01.- Welcome to Rome!!! Welcome to Rome, the capital of Italy. Rome, with its more than 2,000 years of history, has one of the biggest cultural heritages in the world. From the Roman Empire times through the Renaissance and Baroque times to the actual age. Rome is a fascinating city. If you come with me I’ll try to show you some of its treasuries on this 42 pages Virtual Tour of the immortal city. We will begin our tour in front of one of the most famous monuments in Rome: the Colosseum, from here we’ll visit the rest of Rome and the smallest State in the World: The Vatican. The Colosseum was constructed in 80 AD and could hold more than 50,000 spectators. Animals and people were slaughtered here for three centuries (only in the first 100 days more than 2,000 gladiators and 9,000 beasts perished). Nowadays it’s one of the symbols of Rome. We’ll now visit the "Foro Romano"... 02.- Rome, Foro Romano From the Colosseum a big avenue (Av. Fori Imperiali) brings us to the biggest collection of Roman Ruins in the world. We can admire the rests of the constructions in the times of Julius Cesar, Augustus, Traian, Nerva and Vespusian. Some of the most famous buildings are: The Temple of Antonius and Faustina, the remains of the Basilica Aemilia; the Curia, or Senate House, which is one of the oldest buildings in the area; The Comitium, or assembly place; The Rostra, or speakers’ platforms; The Temple of Saturn; the Basilica Julia, where justice was administered by the Caesar; the Temple of Castor and Polux, which celebrates the Roman rebellion against the Etruscan King; the House of the Vestal Virgins, the Vestal Virgins were among the most respected people in Ancient Rome, but if one lost her virginity she was buried alive; the Palaine Hill and the Domus Augustana, used as the empire headquarters. Let’s visit the Foro di Traiano now... 03.- Rome, Foro di Traiano On the other side of the Av Fori Imperiali we find the Foro di Traiano, created by Apolodoro of Damascus in 111-114. This Forum was one of the biggest in Rome and it had a two floors Market; the Basilica Ulpia, the biggest one; two libraries and the Traiano Column, a 1000 feet tall decorated monument to recall the emperor Traiano’s campaigns. We’ll now leave the ancient Rome and visit the Modern Rome... 04.- Rome, Via Quatro You’ll need several days to visit this city. Remember the phrase: Rome wasn’t built in a day? Well, if you come to Rome you’ll remember this phrase, because there are so many things to visit here! Ancient Temples, forums, churches, basilicas, fountains, museums and even an independent state can be found inside this immortal city. 05.- Rome, Via del Corso In Rome you’ll find more than 900 churches (each one with several works of art) and 280 fountains. This will keep you busy for several days. But first I recommend you to stroll and relax in the streets of this marvelous city. If you’re on a hurry, probably, you shouldn’t even come to Rome. More than 2000 years of history are under your feet when you get to Rome. And remember that this was the center of the western world for several centuries... 06.- Rome, Pantheon The Pantheon is one of the best preserved Roman Monuments in Rome. This building dates from 118-128, when Adrian reconstructed the original Pantheon, which was destroyed in several blazes. Its dome is an architecture marvel, which later inspired Bramante when he constructed the Saint Peters one. Under the dome we can find some famous coffins: Vittorio Emanuelle II, Humberto I, and Raphael (the painter). The column you can see in front of the monument comes from an Egyptian temple. We’ll now visit one of the most famous fountains in the world: the Fontana di Trevi, but first... 07.- Rome, Via Caravita Motorcycles are very popular in Rome. The traffic in this city is somewhat chaotic. If you plan to visit this city and rent a car, you’ll have to drive carefully. One thing that will surprise you (specially if you’re American) is the diversity of mini cars, as the one you can see in the photo. I could see many of these small cars when I visited Rome (This one is the smallest I saw). Let’s go to take a look at the Fontana di Trevi 08.- Rome, Fontana di Trevi This fountain is a work of N. Salvi and it was finished in 1762. The fountain is in one of the Poli Palace’s facades. You can see the powerful figure of Neptune surrounded by the Health and Abundance Niche. But the thing that has made this fountain famous is that if you throw a coin you’ll come back to Rome some day (if you throw a second coin you can desire a second wish). Not far from here there’s one of the most famous squares in Rome: the Piazza di Spagna, let’s go there... 09.