrificing the facade as a whole, but raising its curvature to a motive of the greatest charm in the ground floor portico ... Every one of the individual forms is among

the best of the Golden Age.The P. Massimi begun in 1535

disregards all the canons of the Ancients. Nor does it really show much regard for achievements of Bramante and Raphael....

The Palazzo Massimi is no doubt inferior to the Palazzi Vidoni and Farnese in dignity and grandeur; but it has a sophisticated elegance instead

which appeals to the over-civilized and intellectual connoisseur.

I have always thought this building was a little odd and wondered what the fuss was all about... but now I know that it is really quirky and really like it

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And just a few more steps down from Palazzo Massimi,on our side of the road was a great Baroque church S. Andrea d. Valle.

This time I think we would have been better to be on the other side of the road

as I could have then taken a photo. I was contemplating taking an artistic upward view from the pavement when we noticed

a strange woman hanging around. Being our first day and still rather paranoid about security of our

personal effects I decided against pulling

my camera out at all and we just

kept walking.

s. andrea della valle

view of s. andrea della valle from st peter’s dome on our last morning

However, I managed a quick shot the next day when I spotted it down the end of the street.

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Rainaldi’s facade designed in the spirit of the later Baroque was executed by Fontana in a smoothened, classicizing version

As compared with the design, the present facade shows a greater severity in the treatment of detail, a simplification of niche and door surrounds, an isolation of decoration and sculpture from the structural parts, and a change in the proportions of the upper tier.

It was ‘purified’ and stripped of its ambiguities by Fontana.”

One of the great church facades in Rome

The breaks in entablature are important to create verticalunificationof the two storeys -they force the eye to

connect the pedestals of the upper orderwith the cornices of the lower

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some roman ruinsSo, I suppose that you are getting the idea now that there is a lot of interest everywhere you look - it is just so unbelievable and exciting as an architectural tourist.

I was looking ahead towards the very important church of The Gesu but just a few blocks away we casually past a significant collection of roman ruins. I knew that they were not top on the list of ruins to check out so we just passed them by - I didn’t even get out my camera. We also past them in the evening on our way back. So excuse the scan photograph substitution.

This area contains an impressive group of Republic Temples - known as Area Sacradi Largo Argentina. They were only discovered in 1926 during demolition of buildings to make way for road widening - needless to say the traffic goes around it now! Apparently there is a huge colony of 450 stray cats that hang out in this area and that there is a website devoted to them - romancats.com. Amazing stuff you get out of travel guides!

As the excavation was done in a rush any documentary evidence was destroyed so they are not sure of the dates or names of the temples. Assume that they are dated between 100 BC and 100 AD. Three rectangular temples and one round temple all aligned to a white travertine pavement in front. Apart from the fact that the temples were damaged in the great fire of 80AD and needed to be rebuilt, I haven’t found anything else about them.

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il gesuAnd then just a little further on we came to the Gesu. There is a famous building in every block - it is so amazing. This time, I don’t care how difficult it was, we just had to cross the road! The facade is very impressive!

“Both the facade by Giacomo della Porta and the interior by Vignola were important to the subsequent development of the design of Baroque churches in Rome.” Built in 1575 at expense of Alessandro Farnese. It is the principal church of the Jesuits.”

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inside our first church in romeCardinal Farnese wrote to Vignola in 1568: “The church is not to have a nave and two aisles, but is to consist of one nave only with chapels down each side... The church is to be entirely vaulted over.... (so as to be) well adapted to the voice.”

The first of many Counter Reformation churches built in Rome, and throughout, it reflects the practicality and decorum so strongly urged in the final decress of the Council of Trent. The plan differs sharply from he centrally planned circumfluent schemes so common in the Renaissance.

The plan is by Vignola - based on Alberti’s S. Andrea in Mantua and perhaps Michelangelo’s design for St Peter’s of combining a nave with central area.

The significance of the Gesu lies in the idea of linking a short nave to a dominating crossing which is full of light and is designed as a centrally planned area. This solves an old fundamental problem, that of combining a longitudinally with a centrally planned building, in a way which is as simple as it is ingenious.

The emphasis is on the spatial unity of the barrel vaulted nave.

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I often find the interior of churches rather over the top but I have to admit that although this interior was heavily decorated it was quite impressive - speaking from an architectural point of view of course. Thought I would have much preferred it to be in its original plain form before all the 17th Century stuff was added

In the north transept was the altar-tomb of St Ignatius - founder of the Jesuits.

One of the most elaborate Baroque altars in Rome...marble and gilt bronze

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Mannerist tendencies merge with the Baroque

It is a solution to the old problem of how to put a Classical facade on a clerestory and nave with lean-to-aisles. The use of scrolls derives from Alberti’s S. Maria Novella in Florence (which we hope to see in a few days!) but because Il Gesu was the Mother-church of the Jesuits, the design by Vignola and Porta had far reaching effects.

the facade...

