MARCH 19, 2016   THIRD POSTING

Saturday Walkies
Largo Torre di Argentina 

to Trajan's Markets

Greetings again, we went walkies a week ago Saturday on a splendid, sunny late morning. 

This posting was almost ready to release when the tragic attacks occurred in Brussels last week and I felt I should hold off on publishing for a bit.


Our initial target was the splendid Galleries of the still privately-owned Colonna Palace. The trams unfortunately were running slow, and all arrived at our stop packed to their ceilings. Finally, we managed to take an alternate bus, however by then we had lost enough time it wasn't worthwhile going to the Galleries that day. Had we left earlier, this would not have been a problem . . . but it was a very nice day so we switched to Plan B.

A reminder, there may be a 

tiny "see more" link 

you have to click on if you haven't reached where I've written the words "END OF THIS POSTING".

Locator Map for this blog.
Oval circle is general area.
Piazza Venezia is at bottom,
Pantheon and its piazza is at blue arrow.
Tiny red arrow is lunch spot.
Orange arrow is end of walk.

We wandered from the bus stop just south of the Largo Torre di Argentina into a side street, the via Sant' Anna. I've never visited the church of that name, although I think I can tell where it was. At the end of the block I noticed the name S. Biago carved into a closed door's lintel. 

I had missed noticing this before. It IS hard to read, 
and traffic will whizz down the 
narrow Sant' Anna alleyway
  as well as down the
slightly wider via di Monti di Farina around the corner of this building.

(While I was writing this, 
I ended up spending a delightful hour reading about the 
Monti di Farina street and the palazzi on it. 
I'm going to save my notes 
on this for ANOTHER time.)

While standing there, I remembered that the official name of the larger church on the other end of this block is Santi Biago e Carlo ai Catinari. Sant Biago was the original church here; in 1611 a new church was built to honor the recently sainted Carlo Borromeo. 

The new church's title incorporated both Saint Biago, (St. Blase or St. Blaise may be the more familiar versions of the name of this Armenian martyr from the early 300's) but Saint Carlo's being a more recent and also a local saint resulted in his cult outstripping San Biago's in the devotion rendered. The small church was either rebuilt or incorporated into the fancier 1600's edifice. 

The central part of 
the facade of 
SS Biago e 
Carlo ai Catinari.

Here's a few photos of the MAIN church of San Carlo, as an example of the changing focal points of devotion. Three photos further down are of San Biago's now-neglected part of the building.

 

San Carlo has a magnificent dome.
 The church has been undergoing extensive repairs
to at least the ceilings for a couple of years now. 

For those whose celebrate
 St. Joseph's Day on March 19th,
a  view of his very small shrine
in San Carlo. 
St. Joseph doesn't garner 
much enthusiasm, it seems.

Upper, what should be the main entry for the little church of San Biago. Lower, the side of San Biago, with some of its now bricked up windows. (I think there is an entrance to the chapel from the main church, but it is not easily accessible.)

Right, the start of another small street photograph when I turned around from taking the shot on the left. This one is the alley of the nail makers, the Vicolo de Chiodaroli. San Carlo has the appellation "ai Catinari" because the fabricators of metal chains used to have their workshops here. The next small street over is called of the key makers, via dei Chiavari. 

 

Immediately above are two street scenes, from the area south of the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele (called the Corso Vittorio to distinguish it from the North-South axial street of Il Corso.)

We then crossed the Corso Vittorio. I stopped in a small orthopedic supply house to stock up on slippery toe bandages to deal with recurrent blisters.

Anyone who knows me knows I only wear special, supportive shoes, but the cobblestones and uneven pavements can make for hard walking at times. These types of preventative foot band-aids sell out quickly here in Rome where women often wear fancy shoes that look "terrific" but offer little support or comfort.  

(There is a multi billion dollar fashion industry promoting high heels. I know I'm not going to change anyone's mind, but I still keep urging women I know to consider which is more important, their long term health and their immediate comfort, or looking like what they are subtly TOLD they should look like. Fashion is a cruel master.)

This unassuming facade on the via Torre Argentina is the front of what once was a simple Oratorio (usually a meeting place for religious associations for the saying or singing of prayers and for their official good works).  It is now a small church dedicated to 

Saints Benedict and his sister Saint Scholastica.

Here's a small cafe 
with a name
that reminded me 
of my friend back home, 
Shari. This places boasts
serving an "English Breakfast" 
and other treats for tourists.
It was nearly lunch time,
so we didn't stop in.

Right:  This small entry on the 
way to the Pantheon had its 
outer doors open, so I quietly
walked up to
the gate for a look
at the courtyard. 

