Tag Archives: Michelangelo

April 20, 2013 · 11:52 am

I Love Italian Renaissance Art

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Euro-standard circulation Italian 1 euro coin (national/obverse side). The design represents Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of the proportions of the human body (also known as the Vitruvian man). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Leonardo da Vinci was the embodiment of a Renaissance Man because he excelled at a variety of worthwhile endeavors. He was a celebrated sculptor, painter, architect, engineer and scientist. Leonardo’s “Vitruvian Man” represents the perfectly proportioned man.

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Watch the following video showing four major Italian Renaissance artists and their work : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVQBVE9BzYk

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Michelangelo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbZen2OOA3M&feature=related

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Titian, Raphael, Giotto Video:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBTtjDMBIbk&feature=related

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Botticelli Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOILQzTfYww&feature=related are notable Renaissance artists who were commissioned by wealthy families and popes.

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Leonardo (Photo credit: Arenamontanus)

The contributions of these artists decorate the walls of churches, palaces and museums around the world. The Renaissance flourished in Italy and Italian masters graced humanity with a wealth of masterpieces

Bartolommeo Vivarini from Venice produced works of art for cities across Northern Italy and down the Adriatic Coast including this altarpiece of “Saint Mark” around 1490.

Cosme Tura from Ferrara painted “Saint George” around 1474 for the Church of San Giorgio fuori le Mura in Ferrara.

Carlo Crivelli from Venice painted the “Madonna and Child” in 1468.

Alessandro Mattia da Farnese from Rome painted the “Portrait of Prince Augusto Chigi” in 1664.

Giovanni di Paolo from Sienna painted “The Madonna and Child with Angels” in 1475.

Sano di Pietro from Siena painted “Saint Catherine of Siena” in about 1450.

Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) from Florence painted “The Madonna and Child” in 1411-1413.

Giotto‘s “God the Father with Angels”

Saint Jerome

Bernardino Luini from Milan painted “The Conversion of the Magdalene” (An Allegory of Modesty and Vanity) in 1520 with gesturing hands.

Catena’s “Holy Family”

I love Luca Signorelli’s, ”The Coronation of the Virgin” 1508

Reasons Why The Renaissance Started in Italy (brighthub.com)
So How Did the Renaissance Begin? (vino-con-vista.us)
Vatican Museums (romeinfo.wordpress.com)
Excellent Art Galleries Worth Visiting in Italy (vino-con-vista.info)
Face of Devil Discovered in Giotto Fresco (inquisitr.com)
The devil’s in the details of a Giotto fresco (msnbc.msn.com)

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Tagged as Alessandro Mattia de Farnese, Art, art history, Art of Italy, Bartolommeo Vivarini, Bernardino Luini, Bernardino Luini An Allegory of Modesty and Vanity, Carlo Crivelli, Coronation of the Virgin, Cosme Tura, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Giotto, Giovanni de Paolo, History, Italian Renaissance, Italy, italy travel, Italy Travel Guides, Leonardo, Leonardo da Vinci, Luca Signorelli, Madonna (art), Michelangelo, Mona Lisa, Raphael, Renaissance, Renaissance art, Renaissance Florence, Rome, Saint Jerome, Sano di Pietro, Titian, Travel and Tourism, Trevi Fountain, Venice, Vitruvian Man, Vitruvian Man in a Square and in a Circle

April 18, 2013 · 10:41 am

Top Treasures of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel in Italy

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Carlo Brogi (1850-1925) – “Rome – Vatican – Museo Pio-Clementino – Augustus in his older age”. Catalogue # 8262. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Fresco of Mercury – Vatican Museum – Rome, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vatican Museums (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A spiral staircase inside one of the Vatican Museums (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Augustus of Prima Porta, statue of the emperor Augustus in Museo Chiaramonti, Vatican, Rome (with white background). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bust of Augustus of the Prima Porta type. Roman artwork, most of the bust is a modern restoration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Vatican Museums ( Musei Vaticani) are located inside the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection acquired by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The collection includes some of the most renowned classical sculptures like the Apoxyomenos (Athlete Washing) in the Museo Pio Clementino that houses works of Greek and Roman sculpture. This statue was discovered in 1849 when it was excavated in Trastevere. This statue is a 1^st century Roman copy of an original Greek bronze by Lysippus.

Athlete Washing at the Vatican Musuem

I can’t resist the ancient “giant head ” sculptures in Rome! They truly relflect the egos that have dominated this town for centuries.

Classic vatican giant head

The museums contain some of the most important masterpieces of sacred Renaissance art. The intricate and elaborate Roman mosaic floors were made from tesserae colored marble.

Roman Mosaic floor of Neptune at the Vatican Museums

Many Roman military leaders were commemorated with statues throughout Rome. The statues were originally painted with vibrant colors like this replica of the Prima Porta Augustus shown below. The original marble Augustus of Prima Porta is also in the museum.

The statue of Augustus Caesar was discovered in 1863, in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome. Augustus Caesar’s wife, Livia Drusilla, retired to the villa after his death. The sculpture is now displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums.

There are 54 galleries (salas) in the museums. The last one is the Sistine Chapel. You will witness one of the oldest and most comprehensive art collections in the world! Let’s take a look at some of Vatican Museum’s treasures and masterpieces.

Vatican Museum Treasures

The Goddess of Fertility

1.Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century. They were visited by 4,310,083 people in the year 2007.

The Vatican Museums trace their origin to one marble sculpture, purchased 500 years ago; the sculpture of Laocoon.

The story of Laocoön was the subject of a play by the Greek writer Sophocles. According to Greek mythology, Laocoön was killed after attempting to expose the ruse of the Trojan Horse by striking it with a spear. The snakes were sent by Athena, and were interpreted by the Trojans as proof that the horse was a sacred object. The most famous account of these events is in Virgil‘s Aeneid. Laocoön warned his fellow Trojans against the wooden horse presented to the city by the Greeks. In the Aeneid, Virgil gives Laocoön the famous line Equo ne credite, Teucri / Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes, or “Do not trust the Horse, Trojans: Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts.” This line is the source of the saying: “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

The statue was unearthed in 1506 near the site of the Domus Aurea of the Emperor Nero in Rome, in the vineyard of Felice De Fredis near the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Laocoon in Vatican Museums

Pope Julius II, an enthusiastic classicist, sent Giuliano da Sangallo and Michelangelo Buonarroti to examine the discovery. On their recommendation, the pope immediately purchased the sculpture from the vineyard owner. The pope put the sculpture of the Trojan “Laocoön and His Sons” who were named Antiphantes and Thymbraeus in the grips of a sea serpent on public display at the Vatican exactly one month after its discovery. It is believed that the scultures wre from the island of Rhodes and there names were Agesander, Athenodros and Polydorus.

