Rome Series, Post 4: The Pantheon and Trevi Fountain

The Pantheon was originally commissioned and built by Marcus Agrippa in the year 27 BC. The majestic structure that still stands in Rome today was rebuilt in 126 AD by the Emperor Hadrian, who had the original inscription added to his reconstruction. The Pantheon was built to honor the ancient Roman gods, though it became a Roman Catholic church in the 7th century dedicated to St. Mary and the Martyrs. The Roman Catholic altar remains inside to the present day, and regularly scheduled services take place there.

Even though we knew intellectually that the Pantheon was a large building, it was absolutely stunning to see its massive scale up close and in person. The Pantheon boasts the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, even today.

The portico of the Pantheon is supported by three rows of Corinthian columns (four if you count the columns built flush with the walls). The Latin inscription is Marcus Agrippa's original dedication, and says "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, having been consul three times made it."

Just look at the size of those doors!!

The oculus is wide open to the elements, and is still lined with the original ancient Roman bronze. The dome is built with gradient weights of materials, with the heaviest being travertine and tufa toward the bottom, and the lightest being pumice stone at the top of the dome. 

View of the entrance from inside the Pantheon.

Several notable Italians are entombed within the Pantheon. Absolute silence is demanded in the presence of the tomb of Vittorio Emanuale II, the first modern King of unified Italy.

Vittorio Emanuele II's son and heir to the throne of Italy, Umberto I, is also entombed within the Pantheon. Fresh flowers are always on display at the Pantheon's tombs. Also buried in the Pantheon are the famous Italian painter Raphael and his fiancee.

The light coming in through the oculus circles the interior throughout the daylight hours. Any rain that falls through the oculus is collected into the ancient Roman drain pipes below, which are still completely functional.

Convex section of floor that funnels rainwater into the drain pipes.

The Trevi Fountain is a relatively short (but uphill) stroll from the Pantheon. Completed in 1762, it marks the end of the ancient Roman Aqua Virgo aqueduct. The scene depicts the discovery of fresh water near Rome in 19 BC. Several levels of stairs face the fountain to accommodate the ever-present crowds of tourist photographers.

Rome Series, Post 3: The Roman Forum

The magnificent Roman Forum lies between the Colosseum, Domitian's Palace, the Vittorio Emanuele II monument, and the via Dei Fori Imperiali. The Forum was the seat of government in the Roman Empire, and the center of public life for the ancient Romans. Celebratory processions, feasts and banquets, and diplomatic meetings were all held within the Forum. There were striking classical temples erected to honor the Roman gods and deified Emperors, and sprawling public buildings. The remaining structures that we can see today are sadly only a small part of the original heart of the Roman Empire, thanks mostly to the Catholic Church and to a lesser but still significant degree, Benito Mussolini. Many of the temples have been reduced to unrecognizable heaps of rubble. The famed Temple of Caesar, where the funeral of Caesar himself took place, is easily missed altogether due to its destruction. All that remains of the Temple of Vesta is a small segment of the circular wall.

The Romans inarguably built their structures to withstand the centuries, as we can see by other architectural wonders such as the Pantheon and the Castel Sant'Angelo. This is what is so infuriating about the current condition of the Roman Forum--without the careless destruction wrought by Mussolini in the name of progress and modernity, and the prolific "borrowing" of building materials by the Catholic Church, there would most definitely be a lot more of the Roman Forum still standing. But enough of the indignant preservation-of-history soapbox.

Due to a combination of circumstances, including two small children who were getting tired--and a surprisingly in-depth crash course on the history of the Roman Forum given by our awesome tour guide (the one from our Palatine Hill tour), we did not enter the Roman Forum. Instead, we enjoyed a panoramic view of the Forum from the botanical gardens atop the Palatine Hill and then saw the ruins up close from the street.

 The massive arches belong to the Basilica of Maxentius. This was the largest building in the Forum, and at the time of its construction, it was the largest structure ever built. To the left is the Temple of Romulus, which was also built by Maxentius to honor his son.

To the left of the Temple of Romulus is the Temple of the Deified Antonius and Faustina. It was dedicated first to the Emperor Antonius Pius's wife upon her death, and then when he died the inscription was changed to acknowledge them both. The building contained within the original pronaos is the San Lorenzo in Miranda Roman Catholic Church, which was built in the early Middle Ages.

A closer view of the Temple of Romulus. The bronze doors are original to the temple, built in 309.

The Temple of Venus and Rome was a massive temple erected by two of the great Emperors of Rome: Hadrian and Antonius Pius. After it was damaged by fire, the Emperor Maxentius oversaw reconstruction. The Temple of Venus and Rome is believed to be the largest temple of ancient Rome. On occasion, the Pope has led public services from the temple.

This area was the Forum of Caesar. At least five Emperors created their own forum areas in addition to the central Roman Forum. The blocky brick building in the background is where the Senate met.

This shot is looking across Caesar's Forum and the Sacred Way, toward the Temple of Vesta and the Palatine Hill.

