Mausoleum of Hadrian (Castel Sant'Angelo) - Roma, Italy

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 The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Rome. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.

The tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian was erected on the right bank of the Tiber, between 135 and 139. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder, with a garden top and golden quadriga. Hadrian’s ashes were placed here a year after his death in 138, together with those of his wife Sabina, and his first adopted son, Lucius Aelius, who also died in 138. Following this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last recorded deposition being Caracalla in 217.

Trastevere - Rome, Italy

Trastevere is a picturesque medieval area located on the west bank of the Tiber. The area escaped the grand developments which changed the face of central Rome, and is a charming place to wander, eat or relax.

Trastevere (TrasTEVeh-ray)is named for its position 'over the Tiber'. Separated from the heart of central Rome by the river, the area retained its narrow lanes and working-class population when the rest of Rome began its nineteenth-century expansion.

Pantheon - Rome, Italy

The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome. The intended degree of inclusiveness of this dedication is debated. The generic term pantheon is now applied to a monument in which illustrious dead are buried. It is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. It was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa and reconstructed by Hadrian in the early II century AD. Since the VII century, the Pantheon has been used as a Christian church. The building's consecration as a church saved it from the abandonment, destruction, and the worst of the spoliation which befell the majority of ancient Rome's buildings during the early medieval period. Sicne the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb. Among those buried there are the painters Raphael and Annibale Carracci, the composer Arcangelo Corelli, and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. Also buried there are two kings of Italy: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto's Queen, Margherita. In the XV century, the Pantheon was adorned with paintings: the best-known is the Annunciation by Melozzo da Forlì. Architects, like Brunelleschi, who used the Pantheon as help when designing the Cathedral of Florence's dome, looked to the Pantheon as inspiration for their works. Pope Urban VIII (1623 or 1644) ordered the bronze ceiling of the Pantheon's portico melted down. Most of the bronze was used to make bombards for the fortification of Castel Sant'Angelo. It is also said that the bronze was used by Bernini in creating his famous baldachin above the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica. A famous element in the Pantheon is its "Great Eve", the only source of light. The oculus also serves as a cooling and ventilation method. During storms, a drainage system below the floor handles the rain that falls through the oculus. The Pantheon id currently the oldest standing domed structure in Rome. The Pantheon is still a church and masses are still celebrated in the church, particularly on important Catholic days of obligation, and for weddings.

Spanish Steps - Rome, Italy

The Spanish Steps is a monumental stairway of 138 steps, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by Trinità dei Monti, the church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France above. The Scalinata is "without a doubt the longest and widest staircase in all Europe". During May, part of the steps are covered by pots of azaleas. In the Piazza at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called "Fontana della Barcaccia" (Fountain of the Old Boat), built in 1627-29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who is recently said to have collaborated on the decoration. According to an unlikely legend, Pope Urban VIII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber river.

Piazza del Popolo - Rome, Italy

The Piazza del Popolo is one of the most famous square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "Piazza of the People", but historically it derives from the poplars, after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name. The Piazza lies inside the northern gate in the Aurelian Walls, once the "Porta Flaminia" of ancient Rome, and now called "Porta del Popolo". This was the starting point of the Via Flaminia, the road to Ariminum (modern Rimini) and the most important route to the north. At the same time, before the age of railroads, it was the traveller's first view of Rome upon arrival. For centuries, the Piazza del Popolo was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826. An Egyptian obelisk of Rameses II from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza. The obelisk, known as the "Obelisco Flaminio", is the second oldest and one of the tallest obelisk in Rome (some 24 m high, or 36 m including its plinth). The obelisk was brought to Rome in 10 BC by order of Augustus and originally set up in the Circus Maximus. It was re-erected here in the Piazza by the architect-engineer Domenico Fontana in 1589 as part of the urban plan of Sixtus V. Looking from the north, three streets branch out from the Piazza, forming the so-called "Trident" (Tridente): the Via del Corso in the centre, the Via del Babuino on the left and the Via di Ripetta on the right.  