Il Gesu stands carefully oriented to the surrounding streets and piazza. Ignatius wished the church exterior to appear as a great gateway, from where the Jesuits would set forth for apostolic activities in the city and in world, and from where the city would be drawn into the sacramental life of the church.

It is a transitional work leading to Baroque.Differs from facades before by- layering of the wall surfaces- more intensified articulation at the centre

Has some Mannerist principles- segmented and triangular pediments combined- gables of niches are raised into the capital zone on ground floor

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Vignola’s design for the facade had two storeys of equal height and five axes in three layers but as executed by della Porta the upper floor is reduced in height and the emphasis is on the central bay (created by greater width and increased decorative richness). There are three wall layers as per V’s design but they are obscured by recesses in the entablature of the lateral central axes.

Vignola’s steeped arrangement, in avoiding the flatness of Della Porta’s excevuted facade, would have yielded a more coherent and satisfying solution, yet Porta’s handling of the classical order is the more dynamic and forceful.

- Varriano.

Vignola’s design for the facade

The double aedicule in central is the culmination of the whole facade.With its segmented and triangular gables extending into the base-course area of the upper storey, it is a portal motif intensified so that it attains massive proportions.

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It is hard to imagine how oversized this monument is till you actually see it in the flesh. It is basically an over pretension non functional building built out of dazzling white marble from Brescia. The result of an international design competition it was inaugurated in 1911 to symbolise Italian Unity.They only opened the terraces to the public in 2000... but this has made it a lot more popular as there are supposed to be wonderful views of the city from the top - it is 80m high after all!The wedding cake or the typewriter - take your pick which you think is most appropriate.

It grew in size from the original concept so that an entire block of the medieval quarter was demolished to make a huge oversized piazza in front of it to add to the massive full stop at the end of the Via del Corso. We didn’t approach from this way but I am sure that it would be a grand vista!

Neo-Baroque in style with a resemblance to large Baroque Palaces - but certainly much grander in height than any palace I know of! The monument itself which sits on the huge podium is probably inspired by buildings from Roman forums.

After a few minutes and a couple of photos we continued on our way down to Piazza di Venezia where we got a grand vista of the incredibly over the top Monument to Victor Emmanuel. The sun was in the wrong direction but of course I still tried to take a photo. Seeing this building meant that we were getting closer to our destination of the Forum.

victor emmanuel’s monument

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We managed to cross all the roads in the area with their crazy traffic and arrived at the base of the steps to the Capitoline Hill.

We passed by the steps to S. Maria in Aracoeli - maybe next time - and headed straight for Michelango’s stairs.

It was rather exciting for me to ascend the long sloping stairs up to the Piazza designed by the great master - a place that I have long thought was incredibly beautiful from looking at pictures and drawings of it.

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capitoline hillBut the buildings on either side are what I really love! Michelangelo’s first use of the giant order and I was really itching to get my sketchbook out and start drawing the facade amazing articulation and use of horizontal and vertical elements. But we didn’t really have the time for sketching

...and looking back now, I realise that I really did have enough time to take a few more photos than I did!

I was not disappointed! The subtle changes in levels, the convex fall of the plaza and the oval steps,the amazing complex geometric pattern and the centre statue all make this a wonderful space.

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“In the Capitol, the inclined planes and

the oblique line of the parapets have become

a primary structural element which has an influence on the

perception at each stage of viewing the piazza.

Continuously ascending perspectives enable

the eye to expand, in reaction to the spatial compression exercised

by the centripetal volumes of the building.

Michelangelo wished to lessen the rigidity

of a perpendicular composition and,

through the divergence of planes and the

complexity of relationships among the three volumetric elements, to create

a greater spatial dynamism and a sense of progressively expanding vistas as the eye follows

the privileged line of visibility.”

Although the Capitol is the smallest hill in Rome is was the most important being the religious and political centre of Rome. Michelangelo has created a masterpiece by taking advantage of the irregular positioning of existing buildings that he had to work with. He created a trapezium shaped square which “probably satisfied his aesthetic sensitivities “ as it opposed foreshortening - the main palace appears taller, narrower and more impressive.

what it was like before michelangelo

I love the ramped steps leading up to the plaza - they really create a sense of anticipation... well, for me they did...this being one of the parts of Rome that I wanted to see the most.

“The lines of the great oval radiating from and sweeping back to the statue, make it look far bigger than it is. This illusory magnification is a characteristic of Michelangelo the sculptor.By ‘monumentalizing’ the scale of the statue, ie. by adapting it to the scale of the surrounding buildings, the statue of the Roman emperor becomes the real theme of the architectural composition”

I proved this to be true as I took a photo of the statue but hardly any of the buildings!

