60 Days of Italy – Rome – My Travel Notions

Italy Day 34: Food Tour in Rome

Alice and I both like to take food walking tours. It’s such a good way to get introduced to an area and to the food of that area. We began the tour by the market area of Campo de Fiori just when it began to rain rather heavily but thankfully the rain subsided as we continued our tour.

The food was okay but the amount of it did not really seem to warrant the cost of the tour which took us from Campo de Fiori to the Jewish Ghetto and then on to Trastevere.

Come check out a little of Rome and what we ate along the way.

Alice and I at the ancient Portico D’Ottavia in the the ancient Jewish Ghetto in Rome with a view of the Theater of Marcellus (the 3-story stoned building to the right). The weather for our first day in Rome was quite a mixed bag of rain and sun but more sun than rain is in the forecast. (May 21, 2023)

Our first stop on our food tour at the Fiore, a Napoletano Street Food Pizzeria, in Rome. (May 21, 2023)

The different yummies inside the Fiore, a Napoletano Street Food Pizzeria, in Rome. (May 21, 2023)

The Montanara Fried Pizza at the Fiore, a Napoletano Street Food Pizzeria, in Rome. Delicious fried dough topped with tomato sauce and a slice of mozzarella cheese. (May 21, 2023)

Our second stop was at this Norcineria Viola dal 1890 a traditional Italian deli selling, hams, cheeses, salami, cold cuts and more. (May 21, 2023)

Inside the Norcineria Viola dal 1890 a traditional Italian deli selling, hams, cheeses, salami, cold cuts and more. (May 21, 2023)

The stop at the Norcineria Viola dal 1890 was all about tasting cheese, prosciutto and Roman salami. The salami was my favorite. (May 21, 2023)

We continued our food walking tour from the Campo Fiori area of Rome to the Jewish Quarter. (May 21, 2023)

The brass cobblestone-sized memorials, on the ground in Rome’s Jewish Quarter, mark the places where Holocaust victims were taken from their homes to the concentration/extermination camps. The Roman cobblestones are part of a larger project started by German artist Gunter Demnig. (May 21, 2023)

The brass cobblestone-sized memorials in Rome’s Jewish Quarter are a reminder of the former Jewish residents in that building who were deported. The stones are grouped together usually with one stone for each member of the family. (May 21, 2023)

Established by Pope Paul IV in 1555, the Jewish Ghetto was the only place in Rome where local Jewish inhabitants were permitted to live. That meant the entire Jewish community was confined to this small area, living in abject poverty and stripped of most of their rights. (May 21, 2023)

Our food tour guide, Marcia, holding a bowl of Jewish-style fried artichokes and rice balls at La Taverna Del Ghetto in Rome’s Jewish Quarter. (May 21, 2023)

A close-up of the Jewish-style fried artichokes and in the center fried rice balls at La Taverna Del Ghetto in Rome’s Jewish Quarter. (May 21, 2023)

The ancient Portico D’Ottavia in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto was re-built between 27 and 23 BC by Augustus in place of the oldest Portico of Metellus and dedicated it to his sister Ottavia. The current look of the portico comes from 203 by Septimius Severus who restored and partially rebuilt it after a fire in 191. (May 21, 2023)

From the bridge by the ancient Portico D’Ottavia is a view of the Theater of Marcellus (the 3-story stoned building to the right) and on the edge of the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. (May 21, 2023)

Crossing over the Pons Cestius, an ancient Roman bridge connecting the right bank of the Tiber with the west of the Tiber Island, as we make our way from the Jewish Ghetto to the Trastevere area of Rome. (May 21, 2023)

Crossing the Tiber along the Pons Cestius, an ancient Roman bridge connecting the right bank of the Tiber with the west of the Tiber Island in Rome. (May 21, 2023)

A view of the Pons Cestius, ancient Roman bridge, from the Trastevere side of Rome. (May 21, 2023)

The hand-written menu for the Ristorante Sette Oche in Altalena on the Trastevere side of Rome where we enjoyed two different pastas during our foot tasting tour. (May 21, 2023)

Our food walking tour guide, Marcia, serving our group plates of the two different pastas at the Ristorante Sette Oche in Altalena on the Trastevere side of Rome. (May 21, 2023)

The two kinds of pasta, Bucatini All’Amatriciana (left) and Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe (right) at the Ristorante Sette Oche in Altalena on the Trastevere side of Rome. (May 21, 2023)

Ending our food walking tour at gelateria Fior di Luna for a very enjoyable gelato fix on the Trastevere side of Rome. (May 21, 2023)

Italy Day 35: Crazy Trevi, Views of Roma, Trajan’s Market, Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Spanish Steps, Capitoline Hill & Museum in Roma

Walking in Rome. There’s a lot of it. And don’t expect to really see it all in a day, a week or even a month. Rome is chock full of Etruscan, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Modern history.

