Accademia di San Luca GRATUIT

Attualmente visitabile la Galleria dei gessi con il seguente orario:

da luned a venerd ore 10.00-13.00
chiuso sabato, domenica e festivi, 1 gennaio, 1 maggio, 25 dicembre
The Accademia di San Luca, (the "Academy of Saint Luke") was founded in 1577 as an association of artists
in Rome (under the directorship of Federico Zuccari from 1593[1]), with the purpose of elevating the work
of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders
included Girolamo Muziano and Pietro Olivieri. The Academy was named after Saint Luke the evangelist
who, legend has it, made a portrait of the Virgin Mary, and thus became the patron saint of painters' guilds.
From the late 16th century until it moved to its present location at the Palazzo Carpegna, it was based in an
urban block by the Roman Forum and although these buildings no longer survive, the Academy church of
Santi Luca e Martina, does. Designed by the Baroque architect, Pietro da Cortona, its main facade overlooks
the Forum.
The Academy's predecessor was the Compagnia di San Luca, a guild of painters and miniaturists, which had
its statutes and privileges renewed at the much earlier date of December 17, 1478 by Pope Sixtus IV.
Included among its founding members, was the famous painter Melozzo da Forl, as he was the pictor
papalis in that period.
In 1605, Pope Paul V granted the Academy the right to pardon a condemned man on the feast of St. Luke. In
the 1620s, Urban VIII extended its rights to decide who was considered an artist in Rome and it came under
the patronage of his nephew, Cardinal Francesco Barberini. In 1633, Urban VIII gave it the right to tax all
artists as well as art-dealers, and monopolize all public commissions. These latter measures raised strong
opposition and apparently were poorly enforced.[2]
Over the early years, the papal authorities exerted large degree of control over the leadership of the
institution. Some modern critics have stated "with the ostensible purpose of giving artists a higher education
and the real one of asserting the Church's control over art,".[3]
The prncipi (directors) of the institution have included some of the pre-eminent painters of the 17th century,
including Domenichino, Bernini, Cortona andRomanelli. However, many prominent artists never joined or
were admitted to the academy.
Artistic issues debated within the Academy included the Cortona-Sacchi controversy (see Andrea Sacchifor
further details of this debate) about the number of figures in a painting. Disdain was espressed by many
academicians for the Bamboccianti.[4]
Giovanni Bellori gave famous lectures on painting in the Academy. In the early 18th century, the painter
Marco Benefial was inducted, and then expelled for criticizing the academy as an insider.
The Academy is still active; the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca is its modern descendant. From the very
beginning, the statutes of the Academy directed that each candidate-academician was to donate a work of his
art in perpetual memory and, later, a portrait. Thus the Academy, in its current premises in the 16th-century
Palazzo Carpegna, located in the Piazza dell'Accademia di San Luca, has accumulated a unique collection of
paintings and sculptures, including about 500 portraits, as well as an outstanding collection of drawings.

Museo Carlo Bilotti

Last admission 1/2 hour before closing time.
Charges
Free admission
Opening hours
October-May:
from Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 16:00 (last admission: 15:30);
Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 19:00 (last admission: 18:30)
The collection
The Carlo Bilotti Museum's permanent collection consists of the gift of 23 works donated by the
entrepreneur Carlo Bilotti to the City of Rome, including paintings, drawings and sculptures. The most
coherent and central group is made up of 18 works by Giorgio de Chirico (Volos 1888-Rome 1978), of
which 17 are displayed in this room and one, a sculpture of Hector and Andromache, is installed outside the
Museum. The collection also contains the portraits of Andy Warhols Tina and Lisa Bilotti, 1981 Larry
Rivers Carlo with Dubuffet on the background, 1994, Mimmo Rotellas Carlo and Tina Bilotti, 1968.
Completing the original nucleus of the collection Summer, 1951, by Gino Severini and Cardinal, 1965, by
Giacomo Manzu. In this first group have been added in recent years works Consagra, Dynys, GreenfieldSanders and Pucci.
Other works are: the portraits of Tina and Lisa Bilotti, 1981, by Andy Warhol (Pittsburg 1928- New York
1987) and Carlo with Dubuffet in the background, 1994, by Larry Rivers (New York 1923-2002), the
painting The Summer, 1951, by Gino Severini (Cortona 1883 - Paris 1966), and finally a large Cardinal in
bronze by Giacomo Manz (Bergamo 1908 - Roma 1991), displayed outside.
The de Chirico works on display are representative of the most famous themes produced by the artist from
the second half of the Twenties until the Seventies. Themes such as the Archaeologists, the Horses on the
River Bank, the Furniture in the Valley or the Room, the Knights or Ancient Warriors, all arose from a happy
period of creativity and international recognition, following the years of the first Metaphysical period. In
addition to the themes listed above, which appear in the museum in such masterly works as The Mysterious
Archaeologists of 1926 and the Furniture in the Room of 1927, other particularly notable pictures on display
include the delicate Back of a Naked Woman (about 1930), with which de Chirico, influenced by Renoir,
returned to the genre of the female nude, Metaphysical Interior with Biscuits and Mystery and Melancholy
of a Street. These last two are replicas, made by the artist in the Sixties, from his masterpieces of the first
Metaphysical period. In his works from the Fifties, Self-portrait with the head of Minerva, in which de
Chirico wears the dress of a Venetian painter, and Historic regatta in Venice, inspired by Canaletto, the artist
declares the necessity of recovering the Italian pictorial tradition.
Severinis neofuturistic work, Summer (1951), bears witness from another angle to the diverse threads of the
Bilotti collection. The sorrowful woman, whose contours lose themselves in an almost abstract geometric
structure, are part of a series of works dedicated to the theme of human activity as it is connected to the
seasons, which the artist subsequently reworked for the Palace of Congress in EUR district in Rome.

MUSEO DI SCULTURA ANTICA GIOVANNI BARRACCO

Charges
Free entrance
Opening hours
Tuesday-Sunday:
- from October to May: 10:00 16:00 (last admission: 15:30);
- 24 and 31 December: 10.00 - 14.00 (last admission: 13:30);
- from June to September: 13:00 - 19:00 pm (last admission: 18:30).
Closed
Monday; 1 January; 1 May; 25 December;
The Barracco Collection
In the first catalogue of the collection, published in 1893, Barracco sets out the principles that govern his
collection: I thought that to learn more about Greek art one should get acquainted with the oldest art styles
(Egypt and Asia) who gave the first impulse to Greek art. So I broadened my collection with a few
instructive specimens of Egyptian, Assyrian and Cypriot sculpture. Taking advantage of favourable
circumstances I have set up a small museum of comparative antique sculpture. So, apart from minor
shortcomings, which I hope to overcome, the most important styles are conveniently represented: Egyptian
art in all its stages, from the age of the pyramids to the loss of independence, Assyrian art in its two periods:
that of Assur-nazir-Habal and that of Sargonidesm, and finally the art of Cyprus, which is not less important
than the others. Greece is represented from the archaic period, the great schools of the V and IV centuries, to
the Hellenistic period. Etruria is equally represented. A small place is reserved to Palmyrene sculpture, one
of the last expressions of classical art.
For his ambitious project, Barracco recruited two experts in ancient art of the time: Wolfgang Helbig, second
secretary of the German Archaeological Institute, then retired to private life in the beautiful Villa Lante on
the Janiculum Hill, where he took active part to the citys arts and antiques environment; and Ludwig
Pollak, who had moved to Rome after having studied archaeology in Vienna, and where he became a major
player in the cultural life of the city, especially in the antiquities trade. Pollak, whose interests ranged from
classical to modern art, soon became a close friend and fine art advisor.
The collection, carefully arranged to set up a museum of comparative antique sculpture includes works of
Egyptian, Assyrian, Phoenician, Cypriot, Etruscan, Greek, Roman and medieval art.
As for Egyptian art, to which Barracco dedicated more of himself than to any other, the collection includes
remarkable fragments of funerary sculpture, especially of the early dynasties.
Alongside these works, purchased on the international market, important items emerged during excavations
of the nineteenth and early twentieth century in various Italian places enrich the collection: they give a
detailed account of the Egyptian penetration in Italian culture since Roman times.
Noteworthy is the sphinx of Hatscepsut, a queen of the XVIII Dynasty (1479-1425 BC), found in the
sanctuary of Isis in the Campus Martius, but also the head of Pharaoh Seti I (XIX Dynasty, 1289-1278 BC)
reused as building material for the Savelli castle in Grottaferrata.
Assyrian art is represented by an important series of reliefs depicting scenes of war, the deportation of
prisoners and hunting scenes, from the royal palaces of Nineveh, Nimrud and Khorsabad in northern
Mesopotamia. The findings, which date from the IX to the VII centuries BC, relate to the major kings of the
neo-Assyrian Empire.
Particularly significant is the fragment that reproduces the figure of a winged genius kneeling, a typical
element of the mythic-symbolic language of Assyrian art, dating back to the reign of Ashurbanipal II (883859 BC) and coming from Nimrud.

A particularly interesting section of the museum displays Cypriot artworks, revealing cross-cultural
connections between the ancient Near East and the Greek world.
Figures of deities, such as the Statue of Heracles-Melqat (V century BC, ), images of offerers and even a
small toy chariot found in a tomb, offer a unique chance to see Cypriot artworks in Rome.
Besides some important Etruscan finds, Greek sculptures are the most represented in the Museum. Starting
with important examples of archaic art made in Greece and in the western colonies, remarkable specimens
of the major schools of classical Greek art: with copies of the highest level after Myron, Phidias, Polykleitos,
Lysippus illustrate some of the most celebrated masterpieces of Greek sculpture of the V and IV centuries
BC.
A special place is reserved to original Greek artworks, plenty for a relatively small collection. Through a
series of Hellenistic artworks, visitors are guided through most expressive forms of Roman art: there are
some portraits, the fragment of an important historical relief, a large head of Mars from a public monument,
and some tombstones from Palmyra, Syria.
Two tiles from the Sorrento cathedral (X-XI century) and a Medieval fragment of apse mosaic of St. Peter's
Basilica (XII-XIII century) are at the end of the exhibition path: "My collection ends here, several thousand
years since its beginning, which dates back to the earliest dynasties of Egyptian kings.
In 1902, in a gesture of great generosity, Barracco decided to donate to the City of Rome the entire
collection of sculptures, which included nearly two hundred artworks: in return he was granted the use of a
building land on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, where the road meets the Tiber. On this land Barracco built a
small neoclassical building designed by Gaetano Koch, with a facade like an Ionic temple according to the
fashion of the time, whose pediment bore the inscription MVSEO DI SCVLTVRA ANTICA.
In the new Museum, which opened in 1905, the sculptures were arranged in two long exhibition halls, with
large windows cut into the top of the walls to ensure proper lighting of the artworks similar to that the Baron
had studied for his apartment on via del Corso; many sculptures were placed on elegant black wood swivel
bases, especially designed to display artworks. Finally, it was the first museum in Italy to be equipped with a
heating system to make the visit more pleasant .
The 1931 town planning and the amendments to the citys urban area required the demolition of the building
built by Koch only a few decades earlier: despite impassioned attempts by Pollak the Museum was
demolished in 1938, artworks in the collection were moved to the Capitoline Museums warehouse until
when, in 1948, the collection was finally moved to the present seat in the so-called Farnesina ai Baullari.