2. The Stanze della Segnatura are four rooms decorated by Raphael. They formed part of the apartment situated on the second floor of the Pontifical Palace that was chosen by Julius II della Rovere (pontiff from 1503 to 1513) as his own residence and used also by his successors. The pictorial decoration was executed by Raphael and his school between 1508 and 1524. I love Raphael’s “Baptism of Constantine” and the “Deliverance of Saint Peter.”

Raphael’s Baptism of Constantine

Raphael’s ceiling

Raphael’s Deliverance of St. Peter

3. The Sistine Chapel houses Michelangelo’s brilliant frescoes on the ceiling and lunettes above the windows. Here’s a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

In 1473, Pope Sixtus IV commissioned Giovannni De Dolci to build a chapel for Papal ceremonies. This Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican Museum a few blocks away from St. Peter’s. It is famous for its architecture and its elaborate decorative frescoed interior. Many Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio and others contributed to the magnificent art display in the Chapel.

Commissioned by Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo

He resented the commission but the ceiling and The Last Judgement (1535–1541) is Michelangelo’s crowning achievement in painting. The “Last Judgment” is located on the wall behind the main altar and was completed in 1541.

Saint Jerome holding his flayed skin with Michelangelo’s self-portrait

Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” (1536-1541). It represents a vortex of divine, human and diabolical bodies. Some souls are blessed and reach paradise and others are damned and cast down into an inferno.

Vatican Last Judgement Information Board

There are information boards in the Cortile della Pigna that will help you navigate the art in the Chapel.

Check out the large Roman bronze pinecone that was once a fountain. It is positioned in front of the niche in the courtyard.

Michelangelo’s Ceiling in the Sistine Chapel

One of the primary functions of the Sistine Chapel is that it is a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. During a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel. The smoke from the chimney serves as a signal. If white smoke appears, it is generated by burning the ballots of the election. The white smoke signifies the election of a new pope. If a candidate receives less than a two-thirds majority, the cardinals send black smoke up the chimney. This is created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives, therefore it signals that the election has not been successful.

4. The Gallery of the Busts (Galleria dei Busti) is where many ancient busts are displayed in the Museum of Antiquities.

Ancient busts at the Vatican Museum

The Bust Room in the Vatican Museum

5. The Map Room at the Vatican Musuems is incredible. The barrel vaulted ceiling of the “Gallery of Maps” is the hallway that leads to the former residences of the popes. The map room illustrates stories of the saints and events charted on the wall maps. It is located on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican. This magnificent hallway contains a series of painted topographical maps of Italy. The maps are based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. The gallery was commissioned in 1580 by Pope Gregory XIII.It took Danti three years (1580–1583) to complete the 40 panels.

A Map of Sardinia at the Vatican Museums

6. The Sarcophagus of Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine is located in Sala a Croce Greca. The ornate object is carved from red porphyry stone with Roman horsemen and barbarian prisoners from the 4^th century.

St. Helen’s Sarcophagus

7. The Pinacoteca Vaticana was commissioned by Pope Pius IV in 1790. The collection was first housed in the Borgia Apartment, until Pope Pius XI ordered construction of a proper building. The designer was Luca Beltrami. The art gallery contains paintings by Giotto, Lippi, Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio including:

Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint Jerome

Fra Filippo Lippi’s Coronation of the Virgin

1. Giotto, “The Stefaneschi Altarpiece”

2. Fra Angelico, “Madonna and Child with St. Dominic, St. Catherine and the Angels

3. ”Filippo Lippi, “Coronation of the Virgin”

4. Bellini, “Pieta” (1471)

5. Pinturicchio, “Adoration of the Magi” (in the Borgia Apartment)

6. Leonardo da Vinci, “St. Jerome” (1480) Raphael’s Oddi Altarpiece, “Crowning of the Virgin” (1503) and “The Foligno Madonna”

Caravaggio’s Entombment

7. Caravaggio’s, “The Deposition” shows Christ’s hand brushing againstthe tombstone.Saint John the Evangelist and Nicodemus, the Pharisee and doctor of law, struggle to support his body.The Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene are bent toward Jesus.This painting was originally commissioned for a church in Rome but it was moved here when itwas returned from France.

“The Vatican Museums Under the Stars” Exhibit is open from May 6-July 15 every Friday. Get your tickets on-line, get there early and proceed to the Sistine Chapel immediately. I was fortunate enough to almost have the entire Chapel to myself!!

After admiring the amazing art, helix staircase and sculptures collected by the papacy since the 15^th century in the Vatican Museum, have a Vino con Vista by enjoying a glass of Cesanese or Montepulciano di Abruzzo wine in one of the charming neighborhood cafes like Bar Santa Anna or Pizzeria il Migliore on via Santa Anna.

Vatican Museums Helix Staircase by Giuseppe Momo in 1932

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides. To learn more about Rome visit www.vino-con-vista.com

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Tagged as Apoxyomenos, Arts and Entertainment, Attractions at the Vatican Museums in Italy, Augustus of Prima Porta, Catholic Church, Domus Aurea, Michelangelo, Neptune, Pope, Pope Julius II, Prima Porta, Prima Porta Augustus, Renaissance art, Rome, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Trojan Horse, Vatican CIty, Vatican Museum, Villa of Livia

April 16, 2013 · 11:26 am

I Love Caravaggio

Caravaggio (Photo credit: Carmen Alonso Suarez)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Sacrifice of Isaac (detail) – WGA04139 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caravaggio, Resurrection (Photo credit: Martin Beek)

I love art and Caravaggio is one of my favorite artists. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a famous Baroque Italian artist.

A portrait of the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caravaggio (1572-1610) (Michelangelo Merisi)

Michelangelo Merisi, named Caravaggio, Italian painter, was born in Caravaggio in 1571 and died in Porto Ercole in 1610. Caravaggio trained as a painter in Milan under Simone Peterzano who trained under Titan. He moved to Rome in his early twenties. He died at the age of 38 of a fever in Porto Ercole in Tuscany.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Fortune Teller – WGA04082 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

caravaggio (Photo credit: u m a m i)

Between 1592, “when Caravaggio arrived in Rome, to the end of Gregory XV Ludovisi’s pontificate in 1623 was one of the greatest artistic period’s of all time.” Many great artists converged on Rome in that period: Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni and Rubens.

Rome has many of Carravaggio’s masterpieces. They are on display in churches, museums, places and former residences of nobility. Travel to Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Popolo, Villa Borghese and the Vatican City to view his work.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Calling of Saint Matthew (detail) – WGA04117 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caravaggio depicted his subjects with intense realism. His revolutionary use of light is a technique known as Chiaroscuro that blended shifts of light and dark. This is also called Tenebrism. Tenebrism uses dramatic illumination “where there are violent contrasts of light and dark and darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image.”

