Il Vittoriano - A Typewriter, a Wedding Cake or Our National Pride?

On Piazza Venezia, you will find one of the most famous - and controversial - monuments of the whole Eternal City: The "Vittoriano", or "Altare della Patria" - "Altar of the Fatherland" - A monument built between 1911 and completed only in 1925  to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Unity of the Country (1861-1911), and to commemorate Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of united Italy (statue in the middle of the monument.) 

The first controversial fact about the monument arose long before its completion, both during the long process of selection of the proposed projects among the ones submitted (315 from 13 countries) and from the supply of stone and marble chosen for the building, coming from the northern province of Brescia (with alleged interferences coming from the most powerful politicians of that time, including the Prime Minister). 

The discussions subsided after the end of World War I, with the enthusiasm following the Victory of 1918. In 1921 at the same monument was buried the Unknown Soldier, a soldier chosen on a battlefield in north-eastern Italy among those who had no identification plate with them,  transported to Rome with great honours, and buried there with great solemnity to symbolize the sacrifice of all the soldiers during all wars, but especially in WW I which for Italy was considered as the last one of the Wars for Independence, having manage to reconquer from the Austian Empire the territories of Trento and Trieste in northern Italy. 

During the following Fascist period, with the ideal of Fatherland becoming of paramount importance for the regime's propaganda, the Vittoriano became the stage for so many ceremonies of all kinds, with the military ones being the most frequently represented on the site. 


After the war, the monument lost part of its importance, and started becoming the target for heavy criticsm by the people: the allegedly not graceful shape of the monument, its being all white, and the face that it doesn't blend too well with the more ancient surroundings, earned the monuments nicknames such as "The Typewriter" (due to its shape) or  "The Wedding Cake" due to the color.

In more recent times, after having suffered a bomb attack back in the late 60s, the monument has been closed to the public only to be reopened in 1997. In 2011 it went back to his splendour and importance thanks a thorough refurbishment and for becoming one of the focal points of the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the Unity of Italy.

So, it's up to each one of us to decide if the Vittoriano is just a Typewriter, a Wedding Cake, or the materialization of our National Pride.

"Domine, Quo Vadis?" - A small Church for a Miracle Encounter

On the Appian Way, less than half a kilometer away from Porta San Sebastiano (the main gate in Rome walls on Appian Way) and just metres away from the Catacombs of St. Callisto, there is a small church with a very simple façade, that can easily go unnoticed both by visitors and by Romans, often more concentrated on the nearby road intersection than on what surrounds them.

The little church, as stated also by the sentence written in Latin above the entrance door, was, according to tradition, the stage for a very special encounter: it is believed that St. Peter, fleeing Rome to escape the prosecutions by Emperor Nero, met Christ in this place, and asked him in Latin: "Domine, Quo Vadis?" meaning "Lord, where are you going?" and Christ, who was heading towards Rome, replied: "Eo Romam Iterum Crucifigi", which means "I'm going to Rome to be crucifixed again." From this sentence, Peter understood he should not run away, so he went back to Rome to meet his destiny or martyrdom.

Inside the church, on the floor, we can see a slab of white marble, on which there are engraved 2 footprints, believed to be the footprints of Christ himself (this can be seen from the sentences engraved on the edges of the slab). Historical and archaeological researches showed that the slab is indeed ancient, but in reality it was an "ex voto" made by travellers, probablyleft in the temple as a thanking to the Gods for the successful trip, or maybe as an offer before the trip to invoke their protection.

The little church can be a nice stop for the visitor on the Appian way en route to bigger attractions such as: the Catacombs, the Appian Way, or the ancient city walls, that can be visited in the section around the nearby gate of Porta San Sebastiano.

Bernini vs. Borromini - 1 - The Four Rivers' Fountain

The two Geniuses of the Baroque in Rome, Bernini and Borromini, were divided by an unfriendly rivalry, which had outbursts which remained famous among Roman people. 

The two artist often competed to obtain the assignment of the construction of buildings, fountains and statues, but, more than anything else, they competed to be considered the best artist operating in Rome. 

Bernini was considered by far a better artist, given the marvelous artworks he adorned Rome with during all his life, while Borromini prided himself with his superior technical knowledge. being more of an Architect, and less of a Sculptor. This difference became especially evident when Bernini was appointed the construction of the 3 fountains in Piazza Navona, with the one in the middle of the square being the famous "Four Rivers' Fountain" (depicting the Tiber, The Nile, the Hindus and the Rio de la Plata), right in front of the church of S. Agnese in Agone, built by Borromini. 

Bernini started his work, but got stuck at a given point, because he did not manage to get water flowing from the fountain, and could not figure out why. His rival Borromini, being a great techinician, knew the solution to the problem, but he declared that he would rather be torture than telling his arch rival how to fix it.  Bernini was desperate, but he came up with one of his great ideas: he paid some people to invite him to dinner, and made him drunk. Under the effect of alcohol, the intoxicated artist revealed that the problem was in one of the pipelines bringing water to the fountain. Armed with this insight, Bernini performed the necessary adjustment, and, to his rival's astonishment, made the water spring out of his brand new artwork.

Not satisfied with this victory, Bernini enjoyed also some revenge over his rival: looking at the statue facing Borromini's church's façade, you can notice the man is in an odd position, gesturing as if he is prefenting the church from falling down, or scared by the building's ugliness. 

The Frescoes in Villa Farnesina - A case of "Artistic Espionage"

Villa Farnesina is a wonderful building in Renaissance style, right next to the Lungotevere, on the Trastevere side (Right Bank of the Tiber). It was built by Agostino Chigi, a famous banker from the Tuscan city of Siena, who, in 1472, founded the still open bank of "Monte dei Paschi di Siena". 