Museo delle Mura

Charges
PLEASE NOTE: the "Chemin de ronde" of the Museo delle Mura has the same opening times of the
museum
Free entrance
Opening hours
Tuesday-Sunday: 9.00 am - 2.00 pm
24 and 31 December 9.00 am - 2.00 pm
Last admission 1/2 hour before closing time
The "Chemin de Ronde" can be visited during the Museum opening hours
Closed
Monday; 25 December; 1 January; 1 May.
The Museum is situated inside the S. Sebastiano Gate of the Aurelian Walls and offers visitors an
educational visit which was created in 1990, although the monument has been used in a more or less similar
way since much earlier.
In 1939, despite the contrary inclination of the Office of the Distribution of Antiquities and Fine Arts, which
opposed the transformation of the monument, which had for many years been open to the public, into an
artistic studio, various works were carried out in the rooms inside the gate, to adapt it for use as a living
place and private studio of Ettore Muti, the secretary of the fascist party, who stayed there from 1941 to
1943. New attics were created as the masonry vaults had collapsed, new rooms with dividing walls were
created, staircases were installed in wood and masonry, and the floors were reworked in travertine and brick,
with two mosaics inserted on the first floor.
After the second world war, the Gate was reopened to the public by the Municipality, which also started
drafting a project to create a museum of the walls. During the years, however, and due to various events,
some of the rooms in the Gate were used as service rooms for the guard and his family. The other rooms
were given in 1960 for the use of the Ministry of Public Education and the General Board of Antiquities and
Fine Arts, in order to install a special office on the Via Appia Antica and then a museum on the Via Appia;
with this aim, various transformatory works were carried out in several of the bays, but the planned Office
never came into existence. The municipal administration reclaimed the monument in 1970, the next year the
Office of the Distribution of Antiquities and Fine Arts installed a small museum of the walls, connecting it to
the section of the covered parapet circuit up to Via C. Colombo. The museum was only open to the public on
Sundays, and, after several years, unfortunately, it was once again completely closed; it was not until 1984
that the gate was definitively reopened and internally reordered, for the Underground Rome exhibition. In
1989 the Museum of the Walls of Rome was officially instituted on the decision of the Municipal Council,
according to the Regional Law of 1975, and the following year the current educational displat opened.

Museo Circo di Massenzio gratuit

Charges
Free entrance
Opening hours
Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00 - 16.00;
24 and 31 December: 10.00 14.00;
Last admission 1/2 hour before closing time.
Closed
Monday; 25 December; 1 January; 1 May.
History and acquisitions
During the 20th century, the various administrative bodies concerned were keenly aware that more needed to
be done to safeguard the monuments along the via Appia Antica and the exceptional landscape in which they
were set and it was in 1926 in fact, that the Villa Maxentius complex was incorporated into the action plan
being overseen by Rome City Council and the Ministry for State Education. Later, research that led to the
1941 plan regarding this complex, the Cecilia Metella monumental area that adjoined it and the Castrum
Caetani, was carried out by architect Marcello Piacentini with a view to restoring the actual monumental
structures and the grounds in which they were set and at the same time, enlarge and regulate the roads along
which they were located. The advent of war meant that the original plan had to be set aside, although in
1943 the Council did go ahead with the expropriation of most of the monumental buildings and their
grounds, effectively creating the archaeological area that exists today.
The harsh economic reality of the times meant that during the post-war period the area continued to be
rented out for agricultural use. It was only in 1960 that the first excavations and restoration work were
carried out and has continued on regular basis ever since, although it was not open to the public until a
documentary exhibition was mounted in 1980.
Pending completion of the restoration of the structures within the mausoleum, the only parts of the
archaeological complex currently open to visitors are the necropolis and circus areas that can be accessed via
the 17th century de' Cenci Arch, which is also where the ticket office is located.
Excavation and restoration work
It was Prince Giovanni Torlonia who showed his support to the plans to tackle the condition of the via Appia
Antica by giving Nibby the go-ahead (1825) for his scheme to systematically excavate the Villa Maxentius
area. Most of the many works of art uncovered during that period ended up in the private collection at the
Borgo Palace. At the same time, the Appian-based estate however, was transformed into a working farm that
was continued to operate as such until it was expropriated in 1943.
The Rome Olympics of 1960 provided the initial momentum to embark on excavating the circus area and it
was at this time that both the interior and exterior of that particular monument were uncovered and the
perimeter walls restored and strengthened.
Later, in 1965 / 67, excavation and restoration works on the palace, overseen by Division X of the Institute
of Roman Studies and funded by the C.N.R., provided an invaluable contribution to the understanding of the
evolution of suburban villa design in the Republican and Hadrian-Antonine periods into the Imperial palaces
of the Tetrarchy.
The central raised median of the circus, called a spina, was uncovered and restored during the 70s whilst
work to partially restore the mausoleum began at the beginning of the 80s. The carceres of the circus, the
Palazzina Torlonia and the burial crypt are relatively recent additions to the work schedule and are still part
of the work in progress today.

Museo della Repubblica Romana e della Memoria Garibaldina gratuit

Charges
Free entrance
Opening hours
Tuesday-Friday: 10.00 14.00 (limited admission every 45 minutes; last admission 1 hour before closing
time)
Saturday-Sunday and Holidays: 10.00 - 18.00 (Last admission 1 hour before closing time)
24 and 31 December: 10.00 - 14.00
Closed
Monday; 25 December; 1 January; 1 May.
Collezione
Busts, paintings, carvings and relics of the Garibaldini, as well as a scale model and a rich media unit, guide
the visitor to discover the places, dates and the main protagonists of those years of great political ferment. It
is possible to look back at the events that led, from the European uprisings of 1848 and through the liberal
papacy of Pius IX, to the popes flight to Gaeta and the proclamation of the Roman Republic until its tragic
end in July 1849. The tour ends by showing the legacy of Garibaldi and his tradition.
The restoration involved all the internal and external walls in travertine, brickwork and plaster, with the
revival of the nineteenth century colourings. Particular attention was given to the monumental coat of arms
and one of the four wooden doors of the old city, already restored in 1976.
Although the building, an access gate through defensive walls, was equipped with rooms used for military
operations, the project was designed to maximize interior space, in order to optimize the internal space and
to improve accessibility for disabled visitors, without altering its structural and historical features. The
surfaces of the monument were recently (Year 2000 Jubilee) restored, and in view of its fairly good
conservation, needed maintenance of external walls and those facing the internal gallery.
The most significant works were at the ground floor with an extension of the pavement made in sampietrini.
The enlargement was covered with cubes of paving stone (sampietrini), bordered with colonnotti in stone. A
gate door with four panels was installed on both sides of the new space, open during the day to allow access
to visitors and tourists, and closed at night. A ramp to allow access for the disabled people was built near the
entrance to the museum. The five wooden doors are open and allow a view of the interior. Structural
measures include the inclusion of two ramps for the disabled to the second floor and the extension of part of
the third floor.
During the dramatic events of the spring and early summer of 1849, when the French troops attacked the
Roman Republic for a whole month, Porta San Pancrazio played a major role in the desperate defence of
Rome led by Giuseppe Garibaldi.
In memory of that heroic resistance, for which men such as Emilio Dandolo, Luciano Manara, Goffredo
Mameli gave their lives, for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, Porta San Pancrazio has
become a museum dedicated to the 1849 Roman Republic and the memory of Garibaldi. A strongly
evocative location and a privileged standpoint of the historical and monumental area of the Janiculum,
where the memory of that battle is still presents in the monuments. The San Pancrazio gate, located on the
height of the Janiculum in the perimeter of the Urbanian or Gianicolense walls, was built in 1854-57 by the
architect Virginio Vespignani on the ruins of the gate created by Marcantonio De Rossi in 1648 and partially
destroyed during the war of 1849. In turn, the seventeenth-century Aurelia gate had replaced the old gate in
the Aurelian walls slightly behind than it does today. On April 19, 1951 the City Council designated the
National Association of Veterans and the Garibaldi Veterans for the construction of the museum, which was
opened in 1976 with two sections: the first on the History of the Risorgimento and Garibaldi and the second
on the hustory of the Italian Garibaldi division.