The modern and ancient clash discordantly, with the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II towering over the Roman Forum. This monument has been the source of much controversy due to its ostentatious appearance and poor choice of placement. The three columns standing are the ruin of the Temple of Venus Genetrix.

Another view of Caesar's Forum and the back of the Curia.

The Temple of Venus Genetrix alongside the Vittorio Emanuele II monument.

The Temple of Venus Genetrix. In the background is the Temple of Antonius and Faustina, and the Curia. The Curia was partially converted to the Basilica of Sant'Adriano al Foro.

Though little remains of the Emperor Trajan's forum, his triumphant column is still standing. It is covered in pictographs of his conquest of Dacia (Romania).

Ruins of the Forum of Trajan.

The Roman Forum was an amazing sight to behold, although it evokes an equal amount of anger and awe because of the needless destruction that was inflicted upon this priceless site of world heritage.

While fact-checking for this post, I found a much more thorough guide to the Roman Forum by Rick Archer. You can read about his trip to the Forum here. He has also included wonderful comparisons between photos of the Forum today and digital recreations of what it would have looked like under the Roman Empire.

Rome Series, Post 1: il Colosseo

In October, we took a vacation to mainland Italy and toured Rome and Florence. We took an astounding 1,129 photos in total, and have yet to fully go through and organize them. Needless to say, there was a lot to see and do, and a ton of history to be learned and re-learned in context. For easier reading and to prevent enormous posts, we've decided to post each major location separately.

And so we begin with The Colosseum, or il Colosseo.

Credits for this photo go solely to Billy, he's very proud of it!

The Colosseum, or the Flavian Amphitheatre, was the largest amphitheatre in the Roman world and remains the largest in the world today. Construction began in 70 AD and was completed in 80 AD, though modifications were made over the next two decades. The Colosseum is a World Heritage Site, and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

We headed straight for the Colosseum as soon as we had dropped our backpacks in our hotel and grabbed a late lunch in the Piazza Republica. A quick cab ride took us straight to the end of the line for admission into the Colosseum.

Now this is the most important tip we have for tourists visiting Rome and other high-traffic sites: Pay for those skip-the-line tickets!!! Yes, it is significantly more expensive. Yes, you'll need to have the euro on hand in cash for most places. But it is well worth the added expense to just walk right up to the Colosseum or whatever site you happen to be visiting, instead of standing in line for, literally, hours. (Especially with small children!)

Our timing for getting inside the Colosseum couldn't have been more perfect. As we walked up to where people were milling about waiting to go inside, a young tour representative approached us and offered tickets for the last skip-the-line tour of the day which was beginning in ten minutes. Our total price for these tickets was 60 euro for the four of us, plus they threw in a free guided tour of the Palatine Hill with a tour guide in training.

You might think you have a good idea of the size of the Colosseum, until you actually see it and walk inside. It is built on a truly colossal (ha, ha) scale. In the above picture, you can see holes in the arches where bronze clamps were taken over the centuries. For a long period in the Middle Ages, after the Colosseum was partially destroyed by earthquake, many materials were removed to build other structures in the city. It was during this time that the interior stone and marble facade were stripped away.

Today, only the bricks that lay underneath the original stone and marble can be seen in the interior of the

Colosseum. Marble and wooden benches used to ring the sides of the interior, and it's estimated that the Colosseum could seat between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators. Some seats featured convenient holes in the center so that spectators wouldn't have to get up and miss any part of the events...

The interior walls of the Colosseum were constructed of brick and concrete, overlaid with stone and marble. This is how many of the walls appear today. It's hard to imagine how it must have looked when the whole structure shone in brilliant white marble.

The Colosseum is so enormous that it's very hard to get a shot of the entire arena and seating areas with a regular camera. The platform at right center was built to show where the actual floor of the arena would have been. The tunnels and rooms underneath were added after the Colosseum's completion, between 81-96 AD.

Gladiatorial fights were held for hundreds of years into the 5th century, and animal hunting continued into the 6th century. After the last animal hunt, a small church was built inside the Colosseum and the arena became a cemetery. The rooms and tunnels beneath the arena were rented out as housing and workshops until the 1200s, when the Colosseum was fortified as a castle. Eventually, beginning in the 16th century, the papacy of Rome began calling for preservation of the Colosseum.

The facade of the Colosseum is very weathered and damaged by numerous earthquakes and at least one great fire. The original pristine marble has also darkened from the pollution of modern-day Rome.

 Many original decorative structures in various states of ruin remain inside the Colosseum, including this inscription, "LOSEC." Who knows what it could have been meant to read?

More photos taken in and around the Colosseum can be seen on our Flickr photostream.

Mt. Etna in November, before snow.

We took a drive up the south side of Mt. Etna recently with some friends and were able to get some pretty cool photos. Despite it being a dreary, overcast day down at the bottom of the mountain, it was beautifully clear once we came even with the cloud banks!

We also got to see the first traditional signs of autumn on our drive -- gorgeous fall colors on the leaves! Everything is still lush and green down in our valley.

The drive is along a scenic, winding road--and it takes less than an hour to reach the highest point you can get to in your car from Sigonella.