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Calling of Saint Matthew (detail) – WGA04115 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Martyrdom of St Matthew (detail) – WGA04123 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

His first public commissions in Rome were about Saint Matthew the Apostle: the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and the Calling of Saint Matthew. These were completed between 1599-1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Martyrdom of St Matthew (detail) – WGA04125 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Martyrdom of St Matthew – WGA04121 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Between these two paintings in the chapel, he also painted The Inspiration of Saint Matthew in the altar in 1602. These three adjacent canvases by Caravaggio in the Contarelli chapel represent the story from the Gospel of Matthew.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Inspiration of Saint Matthew – WGA04128 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Italiano: Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi, cappella Contarelli. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my favorite Caravaggio paintings is Bacchus (the Roman god of wine). You can find Caravaggio’s Bacchus at the Uffizi Museum in Florence, Italy.

Image via Wikipedia

If you want to go on a Caravaggio Treasure Hunt in Rome you can also visit the Galleria Doria Pamphili for more paintings.

Just a short walk from Piazza Venezia in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj on Piazza del Collegio. Admire “Riposo dalla fuga in Egitto”, “Maddalena” and “San Giovanni Battista”.

[ C ] Caravaggio – Judith Beheading Holofernes (1599) (Photo credit: Cea.)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Martha and Mary Magdalene – WGA04101 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At Galleria Doria Pamphili on Via del Corso you can admire the “Rest on the Flight from Egypt”

Michelangelo Caravaggio 027 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rest on the Flight into Egypt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and “Pentilent Mary Magdalene”

Michelangelo Caravaggio 002 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Then visit the Church of St. Augustine to see the “Madonna of the Pilgrims”

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Madonna di Loreto – WGA04156 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Musicians (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Sick Bacchus – WGA04072 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Medusa – WGA04108 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Borghese gallery (Piazzale Scipione Borghese, www.galleriaborghese.it/ has many pieces; the world’s greatest collection including: ”Giovane con la canestra di frutta”, “Bacchino malato”, “San Girolamo”, “Madonna dei Palafrenieri”, “Davide con la testa di Golia” and finally “San Giovannino”.

“San Francesco in meditazione” in the church of the Cappuccini Convento on Via Veneto is also attributed to Caravaggio, while the mythical “Narciso” and the “Decapitazione di Oloferne” are in the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Barberini.

Other masterpieces by the great Lombard artist can be found in the Corsini Galleria on Via della Lungara (“San Giovanni Battista nel Deserto”), in the Vatican Museum (“Deposizione di Cristo”), in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Piazza del Popolo (“Converzione di San Paolo” and the “Crocefissione di San Pietro”); in Sant’Agostino on Via della Scrofa (“Madonna dei Pellegrini”). Finally in San Luigi dei Francesi on the piazza of the same name there is a series of paintings which tell the story of Saint Matthew in the Cappella Contarelli of the church, they are: “Vocazione”, “Il Martirio”, and “San Matteo e l’Angelo”. In the Casino Ludovisi, the last remains of the Villa Ludovisi on Via Lombardia, Caravaggio created frescos in oil on the walls of the alchemy laboratory, painting “Giove, Nettuno and Plutone” in triumph around the sun.

2010 marked the 400th anniversary of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s death. He was 39 when he died and had spent half of his life painting professionally. While Caravaggio’s passing came as no huge surprise to his contemporaries, the rest of us have been trying to flesh out his chronology ever since. See, when he painted, he painted in bursts and, usually, out of necessity. There seem to have been long intervals in between painting bursts when life, flight and threats of imprisonment and/or execution took over. Given the circumstances and doing the math, quite a few too many Caravaggio canvases have surfaced over the centuries to be credible.

To learn more about Italy read Dr. Lovero’s Travel Guides . They are available at www.vino-con-vista.com

Vatican Museums (Photo credit: ocad123)

How to Decipher the Eternal City of Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
Art at the Pinacoteca Vaticana in the Vatican Museums (vinoconvistablog.me)
Caravaggio ‘ was killed by the Knights of Malta’ (telegraph.co.uk)
Book Review: Caravaggio – Painter of Miracles by Francine Prose (todworner.wordpress.com)

Book Review: Caravaggio – Painter of Miracles by Francine Prose (todworner.wordpress.com)

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April 14, 2013 · 11:19 am

My Glorious Vino Con Vista Weekend in Rome: Non Basta una Vita

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If you follow my posts, you already know that I love Rome! The glorious city of Rome is adorned with spectacular historic sites, sumptuous fountains, magnificent art treasures, charming cafes and world-class restaurants and hotels. as

If you are traveling to Rome for a weekend, here’s a list of my favorite attractions for a “Glorious Vino con Vista” weekend in Rome. But remember that the Italians say: ‘non basta una vita’, “a lifetime is not enough” to visit 28 centuries of history!

Jump on the Hop-on, Hop-off Bus and visit the following sites:

Image via Wikipedia

1. Rome is filled with incredible historic monuments! Pay tribute to the Papacy in the Vatican City formerly ruled by Pope Benedict XVI and presently lead by newly elected Pope Francis. Vatican City is the world’s smallest sovereign country in both land mass and population. It serves as the spiritual headquarters for the Roman Catholic Church.

English: Bernini’s baldacchino, inside Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square, Rome (2007). Polski: Papież Benedykt XVI podczas Audiencji Generalnej na Placu św. Piotra w Rzymie (2007). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St Peter’s Basilica with its famous dome is one of the highlights of Rome’s skyline. This area is one of my favorite “Vino-con Vista” destinations in Rome. The impressive architecture in this area offers a host of cafés and shops where you can buy rosary beads and interesting frames filled with pictures or Popes. My sons joke about all of my Pope frames.

Florence, Rome, Perugia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Bernini’s “Gloria” surmounting the “Cathedra Petri”, also by him. Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A 5×6 segment panoramic image taken by myself with a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L lens from the dome of St Peter’s in Vatican City in Rome. Français: Image panoramique composée de 5×6 photos prises par David Iliff à l’aide d’un appareil Canon 5D et une lentille 70-200mm f/2.8L à partir du dôme de la Basilique Saint-Pierre au Vatican. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

Wait in line at Saint Peter’s Basilica to see Michelangelo’s Pieta and the incredible dome. Admire Bernini‘s Monument to Pope Alexander VII and take pictures and videos with your iPad of Bernini’s monumental bronze Baldachinno (canopy) over the Tomb of Saint Peter.

English: Interior of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Rome Česky: Uvnitř Baziliky svatého Petra, Vatikán, Řím (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do not leave Rome without seeing these sites! Send some postcards from the post office as you soak up the Baroque genius in this magical city.