Napoleonic Museum gratuit

Charges
Gratuito
Opening hours
Tuesday-Sunday: 10.00 - 18.00;
24 and 31 December: 10.00 - 14.00;
Last admission 1/2 hour before closing time.
Closed Monday; 25 December; 1 January; 1 May.
History of the Museum
In 1927 Count Giuseppe Primoli (1851-1927), the son of Count Pietro Primoli and Princess Carlotta
Bonaparte, donated his important collection of works of art, Napoleonic relics, and family mementos, all
collected in the ground floor of his Palazzo, to the city of Rome. The collection, which had also absorbed
some objects belonging to his brother Luigi (1858-1925), had come into existence not so much from the
wish to bear witness to the imperial splendour, as from a desire to document the close relationship between
the Bonapartes and Rome. These links were establishes with military force in 1808, after the French
occupation of Rome. In 1811 the city became the free and imperial city, destined to be governed by
Napoleons son, on whom was conferred, even before he was born, the title of the King of Rome.
Subsequently, after the fall of the Empire, almost all of the Bonaparte family asked asylum of Pope Pius VII,
and came to settle in Rome: Napoleons mother, Letizia Ramolino, in Palazzo Rinuccini, his brothers Luigi
and Girolamo in Palazzo Mancini Salviati and Palazzo Nuez respectively, and his sister Pauline in her villa
on Nomentana.
But the true founder of the Roman branch of the Bonapartes, from whom Count Primoli was descended,
was the emperors rebel brother Luciano, who, in 1804, in open opposition to Napoleon, moved to Rome.
Count Primolis mother, Carlotta Bonaparte, was born from the marriage of one of Lucianos sons, Carlo
Luciano, to his cousin Zenaide, the daughter of Joseph Bonaparte. Carlotta married Count Pietro Primoli in
1848 and, immediately after the proclamation of the Second Empire, she moved, with her family, to the
court of Napoleon the IIIrd. Count Giuseppe Primoli was therefore educated in Paris, even after the fall of
the Empire, in the literary salones of his Matilde Bonaparte and Giulia Bonaparte, the Marchesa of
Roccagiovine.
A cultured man, passionately interested in books, and a talented photographer, Giuseppe Primoli lived
between Rome and Paris, and was closely involved with the literary and artistic circles in both cities. He
was, therefore, an interesting intellectual figure and collector, who, through important family gifts and
knowledgable acquisitions on the antiques markets, was able to offer the city of Rome this elegant example
of a museum-house.

Museo Pietro Canonica gratuit

Charges
Free entrance
Opening hours
Tuesday-Sunday:
- from October to May: 10:00 16:00 (last admission: 15:30);
- from June to September: 13:00 - 19:00 (last admission: 18:30);
24 and 31 December 10.00 - 14.00
Closed
Monday; 25 December; 1 January; 1 May.
The Collection
The atelier of the artist
The Museo Pietro Canonica, hidden in the greenery of the Villa Borghese, is an important example of the
museological model of museums based on artists houses, and in its integrity is one of very few examples in
Italy.
The museum collection consists primarily of works by Pietro Canonica: marbles, bronzes and original
models, as well as a large number of sketches, studies and replicas which provide a complete journey
through the evolution of this artists works and is therefore an extremely interesting resource for learning
about the creative and practical processes involved in creatying sculpture.
The particular layout of this museum offers vistors, as well as the normal route through the seven exhibition
rooms on the ground floor, a private, more intimate tour which snakes through the workshop and, on the
first floor, the artists private apartment. This wing of the museum houses a collection of precious
furnishings, art objects, Flemish tapestries and even a suit of Samurai armour from the XVII century, as well
as an extremely important collection of paintings which belonged to the sculptor, particularly nineteenth
century Piedmontese canvases, including works by Enrico Gamba, Giovan Battista Quadrone, Antonio
Fontanesi and Vittorio Cavalleri.
Biographical Sketch of Pietro Canonica
Pietro Canonica in a juvenile portrait (1894)
Pietro Canonica was born in Moncalieri in 1869. He attended the Accademia Albertina in Turin, in an Italy
which had only recently been united into one country and was labouriously engaged in the difficult work of
constructing an italian identity. It was in this atmosphere, interwoven with moral and civil obligation, that
Pietro Canonicas aesthetic sense was formed, and he became an attentive and enthusiastic guardian of the
italian artistic tradition.
He participated in all the most important national and international exhibitions, in Paris, Venice, London,
Rome, Brussels and Petersburg. He was a member of the Accademia di San Luca as well as numerous other
foreign and italian academies, and in 1929 was elected to the Italian Accademy and in 1950 he became a life
Senator.
He made an impression in high artistocratic circles and was invited to all the courts of Europe, who
competed to commission commemorative works from him, particularly busts and incisive portraits that
seemed almost to be breathing, executed with a rare technical skill and authoratative modelling.
From Buckingham Palace to the court of the Tsar, innumerable aristocratic faces saw their most secret
interiority modelled in marble.
The first world war ended this world, which constituted a reference point for the artist, as well as his main
market, and he devoted himself to large scale monumental and celebrative works. The war memorials
honouring the dead of the first world war in many italian piazzas are the work of Pietro Canonica.
In 1922 the artist moved to Rome and obtained from the city the use of the Fortezzuola, in the splendid
Piazza di Siena, where the artist lived and worked until his death in 1959.

The Mausoleum of Augustus

NU se intra
The Mausoleum of Augustus (Italian: Mausoleo di Augusto) is a large tomb built by the Roman Emperor
Augustus in 28 BC on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy. The Mausoleum is located on the Piazza Augusto
Imperatore, near the corner with Via di Ripetta as it runs along the Tiber. The grounds cover an area
equivalent to a few city blocks, and nestle between the church of San Carlo al Corso and that Museum of the
Ara Pacis.
The interior of the Mausoleum is no longer open to tourists, as looting, time, and neglect have stripped the
ruins of marbled elegance. Even as ruins, it is a dominating landmark on the northern side of the Campus
Martius.
The Mausoleum was one of the first projects initiated by Augustus in the city of Rome following his victory
at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The mausoleum was circular in plan, consisting of several concentric rings
of earth and brick, planted with cypresses on top of the building and capped (possibly, as reconstructions are
unsure at best) by a conical roof and a statue of Augustus. Vaults held up the roof and opened up the burial
spaces below. Twin pink granite obelisks flanked the arched entryway; these now stand, one at the Piazza
dell'Esquilino (on the northwest side of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore) and other at the Quirinal
fountain. The completed Mausoleum measured 90 m (295 ft) in diameter by 42 m (137 ft) in height.
A corridor ran from the entryway into the heart of the Mausoleum, where there was a chamber with three
niches to hold the golden urns enshrining the ashes of the Imperial Family. Remains buried inside the
Mausoleum before Augustus include those of Marcus Claudius Marcellus (who was the first to be buried
there, in 23 BC), Marcus Agrippa in 12 BC, Nero Claudius Drusus in 9 BC, Octavia Minor (the sister of
Augustus) in 9 or 11 BC, Gaius and Lucius, grandsons and heirs of Augustus. After the emperor himself, the
Mausoleum hosted the ashes of Livia (Augustus' wife), Germanicus, Agrippina the Elder, Agrippina's
daughter Julia Livilla, Nero (son of Germanicus), Drusus Caesar (son of Germanicus), Caligula, Tiberius,
Drusus Julius Caesar (son of Tiberius), Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor (parents of Claudius),
Claudius, Britannicus (the son of Claudius), the embalmed body of Poppaea Sabina wife of Nero, Julia
Domna (later moved to Mausoleum of Hadrian), and Nerva, the last emperor for whom the mausoleum was
opened.
The traditional story is that in 410, during the sack of Rome by Alaric, the pillaging Visigoths rifled the
vaults, stole the urns and scattered the ashes, without damaging the structure of the building (Lanciani).
LacusCurtius claims however that "The story of its plundering by Alaric in 410 has no historical foundation,
and we know nothing of its destruction." In the Middle Ages the artificial tumulus was fortified as a castle
as was the mausoleum of Hadrian, which was turned into the Castel Sant'Angelo and occupied by the
Colonna family. After the disastrous defeat of the Commune of Rome at the hands of the Count of Tusculum
in 1167, the Colonna were disgraced and banished, and their fortification in the Campo was dismantled.
Thus it became a ruin.
It was not until the 1930s that the site was opened as a preserved archaeological landmark along with the
newly moved and reconstructed Ara Pacis nearby. The restoration of the Mausoleum of Augustus to a place
of prominence featured in Benito Mussolini's ambitious reordering of the city of Rome which strove to
connect the aspirations of Italian Fascism with the former glories of the Roman Empire. Mussolini viewed
himself especially connected to the achievements of Augustus, seeing himself as a 'reborn Augustus' ready to
usher in a new age of Italian dominance.

Terme di Traiano
RUINE gratuit de afara
The Baths of Trajan were a massive thermae, a bathing and leisure complex, built in ancient Rome starting
from 104 AD and dedicated during the Kalends of July in 109. Commissioned by Emperor Trajan, the
complex of baths occupied space on the southern side of the Oppian Hill on the outskirts of what was then
the main developed area of the city, although still inside the boundary of the Servian Wall. The architect of
the complex is said to be Apollodorus of Damascus. The baths were being utilized mainly as a recreational
and social center by Roman citizens, both men and women, as late as the early 5th century.[1] The complex
seems to have been deserted soon afterwards as a cemetery dated to the 5th century (which remained in use
until the 7th century) has been found in front of the northeastern exedra.[2] The baths were thus no longer in
use at the time of the siege of Rome by the Goths in 537; with the destruction of the Roman aqueducts, all
thermae were abandoned, as was the whole of the now-waterless Mons Oppius.
Prior to the construction of the Baths, their location on the Oppian Hill was occupied by the ornate Palace of
Nero (Domus Aurea). After Nero's suicide, subsequent emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian chose to
build over his palace with other forms of architecture. Emperor Trajan covered up the last of the palace with
a platform upon which the Baths were built. Because they served as a model for bath complexes built
throughout the Roman world during the Imperial period, these Baths would come to be recognized as a
highly notable example of early Imperial Roman architecture.
Plan of the Baths of Trajan. Notice the northeast-southwest orientation.
The baths were erected on the Oppian Hill, a southern extension of the Esquiline Hill. Built on a platform
that had itself been built over Nero's Palace, the bath complex was immense by ancient Roman standards,
covering an area of approximately 330 by 215 meters. The complex rested on a northeast-southwest axis,
with the main building attached to the northeast wall. This was contrary to the more widely used north-south
axis of many buildings in the vicinity. It is suggested that this unorthodox orientation was chosen by the
architects to reduce the bathers' exposure to the wind, while also maximizing exposure to the sun.
Within the complex, the building was surrounded by a large grassy area. The baths themselves consisted of
pools, including a tepidarium (warm area and, it is presumed, first room visited in the baths), a caldarium
(hot pool and dry, sauna-like area), frigidarium (cool pools used after those previously mentioned), and also
gymnasia, and apodyteria (changing rooms). In addition to the facilities of the bath complex used by the
public, there was a system of subterranean passageways and structures used by slaves and workers to service
and maintain the facilities. Also underground, the massive cistern, surviving today as the Sette sale, the
"seven rooms", stored much of the water used in the baths. It was capable of storing no less than 8 million
liters. There were also several exedrae on the eastern and western sides of the building. After archaeological
analysis performed after excavation in 1997, it is thought that at least one of these exedra served as a sort of
library and a holding place for scrolls and manuscripts.
The archaeological excavations of 1997 also led to the discovery of a large (about 10 square meters)
frescoed bird's-eye view of a walled port city, a unique survivor of such a subject, in a buried gallery or
cryptoporticus beneath the baths, which predated their construction, but postdated Nero's Domus Aurea.
Whether it represents the reorganization of an actual port or an idealized one remains an open question.[3]
Additionally, the discovery of a 32 feet (9.8 m) mosaic was announced in July 2011, with more still to be
excavated, in what is believed to be a Musaeum, a place dedicated to the goddesses who inspire the creation
of the arts, featuring a nymphaeum (fountain room). Components of the mosaic identified to date, include:
Apollo, the Greek god of music, poetry, prophecy, light, and healing, and "Leader of the Muses"
capitals and columns decorated with garland plants
several muses.
Also discovered nearby, another mosaic shows grape harvesting scenes.[4]