(An Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza

the "twin" churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto (left, built 1662-75) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (right, built 1675-79). )

Twin Churches (the "Chiese Gemelle") of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1681) and Santa Maria in Montesanto (1679), begun by Carlo Rainaldi and completed by Bernini and Carlo Fontana, define the junctions of the roads. To the north of the Piazza stand the "Porta del Popolo" and the ancient Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. In 1099, a chapel was built by Pope Paschal II to Our Lady, over a tomb of the Domitilla Family; since the people of Rome founded the building, the chapel received the name "del Popolo" (of the people). The chapel became a church by will of Pope Gregory IX, and given to the Augustinians, who held it until now, in the first half of XIII century. Santa Maria del Popolo was reconstructed by Baccio Ponticelli and Andrea Bregno in 1472-1477, creating an excellent example of Italian Renaissance architecture. In 1655-1660 the facade was modified by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was asked by Pope Alexander VII to update the Renaissance church to a more modern Baroque style. The church contains not only the Cerasi Chapel canvases of Caravaggio (Crucifixion of St. Peter and Conversion on the Way to Damascus) and an Assumption of the Virgin by Annibale Carracci, but also frescoes by Pinturicchio, sculptures by Andrea Bregno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Habakkuk and the Angel and Daniel and the Lion). The Chigi Chapel, the private chapel of banker Agostino Chigi, was designed by Raffaello Sanzio. The dome is decorated with Raphael's mosaics Creation of the World. After Bernini's intervention, the church became a favourite site of burials of rich people of the city.

Piazza Navona - Rome, Italy

Piazza Navona is one of the most famous and beautiful square in Rome. The piazza follows the plan of an ancient Roman circus, the I century Stadium of Domitian, where the Romans came to watch the "agones" (games). Defined as a square in the last years of XV century, when the city market was transferred here from the Campidoglio. The market was moved in 1869 to Campo de' Fiori. The square has hosted theatrical shows and horse races. After 1652, on every August Saturday and Sunday, the square was turned into a lake to celebrate the Pamphilj family. This feast was suppressed in 1866. Piazza Navona is now the pride of Baroque Rome. It has sculptural and architectural creations: by Pietro da Cortona, who painted the gallery in the Pamphilj palace; by Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi, the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone; and by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the famous "Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi" (Fountain of the Four Rivers, 1651) in the center of the square. Piazza Navona contains two additional fountains sculpted by Giacome della Porta: the "Fontana di Nettuno" (1574), located at the northern area of Piazza Navona, and the "Fontana del Moro" (1576), located in the southern end of the piazza.

Fountain of the Four Rivers - The Fountain of the Four Rivers ("Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi") occupies the center of the large oval Piazza Navona. It is a masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's, and emblematic of the dynamic and dramatic effects sought by high Baroque artists. It was erected in 1651 in front of the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. The fountain means to depict allegories for the four great rivers in the four continents recognized by the Renaissance geographers: the Nile in Africa, Ganges in Asia, Danube in Europe and Rio de la Plata in America. Each has a river god, semi-prostrate, in awe of the central tower, epitomized by the slender Egyptian obelisk (built for the Roman Serapeum in 81 AD), symbolizing by Papal power surmounted by the Pamphilj symbol (dove). A legend is that Bernini positioned the cowering Rio de la Plata River as if the sculpture was fearing the facade of the church of Sant'Agnese by his rival Borromini could crumble against him; in fact, the fountain was completed several years before Borromini began work on the church.

