SECOND DAY
Itinerary:
Colosseum - Via dei Fori Imperiali - Roman Forum - Campidoglio (Capitol Hill) and the Capitoline Museums
Colosseum
Its name actually derived from a nearby over 35 metre high colossal bronze statute of the Emperor Nero. Symbol of Rome worldwide, the Colosseum was built by emperors of the Flavian dynasty between 72 and 80 A.D. on the site already occupied by an artificial lake which was part of the huge Domus Aurea (a compound of buildings and gardens built by Nero of which just the decorated ruins that inspired Renaissance artists remain). 100,000 square metres of travertine from the quarries in Tivoli were used for this amphitheatre, the largest every built in the Roman empire. A capacity crowd of 75,000 was entertained to contests between gladiators, animal hunts, executions, etc. The arena was also flooded to become an artificial lake in order stage mock sea battles. The architect who designed the Colosseum “as a reward for his work” is said to have been thrown alive to the wild beasts, inaugurating in a way the long tradition that was to follow of cruelty and bloodshedding in the very building he had conceived. In the Medieval era, it was turned into a fortress, then into a make-shift quarry to be stripped of material to build housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, hospitals. The pillaging was only put to an end when Pope Benedict XIV declared the Colosseum a sacred site.
The Forums
The Roman Forum is Rome’s most important archaeological site, stretching from Campidoglio to the Palatine. As early as in VII A.D. this area was already teeming with religious, business and political activity. Added to Roman Forum were at later dates the Imperial Forums: the Forum of Julius Caesar, of Augustus, of Nerva, Vespasian, and the domineering Trajan Forum, whose Column and Markets are today still standing, unfailingly attracting the admiration of visitors worldwide.
Campidoglio (Capitol Hill)
Right from the early beginnings of Rome its famous hill was the site of the ruling authorities and theatre for official public celebrations. Michelangelo’s stunning piazza is flanked by three buildings: Palazzo Senatorio, which serves as the seat of the Mayor of Rome, stands in the centre; while on each side are the identical Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, home to the Capitoline Museum. More than 200 paintings from the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries are on display in The “Musei Capitolini’s” Pinacoteca (Art Gallery), including those by such celebrated artists as Titian, Pietro da Cortona, Caravaggio, Guercino, Rubens, and many others. Justifiably taking centre stage in the piazza itself is a replica of the bronze statue of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, which escaped the usual fate of being melted down for reuse for coins or to make into another statue, because it was erroneously believed to depict the first Christian Emperor Constantine. While its pedestal was made by Michelangelo, the original statue is to be found in the nearby museum. A pathway, which has only recently been opened to the public, connects Piazza del Campidoglio to the terrace of the imposing Vittoriano Monument (Altar of the Fatherland) from where a simply breathtaking view of the whole city may be enjoyed. Admission is free to all of the Vittoriano, Monument to Italy’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II, which also houses the Sacrario delle Bandiere (Museum of Flags) and Museum of the Risorgimento. The monument was opened in 1911 marking the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy and since 1921 holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
