Arch of Constantine

The triumphal Arch of Constantine is located in between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was built in 315 A.D., to commemorate Constantine’s victory in 312 A.D. when he defeated Mexentius at the battle of Ponte Milvio. Constantine used this arch, along with Thermae Constantiniae (baths of Constantine) to solidify his claim to power. The arch is 21 meters high, 26 meters wide and 7.5 meters deep. The arch has three archways, and the top of the brickwork is riveted by marble. The design of the structure was inspired by the arch of Septimus Severus (seven slaves). On both faces is inscribed the following expression:
IMP · CAES · FL · CONSTANTINO · MAXIMO · P · F · AVGUSTO · S · P · Q · R · QVOD · INSTINCTV · DIVINATATIS · MENTIS · MAGNITVDINE · CVM · EXERCITV · SVO · TAM · DE · TYRANNO · QVAM · DE · OMNI · EIVS · FACTIONE · VNO · TEMPORE · IVSTIS · REM-PUBLICAM · VLTVS · EST · ARMIS · ARCVM · TRIVMPHIS · INSIGNEM · DICAVIT · LIBERATORI · VRBIS — FVNDATORI · QVIETIS
Translated, it says, “To the emperor Flavius Constantine, The Great, the pious and fortunate, the senate and people of Rome, because by divine inspiration his own spirit with his army on both the tyrant and all his faction at once and rightful battle he avenged the State, dedicated this arch as a mark of triumph. Along with the inscription, there are several designs, many of which were made with the intent of praising Constantine. Most notable of the designs are the eight circular relifes, known as “Hadrianic Roundels”. The designs on the relief range from scenes of hunting to scenes of war. Much of the imagery contains symbolism; for instance, the chariots represent eternity of the Roman Empire. As a result of high level preservation, including a fence that prevents visitors from contacting the structure, the arch still stands today and has sustained very minimal damage. The arch was used as the setting for finish line in 1960 Summer Olympic Marathon.

Hadrian's Villa

Some of the most beautiful and intriguing Roman ruins are those of Hadrian’s Villa. The villa is located in Tivoli, Italy; about 18 miles from Rome itself. It is a complex of over 30 buildings, several of which remain standing to this day.

Hadrian’s Villa was constructed and opened in the second and third decades of the second century AD by Hadrian. Hadrian, a Roman emperor during the second century AD, is known for his building of the Hadrian Wall as well as for traveling to nearly every province of the Roman Empire. Hadrian initially constructed the villa as a retreat from the fast-paced everyday life of Rome because he disliked the palace on the Palentine hill. The 250 acres of the villa later became the center of Roman government under Hadrian’s rule and a large court lived there to serve as government with Hadrian.

When it was first built, the structure consisted of over 30 buildings, covering a spread of 250 beautiful acres of Roman countryside. The complex included several palaces, thermae (Roman bath houses), a theatre, temples, libraries (in both Greek and Latin), state rooms, and quarters for courtiers (members of the court), praetorians (bodyguards), and slaves. It featured elements of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian architecture.

Since the time of the Roman Empire, the structures have had their priceless statues and artwork removed for use in other buildings in addition to the rare building materials. It has also been robbed numerous times since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Not much is known about what the villa actually looked like; however, excavations have led to the belief that the villa was decorated very beautifully.

The buildings have been restored over time. Today, the structures continue to deteriorate rapidly, but some areas are still well preserved, such as the pool and the artificial grotto. Much of the rest of the site has eroded and a great deal of the valuable artifacts have been removed; some of the valuable art and sculptures still remain in Rome and are housed today in the Vatican Museum. Further, the villa definitely has more than what meets the eye. It actually has an extensive underground tunnel network. The tunnels were used to by servants to transport goods without being seen by the residents because the roads above ground were reserved for distinguished individuals of society and residents of the villa.

When visiting Rome, everyone should visit the villa, as it is one of the most beautiful pieces of Roman architecture still in existence. Although much of the art and statues now are in other places, the value of learning more about Roman culture is definitely worth the trip. If you would like to see the art and sculptures, be sure to visit the Vatican Museum!

Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_Villa
All images are from the Wikimedia commons.

