THE VICUS CAPRARIUS – THE CITY OF WATER
Just a few steps from the splendid and legendary Trevi Fountain, but far from the constant chaos of the area, the beautiful yet unknown “Vicus Caprarius”, the City of Water, strikes for the magic atmosphere that it manages to create all around it.
One of the most beautiful monuments in the Ancient Rome – extremely well preserved up to now – is the Temple of Portunus (wrongly called of the “manly fortune”) that stands in the middle of the old Forum Boarium – that was the cattle forum venalium of Ancient Rome.
One of the most modern districts of Rome – urban speaking – is certainly the “EUR”. It isn’t actually the most innovative district, but its architectural style projects it in the future.
The Pantheon is one of the most famous monuments in the world. It is an architectonic masterpiece and still one of the most evident examples of Roman creative genius. The Pantheon was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa, brother in law of the emperor Augustus, and it is the ultimate Roman temple.
The “Cloaca Maxima”, literally “the biggest sewer”, is one of the most famous sewage systems of ancient times. As the tradition goes, it was built between the end of the VII and the beginning of the VIII century B.C. from the will of Tarquinius Priscus, first etruscan king of Rome.
Absolute masterpiece of the Renaissance art and evident example of the Italian ingenuity, the temple of Bramante is one of the most popular and admired works of the history of architecture.
Between history and myth, we are used to set the establishment of the Eternal City on the 21st of April, 753 B.C. Obviously this is a conventional date, linked more to tradition than reality.
Near the Vittoriano monument we can still see the rests of a Roman insula. “Insula”, in Ancient Rome, was the name of buildings with many levels inside of which there were different housing units, very similar to our apartments. This building, very well preserved, survived the demolition process of the 1930s in the area next to the Capitoline hill. Actually, it came to light through the 1930s and the following decade.
Through the years a lot has been written about the Flavian Amphitheatre, probably because it is the most famous monument in the world. But the fact that has been less analysed, or at least not given the right importance, it’s the origin of its name: Colosseum.
In the heart of St. Paul’s district - next to the renowned gate which takes the Saint’s name - lies a pyramid. Less than 37 meters high, and 30 meters long for each side of its base, it represents one of the most peculiar monuments of the Eternal City. This unique example of the Egyptian funeral architecture, was built in only 330 days as the inscription on its façade says
Rome also known as “the Eternal City” is the centre of the ancient world and the capital city of Italy and Christianity. Considering both absolute terms and territorial extension, it boasts the greatest historical, artistic and cultural heritage worldwide; hosting the highest number of museums, monuments, churches and underground archeological sites.Founded almost 3000 years ago, it was the cradle of Roman civilization and regarded as the greatest, richest and most powerful city in the world.
One of the four papal major basilicas of Rome is the “Basilica of Saint Mary Major”, the biggest church worldwide dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was erected in 432 A.D. by will of Pope Sixtus III to celebrate Mary as the Mother of God – so proclaimed in the 431 A.D. Council of Ephesus - . Throughout the centuries it has seen different transformations and hosted important and copious treasures and art works.
With no doubt, one of the most known and important neighborhoods for the Roman night life and for the many trattorie offering local cuisine is Testaccio. This neighborhood, on the left bank of the Tiber river, south of the Aventine hill, presents the shape of an enormous square, mostly flat, with the exception of the artificial hill from which it takes its name: Mount Testaccio. This hill developed through the build-up of the shards of different anforae, (testae in Latin means shards, therefore the name Testaccio), containing food of any kind coming from the near fluvial harbor.
Vatican City is the smallest state in the world with an area of 44 hectares. It includes the renowned St. Peter's Basilica, the square in front of it, the palace of the Vatican - that hosts the Vatican Museums - and the beautiful Gardens of Vatican City. The word Vatican indicated the place where the ancient Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter used to stay. We can now admire a Renaissance rebuilding of it. Between 64 and 67 A.D. the apostle Peter was crucified and buried on this site.
One of the most photographed symbols of Rome is the “Bocca della Verità”, the “Mouth of Truth”. Made famous in the world by the Hollywood film “Roman Holidays”, produced at the beginning of the 1950s, it counts now an incredible number of people (tourists and simple citizens) that take pictures with it every day, usually with their hand in its mouth. What is really incredible and maybe unique about this work is that it isn’t an artistic masterpiece nor a product of Roman engineering. It isn’t even a monument with a particular historical importance or symbolic value.
In 1592 an unknown 21-year-old Lombard painter came to Rome, bound to become one of the greatest artists that ever lived. His name was Michelangelo Merisi, alias “Caravaggio”. The famous painter’s nickname is due to the origins of his family that lived in a town called Caravaggio. He was born in 1571 in Milan and left the city headed to Rome, allegedly because of one of the many legal problems that he had during his lifetime.