- Rome, Via Condotti Via Condotti is a very popular street that links two of the busiest avenues in the center of Rome: Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. Another of the recommended monuments to visit in Rome are its Catacombs (the places where the old Christians buried their relatives). There are several catacombs to visit in Rome, but probably the most famous are the San Callisto catacombs. 10.- Rome, Piazza di Spagna Piazza di Spagna is a meeting place for foreigner visitors and Italians alike. In its days this area attracted artists like Stendhal, Balzac, Wagner and Liszt. Nowadays you’re more likely to meet street artists here, though. The most famous sight of this place is the Scalinata di Spagna, which lies on our left and will be our next view... 11.- Rome, Scalinata di Spagna The Spanish Square steps were designed by an Italian, paid for by the French, occupied by the British and now under the sway of the American ambassador. The neighbor Spanish Palace gives the name to the place. At the top you can see the Trinity Church, from where you can see a nice view of this quarter. On your right you’ll find the Keats and Shelley Museum, full of curious relics of the poets’ lives. We’ll now take a look at Via Condotti, in front of us, take Via del Corso and visit Piazza Colonna... 12.- Rome, Via Condotti II You already know this street. We were here when we were going to Piazza Spagna, remember? I think it’s time to learn some basic words in Italian: Yes/No = Si/No Hello/Bye = ciao (you only have to learn one word, bye=hello=ciao) please = per favore Thanks = Grazie Excuse me = Scussi Do you speak English? = Parla Inglese? Where is = Dov’è...? 13.- Rome, Piazza Colonna In the middle of Piazza Colonna you’ll find this column; The Marco Aurelio Column. The column, very similar to the Traian one, was built in the years 176-193 to commemorate the victories of this Emperor against the Germans and Sarmaths. If you want to admire the reliefs in details you’ll have to go to the Roman Civilization Museum, where you’ll find a copy. At the top of the column you can see the Saint Peter Sculpture (an idea of Sixtus V). We’ll no visit the Piazza del Popolo... 14.- Rome, Piazza del Popolo The Piazza del Popolo was the traditional northern entrance to the city. On the north side of the Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square) the small Church of Santa Maria del Populo contains two wonderful canvases by Caravaggio: the "Conversion of Saint Paul" and "The Crucifixion of Saint Peter", among other works. The obelisk you can see here was brought from the Massimo Circus following the desires of Sixtus V. We’ll take a look at the two Churches at our right... 15.- Rome, Piazza del Popolo, Churches These twin churches are called the Santa Maria in Montesanto (at our left) was a work of Rainaldi and the Santa Maria dei Miracoli (at our right) a work of Bernini. Not far from here (northeast) there is the Galleria Borghese, in Villa Borghese, where you can admire the Bernini’s sculptures. 16.- Rome, Mausoleo de Augusto We are in front of the Augustus Mausoleum. Next to it we find the Ara Pacis Agustae, built in 19-3 AD to commemorate the come back of Augustus to Rome. This structure is decorated with sculptures and scenes of the ancient Rome history. We’ll now cross the bridge that was constructed to visit the Augustus Mausoleum, and on the other side of the Tavere river we’ll visit the Justice Palace. 17.- Rome, Palazzo di Giustizia In front of the Umberto I bridge we can see this nice building: the Justice Palace. You may be wondering When will we visit the Vatican? The answer is NOW. The Vatican is close from here. We’ll go walking to Saint Peter Square. One of the most famous squares in the world... 18.- Rome, The Vatican, Piazza San Pietro We are finally in the Vatican, a state that occupies only 108 acres. The Vatican is an independent state since 1929, when the Lateran Treaty was signed. The pope exercises the legislative, judicial and executive powers of this theocracy. Millions of Catholics come here every year to see the center of the Catholic Church power. In the year 2000 the Saint year will be celebrated, and it’s predicted that more than 40 million visitors will come here to commemorate the 2000 anniversary of Jesuschrist birth date. 19.- Rome, The Vatican, San Pietro basilica At the beginning of the Christian era the Vatican hills were a surrounding quarter of Rome, where the Circus of Neron and Caligula were located. Years after Saint Peter was buried here (at least that’s what the legend says). In 313 The Emperor Constatine orders the construction of the first Basilica. One thousand years later, the Vatican was chosen to be the Catholic Church headquarters. The construction of this basilica began in 1506 and lasted more than 150 years. Bramante was the original architect, the best artists of its time took part in its decoration: Michael Angelo, Raphael and Bernini. 