Baths of Caracalla
free admission on the first sunday of the month
Open
09.00 - 16.30
pm from January 2 to February 15
The Baths of Caracalla (Italian: Terme di Caracalla) in Rome, Italy, were the second largest Roman public
baths, or thermae, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla.[1]
Chris Scarre provides a slightly longer construction period 211-217 AD.[2] They would have had to install
over 2,000 tons of material every day for six years in order to complete it in this time. Records show that the
idea for the baths were drawn up by Septimius Severus, and merely completed or opened in the lifetime of
Caracalla.[3] This would allow for a longer construction timeframe. They are today a tourist attraction.
Emperor Caracalla had the complex built as a piece of political propaganda, he wanted the public to like him
and he also wanted something for the people to remember him by. Romans from every social class enjoyed
themselves in the impressive, exquisitely detailed building. Not only did this create a sense of unity, it also
improved the publics opinion of Caracalla because they attributed their pleasurable experience and lavish
surroundings to him.[original research?]
The baths remained in use until the 6th century when the complex was taken by the Ostrogoths during the
Gothic War, at which time the hydraulic installations were destroyed.[4] The bath was free and open to the
public. The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal and wood underneath the ground
to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. It was in use up to the 19th century. The Aqua Marcia
aqueduct by Caracalla was specifically built to serve the baths. It was most likely reconstructed by
Garbrecht and Manderscheid to its current place.
In the 19th and early 20th century, the design of the baths was used as the inspiration for several modern
structures, including St George's Hall in Liverpool and Pennsylvania Station in New York City. At the 1960
Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the gymnastics events.
The baths were the only archaeological site in Rome damaged by an earthquake near L'Aquila in 2009.[5]
Baths were originally ornamented with high quality sculptures, for example, among the well-known pieces
recovered from the Baths of Caracalla are the Farnese Bull and Farnese Hercules and over life-size early 3rd
century patriotic figures (now in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples). One of many statues is the colossal 4
m statue of Asclepius.
The Caracalla bath complex of buildings was more a leisure centre than just a series of baths. The "baths"
were the second to have a public library within the complex. Like other public libraries in Rome, there were
two separate and equal sized rooms or buildings; one for Greek language texts and one for Latin language
texts.
The baths consisted of a central frigidarium (cold room) measuring 55.7 by 24 metres (183x79 ft) under
three groin vaults 32.9 metres (108 ft) high, a double pool tepidarium (medium), and a caldarium (hot room)
35 metres (115 ft) in diameter, as well as two palaestras (gyms where wrestling and boxing were practiced).
The north end of the bath building contained a natatio or swimming pool. The natatio was roofless with
bronze mirrors mounted overhead to direct sunlight into the pool area. The entire bath building was on a
raised platform 6 metres (20 ft) high to allow for storage and furnaces under the building.[6]
The libraries were located in exedrae on the east and west sides of the bath complex. The entire north wall of
the complex was devoted to shops. The reservoirs on the south wall of the complex were fed with water
from the Marcian Aqueduct.
The bath complex covered approximately 25 hectares (62 ac). The bath building was 228 metres (750 ft)
long, 116 metres (380 ft) wide and 38.5 metres (125 ft) estimated height, and could hold an estimated 1,600
bathers.[6]

COLOSSEUM
free admission on the first sunday of the month
Open
08.30 - 16.30
from the last Sunday of October to 15 February: last admission at 15.30, exit at 16.30
Roman Colosseum
Italian name: Colosseo
The Roman Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was commisioned in
AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son, Titus, in 80, with later improvements by
Domitian.
The Colosseum is located just east of the Roman Forum and was built to a practical design, with its 80
arched entrances allowing easy access to 55,000 spectators, who were seated according to rank. The
Coliseum is huge, an ellipse 188m long and 156 wide. Originally 240 masts were attached to stone corbels
on the 4th level.
Just outside the Coliseum is the Arch of Constantine (Arco di Costantino), a 25m high monument built in
AD315 to mark the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at Pons Milvius.
Vespesian ordered the Colosseum to be build on the site of Nero's palace, the Domus Aurea, to dissociate
himself from the hated tyrant.
His aim was to gain popularity by staging deadly combats of gladiators and wild animal fights for public
viewing. Massacre was on a huge scale: at inaugural games in AD 80, over 9,000 wild animals were killed.
Roman gladiators
were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals. Most were men, but there were a few female
gladiators. These combats were attended by the poor, the rich, and frequently the emperor himself. As
gladiators fought, vicious cries and curses were heard from the audience around the Roman Colosseum. One
contest after another was staged in the course of a single day. Should the ground become too soaked with
blood, it was covered over with a fresh layer of sand and the performance went on. The gladiatorial games
continued until Christianity progressively put an end to those parts of them which included the death of
humans.
Construction of the Colosseum was started under the emperor Vespasian and was completed by his son Titus
in 80 A.D. Originally named the amphitheatre of Flavio, it became known as the colosseum because of an
enormous bronze statue of Nero which in the second century A.D. was placed near by the monument. The
building was used for gladiator fights, hunting simulations involving ferocious and exotic animals and
similar entertainments. The building was constructed with blocks of stone and brickwork. The outside is
composed of four levels, the first three of which are made up of 80 arches while the fourth is divided into
sections interspersed with windows. On this level were placed both stone and wooden supports which held
an enormous canopy which served as a roof to protect the spectators from the elements. The brickwork on
the inner building was finished with a marble veneer. The arena itself was a huge wooden floor covered with
sand while the subterranean passages consisted of a series of tunnels where the wild beasts and various
equipment used during spectacles were held. Holding up to 73.000 spectators, entrance to the Colosseum
was regulated through a ticket system, with each ticket indicating where the holder should go through the
internal passages and corridors to find his or her seat.

FORO ROMANO E PALATINO

Each first Sunday of the month free admission for all visitors to the site during the ordinary opening time.
Open
08.30 - 16.30
from the last Sunday of October to 15 February: last admission at 15.30, exit at 16.30
ATTENTION PLEASE!
Due to new security measures it is necessary to arrive at least 30 minutes before the reservation at the ticket
desk.
It is confirmed the prohibition of bringing backpacks , camping , bulky bags and luggage / trolley, can be
introduced medium and small size backpacks to shoulder, which must be checked, as any other bag, with
metal detectors, opened and visually inspected by the Urbe Security Institute, responsible for the entrance
inspection.
According to ancient tradition, The Palatino was on this hill that the first settlement of Rome was made by
Romulus in the middle of the eighth century B.C. Excavations have revealed huts and tombs from the Iron
Age and, recently, an ancient fortification. The Palatino was also the centre for some important cults as, for
example, that of Magna Mater (Cibele). Between the second and first centuries B.C. it became a residential
quarter for the Roman aristocracy. In this period the House of Grifi, famous for its pictures, was built. The
Emperor Augustus made the Palatino his official power-centre and initiated a building programme which
saw the construction of imperial palaces, and various restructuring and enlargement of existing buildings
built by previous emperors. The museum is located in Caesar's Palace where, among the monuments
collected from the hill site, various artefacts of Iron Age tombs and works of art from imperial buildings are
exhibited. The most stunning of these works of art are the decorative pictures in the lecture room of Isiaca.
The Roman Forum was the monumental center of ancient Rome. Around the square, crossed by the Via
Sacra, were the most important public and religious buildings in the city. Currently you can visit the remains
of the Forum (Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, Basilica Emilia, the Curia, the Temple of Vesta; Ara di
Cesare Arch of Titus and Septimius Severus). On weekdays, the morning you can visit the interior of Curia.
Palatine: The museum is located on the homonymous hill, among the monuments collected, various artefacts
of Iron Age, tombs and works of art from imperial buildings are exhibited. The most important of these
works are the decorative pictures in the reading room of Isaia.
Roman Forum: The valley of the Forum, nestled between the seven hills of Rome, was in ancient times a
marsh. From the end of the seventh century B.C., after the drainage of the marshes, the Roman Forum (Foro
Romano) was constructed and this served as the centre of public life in Rome for over a millenium.

Palazzo Altemps
free admission on the first sunday of the month
Open
09.00 - 19.45
from Tuesday to Sunday
The Palace of Altemps is one of the most interesting examples of the Renaissance architecture in Rome.
Construction was started by Girolamo Riario in 1477 in the place where, in antiquity, existed marble
workshops, possibly with a temple of Apollo nearby. Since 1997 it has been one of the four centres which
comprise the National Roman Museum. In the palace are Renaissance and Baroque sculptures such as the
famous Boncompagni Ludovisi collection, the rich sixteenth century collection of Asdrubale and Ciriaco
Mattei and the Altemps collection itself. The latter collection includes 16 statues which were reacquired by
the State, four of which are located under the arches of the gatehouse. Among these collections are some
very famous works of art, such as the Birth of Venus which forms part of the Ludovisi Collection, probably
dating back to the fifth century BC. Further examples include 'Orestes and Electra' embracing and saying
farewell to each other and 'Aries', described by Winkelmann as "the most beautiful representation of Mars
from antiquity". There is an important collection of statues in the Sala delle Feste, among the group
representing Galata's suicide which was found together with a sculpture of the dying Galata, now housed at
the Capitolini Museum. There also Roman copies of original Greek works. The Egyptian holdings are not
available for viewing, with just one room open to the public. When visiting the museum it is also possible to
see the Church of Sant'Aniceto, whose construction was commissioned by Giovanni Angelo Altemps in
1603, one of the richest churches of Rome and in which is also housed a large number of relics and the
vestiments of Sant'Aniceto, one of the first Popes. The nearby recently restructured Goldoni Theatre,
functions also as a conference centre.