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The oval area, with its vigorous stellate pattern, is one of the most imaginative innovations of the Renaissance: set off by a ring of three steps descending to its depressed rim, it rises in a gentle domical curve to the level of the surrounding piazza at the centre.The oval was almost unknown in earlier architecture being an ‘irregular’ shape and it was traditional to treat pavement with rectilinear patterns.The oval perfectly suited the location due to its centrality and axiality. Further refinement of the three concave recessions in the steps as designed by M and not as it exists now, suggests the central arrival point and the two alternative exit points on the other side.Despite the fact the we arrive at the piazza on axis, we cannot walk directly along the central axis across the piazza to the Senator’s Palace - “the offer of alternative routes imposes an unclassical ambivalence. By forcing the observer into a personal solution of this paradox, M endowed movement, which usually is just a way of getting from one place to another, with aesthetic overtones.

the oval square

Marcus Aureliusriding his horse

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The concept of a grand stair was still new when Michelangelo designed this one - been used in gardens but not in palace architecture. 3 advantages of his design - the stairs did not take up much space, they led directly to the piano nobile and the fountain with ancient statues could be preserved.The two staircases running the length of the facade create a horizontal and dynamic element to the base of the building.

the senator’s palaceThe staircase was the major element of the design - The Senators Palace, which M add a facade to is treated like a backdrop to the stair - with shallow pilasters.The windows with their ornamental frames lined the facade like soldiers in full dress uniform and the large oats of arms conveyed the formal, official character of the building. Strongly sculptural, the staircase followed the slight rise of the ground.

the staircase

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So much that I really knew about this place... I took photos of the wrong

building - Palazzo Navona which was finished by Rainaldi in 1655. While on the

right, the Palazzo dei Conservatori was started in 1563, the year before M died. Of

course they are both to his design.

I have loved these buildings from uni days (thanks to John Summerson) but over

the recent years have appreciated them more and more! Next visit to Rome, I will

ensure that I have time to sketch them!

michelangelo’s palaces

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A very big and quite conventional Corinthian pilaster order, but there are two special things about it it is very big 45ft high and they pass through two storeys.

The Romans had never done this! They are like Roman temples whose sides have been filled in with modern workThis arrangement of making two orders work together to control a two-storey building, was one of

Michelangelo’s most valuable and liberating inventions.

The theme of the intersection of architectonic orders has precedents in Roman classical architecture and the designs of St Peter’s by Bramante and Sangallo. In the Capitol, Michelangelo employed it in a more radical version, to suggest the impression that the final form of the buildings was the result of a stratification or successive phases of construction, which were perfectly accorded among themselves, but clearly distinguishable in the final image.

Each element is made fully autonomous and recognizable throughout its extension.

eg. In the interior of the colonnade which I didn’t even walk into (unbelievable that I didn’t do this!) where the smaller columns support a baldacchino system of free standing architraves and small pavilion vaults.

A tense equilibrium of horizontal and vertical forces

It appears as a framed structure - the facade construction is as close to a skeletal frame as it is possible to attain in stone.

“Michelangelo’s giant order provides a solution both simple and radial to a problem which had preoccupied architects since the time of Alberti, namely how to combine the antique system of columns or pilasters and cornices with the division of storeys in a modern palazzo, with its windows and string course, in such a way that the vertical members rising from the ground would be able to support the cornice as they do in classical architecture.”

There are many radical innovations in spite of the apparent ‘correctness’ of the design.

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Summerson on Michelangelo

Rustication which interested so many other architects, had almost no interest for him. His walls are smooth and their power is concentrated into tightly bounded surfaces, recessions and projections and moulded elements which are rarely enriched.

Michelangelo always insisted that he was not an architect but a sculptor, yet no professed architect has ever had so startling an effect on architecture. Vasari said of him that ‘he broke the bonds and chains of a way of working that had become habitual by common usage.’ On the whole idea of antique authority Michelangelo turned back. He was already a sculptor with a mastery of form and material transcending the antique and when he turned to architecture the same power of seeing through the dead, accepted forms to something intensely alive enabled him to transcend, with absolute assurance, the Vitruvian grammar. As Vasari says rather naively, ‘he proceeded quite differently in proportion, composition and rules from what others had done following common practice’. He did indeed - quite differently.

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almost at the forum

It was now lunch time so we went to a little courtyard to the left which overlooked the imperial forum - wonderful views - and there we sat down to eat our soggy sandwiches (purchased from Prestwick as emergency dinner for the night before if we didn’t feel up to going out.)

It was lovely and cool here and peaceful...well at least for the first few mouthfuls until a noisy group of school children arrived. The noise was bad enough but one or two of the boys started terrorising the local pigeons and it became very unpleasant.

What we are looking at is the remains of the Forum of Caesar and the only three remaining columns of his temple.

In the distance behind the trees are Trajan’s markets

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We started from the Forum, but on the way I spotted another Baroque church

that I just had to look at briefly...

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just one more baroque church...

Being the main architectural work by Pietro da Cortona and one of the earliest buildings of the Roman High Baroque SS Luca e Martina is a fairly significant building.