Image via Wikipedia

2. Wander through the Papal Palaces at the Vatican Museums and admire the beauty the Sistine Chapel.

The left half of the entire ceiling, after restoration (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo’s contributions to the remarkable Sistine Chapel include his legendary Last Judgement and the spectacular frescoed ceiling. “The Last Judgement” depicts the division of the damned from the redeemed. Jesus commands the center of the wall with his right arm raised over his head. Under that raised arm, his mother Mary is crouched at his side. Saint Bartholomew, with his flayed skin, has the face of Michelangelo and is seated in front of Jesus.

Watch this short clip: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1kpcQm/:1cmVYfe2n:Z1jzCq$!/www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html/

The ceiling vault depicts nine scenes from the book of Genesis beginning at the altar end of the chapel: The Separation of Light from Darkness, The Creation of the Sun and the Moon, The Separation of Land from Water, The Creation of Adam, The Creation of Eve, and The Temptation of Adam and Eve combined in one panel with the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Then there is the Sacrifice of Abel, The Flood and finally, The Drunkenness of Noah. He painted the entire ceiling lying on his back.

Do not miss the Raphael Rooms. Raphael was born in Urbino in 1483. In 1508, he was summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II to decorate the papal apartments in the Vatican Palace. The first room he tackled was the Pope’s Library and office called the Stanza della Segnatura. This room has my favorite work of art by Raphael called “The School of Athens.”

A Escola de Atenas, afresco no Vaticano (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The themes he selected were Theology, Poetry, Philosophy and Jurisprudence. “The School of Athens” fresco represents “Philosophy.” It is filled with figures of people thinking, writing, arguing and reading. Basically, it represents a gathering of intellectuals where everyone is engaged in learning.

The School of Athens (detail). Fresco, Stanza della Segnatura, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Plato is in the center under the arch (on the left) in the red toga with his finger pointing upward toward the sky. He is demonstrating that all ideal concepts are found in the heavens; as he believed that we should aspire to imitate the divine. He’s holding a copy of “Timaeus.” The close-up shot of Plato, has the face of Leonardo da Vinci.

I found the numbered picture in a Twitter post by art historian Jeff Titelius. I think you will find the description of the cast of characters quite intellectually stimulating.

1: Zeno of Citium 2: Epicurus 3: unknown 4: Boethius or Anaximander or Empedocles? 5: Averroes 6: Pythagoras 7: Alcibiades or Alexander the Great? 8: Xenophon 9: unknown [14][13] or the Fornarina as a personification of Love [15] or (Francesco Maria della Rovere?) 10: Aeschines or Xenophon? 11: Parmenides? 12: Socrates 13: Heraclitus (Michelangelo) 14: Plato (Leonardo da Vinci) 15: Aristotle 16: Diogenes 17: Plotinus (Donatello?) 18: Euclid with students (Bramante?) 19: Zoroaster 20: Ptolemy? R: Apelles (Raphael) 21: Protogenes (Il Sodoma, Perugino, or Timoteo Viti). Photo: WikiMedia Commons.

Standing next to Plato, Aristotle (in blue) is holding his book inscribed “Nicomachean Ethics” in his left hand with his right hand pointing forward.

Detail of The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio, 1509, showing Plato (left) and Aristotle (right) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the right foreground of the scene, Euclid is drawing a geometrical figure with his protractor, but his face is really Bramante.

A Greek mathematician performing a geometric construction with a compass, from The School of Athens by Raphael. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The School of Athens ( ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the steps to the left is Pythagoras, writing in a book. In front of him, with his head resting on his hand and sitting alone in the forefront is “Heraclitus” with the pencil in his right hand. He has the face of Michelangelo.

Raphael- School of Athens, detail showing R’s portrait of Michelangelo as Heraclitus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Each significant philosopher in the “School of Athens” has an group of eager listeners. Pope Julius II definitely picked the right artist for his office! Raphael is peeriing directly at you in the close-up on the right. He is shown on the right side of Zoroaster, who is holding the globe on the left of Raphael.

Detail of The School of Athens by Raphael, 1509, showing Zoroaster (left, with star-studded globe). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Detail from The School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio, maybe an illustration of Hypatia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

3. The ancient ruins are perhaps the most impressive and incredible sights in the city! Tour the Colloseum‘s interior and follow the footsteps of the gladiators as you witness this feat of Roman engineering; a driveby approach will not suffice! This breathtaking and insightful icon of both gladiators and Emperors reflects ancient Rome.

Ruins of the Roman Forum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4. Go to the Forum which is located right next to the Colloseum. Imagine Julius Ceasar and Mark Anthony giving historic speeches at this monumental venue. It was the quintessential Roman Marketplace in its heyday!

Pantheon, Rome, Raphael’s tomb. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The famous set of columns from the Roman Forum in Rome, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

5. The Pantheon‘s classic architecture allows you to visit the tombs of historic European icons such as Popes and Italian Kings.

Raphael is buried in a niche in the Pantheon which reads: “The man here is Raphael; while he was alive, the Great Mother of All Things (Nature) feared to be outdone; and when he died, she, too, feared to die.”

Marvel at the masterpieces that adorn the circular wall and look up at the oculus that opens to the sky and sheds light throughout the magnificent structure. Originally, the great dome was sheathed in gilded bronze.

Image via Wikipedia

6. Throw a coin (over your shoulder) and make a wish in one of the world’s most famous fountains: the Trevi Fountain. Admire the ornate sculpture over the glistening water. This will guarantee a return trip to Rome. Next time, stay for atleast a week.

The Palazzo Poli forms the backdrop to the magnificent Trevi Fountain. This Palazzo is home to a major collection of copper engraving plates.

The 18th-century Trevi Fountain at night. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

7. Climb the widest staircase in Europe at the Spanish Steps. These beautiful steps join Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità dei Monti. Climb the Spanish Steps to enjoy a tour the magnificent hotels that lead to the Via Venato.

Image via Wikipedia

Admire Bernini’s Boat Fountain at the base of the stairs before strolling along Via Condotti and buying some elegant designer shoes, purses and clothing.

Fountain of the Four Rivers

8. Do not leave Rome without visiting Piazza Navona. This is one of the best Baroque Vino con Vista Venues in town. Although the glorious city of Rome is adorned with spectacular fountains; some of my favorites are located in this Square including the Fountain of the Four Rivers, The Fountain of the Moor and Neptune’s Fountain.

Rome (Photo credit: Mathew Knott)

Fountain in Piazza Navona

Some of Rome’s fountains support obelisks and others anchor famous piazzas. The dramatic fountains in Piazza Navona host a cast of interesting characters that generally spew water from their mouths. The basins are shaped in the form of chalices and decorative elements including dolphins, tritons, theatrical masks and shells. This Piazza is filled with delightful cafes and live music!