Crypta Balbi
free admission on the first sunday of the month
Open
09.00 - 19.45
from Tuesday to Sunday
The Crypta Balbi Museum is the only one of its kind. Together with the Palazzo Massimo, Palazzo Altemps
and the Bath of Diocleziano, it makes part of the National Roman Museum. Originally a huge courtyard
annexed to the theatre which Lucio Cornelio Balbo built for Augustus at the end of the first century A.D., the
Crypta Balbi represents a development of Roman society and the urban landscape from antiquity to modern
times. Twenty years of excavation and research have revealed a series of transformations and diverse uses of
the structure. Above all, these excavations have shed light on our rather obscure knowledge of the passage
from Roman to medieval society, the so-called Dark Ages. The museum itself is located between the streets
Botteghe Oscure and M. Caetani. Exhibitions are speard across three floors and various other buildings on
the site and include artefacts recovered from excavation, such as ceramic objects, tools and even ruins, as
well as items from the National Roman Museum proper. Certain objects found at the site of excavations near
the theatre have been open to public viewing only for a short time. It is also possible to the visit the cellars
where one can see the actual crypts and an ancient granary with medieval restructurings.

Palazzo Massimo
free admission on the first sunday of the month
Open
09.00 - 19.45
from Tuesday to Sunday
Palazzo Massimo was built at the end of the nineteenth century as the part of a college. Today it forms part
of the National Roman Museum. Exhibits are spread across four floors of the palace. On the ground floor is
the Numismatic Section which holds fascinating examples of coinage and monetary systems from their
origins in the eighth century B.C. to the introduction of the Euro. Included here are also several gems, jewels
and jewellery of the Savoia collection and the section of Oreficeria, most of which served as funerary items.
Among these is the mummified 'Bambina di Grottarossa', a child found together with its doll. On the other
three floors various works of art representing a broad range of classical sculpture are exhibited. These
include a statue of Augustus, various Roman copies of Greek statues such as those as the famous 'Discobolo
Lancellotti', a sleeping Hermaphrodite, Venus about to take a bath, and Apollo which was copied from a fifth
century B.C. Greek original in the workshops of Fidia. There is also a section of interesting bronzes. The
final floor is dedicated to a wonderful collection of frescoes and mosaics, among them those of the
triclinium of the villa of Livia and those of the villa Farnesina. Together these exhibits represent the themes
and styles which existed from the first century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. and come from various
locations around the city of Rome. Among the most interesting of these is a marbles in laid work
representing the Sun God.

TERME DI DIOCLEZIANO
Free admission on the first Sunday of the month
Open every day from 9.00 to 19.45.Last admission at 19.00.
Closed Mondays (except Easter Monday and during the "Culture Week"), 25 December, 1 January.
The Bath of Diocleziano is one of the four seats of the National Roman Museum, the others being Palazzo
Massimo, Palazzo Altemps and Crypta Balbi. Today, the bath is taken up mainly with the Museum
ofEpigraphy which collects and conserves written texts on various themes from the eighth century B.C. to
the fourth century A.D.. The magnificent structure of the bath, the biggest of Ancient Rome, was built
between the years 298 and 306 A.D. As well as sporting the traditional pools of water at various
temperatures (calidarium, frigidarium and tepidarium), the bath also included a central basilica, an open-air
swimming pool and many other rooms which were put to various uses. Part of the perimeter of the bath is
now occupied by the Church of Saint Mary of the Angels. Indeed, in 1561 Pope Pio IV decided to change
the bath into a sort of basilica with an annexed convent, and commissioned Michelangelo to bring this to
fruition.
In 1889 the bath became a seat of the National Museum of Ancient Rome and diverse archaeological
collections were built up. In the cloister built by Michelangelo there are about 400 sculptures displaying the
whole range of artistic styles found in ancient Rome.
The galleries of the cloister are dedicated to the exposition of pre-historic populations and the development
of their cultures in the Lazio region from the late bronze age and iron age (twelfth to seventh centuries B.C.),
with particular reference to Rome. The epigraphical section was formed in the first half of the nineteenth
century and today is completely restored. This exposition displays the birth and diffusion of the Latin
language through various written documents such as the 'Cippo del Foro', 'la Corona in calcare di Palestrina',
'le defixiones' 'i tituli', texts related to associations and a group of texts which relate the development of
Roman society throughout the period.
The multimedia room hosts a virtual reality installation which makes it possible to explore the
reconstructions of monuments and sites located along the ancient Via Flaminia, including the Villa of Livia
at Prima Porta. The octagonal room, which since 1928 has been a Planetarium, conserves intact a marvellous
cupola and hosts within its very walls sculptures of the bath. Among the most important of these are the
bronze statues of the so-called 'Hellenistic Prince' of the second century B.C., the seated fighter of the first
century B.C. and the famous Aphrodite of Sirene, a replica of the Hadrianic age from Prassitele.
The grand Renaissance rooms in which oil was stored are now utilised, after recent restoration, for
conferences and exhibitions.

Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella

free admission on the first sunday of the month
Open
09.00 - 16.30
from January 2 to February 15
Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella
The mausoleum was built at the third mile of the Appian Way in the years 30-20 BCE, on a dominant
position overlooking the road, just at the point of arrestation of a leucite lava flow ejected 260,000 years ago
from the Alban Hills volcanic complex.
It is a monumental tomb erected for a Roman noblewoman whose degrees of kinship are known, albeit only
partially, thanks to the inscription, still preserved. Her father was Quintus Caecilius Metellus, consul in 69
BCE, who, between 68 and 65 BCE, conquered the island of Crete, whence he derived the agnomen
Creticus; her husband was, in all probability, Marcus Licinius Crassus, who distinguished himself among
Caesars retinue on the campaign in Gaul and was the son of the celebrated Crassus, member of the First
Triumvirate along with Caesar and Pompey.
The imposing tomb is, therefore, to be interpreted both as an homage to the deceased and as a celebration of
the glories, riches and prestige of the client family.
The monument consists of a quadrangular basement of concrete, made of flintstone flakes, originally
sheathed with blocks of travertine, only some heads of which, embedded in the core, are today preserved,
because of the repeated spoliations of the Renaissance; upon this base rises an imposing cylinder, still clad
with the original travertine slabs, on whose summit is a marble frieze decorated with bucrania and garlands
of flowers and fruits, interrupted by a high-relief with a trophy of arms and the figure of a barbarian prisoner
with his hands bound behind his back. Probably the cylinder was originally surmounted by an earthen
barrow covered with vegetation.
The interior of the tomb consists of a funerary chamber of slightly conical shape about 6.50 metres in
diameter, occupying the whole height of the cylinder, open at its top with an oculus and sheathed with a
brick curtain of excellent workmanship.
Today the summit of the mausoleum is crowned by an extra storey in brickwork of small peperino blocks
which retains the Ghibelline battlements relevant to the modifications carried out by the Caetani family in
order to transform the sepulchre into the keep of their castle, subsequently enclosed in the larger Castrum
Caetani (Caetani Castle).

CASA DI AUGUSTO. DOMUS AUGUSTEA

Free admission on the first Sunday of the month
09.30 - 16.00
from October 26 till Febraury 15 2015 (last admission 3pm)
The house of the emperor Augustus, on the Palatine Hill, is not only a place with a lot of history, but also
one of the most refined and elegant examples of Roman pictorial decoration in a private setting. The spaces
that today can be visited are accessed by a ramp with a barrel vault entirely faced, both on the ceiling and
walls, with frescoes; the two small rooms on either side were probably used to host visitors whereas the
final room, on the highest level, was for the emperor's private and exclusive use. . The expressive style of
the dcor dates the rooms to the mid "second style", between the late first century b.C. and the early first
century A.D.: the official halls, where guests were hosted, are clearly more austere, whereas Augustus'
private study presents fantasy and airy motifs, highlighted by the well-preserved brightness and colour.

Casa di Livia
Free admission on the first Sunday of the month
09.30 - 16.00
From 26 October to 15 February 2015 (last admission 3 pm)
the house of livia history
The House of Livia, also known as Livias House or Livias Villa, was the home of the third wife of
Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, and the mother of its second emperor, Tiberius.
Powerful and formidable, Livia was an important figure of Ancient Rome, a status she managed to maintain
even after Augustuss death. It even became treasonous to speak against Livia. Robert Graves memorably
portrayed the figure of Livia in his I Claudius series.
Set on the Palatine Hill, Ancient Romes most desirable location, the House of Livia is currently being
excavated by the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and so is usually only accessible by prior
appointment.

BOCCA DELLA VERIT

La Bocca della Verit (English: the Mouth of Truth) is an image, carved from Pavonazzo marble, of a manlike face, located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. The sculpture is
thought to be part of a first-century ancient Roman fountain, or perhaps a manhole cover, portraying one of
several possible pagan gods,[1] probably Oceanus. Most Romans believe that the 'Bocca' represents the
ancient god of the river Tiber.
The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its role as a lie detector. Starting from the Middle
Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten
off. The piece was placed in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin in the 17th century. This church is
also home to the supposed relics of Saint Valentine.
The Mouth of Truth is known to English-speaking audiences mostly from its appearance in the 1953 film
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.
This scene from Roman Holiday was parodied in the 2000 Japanese film Sleeping Bride by Hideo Nakata. It
was also replicated in the film Only You starring Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei.
In part two of the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Battle Tendency, the Mouth of Truth is the entrance to
the cavern where the three Pillar Men slept.
In Macross II it features a reference to the scene in Roman Holiday.
The Megaman Battle Network 4 video games ("Red Sun" and "Blue Moon") feature a statue resembling The
Mouth of Truth at the beginning of the World Netbattling championship tournament in Netopia by which
Lan and MegaMan must pass by having Lan stick his hand inside the statue that says that it will bite off
Lan's hand if he is not actually a contestant; Lan reluctantly agrees to stick his hand inside after the statue
taunts Lan about being nervous. The statue turns out to be a fingerprint scanner which verifies Lan's identity
to let him pass.
The Mouth of Truth is also featured as a furniture item in the Animal Crossing video game series. If the
player touches the Mouth of Truth, its depicted expression changes to that of an angry frown, referencing the
belief that telling a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the statue results in the hand being bitten off.
In the video game Megami Tensei 2, set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the hero finds one of the Seven Pillars
of Solomon in a similar object called the Demon's Mouth. It bites his arm off, and he must gain a robotic
arm that enables him to reach it. This also serves as an upgrade to his COMP, increasing his stock of
demons.
The Mouth of Truth statue is referenced to in the Castle sixth season episode "Get A Clue" when Castle
(Nathan Fillion) sticks his hand inside a statue, parodying the effect and also opening a hidden door by a
switch inside the statue's mouth.
A similar gag is found in National Treasure: Book of Secrets when Benjamin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is at Mt.
Rushmore in the Black Hills and pretends that his hand has been cut off while reaching for a switch and
entry into the fabled Cibola.
In the 2015 installment in the Fire Emblem video game series, the Mouth of Truth appears with a giant trolllike body, climbing onto a castle rampart.