Check out a bunch of Rome with me…and more to come.

Getting a photo by the Trevi fountain in Rome is pretty much impossible. To say it is crowded, is an understatement because there are people literally all over this little corner of the world to take photos of one of the most famous and largest Baroque fountains in the world. (May 22, 2023)

The Trevi fountain in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The crowds around the Trevi Fountain in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The Church of Santa Maria di Loreto and Trajan’s Column at the Trajan Forum in Rome. The column (to the right hidden by the trees) commemorates the Roman Emperor Trajan’s victory in a war. (May 22, 2023)

Trajan’s Column, with the Church of the Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traianoat behind the column, at Trajan’s Forum in Rome commemorates the Roman Emperor Trajan’s victory in a war. Completed in AD 113, the freestanding column is most famous for its spiral bas relief, which depicts the wars between the Romans and Dacians (101–102 and 105–106).
The Via dei Fori Imperiali street by Trajan’s Forum is dotted with archaeological ruins dating back thousands of years and was once the site of some of the most significant structures in ancient Rome. These forums were all built by different Roman emperors, and together formed the political heart of ancient Rome.

The remains of the Trajan Forum (112-113 AD) in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

Trajan’s Market in Trajan’s Forum is a large complex of ruins in the city of Rome located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at the opposite end of the Colosseum. The market, where ancient shops and offices were located, was built during the Roman Empire between 107and 110 AD by the same emperor responsible for the Trajan’s Column, Emperor Trajan. (May 22, 2023)

The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (“Altar of the Fatherland”) in Rome was built between 1885 and 1935 to honour Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. It occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. (May 22, 2023)

The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (“Altar of the Fatherland”) in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

Took the 121 steps up to the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in the middle of the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (left) and the Piazza del Campidoglio with the Capitoline Museum (right) in Rome. The stairs up to the piazza and museum are separate from the stairs up to the basilica. (May 22, 2023)

The Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in the middle of the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (left) and the Piazza del Campidoglio with the Capitoline Museum (right) in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

A view of Rome from atop the staircase of the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

Inside the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The high altar inside the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

Towards the entrance of the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The ceiling inside the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

A side view of the chapels inside the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The beautiful tiled floors inside the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

A chapel inside the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

A view of the Piazza del Campidoglio with the Capitoline Museum from atop the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on Capitoline Hill in Rome. The stairs up to the piazza and museum are separate from the stairs up to the basilica. (May 22, 2023)

A view of the the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (left) and the the Basilica of Santa Maria of the Altar in Heaven in Aracoeli on the way up the stairs towards the Piazza del Campidoglio with the Capitoline Museums. (May 22, 2023)

Heading up to the Capitoline Museums, a group of art and archaeological museums, in Piazza del Campidoglio on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome. The buildings of the museums are Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, facing on the central trapezoidal piazza in a plan conceived by Michelangelo in 1536 and executed over a period of more than 400 years. (May 22, 2023)

Heading up to the Capitoline Museums, a group of art and archaeological museums, in Piazza del Campidoglio on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

Emperor Marcus Aurelius on a horse in the Piazza del Campidoglio on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome is a copy of the original statue housed on-site in the Capitoline museum with the Palazzo Senatorio behind it. (May 22, 2023)

The courtyard inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The remnants of sculptures inside the courtyard of the Capitoline Museum in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The colossus marble head of the marble of Constantine from the Basilica of Maxentius in the courtyard of the Capitoline Museum in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The Hall of the Horacio and the Curiatii inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

Rape of the Sabine women fresco behind the marble statue of Pope Urban VIII Barberini (1623-1644) in the Hall of the Horacio and the Curiatii inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome. The statue was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) between 1635 and 1640. (May 22, 2023)

The marble statue of Pope Urban VIII Barberini (1623-1644) in the Hall of the Horacio and the Curiatii inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome, sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1635 and 1640 with the Rape of the Sabine women fresco. (May 22, 2023)

The bronze statue of Pope Innocent X Pamphilj, sculpted between 1645 and 1650 by Alessandro Algardi in the Hall of the Horacio and the Curiatii inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome with the fresco of the She-Wolf suckling the infant twins Romulus and Remus. (May 22, 2023)

A fresco of the She-Wolf suckling the infant twins Romulus and Remus in the Hall of the Horacio and the Curiatii inside the Capitoline Museum. The She-Wolf has been a symbol of the city of Rome. (May 22, 2023)

