Category: Architecture

Posted on

The talking statues of Rome

The talking statues of Rome are a series of statues (mainly six) used by roman, since XVI century, to anonymous express their criticism against the religious and civil authorities of the city by attaching messages to their pedestal.

The talking statues of Rome are:

Pasquino a damaged piece of Hellenistic-style sculpture on a small piazza (Piazza di Pasquino), a little square south of Piazza Navona. Pasquino is the first talking statue, now identified as representing the mythical king of Sparta, Menelaus, husband of Helen of Troy.

Madama Lucrezia currently placed on a basement on the corner between Palazzo Venezia and the Basilica of S. Marco it is a three-meter bust. It seems to be the goddess Isis (or a priestess of her) because the knot of the robe on the chest is a characteristic that would lead back to that cult.

Marforio is a huge marble sculpture of the Roman era, dating back to the first century, perhaps depicting the god Neptune, the Ocean or the Tiber. It was found in the Forum of Augustus. First placed near Mamertino Prison, was first moved in S. Marco square and after in Campidoglio square. Now is in Palazzo Nuovo.

Babuino so called by the people of Rome “baboon” because so ugly and deformed that they can be compared to a monkey. The statue (actually a fountain) was so unique that it strongly influenced the imagination and the interest of the Romans. One of the first effects was to determine the change of the same toponym of the road, which from via Paolina changed precisely in Via del Babuino.

Facchino represents a male figure, with his face almost completely consumed, while pouring water from a barrel. The disfigured face is due to the offenses of the street brats who made it target throwing stones. This is because the character, according to a popular belief, because of the cap and clothing by many was even considered Martin Luther. Originally located in Via del Corso, in 1874 it was moved to its current position in via Lata.

Abate Luigi is a late-Roman sculpture, probably representing a high magistrate. In the absence of a precise identification, the nickname was assigned to him by popular imagination that, with the usual wit, found the character particularly resembling the sacristan of the nearby church of the Sudarium, known precisely by that name. It is located in Piazza Vidoni, on the side wall of the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle.

Papa Rex – Traditional Restaurant in Rome since 1991 – Saint Peter – Vatican area

Posted on

Caesar murder and the ancient feline colony of Rome

One of the ancient feline colony of Rome live in a wonderful place, located in the center of the city near the imperial Fora, where was murdered Julius Caesar. This place is known as Largo di Torre Argentina.

Largo di Torre Argentina was excavated in the late 1920s, revealing multilevel temples below the modern street level. It is a magical place where you can see the remains of four different temples and a part of the famous portico of Pompey.

Pompey’s portico was the place where Julius Caesar was betrayed and killed in 44 BC.

Largo di Torre in Argentina also is home to a feline colony of Rome composed of over 250 cats. After the site was dug, the wild cats of Rome moved immediately. Quickly increasing their number and becoming one of the biggest feline colony of Rome.

This cats live safely even if they are in the center of city traffic. Some volunteers take care of this cats as of the other cats ofr other place of the city. During the years, thanks to the care of “gattare” (the ladies of the cats) this number is growing and this colony is a part of Rome beauties.

The volunteers take care of sick or injured cats, and partecipate to a sterilization and neutralization program to keep the wild population under control.

During the afternoons you can see this cats laying lazy taking a sunbath, showing to us the mood of Rome.

Papa Rex – Traditional Restaurant in Rome since 1991 – Saint Peter – Vatican area

Posted on

The Restoration of “Fontana delle Api” (Fountain of the Bees)

Thanks to a collection organized by a Dutch school, the “Fontana delle API” (copy of a lost opera by Gian Lorenzo Bernini) has been restored.

To fund the intervention, on this fountain and another at viale Tiziano, a pool of sponsors – mostly Dutch patrons – decided to pay tribute to Rome after the damage done by the hooligans to the Barcaccia Fountain in February 2015, on the eve of Game Rome-Feyenoord.

This fountain is a copy of the original, a work by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, financed by Pope Urban VIII Bernini (Bee was the heraldic symbol of the Bernini family) and located near Palazzo Soderini, between Piazza Barberini and Via Sistina. The main function was to feed the horses.

The fountain was disassembled in 1880 for reasons of road safety, decomposed and put into the municipal warehouse of Testaccio. In 1915, it was decided to put it back in place, but most of the pieces were lost (probably re-used) and a copy was commissioned to Adolfo Apolloni, who instead of the original lunar marble used the travertine from the demolished Porta Salaria.

The fountain, modified in some parts with respect to the original work, was inaugurated on January 28, 1916 in its present location at the entrance to via Veneto from Piazza Barberini.

Papa Rex – Traditional Restaurant in Rome since 1991 – Saint Peter – Vatican area

[cn-social-icon]

Posted on

Pyramid of Cestius

The Pyramid of Cestius (Piramide di Caio Cestio or Piramide Cestia) is an ancient pyramid near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery. It stands at a fork between two ancient roads, the Via Ostiensis and another road that ran west to the Tiber along the approximate line of the modern Via della Marmorata. Due to its incorporation into the city’s fortifications, it is today one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome.

The pyramid was built about 18–12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a magistrate and member of one of the four great religious corporations in Rome, the Septemviri Epulonum. It is of brick-faced concrete covered with slabs of white marble standing on a travertine foundation. The pyramid measures 100 Roman feet (29.6 m) square at the base and stands 125 Roman feet (37 m) high.

In the interior is the burial chamber, a simple barrel-vaulted rectangular cavity measuring 5.95 metres long, 4.10 m wide and 4.80 m high. When opened in 1660, the chamber was found to be decorated with frescoes, which were recorded by Pietro Santi Bartoli. Only scant traces of these frescoes survive, and no trace of any other contents. The tomb had been sealed when it was built, with no exterior entrance, but had been plundered at some time thereafter, probably during antiquity.

Papa Rex – Traditional Restaurant in Rome since 1991 – Saint Peter – Vatican area

Proudly powered by WordPress