It sits right on the edge of the Forum - perhaps a little awkwardly since they excavated the Forum to its original level! Its dome can be seen from afar and is one that I saw a number of times in our visit to Rome.

The floor plan is a slightly elongated greek cross with its arms ending in apses.

The design of the central section is reversed in the upper storey.

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just one more baroque church...

ss. luca e martina

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“The facade is characterised by very intense three-dimensionality and ingenious mutual embracing of its elements.”

The facade of the church is the earliest surviving example of Cortona’s “close-packed” designs, which he had employed in earlier secular architecture. The columns of the lower storey and the pilasters of the upper are set under straight unbroken entablatures and the spaces between them are filled with panels which squeeze up against them and even overlap them. Cortona conceives of the wall as something to be carved out, almost like sculpture, an effect which is intensified by the choice which he has made of a particularly rough type of travertine.

“SS Luca e Martina occupies a prominent place in Roman architecture. Various elements of the tension-filled juxtaposition of columns and pillars, and the inserted colonnade in general - appear to be inspired by Michelangelo’s buildings, whereas Cortona, at about the same time as Borromini, created forms of design which were to point the way in Baroque architecture.”

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forum romanum

the first view of the forum is very very impressive

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It follows the type of the tripartite triumphal arch, which is an elaborate variation on the Tiberius arch in Orange and was first used in Rome in the Augustus arch which was at the other end of the forum (now ruined).

In this arch all three arches are in a single massive block of masonry reaching its conclusion in the weighty attic, which is broad throughout.Both facades of this massive block structure have a composite order of columns, which as in the Titus arch, forms a rhythmic bay and creates an impressive show wall.

The columns on their plinth, and tall pedestals, stand freely in front of the rear wall of the arch and are only attached to that wall by the moulded entablature and there are pilasters placed directly behind the columns.

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overlapping photos hiding

because that is all of the the arch that I took in my

photos

arch of septimus severus

After the initial wow of the overall view, the first individual building that you notice is the grand triumphal arch of Septimus Severus. It is 21m high, entirely clad in marble and dates from AD 203.

It is quite amazing that I didn’t take a full photo of it ...though because of its size and complete state (as opposed to other ruined buildings) it seems to have popped up in a number of photos that I was taking of something else!

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Elaborate in its architectural type, extravagant in its three-dimensional decorations, and ennobled by the free-standing, completely round columns, the Arch of Septimus Severus is among the most splendid triumphal arches in Rome. It seems that one intention in erecting this arch was to surpass the richness and variety found in any comparable triumphal monument.

But this is only achieved at the expense of the proportion and classical balance displayed, for example, by the Titus arch. The SS arch is the model of the architectural type which consists of a three-gate triumphal arch with a rhythmic bay in front of it.

This type was to attain great significance in the history of architecture… since 1470 when Alberti adapted it into a large show façade at the entrance of S. Andrea in Mantua, the triumphal arch was among the great motifs in architecture from the end of the Middle Ages onwards.

I find the grouping of the temples at the NW corner of the forum rather curious - as if they were trying to cram in as many as possible. Though what is left standing today is very striking. The three remaining columns of the Temple of Vespasian and Titus form a corner and are quite sculptural but the 8 porch columns of the Temple of Saturn were very dramatic- particularly when photographed with the sun behind.

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temple of saturn

An earlier temple of the Republic days which was restored in 4th Century. The remnant facade is a good example of spolia - recycled elements from older buildings. Only the Ionic capitals, carved in brilliant white Thasian marble in the latest Late Antique style, were new. All other material was reused.Column shafts are Egyptian granite - 6 in grey Mons Claudianus and 2 side ones in pink Aswan... but they derive from different colonnades. Only three are monolith.Architrave blocks, with frieze of acanthus leaves and palmettes date from 30 BC and are probably from original building.

The temple was the state treasury, where gold and silver ingots and coined metal were kept.

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Some quotes from Palladio

“To judge by the inscription still visible in the frieze, this temple was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt by order of the Senate and Roman People, which is why I allow myself to believe that it was not rebuilt to the same level of beauty and perfection as it was before.”

The intercolumniations are less than two diameters. The bases of the columns are a mixture of Attic and Ionic; they are somewhat different from the usual type but they are still very elegant.

The capitals can be described as a mixture of Doric

and Ionic and are beautifully carved.

The architrave and frieze on the exterior of the façade are all on the same plane and there is no differentiation between them; this was done so that the inscription could be placed there; but inside, that is, under the portico, they are divided and include moulding that can be seen in the drawing of them. The cornice is plain, that is, without mouldings.

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temple of vespasian & titus

Corinthian order 14.2m high with an elaborately decorated entablature including frieze of bull’s skulls interspersed with the implements of sacrifice - helmet, knife, axe, plate, jug.Hexastyle.

“Sumptuous and elegant.”