Fountain of the Neptune - The Fountain of the Neptune, also known as the Fountain of the Boilermakers, is located at the northern extermity of Piazza Navona. The work owns the design and the realisation of its tank to the same Giacome della Porta author of the tank of the Moor Fountain at the opposite extremity of the square. It reached the unification of Italy without any decorations, and therefore to give to the Fountain of the Neptune a stylish similarity with the other fountains of the area, a competition was issued in 1878 for the realisation of the monumental apparatus; such competition was won by Gregorio Zappalà and Antonio Della Bitta. The first one realised the decoration complex based on the mythological theme of the "Nereidi with cupids and walruses", the second one realised the group of marbles "Neptune fighting with an octopus".

Moor Fountain - The Moor Fountain, located in the southern area of Piazza Navona, takes its name from the group of sculptures of the tank representing an Ethiopian fighting with a dolphin. The work, sculptured on a design of Bernini in 1654 by Giovanni Antonio Mari and which, in reality, should represent a triton, was expressly required by the sister-in-law of Innocent X, Olimpia Maidalchini, in order to give an ideal achievement to the tank realised by Giacomo della Porta, already placed on the square by the Pontiff Gregorio XIII in 1576.

Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone - The construction of the Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone started in 1652 on the site, as a legend wants, where Sant'Agnese was martyred in the Circus of Domitian. The first designs, by Girolamo Rainaldi in 1652, were for a Baroque church. They were commissioned by Pope Innocent X, whose funerary monument is housed within the church. The Pope's family, the Pamphilj, had a large palace adjacent and the church was to be a sort of a personal chapel annexed to the their residence. In the years 1653-1657 the works of the facade were completed by the important Baroque architect Francesco Borromini, who changed the distance between the two side towers and introduced a concave volume in the centre. Sant'Agnese in Agone is considered among Borromini's most restrained creations. The construction was completed by Carlo Rainaldi, son of Girolamo. The church has a Greek cross plan. The interior of the dome has paintings portraying the Martyrdom of St. Agnese (1670-1689) by Ciro Ferri and Sebastiano Corbellini. Under the church there are substantial remains of an ancient Roman house. The premier artwork in this church is sculptural, crowned by the marble relief in the main altar, placed in a setting installed by Carlo Rainaldi and Ciro Ferri, that depicts the Miracle of Sant'Agnese, initially commissioned from Alessandro Algardi, and completed by Ercole Ferrata and Domenico Guidi in 1688, under constraints that their product must remain in conformity with the original Algardi design.

(*Rome Travel Guide*) The Roman Forum - Rome, Italy

***Rome Travel Guide***

***Rome-travel Highlight***

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The Roman Forum is located in a valley that is between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill. It originally was a marsh, but the Romans drained the area and turned it into a center of political and social activity.  The Forum was the marketplace of Rome and also the business district and civic center. It was expanded to include temples, a senate house and law courts. When the Roman Empire fell, the Forum became forgotten, buried and was used as a cattle pasture during the Middle Ages.

Much of the forum has been destroyed. Columns and stone blocks are all that remain of some temples. The arch of Titus and the arch of Septimius Severus still stand and are in good shape. Like many other ancient Roman buildings, stone blocks have been removed from the Forum and used to build nearby churches and palaces.

Trevi Fountain - Rome, Italy

The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains of Rome. The fountain at the juncture of three roads ("tre vie") marks the terminal point of the "modern" Acqua Vergine, the revivified Acqua Virgo, one of the ancient acqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. In 19 BC, supposedly with the help of a virgin, Roman technicians located a source of pure water some 13 km (8 miles) from the city. This scene is presented on the present fountain's facade. In 1629 Pope Urban VIII, finding the earlier fountain insufficiently dramatic, asked Bernini to sketch possible renovations, but when the Pope died the project was abandoned. In 1730 Pope Clement XII organized a contest in which Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei, but due to the outcry in Rome over the fact that a Florentine won, Salvi was awarded the commission anyway. Work began in 1732, and the fountain was completed in 1762, long after Clement's death, when Pietro Bracci's "Neptune" was set in the central niche. Salvi died in 1751, with his work half-finished, but before he went he made sure a stubborn barber's unsightly sign would not spoil the ensemble, hiding it behind a sculpted vase. A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Approximately 3.000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day and are collected at night. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy.