Church of St. Louis of the French

8:30am-12:30pm & 3:30-7pm
Credit for the faade goes to Giacomo della Porta, who also designed the faade of Il Gesu. Carved from
lovely white travertine marble, the faade has two levels (or orders), on top of which sits a small peak. The
coat of arms at the top belongs to the Valois Family, and carvings of salamanders represent King Francois I
of France, who was the French monarch when the foundation was laid. Four statues depict Charlemagne, St.
Louis, St. Clotilde (5th century Queen of the Franks), and St. Joan of Valois (daughter of Louis XI).
The plan of the church is a basilica, that is, a rectangular shape without a transept. Originally a CounterReformation church, it would have been quite austere. However, the wealth of the Medicis and the French
kings resulted in its subsequent lavish decoration. A number of famous Italian and French artists worked on
the interior. Charles Joseph Natoire, whose works also adorn Versailles palace, painted the ceiling fresco
(1754), which depicts San Luigi ascending into heaven. It is surrounded by one of the richest and most
ornate coffered ceilings in Rome.
The Polet Chapel, to the right of the altar, contains a cycle of frescoes (1612-14) by Domenichino, student of
Caracci of the Bolognese school. The bright frescoes recount the dramatic events in the life of Saint Cecilia,
the patron saint of musicians and church music. Legend has it that as Cecilia lay dying, three days after her
throat was cut, she continued to sing "in her heart to the Lord." Above the main altar hangs a painting by
Francesco Bassano entitled The Assumption.
Amazingly, some descriptions of this church fail to mention that it contains three of the greatest and most
influential paintings ever produced in Italy. Perhaps this has to do with the shadowy life of the man who
painted them, Michelango di Merisi, known as Caravaggio.
Then again, perhaps it has to do with the ambivalence of his paintings, which, though covering famous
religious subjects, do not exactly inspire faith, either because of the dramatic content - decapitations,
crucifixions, depositions from the cross, etc. - or because Caravaggio often used his friends as models,
including prostitutes, card sharps, and other folk of dubious morals. One early travel guide to Rome says of
him: "He painted chiefly plebian types." What is true is that Caravaggio's three paintings in the Contarelli
Chapel changed the way that people looked at painting and influenced countless artists who followed.
The third painting, above the altar, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, is not the painting Caravaggio
originally created for this location. His first submission, entitled The Angel and Saint Matthew, hung in the
chapel only a few days before the priests took it down. The reason? The priests said it had "neither the
decorum nor the appearance of a saint.".
These three paintings, Caravaggio's first major church commission, cemented his reputation, and he
continued to work constantly until his death in 1610 at the age of 38.

CHURCH OF SANTAGOSTINO IN CAMPO MARZIO

Open 07:30am-12:00pm 04:00pm-07:30pm
he church was built in 1296 at the behest of Pope Boniface VIII, but was completed only in 1420. The
current appearance is the result of the reconstruction of the years 1479-1483 by Jacopo di Pietrasanta and
Sebastian Fiorentino.
In 1756 Luigi Vanvitelli radically transformed the interior of the church and changed the fifteenth-fifteenthcentury fifteenth-century century bell tower. In the first chapel on the left is the famous painting of the
Madonna of the Pilgrims by Caravaggio (1604), while the third pillar to the left of the central nave is
decorated with a fresco by Raffaello depicting the Prophet Isaiah (1512). On the main altar, made in 1627
on a design by Bernini, there is the Virgin and Child from the church of SaintHagia Sophia in
Constantinople. Of particular importance is the altarpiece depicting St. Augustine, John the Evangelist and
Jerome by Guercino (1591-1666) in the chapel of the right transept dedicated to the patron saint.

PIAZZA NAVONA
Undeniably the most elegant and cheerful of all Roman piazzas, it was built on the site of Stadium of
Domitian in the 1st Century A.D. and still preserves its outline. The piazza remains a highly popular meeting
place for Romans and tourists alike, who drowsily soak up the sun and atmosphere in open air bars dotted
around it.
Used in ancient times for various athletic games and competitions, although it never witnessed the carnage
offered in the Colosseum, today tourists often enjoy sitting for street artists who, on request, in a few
minutes either sketch a faithful portrait or draw a caricature of their models.
Over Christmas, the piazza is suddenly swamped by a bustling multi-coloured market, selling cribs,
decorations and sweets. A treat for young children, it reaches its height of excitement on the night of 5th
January, when the Befana (The Good Witch) flies about the country, delivering presents to well-behaved
children.
Not to be missed: The Fountain of The Four Rivers and Church of SaintAgnese in Agone.

PANTHEON
free
Monday-Saturday: 8.30 am - 7.30 pm
Sunday: 9.00 am - 6.00 pm
Lift up your head on entering. Our attention is caught straightaway by a ray of slanting sunlight shooting
down from the oculus, a 9- metre round aperture at the very top of the dome that illuminates the entire
building.
If it is raining, watch the falling water disappear into the floors 22 virtually invisible holes.
Dedicated to the worship of every god (Pan-every Theon-divinity), the Pantheon was built by the Emperor
Hadrian between 118 and 125 A.D. over the ruins of another temple dating back to 27 A.D. Statesman and
General Marcus Agrippa was responsible for the construction of the original church, to whom a dedicatory
inscription is clearly visible over todays magnificent portico.
In 609, it was converted into a Christian Church by Pope Boniface IV and consecrated to Santa Maria of the
Martyrs.
Turned into a memorial chapel for the kingsof Italy in 1870, the tombs of Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I
and Margherita of Savoy are to be found here together with that of the celebrated Renaissance Artist
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, who is more often referred to as simply Raphael.

SANTA MARIA DELLA VITTORIA

Open 08:30am-12:00pm 03:30pm-06:00pm
The interior of the church has a single nave, it offers one of the richest examples of baroque decoration for
the wealth of marble, stucco and decorations.
The left transept houses, in the Cornaro Chapel, the sculpture of most poetic Bernins: Santa Teresa
transfixed by the love of God.
The work appears to be as suspended in space in a cloudy sky illuminated by golden rays, a smiling angel
pointing an arrow to the heart of Holy reversed in ecstasy.
The Cornaro Chapel (1644 1652) is one of the masterpieces by Bernini, especially for the wise use of eerie
and spectacular effects of hidden light, that you appreciate in particular in the afternoon.

PAPAL BASILICA OF ST. PAULS OUTSIDE THE WALLS

Daily: 7.00 am - 7.00 pm
The Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, the second largest after
St. Peters.
The church stands on the site which is traditionally believed to be the burial place of the Apostle Paul.
The first Christians after his execution erected a sepulchral chapel, called a cella memoriae. This was
subsequently turned into a basilica by the Emperor Constantine and consecrated in 394 by Pope Silvester I.
The first reconstruction work, expanding the church, was completed in 395 A.D. under the Emperor
Honorius.
Historically one of the important stops on the pilgrims route, the cathedrals current shape is the result of
the work of Pasquale Belli and then Luigi Polleta who, assisted by other architects, rebuilt it between 1825
and 1854.

Piazza del Campidoglio

CAMPIDOGLIO (THE CAPITOLINE HILL)
While being the lowest and smallest of the seven hills of Rome (The Aventino, Capitoline, Caeline,
Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinale, Viminale), the Capitoline is perhaps the most closely bound to the citys
history, as it has been the hub of Romes political and religious life since ancient times. Today the
Michaelangelo piazza, reached by climbing a splendid flight of steps, is encircled by two identical buildings
(Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, home to the Capitoline Museum) and Palazzo Senatorio,
which serves as the seat of the Mayor of Rome.

THE TREVI FOUNTAIN

Since June 5, 2014 the Trevi fountain is undergoing renovation works and will be enclosed by a wire mesh
and panels. The fountain, however, is still visible.
Officially opened on Monday, June 30th at 18:30 the construction site is visible walking on a footbridge
over the fountain, where visitors will have the chance to throw the traditional lucky coin.
For updates please visit: www.trevifountain.it, www.restaurofontanaditrevi.it
Access to the walkway is possible every day until 21.00.
Work on the celebrated rococo fountain was first begun in 1732 by Nicola Salvi (who beat off competition
to be awarded the commission by Pope Clement XII) and was completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762.
The monument, whose water is supplied by one of the oldest Roman aqueducts, the Acqua Virgine, has
been sculptured against the backdrop of Palazzo Poli and depicts Triton taming Oceanus shell-shaped
chariot drawn by sea horses.
Before moving off, do not forget to throw a coin in the fountain. Custom has it that travellers doing this will
one day return to the eternal city. Those seeking a little romance, perhaps even an Italian love, should then
toss a second, third coin to make sure wedding bells will soon be chiming.
Not forgetting of course that the fountain provided the splendid setting for the best-known scene from
director Federico Fellinis classic film La Dolce Vita: a provocative Anita Ekberg swathed in a long black
evening dress calls out for Marcello Mastroianni, Marcello, Come Here! as she glides through the
fountains sparkling waters.