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com. Buon Viaggio!!!!!

St. Peter’s Basilica at Early Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Filed under Best Attractions in Rome, Italy Travel Guides, Top attractions in Rome Italy, Weekend in Rome

Tagged as Basilica St. Peter, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Michelangelo, Pantheon Rome, Pope, Pope Alexander VII, Raphael Rooms, Raphael's "The School of Athens", Rome, Saint Peter's tomb, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Top Attractions in Rome Italy, Vatican CIty, Vatican Museum, Vino con Vista Weekend in Rome

November 28, 2012 · 11:09 am

Silent Night Holy Night: A Vatican Christmas

: Image via Wikipedia

Rome became the fulcrum of Western spiritual life in the 4th century. The grandeur of church rituals is reminiscent of the glory days of Julius Caesar. Roman senators became bishops, scholars became monks and philosophers became theologians. The pope or high priest adopted the title held by the emperor, “Pontifex Maximus”. Look for this word in the Latin inscriptions throughout Rome.

An image from the necropolis under the Vatican in which Jesus = Mithras (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The re-birth of Rome can be traced to April 18, 1506 when Pope Julius II (Giuliano Della Rovere) laid the cornerstone for the new Basilica of Saint Peter to be built over the old Basilica of St. Peter. Bramante was commissioned by Pope Julius II to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica, originally built by Constantine between 324-329.

In the Clementine Chapel in the Vatican Grottos under the Basilica, you can see the precious chest protecting the sepulcher of St. Peter. Behind the altar, protected by a gilded bronze grid, lie the remains of the “Memoria Petri”. This monument was built by C0nstantine to protect the mortal remains of Peter. This is the epi-center of the Apostolic Roots of the Catholic Church. The grottos contain the tombs of many popes.

St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy – Saint Peter statue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the holy site where the Apostle Peter, the “Prince of the Apostles” was crucified upside down, martyred and buried. A “Scavi Tour” of the Vatican Necropolis is available with advanced reservations (at least 90 days before your departure). All requests must be made in writing to the excavations office: scavi@fsp.va. The crypt is located under the Papal Altar. For over 1900 years, pilgrims from all over the world have come to this location to venerate the remains of Saint Peter. The Scavi Tour ends at the Clementine Chapel in the grottos near the tomb of Pope John Paul II.

English: Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82) Fresco, 335 x 550 cm Cappella Sistina, Vatican. Ελληνικά: Λεπτομέρεια από την νωπογραφία του Πιέτρο Περουτζίνο, Ο Χριστός Παραδίδει τα Κλειδιά στον Πέτρο, 335 x 600 cm, Καπέλα Σιξτίνα, Πόλη του Βατικανού. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums are located a short distance from the Basilica. Magnificent works of art are housed in the Vatican City that became sovereign in 1929. It is the world’s smallest country. It occupies 109 acres and it is ruled by the pope.

My favorite time to visit the Vatican is during Christmas. The square in front of the Basilica is lavishly decorated for Christmas with a giant tree and a presepe. The square is equpped with large video screens so that during the holiday festivities, everyone gets a bird’s eye view of the holy events. Every year a different part of Italy or a different European country donates a spuce tree to the Vatican. The tree is decorated with 3000 ornaments and 1500 lights. Watch the tree lighting: http://www.romereports.com/palio/Vatican-lights-up-Christmas-tree-english-3257.html

ROME - DECEMBER 23: A Christmas tree stands i...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The glorious tree is a symbol of life and hope. It signifies the birth of Christ. Listen to Mahalia Jackson sing “Silent Night” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dsnkuuehmU&feature=fvw. The magnificent tree creates quite a spectacle in St. Peter’s Square. The generous donation of the tree is considered a great honor. This year the majestic 110 foot, 94 year old tree was donated by Luson in Trentino-Alto Adige. In addition, the Vatican erects a huge “Il Presepio” nativity scene in the square. It is generally unveiled on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, the Pope celebrates midnight mass at the Basilica. At noon on Christmas day, the Pope delivers his Christmas message and gives his blessing from the window of his apartment overlooking the square to the crowds gathered at the Vatican.

St. Peter’s Basilica is the most famous Catholic Church in the World with a staircase of over 500 steps that leads to the summit of the dome. The Treasury of Saint Peter’s houses a collection of precious relics.

On New Year’s Day there is a parade in the Vatican City. For the Epiphany, hundreds of people in medieval costumes walk along the wide avenue leading up to the Vatican called the “Street of Reconciliation” bearing symbolic gifts for the pope. The Pope says morning mass to commemorate the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the Christ child.

As the hub of the papacy, Rome had tremendous power and wealth. Artists and architects flocked to Rome to work for the popes. In a lunette over the central opening into the portico of the Basilica is Giotto’s mosaic “Navicella della Chiesa” from 1298. This restored mosaic shows Jesus walking on the waters of the Sea of Tiberias with his right hand extended toward Peter. He is inviting Peter to come with him. Peter is overcome by fear and is beginning to sink. Jesus saves him and says” “How little faith you have! Why did you falter?” This symbolic representation is inspired by the words of Christ, comparing the church to a ship that is constantly battered by storms. Saint Peter’s ship will never sink because it can always rely on the help of its founder.

In the middle of the 17th century, the papacy commissioned Gian Lorenzo Berninito work his distinctive artistic magic on Rome. The world’s greatest Baroque scultptor lavished his creative genius on the ancient city. In 1665, Bernini completed the splendid “Throne of Saint Peter in Glory” at the far end of the nave beneath the glistennig “Dove” stained-glass window in the space behind the altar. The throne depicts the power of the pontiff and is surrounded by the statues of the founding fathers of the church.

Image via Wikipedia

Bernini’s flamboyant baroque genius is apparent in other Vatican monuments. Admire his opulent bronze Baldacchino and tabernacle at the papal altar. The bronze for Bernini’s canopy was taken from the Pantheon. His incredible monument to Pope Alexander VIIis one of my favorite sculptures and memorializes the life of the pope with elaborate marble allegorical figures. Bernini also designed the Piazza outside the church. The colonnade surrounding the square was designed by Bernini between 1656 and 1666. The configuration represents two outstretched arms welcoming faithful pilgrims to the Basilica. There are 140 statues of saints watching over the Basilica above the colonade.

The dome of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St. Peter’s Basilica (Photo credit: Jungle_Boy)

Michelangelo Buonarotti designed the dome in 1546. It is almost as wide as Hadrian’s dome on the Pantheon. Michelangelo’s magnificent “Pieta” is housed in St. Peter’s Basilica. It was sculpted halfway through the last millennium when he was 25 years old. It has been protected by glass since it suffered glass a devastating attack of vandalism in 1972. A madman struck the face with a hammer and also knocked off the Madonna’s left arm.