20.- Rome, The Vatican, San Pietro sculpture The Vatican Museums are another must see in the Vatican. The most important Museums are: The Egyptian Museum, with one of the biggest Egyptian collections; the Pio Clemntine Museum, dedicated to the Roman and Greek works; The Gregorian Museum, with Etruscan works; The Raphael Rooms, with breathtaking frescoes; The Stanza della Segnatura, which contains Raphael’s Schools of Athens; and finally: the climax of the visit: the Sistine Chapel, with the wonderful Michael Angelo ceiling paintings. Let’s get inside the Basilica now... 21.- Rome, The Vatican, inside San Pietro’s basilica This is the major altar of the Church. This Baldacchino designed by Bernini is located in the intersection of the two lateral wings of this Roman Cross form Basilica. Only the Pope can use this altar. The altar is surrounded by the Solomonic columns you can see. Under this altar the corpse of Saint Peter rest in peace. 22.- Rome, The Vatican, San Pietro’s dome This dome is a work of Michael Angelo, who designed this dome following the original designs of Bramante. The influences of the dome that Brunelleschi constructed in Florence are more than evident. You can walk to the top of the dome, from where you’ll be able to see a wonderful city view. 23.- Rome, The Vatican, San Pietro’s confessional The beauty of this construction and the many works of art we can find here can make us think we are inside a Museum, but no, it’s not a museum. It’s an active temple. We can see here the confessionals, where people confess their sins. Many of the visitors of this place come here only for cultural reasons, but many others come here for religion reasons. Remember that this is the first pilgrimage center for the Roman Catholic followers. 24.- Rome The Vatican, inside San Pietro, sculpture The lists of artists that took part in the decoration of this basilica is endless, among the works of art that can be found here there are the following: The "Navicella" of Giotto; The sculptures of "Saint Andrew" by Duquesnoy; The "Santa Veronica" by Mochi; The "Santa Helena" by Bolgi; the "Saint Longino" by Bernini; "The Saint Peter" by A. di Cambio; the grave of Paulo III by Gugleilmo della Porta; the grave of Urbano VIII by Bernini; the grave of Inocenzio XII by Fuga; the grave of Inocenzio VIII by Pollaiuolo. 25.- Rome, The Vatican, inside San Pietro II Something that probably will surprise you is the size of this basilica: it’s Huge! More than 15.160 square meters big! I don’t know how many visitors can visit this temple at a time, but I’m sure that thousands. Another thing that will surprise you is the quantity of light that gets here. The photo that you see here was taken with a digital camera without flash, and as you can see the image is not dark at all. 26.- Rome, Michaelangelo’s Pietà This is the most beautiful of the sculptures you can find inside Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Pietà of Michaelangelo. He carved this sculpture when he was 25. Unfortunately the sculpture must be admired behind a bullet proof glass at a certain distance. 27.- Rome, The Swiss Guards The pope grants public audiences in San Pietro on Wednesday, usually at 10:30 am. To attend an audience, apply in writing to the Prefattura della Casa Pontificia (00120 Città del Vaticano), specifying the number of tickets desired and the preferred dates. Otherwise, visit the office on Monday or Tuesday and see if tickets are available. You’ll find the office beyond the bronze doors to the right of the basilica at the beginning of the colonnade, past the Swiss Guards. 28.- Rome, The Vatican, Piazza San Pietro II This oval form "Piazza" symbolizes the powerful arms of the Church. Well, we’ll finish the visit to the Vatican here. Our next visit will be the Castel Sant’Angelo 29.- Rome, Castel Sant’Angelo This Castle was constructed to hold the grave of the emperor Adrian. Later it became a fortress, and during the Renaissance was a jail. Nowadays you’ll find a huge collection of military objects, and several rooms decorated with frieze, many of them works of Perin del Vaga, and several Renaissance’s canvases and furniture. The most beautiful rooms are the San Clemente VII rooms with picture by Crivelli and Signorelli. In the third floor you’ll find the Pope rooms with several works of art and the Adrian Mausoleum. 30.