The Forum Romanum

The Forum Romanum, or Forum of Rome, is located at the junction between Via Cavor and Via Dei Fori Imperiali. Itcontains a variety of buildings including temples, libraries, shrines, and basilicas. Lucius Tarquinius Priscus built it in 700 BC. It was to be a marketplace. He also desired for it to be the center of political and economic life in Rome. In 283 AD, a fire burned most of it to the ground and it had to be remodeled. Many of the imperial buildings preserved the aura of the earlier Republican precedent. Additionally, it contains a Forum museum which has a significant collection of sculptures and artifacts. When a public figure dies, “his body is escorted across the Forum and…carried…to the Rostra” (Polybius). The Arch of Septimius Severus was set across the Via Sacra in 203 AD. After the fire that burned much of the Forum down, the Basilica Julia and the Senate House were built in fine style.

The Arch of Augustus spans between the Temple of Castor and the Temple of Divus Julius; it celebrates Augustus’ war victories. Temples were built and dedicated to important Romans such as the Temple of the deified Julius Caesar. The Senate House turned the Forum square into a political and monumental precinct. Furthermore, the Forum contains many honorary statues. The Forum Romanum was the center of Roman public life. People could “…take issues to court and where people bring their merchandise to sell" (Varro).

Trials, banking, and schooling were also present. Those under the Napoleonic regime marked the beginning of the clearing of the Forum. The travel time paving in the center has been mostly robbed or removed to permit modern excavations. Today, the ruins of the Forum are major tourist attractions. In conclusion, this is a truly
breathtaking Roman monument.

Works Cited:

Claridge, Amanda, Judith Toms, and Tony Cubberley. Rome: an Oxford Archaeological Guide to Rome. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.

"Forum Romanum, Rome (Photo Archive)." Photo Archive (Photo Archive). Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

"Roman Forum." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

Polybius. History.

Varro. Latin Language.

The Ara Pacis

Would you like to experience a crucial part of Roman history? Would you like to see beautiful carvings depicting Roman life and mythology? Then look no further than the Ara Pacis, also known as the Altar of Augustan Peace. As said in Rome Alive, “Augustus’ return in this instance is treated as a synecdoche for the return of peace in general after the civil wars” (Aicher 245). Constructed from 13 to 9 B.C., this altar was built to honor the Pax Augusta, or peace of Augustus. When the Emperor Augustus returned triumphantly from Gaul and Hispania and brought an era of peace and military superiority to the Roman Empire. The altar was built near the Via Flaminia (modern day Via del Corso). The building itself is an altar surrounded by walls covered in gorgeous carvings. Romaviva states that “The decorations of the "Ara Pacis" are completed by ornaments of naturalistic character, with low relief of plants and small animals and the "Tellus", the divinity representing the personification of peace and prosperity that the empire of Rome was getting prepared to live thanks to the enterprises of Augustus” (Ara Pacis Augustae Rome) The carvings depict many scenes of peace and how the deeds of Augustus returned peace to the Roman Empire. Many of the depictions promote and encourage peace and fertility. Also, scenes from the history and mythology of Rome are shown such as Romulus and Remus (founders of Rome) being discovered as children by a shepherd near a river. The altar was used mainly for worship and sacrifices to the Gods. Later the Altar was buried under 4 meters of silt after the Tiber River flooded. Excavated in 1937, the Altar now has been restored to showcase its detailed carvings. The altar was “reassembled not in its original location but next to the Mausoleum of Augustus at the northern reaches of the Campus Martius.” Benito Mussolini called for a protective building to be placed around the Altar in 1938. Hopefully you will be able to experience the beauty of this wonderful monument when you visit Rome.

Works Cited:

Aicher, Peter J. Rome Alive: a Source-guide to the Ancient City. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci, 2004. Print.

"Ara Pacis Augustae Rome." Alberghi Hotel Roma Bed & Breakfast Roma Alberghi Hotel Roma. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

Rome Museum Overview

Capitoline Museum:

Pros: A really central location... in an area that you'll likely be in at some point. Some really inportant piece of art are located here. The collosal statue of Constantine (first Christian emperor) as well as the Capitoline She-Wolf bronze (see earlier blog-post).

Cons: Mostly classical pieces. More busts (statues from mid-chest up, than you thought possible in one location).

Recommended for anyone who's in the area and wants to check out an important collection.