Coin throwing
 A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Among those who are unaware that the "three coins" of Three Coins in the Fountain were thrown by three different individuals, a reported current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. A reported current version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.
An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy. However, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain.

Carnevale - Italy's Carnival Celebration

Carnevale, also known as carnival or mardi gras, is celebrated in Italy and many places around the world 40 days before Easter, a final party before Ash Wednesday and Lent. Carnevale is one of Italy's biggest festivals and events often last for two to three weeks before the actual carnival day. Many Italian towns celebrate carnevale the weekend before the actual carnival date, which is on Shrove Tuesday.

Italian Carnevale Festivals
Because the date of Easter changes yearly, so does the date for carnival festivals which can be anywhere from February 3 - March 9. Here are dates for the day of Carnevale in Italy. If you're planning to go to Italy for a carnevale celebration, especially in popular cities such as Venice and Viareggio, you'll need to make reservations up to a year ahead of time.
Note: Most places in Europe and around the world that hold carnival festivals will have the same dates.

Carnevale, or Carnival, Dates

• 2010 - Carnevale date - February 16
• 2011 - Carnevale date - March 8
• 2012 - Carnevale date - February 21
• 2013 - Carnevale date - February 12
• 2014 - Carnevale date - March 4
• 2015 - Carnevale date - February 17
• 2016 - Carnevale date - February 9
• 2017 - Carnevale date - February 28
• 2018 - Carnevale date - February 13
• 2019 - Carnevale date - March 5
• 2020 - Carnevale date - February 25

[Rome Map] + Saint Peter's Square (St. Peter's Basilica) - Vatican City, Rome

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Saint Peter's Square Wiki Page


Saint Peter's Basilica Wiki Page

Officially known in Italian as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano  and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people^. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession.
 

 The altar with Bernini's baldacchino

    Staircase of the Vatican Museums
The School Of Athen

creation of man - Michaelangelo
- Sistine Chapel

Vatican Museums - many art work, Check

The Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria - Bernini - Rome, Italy

Santa Maria Della Vittoria (Translate: Our Lady of Victory)
Baroque church
Built: from 1603,
Architect: Carlo MadernoDedication:
Dedication: Blessed Virgin Mary, Roman Catholic
near by: Piazza Repubblica




map: from st. peter's square to Santa Maria Della Vittoria

 Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa in Cornaro chapel

          

Villa Borghese (Borghese Gallery) - Bernini - Rome, Italy

Borghese Gallery(Italian: Galleria Borghese)

Art Gallery of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (also spelled Gianlorenzo or Giovanni Lorenzo)


Map: from st. peter's square to Borghese Gallery



Villa Borghese is a large landscape garden in the naturalistic English manner, containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. It is the second largest public park in Rome after that of Villa Doria-Pamphilj. The gardens were developed for the "Villa Borghese Pinciana" (Borghese Villa on the Pincian Hill), built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio, developing sketches by Scipione Borghese, who used it as a villa suburbana, a party villa, at the edge of Rome, and to house his art collection. The gardens as they are now were remade in the early XIX century. Today the Borghese Gallery is housed in the Villa Borghese itself. The garden "Casino Borghese", built on a rise above the Villa by the architect Giovanni Vasanzio, was set up by Camillo Borghese to contain sculptures by Bernini from the Borghese collection, including his David and his Daphne, and by Antonio Canova (Paolina Borghese), with paintings by Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio.

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                The gallery housed in the former Villa Borghese Pinciana. The Galleria Borghese houses a substantial part of the Borghese collection of paintings, sculpture and antiquities, begun by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V (reign 1605–1621). The Villa was built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio, developing sketches by Scipione Borghese himself. Scipione Borghese was an early patron of Bernini and an avid collector of works by Caravaggio.