Rome at Christmas

Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo!

We have had a few opportunities to visit Italy over the past three years and we love it. At Christmas time this year we were able to gather some of our family and spend time together in Rome. Christmas is celebrated well in Rome. Bright decorations adorn the city with Christmas Trees and Nativity displays everywhere. The people of Rome are wonderful and the food is a second to none. Our young grandson especially enjoyed a diet of Gelatto, not such a surprise. We had a great time!

The Musei Capitolini is a don't miss place to visit. The historic buildings house many treasures of ancient Rome. Cindy and I always have fun poking around museums and this one suited us well.  The significance of the works exhibited here is mind boggling. 

Really big foot of Constantine...

 and his really big matching head!

Caravaggio, the Gypsy Fortune Teller 

The Marforio Statue dates from the first century.

Capitoline She Wolf: the symbol of Rome

Capitoline Venus

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

big pieces of bronze Constantine

The Dying Gaul

Guilded Hercules

The Fuime Tevere, happy grandparents

The Colosseum and the Forums are at the heart of the ancient city and are the landmarks we all associate with Ancient Rome. Walking among of the ruins of the ancient city with beginnings that date back an amazing 3000 years is really quite an experience. The Colosseum construction began in 70 AD, relatively modern when considering that the valley of the Forum was drained and paved by Cloaca Maxima in the 7th century BC! Many of the remaining structures are dated from the 6th to 2nd century BC.  Left behind among the ruins is evidence of elaborate mosaics and colossal carvings and statuary complemented by fountains all that would have had running water. In it's day this was really quite a place that could hold its own to any modern day creation.

The Roman Forum, center of the empire for 1000 years.

Vestal Virgins, noble priestesses

Forum of Augustus

The Roman Forum 

The Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli includes the tomb of Pope Julius II. The tomb is the creation of Michelangelo. The Michelangelo Buonarroti Moses is the centerpiece. He has horns! 

Michelangelo's  Moses with horns

Tomb of Julius II

Piazza della Rotonda and the Pantheon

The Pantheon and the Santa Maria ad Martyres is a sight known throughout the world. The structure was designed by Emperor Hadrian in AD 118-25 and was first a pegan temple.  It was donated to Pope Boniface IV in 608 and has been a place of christian worship since then, although through time it has been sacked and pillaged a few times. The dome is the widest masonry dome in Europe at 142 feet across.  This is really something to see. I wonder how they did that?

The dome of the Pantheon 

Basilica Sancta Maria ad Martyres, the Pantheon

Pantheon

Pinocchios…

The Spanish Steps

Columns of  the Temple of Saturn

The Arch of Septimius Severus

Columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux (left) 

Carlo Fontana created tho fountain at Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Santa Maria Trastevere

Vittorio Emanuele II Monument
He was the first king of unified Italy. This is a "modern" monument and
definitely not a favorite amongst the locals who often refer to it as
"The Wedding Cake" and/or "The Typewriter".

Piazza Navona, Bernini's Fontana dei Fiumi 

More happy grandparents!

Santa Maria in Trastevere

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, masterpiece of Baroque architecture.

The Temple of Mars Ultor in The Forum of Augustus

There are over 900 amazing churches in Rome and we went to see a bunch of them. These pictures show a part of the painted ceiling of the Church of Saint Ignatius. The church was built from 1626 to sketches of Jesuit mathematician P. Orazio Grassi.

Below are a few pictures we took at the Piazza del Popolo. This was once the sight for public festivals and executions. The obelisk dates back to the 1200's. We made the trip to see Santa Maria del Popolo built in 1099. The site of the church was also the site where Nero died and was buried. His bones were dug up and the church built in their place at the direction of Pope Paschael II.

Cheese...

The alter of Santa Maria del Popolo at Christmas

A bit of a surprise was to come across an elephant in the center of Rome. Bernini's baby elephant obelisk was created in 1667 and sits in the Piazza della Minerva.

We will all remember the Christmas we went to see Rome. We will remember the warm and generous people, the outstanding food and the amazing sights from so long ago. 

Grazie Roma per la vostra generosa ospitalità…Torneremo...Ciao!