“the ornaments are exquisitely cut with beautiful carvings”-Palladio

elevation showing the two columns remaining on the front face

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Rather amusing is the plan of the temple drawn by Palladio - his reconstruction is “fairly fantastic because not much was to be seen apart from the columns; the building was not dipteral and octosyle, but porstyle and hexastyle” ie. He got it wrong! There are only six columns across not eight!

I am assuming that his plate of the column and entablature is accurate though!

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tabulariumThe Senate Palace on the Capitoline Hill was built over the foundation of an Ancient Ruin - how surprising! The building, The Tabularium used to house the tabulae of the law. It was built in 78BC and is the best preserved republican building in Rome

The three arches (there were originally eleven) demonstrate the so-called tabularium motif which is considered a“pathbreaking innovation”This motif consists of an arcade of pillars (square pillars with a wall arch built directly above them) and the order of columns, here Doric, placed in front of it. The order of columns is used not structurally but as a means of subdividing the wall and making the building look more impressive. in an ennobling way which subdivided the wall. This motif was subsequently applied to all kinds of buildings: basilicas, theatres, triumphal arches, city gates and all facades having openings for arches.

The columns were of stone and the square bays behind the arched openings were roofed with cloister vaults cast in concrete.

“Though this may have been done in part to support a superstructure, the Tabularium gallery is evidence of the early application of the effects and technology of vaulting to the design of public buildings in the capital, and of the growing interest in transforming traditional building types into boldly new and emphatically Roman forms.” - W. Macdonald

only three arches remain originally there were 11

plus another arcade over the top

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the forum square

Overall view of the forum- which we saw at the end of the day. You can see the remains of Bascilica Julia to the right, the lone column of

Phocas and the remains of the honorary columns which lined the square.

Sketch of the Forum in late antiquity showing the Rostra and columns

The Column of Phocas - this is the latest monument in the forum. The Eastern Emperor Phocas built it in 608 - reusing a 2nd C column and putting a statue on it.

Back view of the Rostra (the orator’s platform) and the column of Phocas - also in background is the Temples of Antoninus and Faustina (left) and Castor (right)

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basilicasThe idea of providing a internal hall where the proceedings of the forum could continue in bad weather is a Roman idea. The two basilicas in the Roman Forum being the grandest in the Empire at the time. Unfortunately only the foundation remains of both basilicas that flank the sides of the Forum - Julia and AemiliaThe basilica is a aisled structure with the central aisle (or nave) being higher and lit by clerestory windows and surrounded by an internal colonnade. In additional they normally were surrounded on the exterior by colonnades... therefore they were orientated both to the outside and the inside.“The discovery that the interior was also an architectural task was a central contribution made by Rome to the development of Western architecture. It even surpassed the achievements of Greece”What the Romans did was to basically moved the colonnade surrounding the Greek temple into the inside. They then created a huge interior space bounded on all sides by colonnade creating an overwhelming bilateral symmetrical but static space.

Couldn’t really get into the area of the Basilica Julia so it was difficult to get an idea of how big it was - though there was a remnant of the colonnade which did help to give a sense of its scale.

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We walked alongside the Basilica Aemilia and I was trying to explain to Kirsty what it would have been like. In front of the basilica was a portico housing shops which would have hid it from site. I didn’t take any overall pictures but this nice little composition caught my eye. I love the way that columns are just lying around everywhere!

Personally, I found the building rather plain and boxy and not really spatial exciting from the outside, Inside the space was impressively high- but strange proportions - almost too high (21m high) for its plan area. (27m long x18m wide). Perhaps I need to find some more information about the building before becoming convinced that it is ‘remarkable’.

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the curiaThe Curia or Senate house is supposed to be the most impressive and conspicuous building in the entire forum (blue guide again).. .well I suppose it is to most people as it actually and complete building with a roof! Present building re-built in 283 by Diocletian, converted into a church in 630 and then restored in 1930s.

It was originally covered in marble on the lower course with stucco above, with a simple portico and pedimented roof.

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“Today’s onlooker must imagine to himself that the simple brick panel was formerly complemented by a marble facing and a vestibule. The interior, a magnificent, lapidary, box-shaped space, shows that a respectable severity was always maintained in the building.It must ultimately remain an open question whetherthese grand proportions go back to the time of Caesar or to that of Diocletian who re-built it. The character of this tall building lay mainly in the noble spatial proportions, and not so much in the original marble fittings.”

I did rather like the green doors - replicas I believe!

this is a combo of three of my photos - so please excuse the warpiness!

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temple of antoninus & faustina

This temple was erected by Emperor Antoninus Pius in honour of his deceased and defied wife Faustina in AD 141. After his death in AD 161 the temple was dedicated to him as well. A podium temple in the form of a prostyle like the Temple of Caesar (the ruins of which we totally missed. There are six columns 17m high along the façade, with shafts of Euboean marble and Corinthian capitals of white marble. The architectural order is top quality Imperial Corinthian.

