Sunday in Rome

October 26, 2003- Our City

(photos:Pantheon interior,
Castel Saint Angelo)

Rome is ours. We see the map and feel the pavement beneath our feet as we sleep. That’s what David may be dreaming now as he naps. We started walking at 10 AM and came back to the hotel at 5:30 PM. It was Sunday and Romans were reclaiming their city from tourists. People promenaded with their dogs, children, and lovers around the Coliseum. Joggers worked the track at the Circus Maximus. Hawkers, vendors, Ecuadorian and Irish bands serenaded across from the Forum. Mimes held court, and clowns enthralled young and old. Bike tours wove among street artists and bystanders vied with tourists for seats at cafes. Horse-drawn carriages paraded in the Piazza Navona and the smell of roasting chestnuts was in the air. We were caught up in the sunny vibrance. Traffic literally stopped for the Nike marathon to the Coliseum where they were sponsoring an exhibit of ancient sporting equipment.

We started at the synagogue gift shop to buy postcards of the interior. It was upsetting to see how inflated their prices were on other items. Murano wine glasses we’d seen in the ghetto stores in Florence for EU 17 were EU 51.

In the movie “Roman Holiday” with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant there’s a scene where they put their hands into the “mouth of truth.” It’s a stone carving of a fierce-looking face with the mouth open and is mounted on a wall. The legend is that it snaps shut on hands of liars. It’s located at Santa Maria Cosmedin. I’ve always wanted to put my hand in and was amused when I read the explanation in the guidebook. The “carving” was an old Roman drain cover. The mouth was where the water ran into the sewer. I’d just put my hand into an old Roman sewer grate. The carving had been originally placed at what was a cattle market when the old port of Rome was on the nearby Tiber River. The church is still a Greek church and is still in the Greek area of Rome. I didn’t see any Greek restaurants. I’m ready for food other than white paste.

Gods And Sanctuary We looked into half a dozen churches on our way to the Pantheon. It was always a surprise to see the variety of riches and embellishments even in the smallest churches. Each was a gem. I noticed that in most places the confessionals were labeled by what language is understood. They accommodate people from around the world in this an international city. Pantheon comes from the Greek for sanctuary, a temple for all gods. It was dedicated to twelve Roman gods. It’s the best-preserved ancient building in Rome. Built in 27-25 BCE, it was redesigned by Hadrian around 118 CE. The first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel is buried there. The square front has a pediment attached to a cylindrical rotunda. A hemispherical dome caps this with an opening at the top allowing in the only light. The dome is equal to the radius of the height of the cylinder. The proportions are near perfection. There’s a sign informing everyone that when it rains they will get wet. The marble floor slopes to shed water. The interior is marble with some ancient brickwork exposed to show the underpinnings of the construction. Columns around the circumference provide a guide to lead the eye from one statue or painting of a saint to the next. Twelve empty niches that held statues of the gods are located above the columns. In 608 CE Christians complained that demons bothered them when they passed the temple so it was given to the pope. It became a church and remains one today. A choir of French tourists was moved to break into an impromptu chant that reverberated in the perfect acoustics.

Castel Sant Angelo wasn’t on our organized tours, but it had an interesting history and was on our own list. Hadrian built it in 123 CE as a mausoleum and fortress. I guess he was partial to cylinders since this also has a round interior fortress and two surrounding walls. The remaining brickwork was originally covered in marble. It also served as a refuge for popes and was attached to the Vatican by underground and aboveground passages. There was a complete set of elaborate apartments for the pope and his entourage as well as storage facilities for supplies in case of siege. The decorations on the frescoes in the apartments were surprising. They depicted gods and goddesses and weren’t Christian in nature. I guess early popes identified with the old-time-religion. When emperors died they became gods; when a pope dies they eventually become saints.

We rented audio guides so we’d know what we were looking at. The explanation was interesting but none of the listening stations was numbered. It was a scavenger hunt as we ran up and down ramps and stairways trying to locate what was being narrated. The best was the view from the parapets. All of Rome spread before us as we listened to a guided description of the city and hills below. It was getting dark and clouds loomed. Lights blinked on and hundreds of domes glowed white in the waning sun. Rome was ours.

Tomorrow we go on an organized Vatican tour and try to take on the interior of Coliseum.

Toby