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Rome in 96 hours - fourth day
 Borghese
Gallery
and view on Rome from the air balloon at the
Galoppatoio of Villa Borghese
 Catacombs
and walk along the
 Appian
Way.
 
The
Borghese Gallery
Located amidst the greenery of the favorite
public park of the Romans, the Borghese Gallery is an authentic
artistic treasure chest, the result of the passion for art of
Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who in the early 1600s had the villa
built on the suburban property donated to him by his uncle, Pope
Paul V, with the specific purpose of housing his art collection. In
order to enjoy it fully, it is important to enter the villa with a
perception of the surrounding park and open air in a wonderful blend
of art and nature, that we now recognize as typical of Rome.
Once
again, as at the Vatican Museums, we find the correspondence between
the “container” and what it “contains”, in which the artistic value
of the individual works is enhanced by the decorative splendor of
the rooms in which they are displayed. It is important to bear in
mind that the Borghese Gallery originated as a private collection
and that the works and their display are not the result of didactic
criteria (period, subject), but rather reflect the taste and
intentions of its former owners.
Do not miss the series of
sculptures made for the cardinal by young Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Eneas,
the Rape of Proserpine, Apollo and Daphne, and David), that seem to
invite us to participate in what is happening to them, Titian’s
Sacred and Profane Love, Caravaggio’s masterpieces and the lovely
Princess Paolina Borghese, Napoleon’s favourite sister, portrayed by
Canova as Venus.
The Borghese Cardinal was famous above all for his
capacity to discover new talents and for his methods in acquiring
the works of art he wished to own, which on some occasions were not
exactly lawful. He did not hesitate to have the Deposition by
Raphael stolen from a church in Perugia and he had painter
Domenichino imprisoned because he did not want to give him a
painting commissioned to him by another cardinal.
Before leaving the park, why not enjoy a
unique view of Rome from the largest fixed air balloon in
the world, located at the Galoppatoio of Villa Borghese?
The
Catacombs
A visit to the Catacombs on the Appian Way allows
us to trace the origins of the Christian presence in Rome and to
explore one of the fundamental aspects of its identity. The
Catacombs are in fact the underground cemeteries of the early
Christians, located outside the city walls in accordance with the
ancient custom that forbade the burying of the dead in the inhabited
area. They consist of a series of levels with passageways dug out of
the tufa, a soft volcanic rock that hardens when it comes into
contact with oxygen contained in the air. The dead used to be
wrapped in a shroud and placed in loculi and crypts carved out of
the walls of the passageways themselves, and sealed with marble
slabs or terracotta slabs, according to financial possibilities. It
is interesting to notice how the layering of the levels, determined
by the need to exploit the expensive land as much as possible, must
be interpreted in the opposite way we do at a proper archaeological
site. The most ancient level is in fact the first to be accessed,
immediately below the ground level, and others were excavated
beneath it as they gradually became filled up.
A persistent tradition identified the Catacombs as the hiding places
of the early Christians at the times of the persecutions, but they
were actually used exclusively as cemeteries and for devotional
practices connected to the presence of the tombs of the saints and
martyrs. The frescoes and inscriptions on the funerary slabs
indicate how death was conceived as a moment of rest before the
final awakening to eternal life, and the catacombs were thus places
of transition, in contrast to pagan necropolis, considered to be the
permanent abode of the dead. If you wish to see more in the area,
the pedestrian section of the ancient Appian Way is easy to reach on
foot from the major catacombs in the area.
The
Appian Way
A walk along the original slab stones of
the ancient Appian Way is an ideal conclusion to a stay in
Rome and a last occasion to evoke historical memories in a
natural context of incredible beauty. The most ancient (4th
century BC) consular road is an outstanding example of the
practical genius of the Romans who conceived their road
system as a way of taking possession of the world and
dominating it. The great straight stretches allowed to move
troops rapidly and efficiently and favoured commerce. In
building them the Romans were not conditioned by the layout
of the territory but actually modified it by reclaiming
marshy areas, building bridges and cutting hills. The Regina
Viarum (Queen of Roads), built by censor Appius Claudius the
Blind, after whom it was named, headed south and over time
was extended to reach Brindisi, the gate to the East.
 
Walking along the ancient road, made up of layers of
different materials, it becomes clear that the carriage way
was wide enough to allow traffic in opposite directions, and
that the wide sidewalks flanking it were intended for
travellers on foot. The peace and quiet of today, with the
long rows of pines and cypresses alternating with remains of
funerary monuments, and the view of the Colli Albani, seems
to make the traffic of people and carts that once animated
this road, and indicated by the marks in the basalt slabs,
even more remote. And yet, perhaps in the course of these
Roman days the distance between the past and our times has
become shorter and we can leave taking some of it home with
us.
Rome in four days - first day
Rome in four days - second day
Rome in four days - third day
Courtesy of romaturismo.com Azienda Promozione Turistica Comune di Roma
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