All along the road are areas where you can pull off and enjoy the views of southeastern Sicily, Mt. Etna, and this house that was buried in an eruption.

Nothing but blue skies as we reached the highest point in our journey! There is the option to ride up closer to the largest crater on the ski lift, but it costs 28 euro per person. We did not anticipate that price, so we skipped that adventure!

And here's one last picture of the very top of Mt. Etna. We can't wait to go back and see the snow!

Sagra del Pistacchio in Bronte

This weekend, Landon and I ventured up to the west side of Mt. Etna to the picturesque city of Bronte, for their annual pistachio festival. Bronte is well-known for their green pistachios, and it's not hard to see why--they are delicious!




The city of Bronte, looking down from the southwest municipal park.

The drive was an hour long, mostly on a scenic, winding road that gave stunning views of the mountains west of Etna. Parking was surprisingly easy to find, but facing downhill on what seemed to be a nearly vertical little back street. I knew it would be a challenge to get out, but we didn't need to wear out Landon's little legs before we even got into the festival!

The festival was spread throughout a good portion of the city, with lots of vendors set up under tents. They had everything from sparkling crystal jewelry, to market stalls of fresh produce and cheeses, to full-sized ovens! I couldn't resist a snake wrap bracelet, and Landon had to have a sword with sound effects and a real laser.

We enjoyed live music, from a Native American playing flutes to a full marching band. We had pistacchio gelato and fresh strawberries, and Landon had an Italian-style hot dog (made on a panini grill). It was a nice alternative to the Apple Festival, which we were missing in our home town this weekend!




Fresh fruit at a market stall decorated with grape vines. This is where we bought our strawberries.

We left at dusk, and our steep parallel parking was just as difficult as I expected to get out of, but I managed without hitting anyone! Then we crept through streets so narrow that my side mirrors had to be folded in, drove right across the main festival thoroughfare, and made it out of the city just as it was fully dark. Not a scratch on the car....(corna al metallo!) That's the Italian equivalent to knocking on wood!

Check our Facebook pages for the full photo album.

A Day at the Beach

Here are a few pictures of a gorgeous beach we visited today, near Siracusa. Being from North Carolina, it's strange to be able to enjoy a warm, sunny day on the beach in late September!

We went to the Fontane Bianche lido, right next to the Hotel Fontane Bianche. Since it is now the "off-season", the lido prices are reduced. It was also much less crowded than the lidos in August!

 

To the south are large rocks coming up out of the water, great for climbing and jumping off! Didn't get to attempt that on this trip, but it's definitely on the list for the next one!

 

This beach is about an hour away from Sigonella, but well worth the time. The drive is really easy, and mostly highway distance. For more information on the Fontane Bianche and driving directions, check the Links page!

Agrigento

 

Sunday was our long-anticipated trip to the city of Agrigento, the location of the Valley of the Temples. The drive was a bit long, at two hours, but very scenic. We spotted several aqueducts, and the rural, mountainous countryside was beautiful.

 

We took lots of pictures, and have included a few good shots of the temples. We would definitely recommend a visit to Agrigento to anyone visiting Sicily!

 



This is the first temple in our tour of the Valley. It is dedicated to Juno (or Hera), and all of the weddings of the Greek city of Agracas took place here (The city was renamed Agrigento when the Roman Empire took over). It also has the only complete altar remaining in the Valley, which Landon had a great time climbing! This temple was built in the 6th century BC.

A good portion of the old city walls of Agracas are still standing on the southern edge. There are arches visible in the walls that the Greeks used for frescoes. The Byzantine Christians who later conquered Agrigento used these recesses as tombs. Landon was going to climb in until he realized what tombs were! The view from the old wall is picturesque, and you can see straight to the Mediterranean.

This is the Temple Concordia, named for an inscription found inside the temple. It is unknown which god or goddess this temple was dedicated to. It is one of the only complete ancient Greek temples that still stands today, without having undergone reconstruction. Our guide told us that it is very rare for both of the sima, or triangular parts on either end, to remain intact.

View from the entrance to the Temple Concordia, looking toward the back. You can see the naos, or interior building. The bare walls have no recesses for statues, so it is assumed that there were murals painted on the walls. Also, in their time, these temples were all white--they were covered in lime to be reminiscent of the marble temples in Greece, since the Greeks were unable to find marble on Sicily.

The Temple of Hercules is the oldest temple in the Valley, built in the 7th century BC. Only one of the columns was left standing until the 1800s, when a British captain moved to Agrigento and devoted his personal fortune to reconstructing the fallen temples. The reconstruction of this temple was halted when a worker was killed on site, and it remains as the captain's team left it, with pieces of the other columns and parts lying around the foundation.

We all thought it was amazing to be so near, even touching in some cases, to ancient Greek history. The anecdotal history given by our tour guide was full of interesting facts about everything from the daily life of the Greeks to special strategies of building the temples.  But, it was a very hot day, and we were also all glad to spend a few hours at a nearby lido to cool off and rest a bit before heading back home!

For our full photo album from this trip, see our Facebook pages!