Day 4—Roma, Part II

Trajan’s Column, rising five or six stories into the sky, dates from the year 113 A.D. and depicts scenes from the Emperor Trajan Augustus’ victories and served as a testimony and monument and burial place to this conquering ruler. Two thousand five hundred figures tell the stories of battles won, lands conquered, booty brought to Rome. The technical expertise and slave labour to create such a monument without modern machinery is awe-inspiring—on top of the fact that this monument has survived relatively intact through the ages.

The Vittorio Emanuele Monument (1885-1911) of white marble is in stark contrast to every other building in Rome. This building honors the unification of Italy by its first king in 1871. It is home to the tomb to Italy’s Unknown Soldier.

The church of S. Maria in Aracoeli (of the altar—on the site of the Roman Temple of Juno) uses columns from other ancient temples and palaces. Work by Bernini, Bregno and Donatello and many others makes this church is a fusion of art through the ages. Chrystal chandeliers, intricate tiled floors, mosaics, marble statues, and Byzantine icons decorate every available wall space and niche.

High above the Capitoline Hill/Forum/Palatine Hill, we found a panoramic view away from the crowds. The original city of Rome was built on seven hills. The Capitol was the center of democracy—the Roman vision of shared rule. In 1536 Michelangelo designed this piazza and city square for the reception of an Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V. A mighty bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius dominates the square to honor the glory of Rome’s empire and to inspire a renewal to world dominion. Buildings on two sides of the piazza hold the oldest museum in the world, the Capitoline Museum, a first collection of classical sculpture. Today this is the center of Rome’s city government.

The Forum, below the Capitoline Hill, was the center of commerce and trade and city life. The ruins give an outline of the market area and the important temples, and it is easy to imagine the bustling activity of ancient Rome. (The TV series “Rome,” recently produced on HBO, is an excellent depiction of life in the ancient city—bloody but a good historical accounting of Roman life beginning in 50 A.D.)

The Palatine Hill provided a panoramic view of the Forum and city below. The palaces of the emperors and the ruling elite were situated in this most important and prestigious area.

At small café below the Capitoline Hill we ate pizza and rested tired legs for a half-hour before continuing on to Teatro di Marcello (Theatre of Marcello). This semi-circular amphitheater was home to productions for 20,000 spectators. Begun by Cesear, it was completed in 13 A.D. Through the years it was later built upon repeatedly, and at one point, it was called the Palace Orsini, for the family who occupied it for over two hundred years.

Portico di Ottavia dates from 149 B.C., and was a meeting place for those attending events at the Theatre of Marcello. The famous statue of Venus (now displayed in Florence) was found buried in rubble here. This area became the fish market in the Middle Ages.

A double courtyard of the Palazzo Mattei, a palace designed by Maderno, dates from 1595 A.D. and exhibits the high art of Baroque Rome. Florentine in design, the plaza exhibited ancient sculptures. Outside in the square is a fanciful fountain—Fontana della Tartarughe: four boys holding a dolphin supporting tortoises.
Nearby, the narrow street Via della Reginella marks the boundary of the Jewish Ghetto. The history of Jews in Rome is a sad one, and at various times, the popes persecuted them by confining them to the ghetto. During some times, Jews were required to attend sermons intended to convert them. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) required Jews to wear a distinguishing mark, a yellow “O,” but the real persecution of Jews occurred later, during the Renaissance and the Counter-Reformation.