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The frieze of winged griffins, candelabras and

vegetative motifs that adorns the entab-

lature is considered to be one of the outstanding

works of Roman decorative art.

The height of the floor of the Baroque church is witness to

the ground level of the Forum at the time. It is amazing to think that it was all covered over to this height and even more amazing to think that

they have excavated the whole valley to restore it to the

Roman level.

Modifications to the exterior and interior structure go back to the conversion of the building into the church of S. Lorenzo in Miranda in 1150. The masonry between the columns however, was removed again for the visit of Emperor Charles V to Rome in 1536. The Baroque façade dates from 1602.

When Giovanni Battista Cipriani went to Rome in 1835 this is

what he saw and recorded

An engraving of the Forum

From Palladio

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more temples

One of the most significant shrines in Rome

as its contained the “holy flame which had been burning since time immemorial”.

The present building is a modern reconstruction of the building which the

wife of Sept Sev ordered to be built.

The round temple is unusual form for Rome and is reminiscent of the

archetypal Italic round hit, which was the focal point of the Roman state.

A podium ( very high by Roman architectural standards) supports the circular hall of Corinthian columns

- with corresponding half columns on the cella wall. Each column stands

on its own high pedestal (same as Sept Sev’s arch)

temple of vesta

“The rich marble facing. and the vigorous and thorough articulation with its impression projections and recesses which generate a rich play of light and shade, are typical of Severan and Flavian architecture.”

castor and polluxOne of the most famous Forum ruins - the three elegant Corinthian columns of this temple...somehow I missed taking a photo of it!

Palladio about these three columns to C&P...“I have never seen any better or more delicately executed work; all the elements are beautifully conceived and perfectly worked out.”

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there was still heaps more for us to explore - so we headed to the eastern end of forum with the colosseum in our sights

Still more excavation happening ... while Kirsty and I decide which piece of Roman cornice we will sit on to have our snack

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A small domed building erected in the 4th Century is in outstandingly good condition. The most striking feature is the wonderful bronze doors which are original, and the red porphyry columns.

The temple consists of a rotunda flanked by two apsed rectangular halls. “the combination of a round building with a facade being concave, curves away from the building behind it is of interest from the point of view of architectural history; this curving show wall, with its niches for statues, contrasts excitingly with the rotunda. Along with the columns standing in front of them, they combine with the facade and the rotunda to form a richly subdivided architectural group.”

“It cannot be denied that Baroque architects were inspired by it”

temple of romulus

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basilica of maxentius

Began by Maxentiusin AD308

but completed by Constantine.

It is the largest building in the forum

(by far!).It is based on the architectural type

of the great Roman baths.

“It is among the very highest achievements

of Roman vaulted architecture.”

sketch showing how enormous the main hall was - notice the giant statue of Constantine in the western apse - the remnants of this are in the Capitol museum (more for next time!)

Next on the list of must see was the remains of the great “new Basilica” (or Basilica of Maxentius or Basilica of Constantine - take your pick which name you like the best!)

Due to lots of trees in this area, the original relationship of the impressive ruins and the forum was quite hard to imagine. i was really glad to have had my special guide book and was quite blown away when extrapolating in my mind how huge the central space once was. Wow!

Combined plan and section of the Basilica - the entrance on the long side was a change by Constantine and we were not aware of this entrance at the time.

Only the side aisle remains today – these three rooms are not the same size – each bay was treated like an attached room to the central space rather than relating to each other. Large piers separate each for the other, formed the structural support for the main barrel vault. The nave was HUGE – 80 x 256 x 35m.

“The architect was not concerned with adding any aisles, but with providing a subdivided but coherent spatial volume, and with creating a spatial impression which was oriented on the central axis, was of monumental effect, and included the idea of the enormous attached rooms subordination themselves to the larger main room like satellites.”

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Palladio’s east elevation/section showing Max’s portico at the short end. This longitudinal approach to

a basilica was quite novel and looks forward to the Early Christian use of

the basilica model

Section through the middle of the building showing Constantine’s change

- emphasising the transverse axisThe apse that Constantine put his statue in...interesting coffering of interlocking hexagons - far more intricate and complicated that the Pantheon.Apparently Michelangelo studied this built when designing the dome for St Peters.

Later in the afternoon, we had this great view of the Basilica when we were entering the Palatine Hill. I have superimposed rough sketch to get a better idea

of the scale...but it is still hard to imagine how big it really was!

Palladio’s plan showing it as designed by Max with

the longitudinal axis

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Only the springing

point of the main vault

remains plus the

outline of the corinthian

column

Palladio:

“The architrave, frieze and cornice were carved with beau-tiful designs.The cornice of the ar-chitrave is worth studying because it differs from others and is particularly graceful;the cornice has modillions instead of a corona; the coffers for the rosettes between the modillions are square, and this is how they should be built, as I have observed in all ancient buildings.”