The Capitoline Brutus is an ancient Roman bronze bust thought to depict Roman consul Lucius Junius Brutus who died in 509 BC, however there is no direct evidence that it was made to represent Brutus at the Capitoline Museum in Rome. The date of the bus is from the late 4th to possibly the 1st century BC. Traditionally it’s taken to be an early example of Roman portraiture perhaps even by an Etruscan artist. The Roman head was provided with a toga-clad bronze bust during the Renaissance. (May 22, 2023)

The Capitoline Fasti inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome is a list of the chief magistrates responsible for the most significant events of Roman history from the early 5th century BC down to the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor and the beginning of the Roman Republic. (May 22, 2023)

A close-up of one section of the Capitoline Fasti inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome is a list of the chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, extending from the early 5th century BC down to the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. (May 22, 2023)

The statue of Meduca by Bernini at the Capitoline Museum in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

A bronze processional tensa or chariot for the transport of the gods from around 325 to 350 AD in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. It was discovered in a Roman countryside in 1872 and was possibly a private wagon designed to transport wealthy citizens. The decoration, ordered in six overlapping bands, refers to episodes from the life of Achilles, from his childhood (with scenes of the bath in the Styx, the education of Chiron, his life in Skyros) to adulthood (episodes of the Trojan cycle). (May 22, 2023)

A marble portrait sculpture of Commodus (161-192) a Roman emperor, dressed as Hercules, who ruled from 177 to 192 who served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father’s death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome. His reign is commonly thought as marking the end of a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire (the Pax Romana). It was discovered in 1874. Commodus liked being associated with Hercules because of the god-like power Hercules held. (May 22, 2023)

The collection and history of the Capitoline Museum can be traced to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important ancient bronzes to the people of Rome and located them on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. (May 22, 2023)

One of the original bronzes donated by Pope Sixtus IV is the Boy with Thorn, also called Fedele (Fedelino) or Spinario, is a Greco-Roman Hellenistic bronze sculpture of a boy withdrawing a thorn from the sole of his foot, in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. (May 20, 2023)

Another piece from Pope Sixtus IV collection is the She-wolf bronze from the early 5th century BC inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome. According to the ancient Romans’ founding myth, the wolf adopted and suckled twins Romulus and Remus. The name Roma supposedly came from the city’s founder and first king, Romulus. (May 22, 2023)

The colossal bronze head of Constantine was another ancient bronze piece from Pope Sixtus IV’s collection inside the Capitoline Museum in Rome. The five times bigger than life head shows the emperor Constantine at a rather elderly age and was presumably executed soon after his death in 337 AD. (May 22, 2023)

The original gilded bronze Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius at the Capitoline Museum in Rome. The statue was erected between 176 AD, the year of Marcus Aurelius triumph over the German tribes, and 180 AD, the year of his death. In 1538 the statue was placed at the centre of the Piazza del Campidoglio as the focus of Michelangelo’s design of the piazza. But it was eventually brought inside the Capitoline Museum due to damages caused by the long outdoor exposure. Out of the numerous equestrian statues to be found in Rome during the Imperial Rome (31 BC – AD 476), this is the only one to have survived to the present and constitutes one of the most recognizable symbols of the power of Rome. (May 22, 2023)

A view of the Roman Forum from the balcony of the Capitoline Museum in Rome considered the most important forum in ancient Rome, situated on low ground between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. The Roman Forum, the hub of political and social activity of the Roman citizens, began to take shape around the late 7th century BC. It became the site of public gatherings, trials, elections and gladiatorial combat. (May 20, 2023)

The Arch of Septemius Severus in the Roman Forum, viewed from the Capitoline Museum in Rome, was built in 203 AD. The arch of Rome’s African Emperor, Septimius Severus, a Roman emperor from 193 to 211 born in present-day Libya but then the Roman province of Africa, was built to celebrate his victory over the Parthians, the Persian Empire.
The triumphal arches in the Roman Forum are free-standing monumental structures in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passage ways. Originally five in total, today only three of them survive. (May 22, 2023)

A view of the Roman Forum from the balcony of the Capitoline Museum in Rome with Palantine Hill. (May 22, 2023)

Our guide, Martina, during our walk through the Capitoline Museum in Rome. We’re in front of the Forum of Mars a sculpture that possibly represents the personification of Ocean, the god who reigned over all the world’s waters, and dates from possibly the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD. (May 22, 2023)

The Forum of Mars a sculpture that possibly represents the personification of Ocean, the god who reigned over all the world’s waters, and dates from possibly the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD in the Capitoline Museum. (May 22, 2023)

The Temple of Hadrian in the Piazza della Pietra in Rome. In 1831 the building was used as the seat of the Rome Stock Exchange, before becoming the Rome Chamber of Commerce. (May 22, 2023)

These beautiful shrines in Rome guard the intersections on the street corners of buildings known as Madonnelle. (May 22, 2023)

Italy Days 36 & 37: Roaming Rome and an Angels & Demons Walking Tour

It was two full days of walking around Rome on its black basalt cobblestones, one day on my own and another full day on an Angels & Demons walking tour.