English: Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Français : La Pietà de Michel-Ange située dans la Basilique Saint-Pierre, au Vatican. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In 1473, Sixtus IV commissioned Giovannni De Dolci to build a chapel for Papal ceremonies. This Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican Museum a few blocks away from St. Peter’s. It houses Michelangelo’s brilliant masterpieces. His monumental frescoes are a magnificent sight to behold and are considered the greatest masterpiece in the history of art. The barrel vaulted ceiling has a scene that represents Adam and Eve’s Original Sin and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The “Last Judgment” is located on the wall behind the main altar and was completed in 1541. Christ, the supreme judge, welcomes the blessed and banishes the damned. St. Peter holds the key that Christ gave him when he appointed him the head of the Church.

Bloomingdale’s Christmas Tree

Happy Holidays from www.vino-con-vista.com

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Tagged as Ancient Rome, Bernini, Bernini's Baldacchino, Buon Natale by Nat King Cole, Catholic Church, Christmas, Christmas at the Vatican, Clementine Chapel, Giotto's Navicella della Chiesa, italy travel, Italy Travel Guide, Last Judgment, Michelangelo, Peter, Pope Alexander VII, Pope John Paul II, Roman Empire, Rome, Saint Peter, Sea of Tiberias, Silent Night by Mahalia Jackson, Sistine Chapel, Sistine Chapel ceiling, St. Peter's Basilica, Travel and Tourism, Vatican, Vatican Christmas Tree, Vatican CIty, Vatican Museums, Vatican Necropolis, Vatican Scavi, vino con vista

August 16, 2012 · 11:25 am

Famous Italians Guard the Uffizi in Florence Italy

There are plenty of Famous Italians! The alcoves on the outside of the Uffizi Loggia in Florence highlight some of the most famous Italians. These famous Italians are watching over the Arno River and are probably symbolically guarding the museum’s treasures.

see filename (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Portrait recadré de Giorgio Vasari (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Uffizi houses art that was bequeathed by the Medici family and is the oldest art gallery in the world. The Uffizi contains the highest concentration of Renaissance art in the world. The gallery owns about 4,800 works of art including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, furniture and pottery. The coves on the of the exterior of the building are occupied by

Vasari, Giorgio 1511 – 1574 Cosimo I de’ Medici surrounded by his Architects, Engineers and Sculptors 1555-8 fresco Palazzo Vecchio, Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The building that contains the gallery was built for Cosimo I. It was created as a U-shaped administrative center of the Grand Duchy. The museum was originally designed by Vasari in 1560. The interior of the structure is splendid. Vasari was the court architect and master of public works for the Medici family. It was later linked to the Palazzo Vecchio to allow rulers to safely cross the city via the Vasari Corridor. Then it was linked to the Loggia dei Lanzi by Buonatalenti. The Vasari Corridor runs from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. It was created during the reign of Cosimo (1519-1574) to connect the seat of government with the court and residence at the Pitti Palace located on the left bank of the river.

Italians (from top, left to right): Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Alessandro Volta, Guglielmo Marconi, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Maria Montessori, Giordano Bruno Italiano: Italiani (dall’alto, da sinistra a destra): Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Alessandro Volta, Guglielmo Marconi, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Maria Montessori, Giordano Bruno (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Uffizi 08, Leonardo Da Vinci (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Uffizi (Photo credit: eblaser)

1. Leonardo da Vinci, the great master of the Renaissance earned the title “Universal Man.” He was a celebrated painter, sculptor, architect, engineer and scientist.

Here are some UNESCO photos Leonardo’s “ The Last Supper” in Milan:

http://www.ourplaceworldheritage.com/custom.cfm?&action=site&regionid=9&site_country=ITALY&site_name=Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci&siteid=48

The Mona Lisa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, Galleria dell’ Accademia, Venice (1485-90) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some of the other famous Italians that watch over the magnificent Uffizi masterpieces include:

Nicola Pisano, statue at the Uffizi in Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Nicola Pisano carved the pulpit in the baptistry in Pisa and the ivory Virgin and Child (1300) in Pisa’s high altar in the Duomo.

3. Giotto (1266-1337) is regarded as the father of the Renaissance. Visit his famous frescoes in the Scrovengi Chapel in Padua.

Français : Agnus Dei au fronton de l’entrée du Campanile de Giotto, à Florence, Italy. English: Agnus Dei, pediment of the entry of the Giotto’s bell tower in Florence, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Italiano: Giovanni Dupré (1817-1882), Statua di Giotto (1845), sita a Firenze presso la Galleria degli Uffizi. Fotografata da Frieda (dillo a Ubi) il 18 settembre 2004. English: Giovanni Dupré (1817-1882), Giotto (1845). Statue on the facade of the Uffizi Gallery. Français : Giovanni Dupré (1817-1882), Giotto (1845). Statue du piazzale des Offices. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4. Donatello was the first Western sculptor to create a free standing nude. See his David (1430) in the Bargello.

Donatello’s genius made him an important figure in the early Italian Renaissance period. His works include St John the Baptist as a Youth, his Marzocco (the Florentine heraldic lion) and his famous mature work of the bronze David. This is located in the Bargello Palace and Museum. Français : Sculpture de David en bronze, réalisée par Donatello entre 1430 et 1432. Elle est conservée au palais du Bargello de Florence. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Italiano: Statua di Donatello, sita a Firenze presso gli Uffizi. Fotografata da Frieda (dillo a Ubi) il 18 settembre 2004. English: Statues at the Uffizi, on the facade of the Gallery building. Famous florentines: Donatello. Picture by used Frieda, September 18 2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Medici Family: Lorenzo the Magnificent, retouched (removed text, white balance) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

5. Lorenzo Medici became the ruler of Florence in 1469 and was Pope Leo X’s father. Lorenzo de’ Medici is buried in the Medici Chapel in Florence.

Bust of Lorenzo de’ Medici by Verrocchio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pictures are public domain taken from Wikimedia. Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Alessandro Volta, Guglielmo Marconi, Leonardo da Vinci, Giordano Bruno. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6. Michelangelo’s magnificentSistine Chapel ceiling (1512) and “Last Judgment” (1541) are located in the Vatican Museums in Rome “The Last Judgment” was painted above the altar wall of the chapel and portrays souls of the dead rising up to face the wrath of God for damnation or salvation. Visit his tomb at the Franciscan church of Santa Croce.

