Rome Celebrates Its 2,762nd Birthday
Today is the date Rome has chosen to mark as their date of birth and to commemorate
the founding of the city.
Images & Artwork: designslinger]
On a casual walk through the Roman Forum, after passing the ubiquitous SPQR carved
into marble, we climbed a very long staircase up the Capitoline Hill. As we approached the summit and the throngs of tourists, we noticed this statue high on a pedestal tucked in a corner at the top of the stairs. The bronze sculpture is a replica of the original, which is in one of the Capitoline Museums, and shows the twins Romulus and Remus suckling at the teat of a She-Wolf; and so the story of Rome begins.
Romulus and his bother Remus were thrown into the Tiber River by their mean uncle the
King of Alba, who was hoping they would drown. Instead they washed up on the river bank and were suckled back to life by a She-Wolf. The brothers had sibling rivalry issues and Romulus killed Remus, and then went on to found the city of Rome in 753 B.C. That's the legend according the historian Livy, yet archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation on the Palatine Hill dating to the 8th century B.C. The original statue is from the Etruscan era and the figures of the boys were added sometime in the 15th century. I guess the thought of a lone She-Wolf was more than Renaissance Rome could handle.
entablature, Forum of Nerva; Marble statue, Remnant of marble column capital, Colosseum /Images & Artwork:
designslinger]
Rome is a city of marble, brick and stucco, and there is something majestic about marble
that you don't seem to find in brick and stucco. The Forum and the surrounding area are full of marble ruins. Imagine how awestruck visitors were when they came into the splendor of the various Forums. It's hard to imagine when you're standing there today, but some fairly good recreations exist in a number of epic films, as well as digital representations available online.
Of course nothing beats the exquisite, marble statuary found in church after church. Sure,
there is Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's, but I have to tell you, we stumbled upon some of the most extraordinary sculptures in some of the most seemingly obscure places.
When we visited the Colosseum, a piece of marble from the top of a long-lost, fallen
column was sitting at eye level. The scale was astonishing. When seated at the top of a column, they don't appear this large at all.
designslinger]
Rome is a walking city if ever there was one. We tromped the cobblestoned streets much
to the chagrin of our toes. But, it is the only way to discover the delights the city has to offer. You never knew when you turned a corner if another glorious church facade would suddenly reveal itself to you. The explosion of color on the Spanish Steps on a sunny day in April is breathtaking. You may come upon a woman with a bundle of flowers in her arms, as well as on her head. And, then there is the graffiti. The most surprising, and alarming find was all the spray paint covering building after 400-year-old building. We knew we were in store for some amazing urban art, but never anticipated this type of contemporary street art in such abundance.
Images & Artwork: designslinger]
As you walk from one neighborhood to the next, a narrow street will suddenly open up on
to a lovely Piazza. Not every piazza is huge, some are small, and many are marked by a fountain or obelisk at its center. The Romans were actually big on adaptive reuse, or should I say adaptive pillaging. Obelisk after after obelisk were ripped from their bases in Egypt, and place on pedestals throughout the city.The Romans even pillaged from themselves, taking an obelisk the emperor Augustus might had removed from the Nile basin and placed in one part of town, relocating the monument to another part of Rome, and putting it on a "modern" Renaissance pedestal. Or, taking a couple of the large, granite tubs from the baths of Caracalla and turning them into a pair fountains for the piazza in front of the Farnese family's palazzo.
Then there are the doorways you discover with several different eras of history all
combined to create one stunning entryway.
There is so much to see and experience in Rome. If you have never been, try to get there.
It's one of those things in life you should do before you can't get around very well. If you love art, architecture and history, then you absolutely must get yourself to Rome - and soon. We hope to be there next year, in time to celebrate the city's 2,763rd birthday, on a sunny April afternoon eating a pizza at our favorite trattoria, in a small square in the Trastevere. Buon compleanno, Roma!
Posted by designslinger at 4/21/2009 4:30 AM 
Categories: Cities, Architecture, History
Tags: Trastevere Marble Rome Farnese Caracalla birthday Roman Forum
Categories: Cities, Architecture, History
Tags: Trastevere Marble Rome Farnese Caracalla birthday Roman Forum
Comments