I’m not a reader of American author Dan Brown’s books but I have enjoyed the movie versions of his works like “The Da Vinci Code,” “Angels & Demons,” and “Inferno.” These stories are treasure hunts of some kind that involve cryptography, art, history and conspiracy theories for symboligist, researcher, author and Harvard professor Robert Langdon to solve.

Present-day Illuminati, a secret brotherhood, have kidnapped four cardinals from the Vatican and a canister of antimatter from a lab in Switzerland, to seek revenge over the Vatican’s past atrocities.

The clues that take Robert Langdon from one place to the other may slightly make sense in the movie but in reality, they just don’t. There’s too much art, requiring too much time to decipher, to even remotely get to the four cardinals and antimatter canister in any amount time. But the chase thru Rome’s art, artists, history and religious dogma makes for a grand adventure. And I like an adventure.

Come join me as I check out the sites of the Angels & Demons movie version of adventures in Rome.

Me at Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome where we come to just about the end of our Angels & Demons story, but there’s still much more to see, so let’s get started. (May 24, 2023)

My morning, while walking to the start of my “Angels & Demons” tour brought me to the Spanish Steps in Rome. This is a view from the top of the Steps, without the crowds. (May 24, 2023)

The not so crowded, morning views of the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) and the Fontana della Barcaccia in Rome. It was built between 1723 and 1726. (May 24, 2023)

The Piazza di Spagna in Rome with a view of the Baroque-style Fontana della Barcaccia found at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome. Pope Urban VIII commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the fountain as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between 1627 and 1629 by Pietro possibly along with the help of his son Gian Lorenzo Bernini. (May 24, 2023)

The not so crowded, morning views of the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The Trinità dei Monti church at the top of the Spanish Steps with the Obelisco Sallustiano in Rome was commissioned in 1502 by Louis Xl as a church for the French Roval Family. (May 24, 2023)

Although the clues in the “Angels & Demons” novel by American author Dan Brown begin, falsely here, at the Pantheon, its where Harvard University professor and symboligist Robert Langdon and antimatter researcher, Vittoria Vetra, begin their quest to find the stolen antimatter and the four kidnapped Preferiti, the Cardinals who are candidates for becoming the new Pope of the Catholic Church. The cardinals are set to be killed one each hour and the antimatter is scheduled to blow-up Rome at midnight once all the cardinals are dead. (May 23, 2023)

The very long line to enter the packed Pantheon in Rome.
(I’ve been in it before but I just didn’t want to wait in the long line to enter. But Langdon and Vetra dash in and out of here quite quickly.) (May 23, 2023)

The very long line to enter the packed Pantheon in Rome. (May 23, 2023)

The Porta del Popolo, or Porta Flaminia, is a city gate of the Aurelian Walls of Rome that marks the border between Piazza del Popolo and Piazzale Flaminio. The current Porta del Popolo was built by Pope Sixtus IV for the Jubilee Year 1475 on the site of an ancient Roman gate which, at that time, was partially buried.
The gate leads to the (May 24, 2023)

The Piazza del Popolo with its Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II from Heliopolis stands in the center of the Piazza. The “twin” churches of the piazza are Santa Maria in Montesanto (left, built 1662–75) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (right, built 1675–79). (May 24, 2023)

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo (Mary of the People), on the north side of the Piazza del Popolo at the Aurelian Wall in Rome. This church was built in 432 by order of pope Sixtus III and rebuilt and enlarged, between 1472 and 1477.
(This is where the first Cardinal was killed and found by Langdon and Vetra from the Angels & Demons movie based on Dan Brown’s book.) (May 24, 2023)

Inside the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The altar inside Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The Cerasi Chapel with the Assumption of the Virgin painting by Annibale Carracci at the altar with the two side paintings by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, commonly known as Caravaggio, inside the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The Conversion of St. Paul on the Way to Damascus painted in 1601 by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, commonly known as Caravaggio, on the side wall of the Cerasi Chapel inside the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. On the opposite wall is a second Caravaggio depicting the Crucifixion of Saint Peter. On the altar between the two paintings is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Annibale Carracci. (May 24, 2023)