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE

Daily: 7.00 am - 7.00 pm
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the most important and best preserved of Roman churches
dedicated to the Madonna. It rises on top of the Esquiline Hill and is the only remaining example of early
Christian architecture, even though it has over time been further embellished.
Work on the current basilica, which was built on top of an earlier church, was embarked on thanks to a
wealthy Roman patrician called Giovanni.
According to legend, Giovanni and his wife, who were without child, dedicated a church to the Virgin Mary
who had appeared to them in a dream on the night of 4th/ 5th August 352 A.D.
The Madonna had told them that a miracle would show them the location for them to build the church. Pope
Liberius also had the same dream and the following day on arriving on the Esquiline Hill, found it had
indeed been miraculously covered in snow.. in the heat of August. Liberius then traced an outline of the
location of the planned church, the building of which was financed by the married couple.
This then explains why the basilica is also referred to as Our Lady of the Snow and how, every year on 5th
August, the miracle of the snow is commemorated with a cascade of white petals descending from the
coffered ceiling onto the altar place, an evocative sight really not to be missed.

FONTANA DEI FIUMI (THE FOUNTAIN OF THE FOUR RIVERS)

Located in the very middle of Piazza Navona, the Fountain of the Four Rivers is a masterpiece from Gian
Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680).
The four allegorical human figures assembled in various poses on rocks represent the great rivers of the four
continents known at that time: the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata.
Popular legend has it that the Nile is covering his eyes so a not to see the faade of the Church of St. Agnese
in Agone, built by Berninis great rival Francesco Borromini. In truth the gesture is an allusion to the fact
that the source of the Nile had not been identified. The fountain was moreover completed several years
before Borromini built the church.

THE PORTICO OF OCTAVIA

Built in the second century B.C. replacing the Porticus Metelli so as to enclose the two temples of Juno
Regina and Jupiter Stator, the Porticus Octavia was restored during the Emperor Augustus reign and was
dedicated to his sister, Octavia.
The scars left by the passing of time and a number of fires however made further restoration work necessary
(the last was undertaken in 191 A.D.). The ruins standing before our eyes today in fact date back to this very
period, that is the entrance propylaeium and the stretch of portico to its right, as far as the far southern
corner.
In Medieval times, over the ruins of the Portico, a large fish market was erected as well as a church,
SantAngelo in Pescheria. The market was called Forum Piscium (Fish Forum) or Pescheria Vecchia (Old
Fish Market) and the stone to be found to the right of the Porticos great arch is all that has survived.
The Latin inscription on the arch speaks of the tradition whereby the Conservatori or Magistrates of Capitol
Hill should be given the head of every fish which is longer than this stone, as far as the first set of fins
included. Moreover it was from the Portico of Octavia that Mid-14th century Politician Cola di Rienzo said
off to triumph over Capitol Hill on May 19th 1347. It was here also, at the end of the 18th century that the
Jews were forced on Saturdays to listen to the sermons given by the Jesuit priests in the hope Li Giudei
would be converted. It is however said that the Jews plugged their ears so as not to hear.

Galeria Borghese
Every first Sunday of the month, admission is free. Obligatory booking by phone at +39 06 32810
Tuesday-Sunday: 9.00 - 19.00 (admission every 2 hours)
Last admission: 17.00;
Closed: Monday, 25 December, 1 January.
Located midst the trees of Romes favourite public park is the Borghese Gallery, a treasure trove of artistic
gems, a remarkable collection which was first begun by Renaissance Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Building
on Villa Borghese was commissioned by this patron of the arts precisely to house one of the largest and
most impressive art collections in Europe.
Bearing this in mind and the fact the paintings and sculptures are not exhibited in according to any special
criteria or in any particular order, chronological or otherwise, the exhibition however reflects the refined
taste and intentions of its former proprietors.
On view are some of the finest masterpieces of western art including a series of Gian Lorenzo Berninis
sculptures commissioned by the cardinal (Aeneas, The Rape of Proserpina, Apollo and Daphne and David);
Titians canvas Sacred and Profane Love; Caravaggio paintings including David with the Head of Goliath
and the Canovas sculpture of the reclining Pauline Borghese, Napoleons favourite sister, who is holding an
apple in her hand evoking the Venus Victrix in the judgement of Paris.

Piazzale Ostiense piramide cestia

De afara sau 5,5 euro cu ghid
What is an Egyptian-style pyramid doing in the heart of Rome?
It is the tomb of the wealthy praetor Caius Cestius Epulone which was built just before 12 B.C., the year of
his death. It was constructed shortly after the empires conquest of Egypt, at a time when anything to do with
the culture of this new province was extremely fashionable in Rome. 36.40 metres high and standing on a
travertine foundation, measuring just under 30 square metres at the base, it is made of concrete.
The work was completed, according to an inscription on its front faade, in 330 days. Its rear may be seen
from the nearby Cimitero Acattolico (Non-Catholic Cemetery) where English Poets John Keats and Percy
Bysshe Shelley, America Beat Poet Gregory Corso, American Physician, Lecturer, Abolitionist Sarah Parker
Remond, Italian Philosopher and Founder of the Italian Communist party Antonio Gramsci are all buried
along with a long list of other famous personages

QUIRINALE THE QUIRINAL PALACE

Ticket entrance: 10,00
Concessions: 5,00 (18-25 years old)
Open to the public every Sunday from 8:30 to 12:00, except on:
- Sunday 4th January 2015
- Sunday 5th April 2015
- Sunday 31st May 2015
- Sunday 1st November 2015
- Sunday 20th and 27th December 2015
- from 28th June to 6th September 2015
Changing of the Guard of Honour
- from October until June, 2nd: every Sunday at 16:00 (Piazza del Quirinale)
- from June 3rd until September: every Sunday at 18.00 (Piazza del Quirinale)
On the other days of the week the changing of the guard takes place inside the building and is not visible
from the outside.
At the top of the Quirinal (Quirinale) Hill, this immense palace served as the papal summer residence for
almost three centuries until the keys were handed over (begrudgingly, and staring down the barrel of a gun)
to Italy's new king in 1870. It was passed on to the president of the republic in 1948. At the end of the
Sunday visit, there is a free concert in the chapel.
Located on top of the highest of the seven hills of Rome, the Quirinale Palace was for just under three
centuries the summer residence of the popes prior to becoming in 1870 the palace to the King of Italy and
after 1946 the seat of Presidents of the Republic.
The Quirinale Palace is the creation of many famous artists: work on the faade may be attributed to
Domenico Fontana, the chapel and entry gate to Carlo Maderno, while the mastery of Gian Lorenzo
Berninis craft is responsible for the side of the building running along Via del Quirinale.
Visitors are entertained by the changing of the guards on Sundays (at 6 p.m. in the summer and at 4 p.m.
during the rest of the year), while a classical music concert in the piazza delights all on New Years Day.
In 1578 Pope Gregory XII Boncompagni charged the architect Martino Longhi first, and Ottaviano
Mascherino afterward, with constructing a summer villa on top of the Quirinale hill which would
incorporate the existing villa belonging to the Carafa and the Estensi families. During the papacy of Sixtus V
Peretti (1585-90), the project was taken up by Domenico Fontana, while under Paul V Borghese (1605-21)
the works were commissioned to Flaminio Ponzio and, after his death, to Carlo Maderno. More works were
carried out by Gianlorenzo Bernini during the papacy of Urban VIII Barberini (1623-44), who was mostly
concerned with strenghthening the defensive structures of the building. The palace was enlarged along the
Strada Pia (now Via XX Settembre) with the construction of the so called "Manica lunga", a wing finished
under Clemens XII Corsini (1730-40) by Ferdinando Fuga, who completed the external building of the
complex. After 1870 the building was chosen as the palace of the Savoy family. Today it houses the
residence and private offices of the President of the Italian Republic. The austere two-storey facade by
Domenico Fontana (1589) is enriched by the portal by Maderno (1615) with the tympanum flanked by
statues of the apostles Peter and Paul, by Stefano Maderno and Berthlot respectively. Above it is the Loggia
delle Benedizioni designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1638). On the left is the "torrino" (1624) by Bernini.
In the magnificent gardens are the Fontana dell'Organo (1596) and the Coffee House by Fuga (1741) with
interesting paintings by Pannini. The internal decoration of the palace is a sum of the Roman art of the 17th
and 18th centuries here represented at the highest levels with works by Guido Reni, Pietro da Cortona,
Giovanni Lanfranco, Agostino Tassi, Antonio Caracci and others.

TEATRO MARCELLO -THEATRE OF MARCELLUS

De afara
At first sight, it appears to be smaller version on the Colosseum, which was nevertheless built a good 83
years after the theatre. The differences are more evident on taking a closer look. The Theatre of Marcellus,
for example, is semicircular, while the Colosseum is completely round as indeed an amphitheatre should be.
The Theatre of Marcellus is perhaps the oldest theatre to have survived until the present day. Initially begun
by Julius Caesar, it was completed by the Emperor Augustus in 11 B.C., and was dedicated to his nephew
Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who died five years before it was finished at the age of just 19.
It very much comes alive in the summer, where it provides a sumptuous setting for the Tempietto Concerts
, where top artists from Academies, High Schools of Music and Cultural Institutes entertain an Italian and
international public.

THE TIBER ISLAND

Legend has it that the Tiber Island was formed, to say the least, in a rather curious manner: the angry
Romans, after having overthrown in a popular uprising the reviled tyrant Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, threw
his wheat and grain into the Tiber. The accumulation of mud around it is said to have gradually lead to the
forming of the island. In truth tuff rock, rather like that near the Capitoline Hill, compacted forming the
natural geological foundation for the sand, dragged here by the rivers current, to rest.
The island has also been traditionally associated through the centuries with the healing of the sick. In fact, it
is often also called the Stone Ship, an indirect reference to this very association. In 291 B.C., a terrible
plague swept through the city of Rome, wiping out much of its population. The priests, after having
consulted the Sybilline books, despatched a delegation on a ship to Epidaurus, a small city in ancient Greece
and site of a sanctuary to Aesculapius, to bring back a statue of this God of Medicine and Healing. The
ambassadors returned bringing with them a serpent, an animal closely associated and dear to the God.
On approaching the Tiber Island, according to the Roman Poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses, the serpent
jumped ship and swam to the islet. Believing this was an incarnation of the God himself, a temple to
Aesculapius was erected just where the serpent landed and the island was carved into the shape of a ship as a
tribute to the occasion. Today the Aesculapius temple lies under the Church of San Bartelomeo, a new
basilica constructed by the Emperor Otto III in 998. In 1582, the Spanish monks of the Order of St. John
Calibytis founded a hospital which is still fully operational today and whose name Fatebenefratelli derives
from the litany which these prelates used to sing as darkness fell on leaving to collect alms.