Michelangelo Buonarotti (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Attributed to Michelangelo: Pietà Palestrina. Galleria dell’Academia, Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grave of Michelangelo in Santa Croce in Firenze. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides to Italy and Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites.

To learn more about Italian art and wine visit www.vino-con-vista.com

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Art Treasures in Trinita dei Monti in Rome

Image via Wikipedia

The gorgeous church of Trinita dei Monti (Trinity of the Mountains) is located at the top of the Spanish Steps. This church is loaded with art treasures. The location offers a spectacular view of the city of Rome from the Piazza della Trinita dei Monti.

Trinity of the Mountains is one of the few churches in Rome that has twin bell-towers. It also overlooks the Piazza de Spagne and Bernin’s Boat Fountain.

The Italian Renaissance church was consecrated in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V. The front of the church has the Obelisco Sallustiano; it was placed here in 1789. This Roman obelisk was originally constructed for the Gardens of Sallust near Porta Salaria. The hieroglyphic inscription was copied from the Egyptian obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo.

The facade was designed by Carlo Maderno and it was finished in 1570. Domenico Fontana constructed the double flight of stairs in 1587, under the guidance of Pope Sixtus V. The inscription explains that the Kings of France were instrumental in the construction of the church. The clock was added on the left tower in 1613.

The facade of the church of Trinita dei Monti in Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This church is packed with the magnificent work of Daniele da Volterra. He was a student of Michelangelo. After Michelangelo’s death, Daniele was hired to cover the genitals in his Last Judgment with vestments and loincloths.

He painted clothing on the nude figures in the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel because Pope Pius IV objected to Michelangelo’s nudes. This earned him the

nickname “Il Braghettone (the breeches maker).”

Trinità dei Monti, Capella della Rovere, frescoed by Daniele da Volterra in the 1540s. Particularly lovely is the central motif of cherubs holding up the oak-tree crest of the della Rovere family. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Descent from the Cross (c. 1545), before its 2004 restoration – Daniele da Volterra – Trinità dei Monti, Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The elegant main altar was designed by Jean de Champagne with twisted side columns. Next to the altar, admire Federico Zuccari‘s “Coronation of the Virgin” which is next to the copy of Jean-Auguste Ingres‘ “Giving the Keys to Saint Peter.” The original is in the Louvre in Paris.

Daniele da Volterra – The Presentation of the Virgin – WGA05914 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many side chapels in this church. Some are decorated with frescoes by Daniele da Volterra. His “Deposition from the Cross” and “Assumption of the Virgin“ are beautiful. The figure on the right of the Assumption includes a portrait of Michelangelo in red looking toward the viewer.

Assumption of the Virgin, by Daniele da Volterra, in the della Rovere chapel in Trinita’ dei Monti. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many beautiful objects and sculptures in this church. During the Napoleonic occupation of Rome many of the treasures were destroyed.

In 1816, after the Bourbon restoration, the church was restored at the expense of Louis XVIII.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com

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Filed under Treasures in Trinita dei Monti in Rome

Tagged as Federico Zuccari, Italy, Michelangelo, Piazza del Popolo, Rome, Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Trinità dei Monti

May 9, 2012 · 11:33 am

Capitoline Hill Adventures in Rome

Palazzo Senatorio, Rome City Hall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Piazza Campidoglio is the home of the Capitoline Museums. The museums are loaded with interesting ancient Roman statuary (www.museicapitolini.org). This area of Rome is Capitoline Hill, located between the Forum and the Campus Martius. It was the citadel of the earliest Romans; like the ancient Greek acropolis in Greece. Click on the map to see how many interesting sites are in this area; within walking distance. Some of these intriguing sites in Rome include: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and highlights of ancient Rome.

The seven hills of Rome Српски / Srpski: Седам брежуљака Рима (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you walk around Rome, look for Rome’s trusty maps to help you identify key sites in the area. Many of the sites will provide plaques that identify some of the key monuments. Here’s a map of the Viminale Hill. The Viminal Hill is the smallest of the famous seven hills of Rome. At the top of Viminal Hill there is the palace of Viminale that hosts the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior. The hill first became part of the city of Rome during the reign of Servius Tullius; Rome’s 6th king.

The forefathers of the United States named their Capitol Hill after this Roman site. Were they thinking about the massive debt problem negotiations when they named their meeting place for the United States Congress in Washington D.C. after this ancient Roman location?

Viminale Map Photo

Capitoline she-wolf, Romulus and Remus, Roman Forum, Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to legend, the mythological twins, Romulus and Remus were raised on Palatine Hill by a she-wolf. Palatine is one of Rome’s seven hills and inextricably tied to the origins of Rome. The mythical Romulus killed his brother and laid out a circuit of walls; the “Roma Quadrata” that became the nucleus of the city. When you see the statue of the she wolf nursing Romulus and Remus be sure to pet her face for good luck.

View from the Piazza del Campidoglio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Roman Emperors selected this area of Rome to house their royal residences. There is a beautiful panoramic vista of the Forum and the Colosseum from the terrace of the Palazzo Senatorio. The view from the terrace of the square is especially captivating in the moonlight.

360° panoramic view of Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome. Morning at 7 am. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The existing design of the Piazza del Campidoglio and the surrounding palazzi was created by Renaissance artist and architect Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1536–1546. He was commissioned by the Farnese Pope Paul III, who wanted a symbol of the new Rome to impress Charles V, who was expected to arrive in Rome in 1538.

A balustrade punctuated by sculptures atop the giant pilasters is one Michelangelo’s most influential design elements. The two massive ancient statues of Castor and Pollux which decorate the balustrades are not the same conceptualized by Michelangelo, which now are in front of the Palazzo del Quirinale.

The bell tower was designed by Martino Longhi the Elder and built between 1578 and 1582. Its current facade was designed by Giacomo della Porta and Girolamo Rainaldi. Michelangelo provided new fronts for the two official buildings of Rome’s civic government, the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Senatorio.

Capitoline Rome Italy

1. Climb the stairs to the top of the hill and tour the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. It is adjacent to the square and it is located near the location where the ancient citadel once stood. Visit the special Chapel of the Bambino in the church.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli (façade), Rome. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chapel of the Bambino is Santa Maria in Ara Coeli

Salone of Palazzo Nuovo, Capitoline Museums, Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Visit the Capitoline Museums. The museum complex dates back to the 15^thcentury. The museums are housed in two buildings connected by an underground passageway. The original structures were built during the 13th and 14th century. Admire the Capitoline Venus.

So-called “Capitoline Venus”, one of the best preserved copies of Praxiteles’ Cnidian Venus (4th century BC). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Palazzo Senatorio (“Senatorial Palace”) stands atop the Tabularium that had once housed the archives of ancient Rome. Peperino blocks from the Tabularium were re-used in the left side of the palace and a corner of the bell tower. It now houses the Roman city hall. The two-sided staircase was designed by Michelangelo.