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, commonly known as Caravaggio, was painted in 1601 for the Cerasi Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The Chigi Chapel, which looked under renovation in the Angels & Demons movie, is inside the Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. The chapel was designed by Raphael for the banker Agostino Chigi from 1513 and completed between 1652 and 1656 by the intervention of Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the behest of Pope Alexander VII Chigi.
(Under the circular center of the Chigi Chapel, leading underground, Robert and Vittoria find the first dead cardinal and their first clue. Representing the first element of earth, the cardinal was smothered when dirt and soil were shoved into his mouth. This leads Robert and Vittoria to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square where the second cardinal is found.) (May 24, 2023)

At the Vatican, in St. Peter’s Square, Robert and Vittoria see this plate on the ground, a clue of air that leads them to find the second cardinal there at the Vatican who had his lungs punctured and his his chest branded with the ambigram of the word ‘Air.’ The wind directions are shown. Find the relief marked “West Ponente”. That’s the place where the next scene takes place. (May 24, 2023)

A close-up of one of the 16 Wind Rose white marble plates that surrounds the obelisk at the Vatican in St Peter’s Square. It is a diagram that uses the compass points to show the different wind directions.
Though the ‘wind rose’ (Italian: rosa dei venti) has been around since ancient times, these plates or markers were added to the Square around 1852.
Robert and Vittoria see this plate on the ground, a clue of air that leads them to find the second cardinal there at the Vatican who had his lungs punctured and his his chest branded with the ambigram of the word ‘Air.’ (May 24, 2023)

The stunning and enormous St. Peter’s Basilica at the city-state of the Vatican…within Italy’s capital city of Rome. Construction of the present basilica began 1506 and was completed 1626. Both the square and the basilica are named after Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ whom Catholics consider to be the first Pope.
The Vatican is where Robert and Vittoria find the 2nd cardinal mortally wounded, his lungs punctured and his chest branded. From here Robert moves on to the Basilica of Santa Maria Della Vittoria in Rome to stop the murder of the third cardinal.
(More on St. Peter’s Basilica, the Dome, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapels on another post.) (May 24, 2023)

The Basilica of Santa Maria Della Vittoria in Rome is where Langdon shows up to find and save the third cardinal only to find that he was killed by fire and the assassin has also killed the see that cardinal one of the Cardinals was killed by fire and the assassin has killed the commandant of the Swiss Guard who brought Robert to the church.
The church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is known for the masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. (May 24, 2023)

Inside the Santa Maria della Vittoria church in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The altar inside the Basilica of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The main altar inside the Santa Maria della Vittoria church in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in the Cornaro Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome depicts Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun and saint, swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her. The leading sculptor of his day, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, designed the setting of the Chapel in marble, stucco and paint. He also designed and completed the marble sculptural group. (May 24, 2023)

Inside the Basilica of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The ceiling inside the Basilica of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The Piazza Navona, with its three sections of fountains, was originally the Stadium of Domitian where athletic competitions were held. The Fountain of the Four Rivers, a masterpiece by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, considered by Dan Brown, the American novelist of the Angels & Demons, to be a secret member of the Illuminati.
(After consulting a map of Rome, Robert identifies the final location of the fourth cardinal as the Four Rivers sculpture at the Piazza Navona. Escorted by two Vatican police officers, they find the assassin attempting to drown the cardinal who kills them leaving Robert to rescue the cardinal. The cardinal tells Robert where he’s been held, at Castel Sant’Angelo.) (May 23, 2023)

The Fountain of the Four Rivers designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is one of three fountains at the Piazza Navona and is located at the center of the piazza. Another masterpiece by Bernini who, according to the Angel & Demons story, was a secret member of the Illuminati. (May 23, 2023)

The Fountain of the Four Rivers is where the fourth cardinal in the Angels & Demons movie is saved by Robert after the assassin attempted to drown him. Once rescued, the cardinal tells Robert that the Church of the Illuminati is Castal Sant’Angelo and Robert deduces that’s where the antimatter canister is hidden. (May 23, 2023)

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant’Angelo is a towering cylindrical building that looks scary and ominous in the movie version of Angels & Demons. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The structure was once the tallest building in Rome.
In the movie version, the assassin is killed by a car bomb, whereas in the book version, he falls from a balcony at the top of the Castel Sant’Angelo. (May 24, 2023)

Walking up the interior tunnel of Castel Sant’Angelo leading to where Robert Langdon believes the antimatter canister is hidden. (May 24, 2023)

The interior tunnel of Castel Sant’Angelo leading to where Robert Langdon believes the antimatter canister is hidden. (May 24, 2023)

Inside the courtyard area of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

