Monday, 16 December 2019
A wet start to the day and 09h45 found us waiting at the Circus Maximus metro exit, outside the United Nations buildings, for the start of the Free Walking Tour to be conducted by Veni Vidi Vici. The tour is called “the Classic Not so Touristy Rome Walking Tour” and the route taken is Circus Maximus to the Aventine, down to the Mouth of Truth and the ancient cattle Forum, off to Marcellus Theatre and the Jewish Ghetto
Circus Maximus overlooked by Palatine Hill
As our walking tour commenced the rain clouds scudded off elsewhere, blue sky started peeking through the clouds heralding the perfect weather for a day exploring Roma on foot
Palatine Hill
Another view of Circus Maximus showing the ancient in the foreground and in the modern beyond that
The Circus Maximus (Latin for greatest or largest circus; in Italian it is Circo Massimo) is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome. It is situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine Hills. It was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. It measured 621 m (2,037 ft) in length and 118 m (387 ft) in width accommodating over 150,000 spectators. In its fully developed form, it became the model for circuses throughout the Roman Empire. It is now a public park
The Rose Garden / Roseto di Roma Capitale on the Aventine Hill – is only open to the public from mid April to mid June every year. Established in 1931, the garden has over 11 000 varieties of roses planted here (many of them gifts from around the world) and it covers over 10 000 square metres. The Rose Garden is established where from 1644 until 1934 was the Jewish cemetery in Rome. In 1934 the Jewish community of Rome obtained as cemetery a section of the monumental cemetery of Campo Verano. To remember the past of the garden, the garden on the left side of the road, has an ensemble of its footpaths designed as a reproduction of the Menorah. The original design for the park was drawn up in 1931 by countess Mary Gayley Senni, with 300 roses.
Below is a photo showing the other Rose Garden / Roseto di Roma Capitale on the Aventine Hill – this is the garden with the footpaths in the shape of the Menorah
Our tour guide, Laura (pronounced Lara) leading the way up Aventine Hill
At the summit of Aventine Hill heading towards the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Priorato / Church of Sant Maria del Priorato and the infamous “Aventine Peephole”.
The Church of Sant Maria del Priorato is owned by the Knights of Malta (think the Order of St John’s Ambulance, First Aid etc), an ancient religious military order, whose property enjoys extraterritorial status. The Knights of Malta have a seat at the United Nations.
Visitors cannot gain access to the Church or grounds but there is an unassuming door with a peephole which provides a magical view of the dome of St Peter’s, framed by trees, allowing the viewer to see across three countries : the sovereign territory owned by the knights, then Italy, and in the distance the Vatican. For a decent photograph you need a camera with a great lens which we did not have so I have found a great photo from the internet so you get a better picture. Usually there is a quite a queue of people lined up to take their spot to look through the peephole, on this Monday morning our timing was perfect as there was nobody there but not long after our small walking tour group had experienced the peephole, a queue was forming!
Below behold the view through the Peephole!!
It is actually an optical illusion as the dome of St Peter’s in the Vatican City looks so much closer than it is in real life
You need to capture with a proper camera not a cellphone camera in order to do it justice. The immediate photo below is from stock images, the photo taken from Johan's cellphone camera is below that.
Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino
The Basilica of Saint Sabina (Basilica Sanctae Sabinae, / Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino) a historic church on the Aventine Hill. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. It used to be a Palazzo and was transformed to a church by Sabina. It is the oldest extant Roman basilica in Rome which preserves its original colonnaded rectangular plan and architectural style. Its decorations have been restored to their original restrained design. The church is especially famous for its 5th-century carved wood doors, with a cycle of Christian scenes (18 now remaining) which is one of the earliest to survive.
The Orange Trees Garden situated at Piazza Pietro D'Illiria on the Aventine Hill, is the name used in Rome to describe the Savello park. It is about 7,800 square metres and it offers an excellent view of the city. The garden, as it is today, was designed in 1932 by Raffaele De Vico.
The oranges are small and exceptionally bitter.
There is a local resident sculptor, Andrea Gandini, who carves sculptures out of tree stumps. He is amazing. One of his tree sculptures is in the Orange Garden. Look out for more of his work at www.andreagandini.art and he is on Instagram @Gandini.andrea
Views of Rome from the Orange Garden viewpoint
Tame pigeons in Rome!
The Mouth of Truth / Bocca della Verita is a marble mask which stands against the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church in the Piazza Della Bocca Verità, which is the site of the ancient Forum Boarium, which was the ancient cattle market.
The massive marble mask weighs about 1300 kg and apparently probably depicts the face of the sea titan god Oceanus.