Vatican Museum:
Pros: Vast collection of incredible art in a sprawling gallery; a visit here also includes a walk through the Sistine Chapel and some of the frescoed studies. One of the world's most significant and magnificent collections of art.
Cons: Very busy. An entry without a tour requires the longest queue you've ever stood in. The line can snake around the entirity of a country (Vatican City) in the blazing sun.
Recommended for those who really want to see the Sistine chapel or have a particular piece of art that they wish to see in person.
Borghese Gallery:
Pros: Excellent rennaissance paintings and sculptures. Reservations are mandatory and are timed. Much smaller and more manageable gallery than the Vatican.
Cons: Less of the famous works of art than the Vatican. Advanced booking is required which means you have to be organized and can't go at the drop of a hat.
Recommended for those who want to see some beautiful and influential pieces of art without a guided tour.
Villa Giulia:
I've never been here, so I can't give pros or cons. It is very close to our apartment, inside the Borghese Gardens. It's a restored villa which contains a collection of Etruscan art. It's meant to be one of the largest collections Etruscan artifacts in Italy.
Recommended for Lynne and anyone else interested in ancient pottery and metal work.
Montemartini Museum:
Pros: The collection is housed in an old power plant which is a cool and unique setting for a museum. It's a great collection of classical sculpture.
Cons: Not in central Rome so requires a bit of a metro ride to get there. From what I can remember, it's only classical art.
Recommended for those who want an unusual art-viewing experience.

These are definately not the only museums in Rome. They're a few of the ones that I've been to, some of them more than once.

Un caffe per piacere...

The Romans have unspoken rules about coffee...both how to order it and when it should be consumed. There are dedicated coffee shops that vary in their fanciness. Here are a couple of great ones:

La Tazza D'Oro - Near Pantheon - Beautiful and old-fashioned with delicious coffee granita (in picture)

Caffe Sant'Eustachio - Near Piazza Navonna - very busy and small but really good coffee

At a place like these you have two options, you can stand at the bar or sit at a table. Sitting at a table and being served will probably double the price of your coffee. If you choose to stand at the bar, you must first pay the cashier for your drink. Then, cooly walk to the bar and give the receipt to the barristo who will then make your drink.

In addition to dedicated cafes, many of the bars that serve drinks in the evenings do double duty as places to grab a coffee in the morning and afternoon. If you walk into one of these places and it's relatively quiet, as far as i can tell, you can just walk up to the bar and order directly with the barristo.

As far as what to order, there seem to be a billion different ways types of coffee:

un caffe = espresso

un caffe machiato = espresso with a little foam/milk on top

un caffe con panna = espresso with a swirl of whipped cream on top

un cappucino = exactly what you think

un caffe latte = exactly what you think

un latte machiato = hot milk with a dash of espresso

Sometimes you might have the option of getting something hot or cold. Hot is caldo and cold is freddo. I always get confused as to how to say hot and cold because caldo sounds so much like cold. However, I think that the Italian word comes from the same root as the English word scalding, so I now think I can remember.

Italians only drink milky drinks before lunch. If you order a cappucino after dinner, you might get an eye-roll.

Trastevere

Trastevere is a great neighborhood. It's not pristine or manucured, but it's really interesting. It's less crowded with tourists than other areas of the city because, I think, there are not really any major sights to see. In English, the name of the river that runs through Rome to the Mediterranean is the Tiber. In Italian, the river is the Tevere; so, Trastevere literally means across the Tiber river. Just as Paris is divided into the Left and Right Banks, Rome is a split city too. The main piazza is in front of the beautiful church of Santa Maria in Trasvevere which contains some really lovely mosaics. The easiest way to get here from the Centro Storico is to cross the Tiber at the Ponte Sisto. Really this neighborhood is a collection of tiny piazze joined by alleys. You never know what you might find which makes it fun to wander through. The picture here is a really old apartment building that I saw on one of my last wanderings there. As far as food goes, there are lots of interesting looking little places here. There's a little piazza on the Trastevere side of the Ponte Sisto which has a great restaurant called Trattoria Ponte Sisto that I've eaten at 3 times. There's some great pizza option all through the area. The Food, Wine, Rome, there's a place called Ivo A Trastevere for pizza that sounds really delicious. The place where Anthony Bourdain had Carbonara is in Trastevere at a restaurant called Paris. The cacio e pepe he had was at Roma Sparita, also here.