Inside the courtyard area of Castel Sant’Angelo with the Archangel Michael (c.1536) statue that was once on top of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The original Archangel Michael (c. 1536) inside the courtyard area by Raffaello da Montelupo that was once on top of the Castel Sant’Angelo. Montelupo was a sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance, and an apprentice of Michelangelo. (May 24, 2023)

The bronze Archangel Michael statue, from whom the building derives its name, standing on top of the Castel Sant’Angelo terrace was modelled in 1753 by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt (1710–1793). (May 24, 2023)

The bronze Archangel Michael statue standing on top of the Castel Sant’Angelo terrace in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

Inside Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

An exterior hallway inside Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

The papal apartment inside Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

A pieta inside Castel Sant’Angelo. (May 24, 2023)

Views of the Vatican including St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance and the Passetto or Corridore of Borgo wall (to the right), an elevated and fortified passageway that connects the Vatican with Castel Sant’Angelo. This secret corridor was commissioned by Niccolò III in the 13th century AD as a way for the popes to escape and get into Castel Sant’Angelo when their safety was at risk. (May 24, 2023)

This is the Passetto or Corridore of Borgo. It is a passageway from Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican. In the movie version Robert fights with the assassin, while Vittoria who was taken by the assassin frees herself and saves Robert and the day, by sending the assassin over the balcony plunging to his death. The two of them run down the Passetto to the Vatican. But the movie version has the assassin escaping from Castel Sant’Angelo in a car that blows up while Robert and Vittoria use the Passetto to make their way back to the Vatican. (May 26, 2023)

Views of the Vatican and the St. Peter’s Basilica from atop Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. (May 24, 2023)

Views of the Tiber River and towards the ancient city core of Rome from atop Castel Sant’Angelo. (May 24, 2023)

Views of the Tiber River and Ponte Sant’Angelo, Rome’s bridge of Angels from atop Castel Sant’Angelo. (May 24, 2023)

The Ponte Sant’Angelo, originally the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, was completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus), to span the Tiber from the city center to his newly constructed mausoleum, now the towering Castel Sant’Angelo. (May 24, 2023)

My selfie at the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome.
The movie ends back at the Vatican, but I’ve had a full day of walking around Rome so my story ends here for the day. (May 24, 2023)

While roaming around Rome, I took a short break to have a late lunch of some rather delicious meatballs and fries. (May 23, 2023)

Italy Days 38 & 39: A Day of Rest and a Day at the Vatican

I took a lazy day in Rome only to spend the next day at the Vatican or Vatican City, the central hub of the Catholic religion and where the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, resides. It is also the smallest country in the world. Called an independent city-state, Vatican City covers over 100 acres about one-eight the size of New York City’s Central Park.

Our early morning tour of the Vatican began with climbing the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. I’m not good with tight spaces much less climbing more than 300 steps but I saved my courage and energy for this one moment in time, and I’m glad I did.

Along with climbing the Dome, the tour included visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and its Papal Crypts. From there, we took a little break to get a Cappuccino, Espresso, a quick bite to eat or just a rest before proceeding onto the extremely crowded Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

I have been to the Vatican before, but I never climbed St. Peter’s Basilica Dome, which was awesome, especially once I made it through the tight areas and reached the tremendous views once I reached the top. But the crowds at the Vatican Museums, at least this time for me, were completely disappointing. I was beginning to feel more claustrophobic in the Vatican Museums, packed with people, than I did when I was climbing the narrow passageways to the Dome.

One good note for the remainder of this trip is that John, Alice’s husband, is joining in on the Italy fun where we will be going to smaller and hopefully less touristy places. Welcome aboard John!

For now, here’s a day at the Vatican in Vatican City located inside Rome.

Our morning group selfie at Saint Peter’s Square located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The square was designed by Bernini and constructed from 1656 to 1667 and is surrounded by huge Doric columns.
John, Alice’s husband, will be joining us for the remainder of our travels in Italy. Welcome aboard John! It’s always a pleasure to travel with you and Alice! (May 26, 2023)

Crossing into the imposing elliptical shaped colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, means leaving Rome and entering Vatican City. And, the wall on the right is the Passetto or Corridore of Borgo, a passageway from the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo. (May 26, 2023)

Heading into the side of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican to start the morning walking up to the Dome. (May 26, 2023)

A side hall inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican to start the morning walking up to the Dome. (May 26, 2023)

Views inside the stunning and amazing St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican as we had to the Dome. (May 26, 2023)

The Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City with an elevator ride to one level to see the interior of the Dome and then a climb up some 300 steps to see views of Vatican City and Rome. The Dome dominates the skyline of Rome. (May 26, 2023)