 

We REALLY did not expect 
there to be easy access
into the Pantheon 
on a warm,
sunny Saturday at the start 
of Easter week
vacations for many. 
We were correct!

This lovely fountain was added to the
piazza in front of the Pantheon in 1575.
The water is from an ancient Roman aqueduct,
renamed the "Vergine" after its reconnection
in the 1400's. (It's the same aqueduct that
feeds the Fontana di Trevi.)
I've always liked the playful looking
dolphins and marine creatures on this. 

This is the side of the fountain
NOT facing the Pantheon,
that I usually don't see.
I had come to this side to refill
my water bottle from a small spout
on the sidewalk created for the purpose,
 and usually don't look much past that.

Another view of the front of the Pantheon
and the crowd. One could see the inside from out here,
 but it was looking ever more 
like the inside of a New York subway car at rush hour.
At least there is now a separate lane
for entering and for leaving,
to better facilitate egress. 

NO WONDER this poor horse looks tired,
having to carry the small obelisk 
of the fountain on his back,
in addition to pulling a 
carriage full of tourists!


I probably should have saved this photo 
for April Fool's Day?

Emil's favorite coffee shop,
full to the gills on a day when there were
loads of tourists and visitors everywhere.

As we instead headed over to 
another, nearby cafe he likes,
we noticed this "improvement"
on the back side of the Tasso d'Oro.

I suppose if EVERYPLACE else were closed,
and one was having severe caffeine withdrawal,
one of these vending machine buttons might
bring forth some relief.

If you REALLY want to know what's on offer, this is no ordinary dispenser.
One could order espresso, 
"a beverage with the flavor of Ginseng", 
a "beverage with the flavor of Chocolate". 
(Those two leave me worried. 
I'm an avid reader of ingredients, 
and if that were in English originally, 
I would think they may have 
little to do with actual Ginseng or Chocolate.)
The other offerings are for variations of:
 Americano (espresso with LOTSA water);
 spotted (macchiato) with milk; 
or the reverse, milk spotted with coffee;
hot chocolate; 
a very fake decaf coffee based on roasted barley 
called "orzo" -- any name reflecting its actual taste would be considered unprintable;
and lastly there's even tea with lemon. 

I have NO IDEA what the lower left button
for "Cap-Ciok" might bring forth 
and did not want to find out!

A short street between the Piazza Rotunda (Pantheon) and the Piazza die Pietra. Little cafes and eateries have sprung up like mushrooms
in a forest on this main path 
between the Pantheon 
and the Fontana di Trevi.

Piazza di Pietra -- or "Stone Open Space"
The edifice on the right is what remains out in the open of a temple built in 145 AD to the deified Emperor Hadrian. It was in 1much later incorporated into a building housing the Inland Customs (Tax) Office, in modern times, it became the stock exchange.
It is now an exhibition space related to the Roman Chamber of Commerce.
The columns are 15 meters or 50 feet high.

This is what is the complex to the Deified Hadrian may have looked like when built; then 
 the temple had a surrounding portico. 

View through the open door of the alternate cafe, "Il Gran Caffeteria". It is very near the Italian Parliament so during the week it is usually packed with men in very good quality suits. There are a few very pleasant sitting rooms on the inside, several tables outside, and a usually moderately clean bathroom at the rear.

The coffee here is very good, but because of the location it is a bit pricer (about E 1.60) instead of the usual E.1.00 (US ~ $1.10) or even 0.90 in the neighborhoods.
You will PAY EXTRA for the privilege of sitting down for your coffee and any snacks. 

A very fine coffee machine. Emil believes it is the skill of the professional, career-long baristas that make a large part of the difference in coffee quality between Italy and the USA.

A view through a shop window on the Via del Corso offering roast pork sandwiches for only 
E 3 (about $3.30 US).
Smelling aromas coming from that shop was one of those moments when I regret (slightly) my being a vegetarian.

Some street scenes from our wandering down the via dell' Umilità to the via del Architetto, Piazza del Pilotta, then the street of that name and the restaurant where we had lunch. 

A small van essentially blocked the narrow via della Pilotta. Sidewalks? WHERE would they be placed? And without  heavy chains and posts to keep parkers off, any sidewalk would disappear from view. 

   

Above, the Gregorian Pontifical University, redone in 1930s. Its predecessor institution was started by St. Ignatius himself in 1551, but soon expanded to train more Jesuit priests.

There are three private footbridges over the Via d. Pilotta from the Colonna Palace to their gardens that ascend the Quirnale Hill to the left. The restaurant Le Lanterne is a bit ahead, on the right. The entrance to the Colonna Galleries is near the intersection with the main cross street.