Forum elevation showing the porch of Constantine

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arch of titusI was so distracted looking at the

moving sculpture inside the arch of the destruction of Jerusalem that I didn’t take

an overall photo of the arch.

A single, large, barrel vaulted archway is bordered by two mighty pylons with a high attic above. Each facade is subdivided into three bays by an order of columns on high pedestals. The fluted shaft and richly carved capital of composite order (earliest surviving example in Rome) tightens up the facade, gives it clear proportions and ennobles it.The entablature steps around the columns which creates emphases the central bay and frames the archway. This rhythmic subdividing of the substructure comes into the attic creating a panel for inscriptions

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arch of constantine

hey, managed to get a distant shot of the titus

arch as well!

sept sev arch

We were ending the eastern end of the Forum and heading for the Colosseum... walked past the most famous of triumphal arches and didn’t even take a

photo.. too many hecklers around. So my only photo of the great arch is from the top of the Colosseum - a

pathetic effort!

Based on the architectural form of Septimus Severus’ arch but “its subdivisions are better proportioned and it is more well-balanced in the distribution of the surfaces and in the arrangement of the relief-work panels. In comparison Sept Sev has tall proportions, narrow gates and attic which weighs too heavily upon it.

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After leaving the forum we hit the valley of the Colosseum which was full of people selling things - handbags, jewellery and tripods. (yes, tripods! Very unusual I must say) Kirsty’s tried and proven technique of speaking Dutch to the hecklers did not walk with one particular man that was trying to sell her jewellery - I just said no and did not look at him and he left me alone. I found a man selling a hat for 10 euros - it would do - Kirsty was motioning 7 in the distance. The man readily agreed - it was probably only worth 4! Kirsty had the great idea of a gelato so we paid 3 euros for a combination which was great - I particularly enjoyed the pistachio one which was bright green and had a mazipan like favour. We were both fading at this point but the gelato really did the trick and we were ready for the Colosseum.

The most famous monument of Ancient Rome and despite the fact that it has been pillaged for centuries it still is mightily impressive. Built between AD70-80 it could hold nearly 70,000 spectators.

Ingenious design - Each of the 80 arches surrounding the building were numbered allowing crowds to enter according to there tickets and be seated within 10 minutes of arrival.

the colosseum

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I can find lots of interesting drawings but not much interesting architectural comment on the great building. Check out the

drawing above showing the different basement wall elevations.

We got hassled by people flogging English tours but decided to go on our own and also decided not to bother with the audio tour. We were just going to explore from an aesthetic point of view and remain ignorant of all the details. After perhaps one of the worst toilet experiences I have had for a while we climbed to the top of the stadium and tried to find somewhere in the shade to sit and admire. A ledge, too narrow to be comfortable just had to do. It is a very impressive structure and very sobering to think of all the lives that were lost here in sport - quite horrific in fact - I am glad that I missed all the awful details that we would have been told in a guided tour.

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Seven concentrically arranged ring walls and retaining walls radiating out from the centre of the building, create the supporting framework of the terraces, which in many case rest on groined vaults and diagonally ascending barrel vaults. A complicated, multipartite system of staircases was housed in the wedge-shaped sections.

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“In no other building in Roman urban architecture is it possible to gain a better grasp of the fact that the nature and function of an order of columns is to subdivide the wall and give it a structural framework”

The load-resistant Tuscan order stands suitably enough at the very bottom, followed by the light Ionic order, with the dignified Corinthian order forming the conclusion.The columns being on high separate pedestals is a specifically Flavian feature.The fourth storey with composite pilasters, corbels and windows was added by Titus.

“a living textbook of classical orderliness”

photo to the left is taken inside the Colosseum looking at the exterior on one of the internal ring walls.

A few photos looking out from the Colosseum at the top level76

After a little while we decided to go to the Palatine Hill and wander around - and hope that we could make it to the Imperial Forum sometime tomorrow. Went in search of the classic view of the Colosseum ...mmm, not quite sure where exactly it is taken.

Ah ha, I think it is taken from the front of the Temple of Venus and Rome which we didn’t get to.

Not quite the shot I was looking for!

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temple of venus & rome

palladio has a different interpretation than the contemporary idea

Not sure if you could actually get to explore the back to back temple of V&R. This photo was taken from the upper levels of the Colosseum

We headed back up Via Sacra to the arch of Titus and then onto the Palatine - had great views of the Basilica as we climbed the hill.

At the top of the stairs was a little grotto making me feel right at home... a nice 16th Century touch.

the palatine hill

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The heat of the day and the burning sun were now gone, and also the hoards of tourists were disappearing.

We strolled through the Farnese Gardens enjoying it so much that I didn’t take a photo.

Not exactly sure where we were wandering but somehow we managed to get on top of the hill overlooking the city and the Forum.

Maybe I should have just looked to see if there was a hole in the fence before I start raving to Kirsty that I

can take a photo that focuses the chain wire away!