TEMPLE OF PORTUNUS
De afara sau 5,5 euro cu ghid
The site is opened on 1st and 3th Sunday of every month.
The temple is one of the best preserved of ancient Rome. Erroneously called the Temple of Manly Fortune,
it is located next to the modern Rome City Council Registry Office, overlooking the Port Tiberinus at a
sharp bend in the river. It was dedicated to Portunus, God of the river ports and protector of the Forum
Boarium, where the cattle barges arrived for market. It dates back to the fourth or third century B.C., but
what may be seen today is probably the result of restoration work carried out in the first century B.C. The
main explanation of how it has so well managed to survive the ravages of time may be attributed to the fact
that it was converted into the Christian Church of Santa Maria de Gradellis in 872 A.D., and Santa Maria
Egiziaca in the fifteenth century. The temple stands on a raised travertine slab base and has four freestanding ionic columns on its front faade. Its sides bear five semi-encased columns, its rear two. The
columns, bases and capitals are all of travertine marble, the encased columns in tufa extracted from the
River Aniene, as are also the walls of the cella. A section of the architraves stucco surface has also survived
bearing a relief of festoons of candelabra, while the cornice features lion protomes.

FOUNTAIN OF THE TORTOISES

Positioned in the heart of the historic centre, the Fountain of Tortoises is indisputably one of Romes finest.
Built towards the end of the sixteenth century to Giacomo della Portas design, it is linked to rather an
attractive tale of romance.
It is said that the Duke Muzio Mattei, in order to demonstrate his powerful influence to the wealthy father of
the woman he loved, had the magnificent fountain built overnight in front of his own windows.
The sculptures of the four young adolescents with their hands raised to help the tortoises climb into the basin
is attributed to Taddeo Landini, while those of the tortoises was added in 1658 by Bernini.

Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano. BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI IN

LATERANO. SCALA SANTA
Every day 7am-6.30pm
Referred to as the Mother of all churches in the world, the Basilica of St. John Lateran constitutes the
perfect linkage between the pagan and Christian eras. Created, in fact, for public meetings and administering
justice, with the spread of the new faith it was turned into a imposing ecclesiastical building, capable of
welcoming a large congregation.
The Basilica stands on the site of another built by the Emperor Constantine at around 314 A.D. in the
grounds of the noble Laterani family, from whom the entire area gets its name. Repeatedly damaged (often
as a result of fires) and restored, the basilica was embellished with a series of artistic treasures and
adornments accumulated over the centuries.
Behind Alessandro Galileis eighteenth century faade lies Borrominis magnificent interior, commissioned
by Pope Innocent X for the Jubilee Year in 1650.
The whole five nave-structure has survived well-preserved through the ages, as indeed has the sumptuous
sixteenth century coffered ceiling gilded with real gold in the central nave.
Your stay should now continue with a visit to the museum, where a number of precious liturgical artefacts
are kept, as well as to the cloisters, a masterpiece of the Cosmatesque style where relics of the architecture,
sculptures and decorations of the ancient basilica are exhibited.
Scala Sancta (the Holy Stairs) is open 6,00 13,00 A.M. and 3,00 7,10 P.M. To pray and to go up on ones
knees Scala Santa its free, no reservation.
TIME FOR MASSES AT SCALA SANTA:
- weakdays 6,30-7,00-9,00 A.M. 5,30 P.M.
- festivities 7,30-9,300-11,30 A.M. 5,30 P.M.
The 28 steps the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs) have been traditionally identified as the very same ascended by
Jesus in Pontius Pilates palace in Jerusalem.
Brought to Rome by St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, in the IV century, they lead up to the
Sancta Sanctorum (or Chapel of San Lorenzo) and are considered to be so holy that believers may be seen
climbing them on their knees. Plenary indulgence is assured by performing this act of devotion on Good
Friday.

MUSEO NAZIONALE DI CASTEL SANTANGELO

De afara sau 8-6 euro
In the district of St. Peters, at one end of the Ponte SantAngelo bridge, on the right bank of the Tiber, we
find the imposing Castel SantAngelo.
The structure was originally a mausoleum. It had probably been commissioned and built by Hadrian as a
tomb for himself and for his successors. The work was initially undertaken by the architect, Demetrianus,
around the year 123. It was completed by Antoninus Pius a year after the Emperors death.
Since 1925, the structure has hosted the Museo Nazionale di Castel S. Angelo and its historical and arts
collections, including relics and other objects of interest regarding the Italian Army, in a monumental setting
restored for this purpose. The complex history of this monument, with its many additions and extensions,
can be broken down into three principal periods. These periods are represented by the Ancient Roman
remains of the imperial mausoleum, by the fortified castle, and by the Papal apartments. These structures
host the varied range of exhibits, including sculptures, paintings, works in marble, arms, and furniture and
objects acquired from various sources, and in part also recovered during excavation of the spiral ramp of the
mausoleum, or transferred from the museums, Museo Nazionale Romano delle Terme di Diocleziano, or the
former Museo Artistico Industriale. Some exhibits were purchased from the market for antiquaries or were
acquired following the shows set up on the occasion of the universal exhibition, or Esposizione Universale,
of 1911.
At certain times of the year, the famous Passetto di Borgo or er Corridore (the corridor) the fortified
and elevated passage on the Mura Vaticane (Vatican walls), linking the Vatican to Castel SantAngelo is
open to visitors.
With this corridor, leading directly to the castle from the Palaces of the Vatican, Popes were provided with
an escape route to the fortress in times of particular unrest. The fortified structure also permitted control of
the surrounding district.
The strategic importance of the Passetto was revealed during the darkest, most mysterious and painful
moments of the history of Rome and of the Church itself. Alexander VI Borgia used it in 1494, retreating to
the Castello when Rome was overrun by the militias of Charles VIII of France. In 1527, Clement VII Medici
(1523-1534) used the passageway to reach the Castello during the Sack of Rome at the hands of the
Landsknecht mercenary pikemen under Charles VIII. The passageways significance, when its function as a
means of defence came to an end at the close of the sixteenth century, then declined.
CURIOSITY: In 1527, Pope Clement VII grew a beard, in mourning for Rome, which had been sacked.
There are those who say that he grew his beard as a disguise, to facilitate his escape. All the Popes following
Clement VII were bearded, up to the time of Paul V.

FONTANA DELLE BARCACCIA

Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat/the No Good Boat) is a Baroque fresh-water fountain in
the Piazza di Spagna in Rome, Italy, just below the Spanish Steps. It is so named because it is in the shape of
a half-sunken ship with water overflowing its bows. The fountain was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII
and was completed in 1627 by Pietro Berniniand his son Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The shape was chosen because, prior to the river walls being built, the Tiber often flooded and in 1598 there
was a particularly bad flooding and the Piazza di Spagna was flooded up to a metre. Once the water
withdrew, a boat was left behind in the square.[1]
The English poet John Keats could hear the sound of the fountain's water flowing soothingly from his
deathbed. He said it reminded him of lines from the 17th-century play Philaster, or Love Lies a-Bleeding
(1611) and was the source for hisepitaph: "Here lies one whose name was writ in water."

FONTANA DEL TRITONE

For the fountain in Malta, see Triton Fountain (Malta).
Fontana del Tritone by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Piazza Barberini, Rome
Fontana del Tritone (Triton Fountain) is a seventeenth-century fountain in Rome, by the Baroque sculptor
Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Commissioned by his patron, Pope Urban VIII, the fountain is located in the Piazza
Barberini, near the entrance to the Palazzo Barberini (which now houses the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte
Antica) that Bernini helped to design and construct for the Barberini, Urban's family.[1]
The fountain was executed in travertine in 164243. At its centre rises a larger than lifesize muscular Triton,
a minor sea god of ancient Greco-Roman legend, depicted as a merman kneeling on the sum of four dolphin
tailfins. His head is thrown back and his arms raise a conch to his lips; from it a jet of water spurts, formerly
rising dramatically higher than it does today. The fountain has a base of four dolphins[2] that entwine the
papal tiara with crossed keys and the heraldic Barberini bees in their scaly tails.[3]
The Tritone, the first of Bernini's free-standing urban fountains, was erected to provide water from the
Acqua Felice aqueduct which Urban had restored, in a dramatic celebration. It was Bernini's last major
commission from his great patron who died in 1644. At the Triton Fountain, Urban and Bernini brought the
idea of a sculptural fountain, familiar from villa gardens, decisively to a public urban setting for the first
time; previous public fountains in the city of Rome had been passive basins for the reception of public water.
Bernini has represented the triton to illustrate the triumphant passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses book I,
evoking godlike control over the waters and describing the draining away of the Universal Deluge. The
passage that Urban set Bernini to illustrate, was well known to all literate Roman contemporaries:
Already Triton, at his call, appears
Above the waves; a Tyrian robe he wears;
And in his hand a crooked trumpet bears.
The sovereign bids him peaceful sounds inspire,
And give the waves the signal to retire.
His writhen shell he takes; whose narrow vent
Grows by degrees into a large extent,
Then gives it breath; the blast with doubling sound,
Runs the wide circuit of the world around:
The sun first heard it, in his early east,
And met the rattling ecchos in the west.
The waters, list'ning to the trumpet's roar,
Obey the summons, and forsake the shore.
free translation by Sir Samuel Garth, John Dryden, et al..
Two finished terracotta bozzetti at the Detroit Institute of Arts,[4] securely attributed to Bernini, reflect his
exploration of the fountain's themes of the intertwined upended dolphins and the muscular, scaly-tailed
Triton.
The Triton Fountain is one of those evoked in Ottorino Respighi's Fontane di Roma. The legend applied to
Trevi Fountain has been extended to this: that any visitor who throws a coin into the water (while facing
away from the fountain) will have guaranteed their return to Rome.
The setting of the Piazza Barberini has changed significantly since the seventeenth century. Engravings of
the time and photographs from the nineteenth century show much lower buildings around the piazza, which
would have made the fountain much more dramatic. However, it is a tribute to the artistic judgement of
Bernini that even now, with tall buildings around the traffic-ridden piazza, that the Triton Fountain can still
maintain a dramatic presence.