- Rome, Lungotevere Marzio It’s time to learn something about the local cuisine, probably the most international cuisine anywhere. Am sure you’ve at least tasted once the "pasta" and the "pizza". A normal meal consists of an antipasto (appetizer), a primo piatto (pasta or soup), a secondo piatto (meat or fish) sometimes with a contorno (vegetable) and normally with salad, fruit and/or cheese. The most typical Pasta specialities are: Spaghetti and tagliatelle (long and thin), fetuccine, Maccheroni, peene, Tonnarelli (a flat Speghetti), Lasagne, Cannelloni, Gnocchi and gnochchetti and Ravioli. All of them, of course, should be served "al dente". 31.- Rome, Via del Corso II A special mention deserves the famous Pizza. The legend says that it was invented in Naples, from where it was exported to America, and since the second world war it can be found almost anywhere. You can eat the Pizza in the restaurants, but you can also taste the Pizza in many street shops, where you can buy pizza "al taglio" (small sections of pizza). 32.- Rome, Piazza della Repubblica We’ll now go to Piazza Venezia, where we’ll visit the Campidoglio, one of the most sacred parts of the city 33.- Rome, Campidoglio The Campidoglio, or Capitoline Hill still serves as the seat of the city’s government. The Piazza that you’ll find behind these sculptures is a work of Michaelangelo. You can now admire the sculptures of Castor and Polux. On either sides of the square you’ll find the Musei Capitolini. This museum is in the twin Palazzi (Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori) and display the largest collection of ancient sculpture in the world, including the Capitoline Wolf, the centuries old symbol of Rome. We can contemplate from here a nice view of Rome, this will be on the next page... 34.- Rome, view from Campidoglio From here you can admire one of the most beautiful sights of the city. On our right we have the Piazza Venezia (the center of the city) 35.- Rome, Campidoglio II You can see the equestrian sculpture of Marco Aurelio, a restored work from the empire times. Among the most famous works you’ll find in the Musei Capitolini are the "Capitoline Venus", a Roman copy of an original Greek work; The "doves mosaic", a wonderful work from the old Rome discovered in Tivoli. You’ll also find many other pictures and sculptures by Algardi, Bernini and Caravaggio. 36.- Rome, Foro Romano, Temple From the Campidoglio you can see a wonderful view of the Roman Forum (remember we were there at the beginning of this Virtual tour?) we’ll now walk down the stairs and visit the Church next to this square; the Santa Maria d’Aracoeli 37.- Rome, Santa Maria d’Aracoeli Santa Maria d’Aracoeli is an old church, built in the place where the temple of Juno used to be. The Franciscans reconstructed the temple in the 13th century in a Romanesque style. Inside the Church we find traces of the history of the city (as in many other places in Rome). 38.- Rome, inside Santa Maria d’Aracoeli Inside Santa Maria d’Aracoeli there are the graves of Albret Cardinal (1485) and Giovanni Crivelli. But probably the most brilliant cosmateque monuments of this church is the Matteo d’Acquasparta Cardinal monument. We’ll now visit Piazza Venezia (the center of Rome), where we’ll take a look at the Foro Traiano and admire the Emanuele II Monument... 39.- Rome, Foro traiano, Basilica We are now at one of the ends of Avenue Fori Imperiali (the Fori Imperialli Avenue goes from the Colosseum to Piazza Venezia). Here you can admire a vast conglomeration of basilicas, temples and public squares. The Roman Emperors built here monuments to glorify the city of Rome. The most impressive of them all is the Forum of Trajan (107-113 AD). Another must see monument is the Markets of Trajan , which once sheltered dozens of single room stores in a three floors building. 40.- Rome, Vittorio Emanuele II Monument Sculpture The Emanuele II Monument was constructed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the monument is dedicated to Emanuele II, the father of the Italian unity. At the top of the monument the sits the equestrian sculpture of Emanuele II, which we’ll see on the next page. 41.- Rome, Vittorio Emanuele II Monument Sculptures In 1870, the old dream of Italy’s Unity comes true. Vittorio Emanuele II, the king of Italy, unifies the country, after centuries of divisions and foreign occupations. The city of Rome dedicated him this building. 42.- Rome, Piazza Venezia, Vittorio Emanuele II Monument Well, our visit to Rome is over. There are so many things and monuments to visit in Rome that this tour cannot be considered a complete tour of Rome. I hope, though, that you’ve enjoyed this visit and that you’ll have soon the chance to visit this wonderful city ‘in person’. I am sure that if you decide to come here you won’t regret it.