This building, configured as a "Suburban Villa" as opposed to the city palace, (Palazzo Chigi) where now is the Office of the Prime Minister, is currently owned by the "Accdemia dei Lincei" Italy's National Scientific Academy, and one of the most ancient (if not the most ancient) of such Institutions in the world. The whole building is decorated with scenes from Greek and Roman Myths, with the most remarkable room being the "Loggia di Psiche".


The story has it that the decoration of such room was appointed to Raffaello Sanzio, and that Michelangelo was terribly curious to see what kind of work his "rival" was carrying out, but Raffaello set up a strong security in order not to let anyone "spy" on his work. Nevertheless, Michelangelo tried really hard, and finally managed to sneak in. 


In order to show Raffaello he managed to outsmart the security he set up, he drew, using a piece of charcoal, a young man's head in one of the blank spaces in the fresco, in the unmistakable Michelangelo's style. The following  morning, Raffaello was enraged to see his arch rival managed to see his artwork before its completion, but his anger lasted for really short time, because the Tuscan great artist's drawing was so beautiful that Raffaello didn't have the heart to have it deleted, and the drawing is still there, and can be admired at the beginning of the visit of Villa Farnesina. 

The Moses' Statue at Largo Santa Susanna - a Failed Imitation

On Largo Santa Susanna, a small square connecting the area of Piazza della Repubblica (known to old Romans with the former name of Piazza Esedra) and the area around Via Veneto, there is a fountain, built at the end of the 16th Century by architect Giovanni Fontana, brother of the more famous Domenico. This fountain was built upon an order of the great Pope Sixtus V as one of the fountains of the aqueduct built by him on the old pattern of the one built but the Emperor Alexander Severus, and which took the name of the Pope: Felice. 


What makes this otherwise ordinary fountain (for Rome's standards) special, even if in a somewhat negative way, is the statue standing in the middle niche, depicting Moses, holding the Tables of the Law, and pointing at the water, in the act of ordering it to spring out of the rock. This is a mistake by the sculptor (Leonardo Sormani, nicknamed "Il Bresciano" since he came from the northen Italian city of Brescia) who did not take into consideration the fact that the episode of Tables of the Law came after the one of the water springing it from the rock. 

This mistake, and the non-elegant, non-graceful appearance of the statue, summed to the alleged claims of the sculptor to produce and artwork superior to Michelangelo's masterpiece Moses, that can be found in the church of S. Pietro in Vincoli, made him the target of the mocking of Roman people, who renamed this artwork "The Ridiculous Moses"; this, according to the legend, pushed the uncautious sculptor to suicide. 


If the sight of this artwork has disturbed and amused you, I suggest to walk just 30 meters more, on the corner to Via XX Settembre where, inside the church of S. Maria della Vittoria, where the sight of the Ecstasy of St. Theresa by G. L. Bernini will delight you. 


Related topic link: http://viewsofrome.blogspot.com/2011/11/michelangelos-moses-romes-non-talking.html

Caesar’s Murder – An Unexpected Crime Scene

The story of the murder of Julius Caesar is one of the most famous moments of the Roman history; everybody knows he was assassinated by fellow Senators on the Ides of March (March 15^th) of the year 44 B.C.  who ambushed him in the Senate Hall, thus putting an end to the life of one of the greatest Romans, and, in turn, to the Roman Republic, and paving the way to the foundation of the Empire.

What is less known is that this crime, considered by some the halting of a rising tyrant, by others just another cruel political murder, did not happen in the Senate building that stands nearly untouched in the middle of the Forum (better known as the “Curia Ostilia”), but in a rather neglected archaeological area in Largo di Torre Argentina, called “Curia Pompeii”,  just a few hundreds of meters away from Piazza Venezia, and less of 1 km from the Forum. In that area, now the territory where many street cats live, there are the ruins of several buildings, where it’s identifying four temples, one of which (the “Aedes Fortunae Huiusce Diei” – Temple of the Present Day’s Luck) has a round shape, and it’s easily found because of the remainders of columns which are still standing. Behind that building, is the place where the infamous, history-changing murder took place. 

La Bocca della Verità – Test your Honesty in the Heart of Rome

In the Velabrum Area, under the portico of the Romanic Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, on the left wall, stays the famous “Bocca della Verità”, a round of marble, with a diameter of about 1.80m and an estimated weight over 1 ton, sustained by a Corinthian Capital. 

The face depicted on this artwork is said to be the one of Jove, even if other sources hypotize that it could be the face of a Faunus. 

The stone was actually a manhole cover, probably from the Cloaca Maxima, Rome’s biggest sewer system, designed by the Etruscan Kings back in 6th Century B.C. but was so beautiful that they decided to save if from loss or destruction, relocating it in the church’s outer part. Originally it was kept outside the Basilica’s perimeter, but then in 1631 the Pope Urbanus VIII Barberini, taking advantage of some restoration works that were carried out in the Basilica, decided to move this object inside the church’s portico, in order to protect it from weather aggression and from vandalism in night time. 

Many are the stories and legends related to this object which has, over centuries, become one of Rome’s landmarks: in the Ancient times it was believed to have the power to be an oracle, while in the Middle Age people believed this was the creation of a Mage in order to test people’s honesty, especially in matters of matrimonial fidelity. Whoever put his/her hand in the “mouth” and could safely pull it out, would prove his/her honesty.This belief remained till today, and this is why nowadays we can see long queues of tourists waiting in the line to take a souvenir picture with their hand in the mask’s “mouth”.