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Rome in 48 hours - second day
Starting from the
 Colosseum, wwalking along Via dei
 Fori
Imperiali to the
 Roman
Forum and from there, crossing Piazza Venezia, to the
 Campidoglio the Capitoline Museums and the Vittoriano
The Colosseum
The Colosseum owes its name to a colossal bronze
statue, representing the Emperor Nero, more than 35 m. tall, that
used to stand in this area. Symbol of Rome worldwide, the Colosseum
was built by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty between 72-80 A.D.,
on the site once occupied by an artificial lake belonging to the
magnificent Domus Aurea, a compound of buildings and gardens built
by Nero now in ruins but with beautiful decorations which inspired
Renaissance painters. As many as 100.000 cubic meters of travertine
from the Tivoli quarries were used to build this amphitheatre, the
largest ever built in Roman empire. The Colosseum could hold more
than 70,000 spectators who could watch the fights between
gladiators, the hunting of animals and, at the very beginning, the
naumachias: naval battles that took place in the arena that was
flooded. The architect who designed the Colosseum is said to have
been thrown alive to the wild beasts "as a reward for his own work",
thus inaugurating the long story of blood and cruelties of the
building he himself had conceived.
In the Middle Ages the Colosseum was transformed into a fortress.
Later on, stripped of its structures, it became in turn a quarry for
building materials and finally the seat of hospitals, fraternities
and craft guilds. It was only towards the middle of the 18th
century, that Pope Benedict XIV had it decreed "sacred site", and
the plunder and devastation was stopped.
The Roman Forum
The Roman Forum, the most important archaeological area in
Rome, extends from the Capitol Hill to the Palatine. As far
back as the 7th century B.C., the Forum was the centre of
political, commercial and religious life. Later on, to the
original Roman Forum were added the Imperial Forums: Foro di
Cesare, Foro di Augusto, Foro di Nerva, Foro di Vespasiano
and the most imposing one, the Foro di Traiano, of which one
can still admire the huge Column of the Markets.
The
Capitol and the Vittoriano
SSince its origins the Capitol hill has been the
seat of the city's government and the adequate place for solemn
public celebrations. Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by
Michelangelo, is surrounded by three noble palaces: the central one,
Palazzo Senatorio, is the seat of the Municipality whereas the two
on the sides, Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, host the
treasures of the Capitoline Museums. The Capitoline Picture Gallery
contains over 200 paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries by
extraordinary painters such as: Tiziano, Pietro Da Cortona,
Caravaggio, Guercino, Rubens and many more. The square is dominated
by a copy of the bronze equestrian statue of Marc Aurelius that
survived destruction because it was believed to represent the
Christian emperor Constantin. The elegant plinth was designed by
Michelangelo. The original can be admired inside the adjacent
Museum
.
A new passageway connects Piazza del Campidoglio to the terraces of
the Vittoriano which offer a breathtaking view of the city. The
Vittoriano, also monument to Victor Emanuel II, first king of Italy,
is now completely open to the public free of charge, including the
Museum-Sanctuary of the Flags of the Armed Forces and the Museum of
the Risorgimento that are housed in its interior. The monument was
inaugurated in 1911 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the
unification of Italy and since 1921 has been the site of the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier.
Courtesy of romaturismo.com Azienda Promozione Turistica Comune di Roma
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