Emil's calzone ("big stocking" -
 a folded over thin crust pizza
that puffs up in the oven).
My no-cheese veggie pizza was,
well, blah is the kindest word
I can think of. It wasn't the
ristorante's fault; mine was a very unusual request.

Yes, there are SubWay franchises
 in Italy. NO, we didn't go in, 
but after my less than 
satisfactory lunch I was 
half wishing I had done so.

A view down the steps that lead back to the Piazza Venezia. On the other side of the block on the right is a steep street (Via IV Novembre) that winds its way up the Quirinal Hill.

Entrance to the Markets of Trajan. I'm holding back on that visit for another blog posting. 

There is a great deal I didn't mention in this posting. I completely ignored SEVERAL very nice churches, SOME interesting palazzi, tales of very old streets, and a great deal of other blither.

I hope you and your family and dear ones had a good time over Easter. Here's hoping for peace and goodwill throughout the world.

A rainbow over Assisi's main square a couple of weeks ago.

****** END OF THIS POSTING ******

all photos 

(except as otherwise noted) 

and text are 

© Carol H. Johnson, 2016.

MARCH 18, 2016 - SECOND POSTING

Hello again,

Last Saturday afternoon we went to the Museum of Rome. It has been argued correctly that 
"ALL of Rome is a museum", 
but this one is very nice both because of its setting in a genuine palace at the south end of the Piazza Navona, and for its collection of paintings, busts, prints, frescoes about ROME itself, mainly in the 1600's to late 1700's, but also with some architectural fragments and other pieces from the 1800's.

(Four reminders: 
you can skip my blather by clicking on any photo and see just those; 
depending on what device you use to view this blog, there may be a tiny "SEE MORE" link part way down you can click on that to reach the end of posting notice;
you can leave comments;
the first posting should be viewable via a link in the right column at the top.


I'll start with three maps.

The purple oval is the area for this blog. North is up.

A closer in view. The numbers refer to places 
I took photos either of or from.
Number 1 is our starting point. 
I did stop for another small piece 
of pizza piccanti at Pizza Florida. 

Here's a Google Earth photo, 
mainly to show how densely packed 
this neighborhood is.
Note the red arrow, lower right corner 
for the scale of 50 meters or 55 yards.

Now I'll show you a few places we passed on the way to the museum, including one of Emil's many favorite cafes, literally two steps from the Pantheon's piazza. 

Its formal name is La Casa di Caffe, but the afficiandos call it "The Golden Cup" (Il Tasso d'Oro). Emil thinks they serve the best cappuccini in Rome. It is stand-up service only, and can be horridly packed or in a state of in-between tsunami waves of customers. There is a tiny restroom, but there aren't many free ones around here, so I usually wait a bit and, alas hold my nose sometimes (due to the poor ventilation often found in older buildings).  (n. 2 on the map)

Here's the "coffee machine". I don't know how it was possible that at this moment at least two baristas were not having it pump away and bring forth wonderful coffees.

Front view of the outside of the Pantheon.

 It has become more crowded these past years; it is a good thing for more people to see it, but I like the Pantheon better when it is very quiet. I am too lazy to be out and about early enough in the day when the hoards of tourists are not yet there. (red underline at center of map)

These two photos are from two years ago and barely convey the vastness of the spherical space inside. The Pantheon was erected as a temple to all the gods.  It was first built in 27 BC and rebuilt several times, most notably by the Emperor Hadrian ca. 125 AD. 

The height and the width of the interior are equal, both at 43.3 meters or 142 feet. The only light enters from the large front doors and from the oculus or eye shaped hole in the roof. 

This is one of the best preserved buildings from classical antiquity, preserved mainly because it was turned into a church in 609 AD.

Pantheon interior, view towards main door.

At the end I'll  give you a taste of the collections in the Museum of Rome. (I have increased my total of photos on this museum from some 400, but don't worry, I won't inflict them ALL on you!) But first are some shots taken along the way to the Museum.

A side street with a passageway
 deliberately cut under a building. 
It connects the Via Torre Argentina 
with the Via Monterone. 
Some of these underpasses 
are not very well lit at night . . .
(arrow at n. 3 on map) 

 

These two shots are of the small church at the end of the above passageway. 

This church of Santa Maria in Monterone gives the street its name. The church was rebuilt in 1682 and, in 1728, it was assigned by Pope Benedict XIII (Orsini, 1724-1730) to the Mercedarian order. That order's objective was the ransoming of Christian slaves in Muslim countries. Even then there were very few members of this religious order, and romeartlover.it believes the attached monastery (right photo showing 98% of the building) to be one of the smallest in Rome. 

Undoubtedly this pious order has shifted the focus of its activities in recent centuries.