The Mouth of Truth is known mostly from its appearance from the film from 1953 Roman Holiday. The film also uses the Mouth of Truth as a storytelling device since both Hepburn's and Peck's characters are not initially truthful with each other. Legend has it that if you are not being truthful when you stick your hand into the mouth, it is purported to bite the hand off of the person who is not telling the truth.
Once again, there is usually a long line of people wanting to stick their hands into the Mouth of Truth but when we were there with the tour, we were the first to line up. Sites like this one and the peephole are exceptionally popular during the summer months in Rome with the tourists; if you want far less crowds, shorter lines and to not be overpowered by tourists, visit Rome in December (other great times to visit apparently according to Laura are the spring months and October).
Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church (Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin or de Schola Graeca) in the Piazza Della Bocca Verità is a Basilica of Saint a minor basilica church in Rome, founded in the Byzantine rule of Rome in the 6th Century
The Presepe at Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin
Sacred Area of Sant’ Omobono is an archaeological site in Rome next to the church of Sant’Omobono at the junction of via L. Petroselli and il Vico Jugario at the foot of the Campidoglio. It was discovered in 1937 and contains vital evidence for archaic and republican Rome. There are altars and the sites of the temple of Fortune and the temple of Mater Matuta.
The Theatre of Marcellus is an ancient open-air theatre in built in the closing years of the Roman Republic so locals and visitors alike were able to watch performances of drama and song. It is located in the rione (district) of Sant’Angelo and today its edifice is a popular tourist attraction. Space for the theatre was cleared by Julius Caesar. He was murdered before its construction could begin and the theatre was advanced enough by 17 BC to form part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares which took place within the theatre. It was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus. It could originally hold between 11000 and 20000 spectators.
The upper floors are now divided into multiple apartments. Its surroundings are used as a venue for small summer concerts; the Portico d'Ottavia lies to the north west leading to the Roman Ghetto and the Tiber to the south west
We walked from the Theatre Marcellus to the area known as the Jewish Ghetto ed from the Theatre Marcellus to the area known as the Jewish Ghetto
These brass plaques embedded in the cobbles commemorate residents from the Jewish Ghetto who were taken to Auschwitz and were murdered there. The plaques are embedded outside the former residences of these holocaust victims.
The Turtle Fountain / Fontana delle Tartarughe is a fountain of the late Italian Renaissance which is located in Piazza Mattei, in the Sant'Angelo district of Rome. It was built between 1580 and 1588 by the architect Giacomo della Porta with Taddeo Landinin, the sculptor. The bronze turtles around the upper basin, usually attributed either to Andrea Sacchi or Gian Lorenzo Bernini were added in either 1658 or 1659 when the fountain was restored.
Campo de Fiori, which means “field of flowers” as in the Middle Ages this area was a meadow, is a fresh food, vegetable and flower market – we walked through here after our walking tour ended; and purchased a slice of spinach and feta quiche to share for lunch at a bakery on the outskirts of the market. This is not one of our photos but an image from Google just to give an idea of the market
Our lunch from the very popular Forno bakery very close to Campo de Fiori – the queue of people waiting to be served was out of the door; when a place is supported by the locals it is proof that it is excellent!
After our lunch, we found ourselves at a tram stop – we had never been on a tram an our transport passes included trams and so we took a ride on the tram all the way to the end of the line into the heart of some of Rome’s suburbs and returned to our starting point – it was a good excursion and rest for our feet and legs after our 2 ½ hour walking tour!
When we disembarked from the tram we walked so more discovering a Church, the Trajan Forum, Forum of Caesar before finding ourselves opposite the Colosseum and taking the metro home
Victor Emmanuelle II Monument also known as “The Wedding Cake”, “Altar of the Fatherland”, “Dentures”, “False Teeth” and “The Typewriter” – our in-depth visit to this tourist attraction is yet to happen
Church of San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio / Parrocchia di San Marco Evangelista
Life sized models which were automated and animated
Netflix sponsored a 22-m high fir tree decorated with 80,000 led lights and 1,000 red and gold baubles which was erected in the Piazza Venezia diagonally across from the Victor Emmanuelle II Monument
Trajan’s Forum / Foro di Traiano) was the last of the Imperial for a to be constructed in ancient Rome.
It was built on the order of the Emperor Trajan with the spoils of war from the conquest of Dacia, which ended in 106 The Fasti Ostienses state that the Forum was inaugurated in 112. Trajan's Column was erected and inaugurated in 113.
Roman Emperor Trajan
“Hail Caesar” and Seagulls!!
Emperor Julius Caesar
The Forum of Caesar, also known by the Latin Forum Iulium or Forum Julium, Forum Caesaris was built by Julius Caesar in Rome in 46 BC.
A view of the Colosseum from across the road outside the Colosseo Metro Station – construction work is taking place close to the Colosseo establishing another Metro line
The perfect end to an adventure filled, incredible Roaming in Rome day!!