A view down into St. Peter’s Basilica from the lower level of the Dome. (May 26, 2023)

View of the interior Dome area inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. (May 26, 2023)

The decorative tiled walls on the interior Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. (May 26, 2023)

A view of the frescos inside the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica from a landing area where we begin the 300 stair climb up the Dome to the views of Vatican City and Rome. (May 26, 2023)

The frescoes inside the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The interior view of the Dome inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. (May 26, 2023)

After taking the elevator to see the interior frescos of St. Peter’s Basilica Dome, we now climb up the more than 300 steps to get to the views of Vatican City and Rome. (May 26, 2023)

More stairs, but thankfully through a wider hallway. (May 26, 2023)

The last few stairs to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica Dome in Vatican City with a rope, which I held onto to get me up to the top. (May 26, 2023)

I made it to the top of the St. Peter’s Basilica dome in Vatican City with views of the Vatican Museums including the Sistine Chapel. (May 26, 2023)

The Vatican Museums as seen from the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Sistine Chapel, the elongated building to the extreme right, houses the frescoed ceiling and altar by Michelangelo. (May 26, 2023)

The Vatican Museums as seen from the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. (May 26, 2023)

A view of St. Peter’s Square and in the distance Castel Sant’Angelo from a top of the St. Peter’s Basilica Dome in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

A view of the Vatican gardens from the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

Heading back down into St. Peter’s Basilica from a top St. Peter’s Basilica dome in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

Heading back down through the tight sloping stairway corridor from a top St. Peter’s Basilica dome into the Basilica in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

After climbing down from the Dome, we entered into St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Considered the largest church in the world by interior measure, St. Peter considered the first Bishop of Rome (Pope) is also said to be buried directly below the high altar. The basilica replaces a 4th century St. Peter’s Basilica by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. This present Basilica was began in 1506 and completed in 1626. (May 26, 2023)

The bronze and gold Papal Altar, a baldachin or canopy, inside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was built between 1624 and 1633. (May 26, 2023)

The central dome, above the Papal Altar inside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City dominates the skyline of Rome. (May 26, 2023)

The Chapel of the Madonna della Pietà inside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is a sculpture carved by Michelangelo Buonarroti of the Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. (May 26, 2023)

The Pieta by Michelangelo is maintained behind bullet-proof glass in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. This world-famous marble sculpture was created between 1499 and 1500. (May 26, 2023)

The Pietà inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is the only work of his art Michelangelo personally signed. (May 26, 2023)

A side view of the enormous columns and chapels, some dedicated to the Popes at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Some 91 popes are buried at the Basilica. (May 26, 2023)

Inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. (May 26, 2023)

Many of the statues inside and outside St. Peter’s Basilica were inspired by Renaissance architecture and are statues of saints, popes, and other important Christians. (May 26, 2023)

The tomb of Pope Alexander VII inside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is a sculptural monument designed by Italian Renaissance artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The piece was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII himself. However, construction of the monument didn’t start until 1671 and was completed in 1678, eleven years after the Pope’s death. At the age of 81, this would be Bernini’s last major sculptural commission before his death in 1680. (May 26, 2023)

Vatican Grottoes below St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is a massive spread of papal tombs and the final resting place of over 90 popes, royalty and other dignitaries. (May 26, 2023)

Inside the Papal Crypt below St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

Exiting St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The Holy Door is considered the main door into St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. These bronze doors were built by Vico Consorti in 1950.
In Catholic tradition, the Holy Door represents the passage to salvation – the path to a new and eternal life, which was opened to humanity by Jesus. It also symbolizes an entryway to God’s mercy – the ultimate and supreme act by which He comes to meet people.
Above the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica are marble memorial plates commemorating the last two times the door was opened. Since Popes John Paul II and Francis held the last two Jubilees, both plates indicate they opened and closed the door. (May 26, 2023)

A close-up of the Holy Door at the exit of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. This is the exterior of the door. The interior portion into the Basilica is cemented shut and only opened for Jubilee Years. (May 26, 2023)

Standing just outside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is a Swiss Guard station. Often called “the world’s smallest army,” they serve as personal escorts to the Pontiff and as watchmen for Vatican City. The Swiss Guard has protected the Pope and his residence since 1506. (May 26, 2023)

Standing just outside of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City is a Swiss Guard station. (May 26, 2023)

One last look at St. Peter’s Basilica as we make our way to the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

Part of the large colonnade of columns that frame St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The colonnade extends
the basilica and then opens into a large, curved shape that surrounds the square. The colonnade and square were built in such a way as to welcome followers back to the church following the protestant reformation which had begun in 1517. The colonnades, according to Bernini, are “the motherly arms of the church” which reach out to embrace the faithful and to bring people back to the church. ((May 26, 2023)