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We wandered about the ruins of Domintian palace and the stadium enjoying views over

the city and vistas between the trunks of those wonderful

trees - have to find out what they are! The golden sunlight

was stunning. We both were feeling so very much better

now.

doums flavia and augustana

What I missed downstairs:

“Axial sequences of light and shade, composed from vaulted volumes”“Novel shapes logically and comprehensively arranged.”

entrance to the private palace

general view of the palace ruins

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It is a really huge palace, but we were enjoying the sun and the cool breeze too much to really take in what we were wandering around.The really interesting part of the palace is the lower level of the private quarters - where there is an amazing sequence of geometrical shaped and vaulted rooms. I had read about it on the plane on the way over but although I could see people at this level, i couldn’t find the stairs to go down there. So instead we just wandered around the stadium,

“What distinguishes Dom’s palace from other palaces and mansions are its rooms,

groups of rooms and great halls - its interiors. It s their visual and spatial effect that define a style unknown in

Hellensistic times”

a lovely piece of carving in the

golden light

very high walls remaining of the upper level on the private quarters

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We weren’t really sure where we were going and ended up wandering down a path that

didn’t seem to go anywhere. So at the bend in the path, near some mighty ruins, we turned around and came back - didn’t bother us a bit as it was such a beautiful

walk. I love those trees - the pines of Rome!

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Just before we exited we sat down on a stone slab (don’t think that it was a cornice or any important classical

remnant) for half hour, took our shoes off and just

enjoyed listening to the birds singing away - was

simply wonderful.The thought of how late

in the day it was, how far away we were from our B&B and how tired our

feet were, was in the back of our mind... but just for now we were enjoying the

moment.

this is part of the palace extension by septimus severus

we are at the red dot - a long way

from ‘home’

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Still had a long way to walk home and also had to get dinner. I had started to think when we were at the Colosseum that we really hadn’t achieved much and that we wouldn’t have the energy to do the Palatine Hill... but I was wrong and was feeling far more satisfied with the days sightseeing now.

We then walked back through the forum as it appeared to be still open. It also was lovely and deserted and had such a different atmosphere now at the end of day. It was nice to see the buildings again and they looked different not in the bright sunlight of earlier in the day. When we got to the Arch of Constantine we could see a man at the the top of the stairs at the gate, so we quickly walked on to the top and got out before he shut it.

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We then walked back up to the Capitoline HIll and walked around to the other side for the view over the Forum and the

Palatine. I was hoping that it would be dark enough for the lights to be on and starting to take effect.

We they were on and just starting to be noticeable. Although you can’t tell this from the photos, road work jack hammer noise certainly took away from the experience and

forced us to move on. It was really nice to see Capitoline Hill Piazza in the evening light - in fact it looked nicer!

the pantheon

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We then walked down V.D. Aracoeli - what looked on the map to be on axis with the Capitoline steps but it wasn’t. Then Botteghe Oscure and past a ruin - maybe Teatro Argentina, need to check and then up Via di Tor Argentina.

Very soon after this, I lost our place on the map and wasn’t sure exactly where we were - past a little Piazza with church which turned out to be S.M Sop. Minerva and then I looked straight ahead and saw a tall circular wall.

“Ah, I know exactly where we are now!”

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We were approaching the rear of the Pantheon. To my surprise it was still open and full of tourists. Pity about the scaffolding inside though - it really took away from the grand impact of the interior - but still it was very very impressive. Took a few photos and then went outside - a few more worms eye view and then a attempt to capture the golden arches which were directly opposite - we found this the height of tackiness.I tried to take a few chest-cam shots but wasn’t working - then Kirsty offered her shoulder. The start of shoulder-cam!

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Next we walked past Palazzo Madama - obviously a

government building with guards with funny pom-

poms on top and then into Piazza Navona which was

teeming with people and artist stalls. Plus the usual

Sengalese men selling handbags and bubble space guns (who buys this stuff?)

heading back

mu first attempt of chest-cam wasn’t very good... and shoulder-cam was only a little better!

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Time to keep going so we headed north to the Tiber - crossed the river at Ponte Umberto I and past Palazzo di Gustizia. I am not sure that I intended to cross at this point but it did give great views towards St Peters. We then walked past Castel S. Angelo which looked wonderful in the night lights and back down Via D. Conciliazione.

shaky shoulder-cam... I hope that that man who was dead centre got a better photo than me!

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Wow, what a big circle we had walked today - I calculate approx. 12km. And we still had to have our dinner. We headed straight for the restaurant recommended to us the night before - Salada Ricca.

And we both had a plate of gnocchi with bruchesstia to start. It was a good meal and then we finished the day with a gelato from a little shop just around the corner from our apartment - wow, what a way to finish the day!

I certainly felt like we had had a huge day and what we did in the last few hours made the days effort seem really big.

inside our very italian apartment! Great postion for power points!