Walking around the walled in Vatican to the entrance of the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The Patio de la Piña with its huge bronze pineapple sculpture, at the beginning of the Vatican Museum in Vatican City, was built by Donato Bramante in 1506 at the request of Pope Julius II. (May 26, 2023)

The sculpture garden inside the Vatican Museum in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The statue of Laocoön and His Sons, in the sculpture garden of the Vatican Museums, was excavated in Rome in 1506. The sculpture depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus being attacked by sea serpents. (May 26, 2023)

Standing on just a portion of the different kinds of tile floors inside the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

Another look at a portion of the tile floors inside the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

This giant porphyry rock basin inside the Vatican Museums in Vatican City was part of Emperor Nero’s palace Domus Aurea or Golden House. It was made from a single piece of giant stone from a quarry in ancient Egypt and is considered to be more than 2,000 years old. (May 26, 2023)

The tiled floor around the giant porphyry rock basin inside the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The literal hordes of people inside the Vatican Museums rooms and hallways. It’s pointless to get any photos of the gorgeous pieces of art because I had to just keep moving. (May 26, 2023)

I’m calling this the Art of the Masses at the Vatican Museums. I actually felt more claustrophobic walking in the halls than I did climbing the narrow staircase passageway up to the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. (May 26, 2023)

A statued hallway inside the Vatican Museums. (May 26, 2023)

Getting some breathing space inside the Tapestries Gallery of the Flemish tapestries inside the Vatican Museums to see the amazing art and craftsmanship of the Resurrection of Christ. (May 26, 2023)

The Resurrection of Christ in the Tapestries Gallery of the Vatican Museums is an amazing work of art and craftsmanship. (May 26, 2023)

A close-up of the amazing Resurrection of Christ in the Tapestries Gallery of the Vatican Museums. (May 26, 2023)

A little more breathing space inside the Gallery of Maps of the Vatican Museums containing a series of painted topographical maps of Italy based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. It took Danti three years (1580–1583) to complete the 40 panels of the long gallery. (May 26, 2023)

I was able to get a small portion of the colorful and artistic tiled floors inside the crowded Raphael Rooms of the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The colorful and artistic tiled floors in one of the Raphael Rooms, the Stanza della Segnatura inside the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

The Hall of Constantine, one of the Raphael Rooms inside the Vatican Museum. (May 26, 2023)

The ceiling of the Hall of Constantine, one of the Raphael Rooms inside the Vatican Museum. (May 26, 2023)

The School of Athens fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. The fresco was painted between 1509 and 1511 as a part of Raphael’s commission to decorate the rooms now known as the Raphael Rooms inside the Vatican Museum. It depicts a congregation of philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists from Ancient Greece, including Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Heraclitus and Zarathustr the Iranian prophet. The Italian artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo are also featured in the painting, shown as Plato and Heraclitus respectively. The specific name for this room is the “Room of the Signatura”. (May 26, 2023)

The west wall fresco of the “Room of the Signatura,” one of the four Raphael Rooms inside the Vatican Museum. (May 26, 2023)

Heading up the stairs to the enter the Sistine Chapel inside the Vatican Museums. (May 26, 2023)

Inside the Sistine Chapel built by Pope Sixtus IV between 1473 and 1481. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today, it is the site of the papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected.
The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate the interior, most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment, both by Michelangelo.
(Photos inside the Sistine Chapel are forbidden, but I took this anyway. Too many people and too few security or attends paying attention.) (May 26, 2023)

Public domain photo of the the Last Judgement painted by Michelangelo from 1535 to 1541 at the chapel inside the Sistine Chapels of the Vatican Museums. (May 26, 2023)

The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling and altar wall decorated by Michelangelo in the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. (May 26, 2023)

4Comments

Add yours

1

Valerie Davis on December 18, 2023 at 2:53 am

Awesome pictures. Thanks for the journey. I enjoyed the trip. ❤️❤️❤️
- 2
  
  Diana Petterson on December 27, 2023 at 11:35 am
  
  Hi Val! I always appreciate your feedback. Thank you so much!
3

Carolyn Thieme on January 25, 2024 at 8:39 pm

No matter how many times I’ve been to Rome, there’s always more to see. Your photos brought back fond memories and new experiences. Thank you!
- 4
  
  Diana Petterson on January 28, 2024 at 10:50 am
  
  Hi Carolyn! I totally agree about the sites and things to do in Rome. I’m so grateful you enjoyed my post.