The fountain in front of the staircase features the river gods of the Tiber and the Nile as well as Dea Roma (Minerva).

The palazzi are now home to the Capitoline Museums. In the museums there are plenty of interesting things to see. You can marvel at the giant body parts from the components of the “Colossus of Constantine.” They are located in the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Capitoline Museums.

The Colossus of Constantine was a colossal acrolithic statue of the late Roman emperor Constantine the Great ( 280–337) that once occupied the west apse of the Basilica of Maxentius near the Forum Romanum in Rome. Portions of the Colossus now reside in the Courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Musei Capitolini, on the Capitoline Hill, above the west end of the Forum.

Colossus of Constantine

While you’re in the museums, check out the statue of Bernini’s Medusa. She didn’t always have a bad hair day. According to the myth, when she was seduced by Poseidon in Athen’s temple, the enraged virgin goddess Athena transformed her beautiful hair into serpents.

Athena made Medusa’a f ace so unattractive that the mere sight of her face would turn a man to stone. Be careful not to gaze directly at Medusa unless you are interesed in turning into stone. The museum is loaded with ancient classical sculptures. The Pinocateca Capitolina houses Renaissance paintings by Titan, Tintoretto and Caravaggio.

3. Get some photos of Michelangelo’s magnificent piazza and the corresponding panoramic view. He moved the ancient bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD) to the center of this square. The statue stood at the center of the Piazza for centuries until it was restored in 1990. He currently resides inside the Palazzo Nuovo in the museum. Admire the copy of the original statue in the Piazza. Although the original statue is now protected from the elements, he has unfortunately lost his panaoramic “Vino con Vista.”

Marcus Aurelius

4. Visit the “Rome from the Sky” booth and buy a ticket for the glass elevator. From the terrace of the “Quadrigas” of the Victor Emmanuel structure you will have an incredible panarama of Rome. Do not let the price of the ticket intimidate you, this is an outstanding panoramic view from the top of the historic monument.

Glass elevator in Rome

“Rome from the Sky”

Rome is the Perfect Vino con Vista Destination

5. After your exciting elevator trip, have a perfect “Vino con Vista” sitting under the umbrellas at the Cafe overlooking the city of Rome. I totally enjoyed my glass of 2009 Morellino di Scansano but you have plenty of other options at this rooftop cafe.

6. You will be close enough to t0ur the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was the center of the Roman Empire. Visit the remains of arches, temples and basilicas including the House of the Vestal Virgins. The virgins were buried alive for breaking their vows. You can admire the Church of Santi Luca e Martina on the grounds of the Forum.

Arch of Titus in Rome

The Roman Senate House is where Caesar was assassinated. The Arch of Titus is a 1^stcentury triumphal arch constructed in 82 by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his brother Titus.

The arch commemorates the capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD that ended the revolt against the Romans. This arch was the inspiration for the Arch de Triomphe in Paris built in 1806. The structures in the Forum provide interesting insights into life in ancient Rome. Admire the Chiesa dei Santi Luca e Martina.

7. Walk over to Piazza Venezia and the Victor Emanuel II National Monument. The “Wedding Cake” building was initiated in 1885 to honor the 1861 Unification of the Kingdom of Italy. It was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi. It is dedicated to the first King of the unified country. The statues surrounding the base of the equestrian statue represent fourteen historically significant Italian cities. A flame burns on the front terrace of the building to mark the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”

The Victor Emmanuel National Monument

The Museo del Risorgimento has interesting exhibits dedicated to Italy’s unification. Since I am a teacher, I loved the alphabet exhibit; so remember B is for banane in Italian.

8. Admire the Triumphal Arch of Constantine. It is one of the last monuments built by Imperial Rome in 312 AD before Constantine moved the capital to the Byzantine side of the globe. It commemorates his victory over co-emperor Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge 312 AD.

Triumphal Arch of Constantine

9. On your way to the Colosseum, tour the ancient church dedicated to the twin brothers Saints Cosma e Damiano. The church is loaded with incredible mosaics.

Mosaics in the Church of Cosma e Damiano in Rome Italy

10. Time to walk over the the Colosseum. The Colosseum is Rome’s largest amphitheater. It was built in 72 AD as an elliptical sports stadium. This venue was primarily designed for deadly gladiator combat and wild animal fights. This amphitheater is the largest ever built by the Roman Empire with a base of six acres. The exterior of the grand stone ellipse was made of travertine blocks that were held together with metal camps instead of mortar.

When you tour the inside of the massive structure, you will see the elaborate network of underground passageways that were used during Roman times.

The stadium could hold up to 50,000 spectators. In ancient Rome, the spectators were covered with a canopy called a velarium suspended by ropes and masts attached to stone corbels on the upper level of the structure. Gladiatorial combat ended in the 6^thcentury.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides. To learn more about Rome visit www.vino-con-vista.com

See the Vatican’s secret files! (foodstaycation.com)
Travel advice: Are city passes worth the money? (dailymail.co.uk)
How to Decipher the Eternal City of Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
Historic Rome: A UNESCO Site in Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
Saint Agnese in Agone and Piazza Navona in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
San Marco is the Church of the Venetian Community in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
My Glorious Vino Con Vista Weekend in Rome: Non Basta una Vita (vinoconvistablog.me)
The Sack of Rome (oup.com)

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Filed under Attractions in Rome near the Capitoline Museums, Churches in Rome, Colosseum, ebooks, Emperor Constantine, Gladiators, Italian Architecture, Italian art, Italian Cheese, Italian Food, Italian Food and Wine, Italian Wine, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, King Vittorio Emamuele II, Michelangelo and the Capitoline in Rome Italy, Risorgimento, Rome, Rome History, Rome Italy, Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church in Rome Italy, Top Ten Adventures in Rome, Travel and Tourism, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Ancient Rome, Capitoline Hill, Colosseum, Cordonata, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, Michelangelo, Michelangelo and the Capitoline Museums in Rome Italy, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Palatine Hill, Pope Paul III, Rome, Romulus and Remus, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, St. Peter's Basilica, Top Ten Adventures in Rome, Viminale in Rome Italy, Washington D.C, Washington DC

May 7, 2012 · 10:56 am

The Beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome Italy

Façade with obelisk, Santa Maria sopra Minerva...

Image via Wikipedia

Piazza della Minerva with Bernini’s Elephant

The Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva was built above the ruins of a temple to honor the goddess Minerva that was built by Gnaeus Pompey the Great around 50 B.C. to honor his Asian victories. The basilica is located in Piazza della Minerva. On the right side of the facade of the basilica look for inscriptions that mark the flooding of the Tiber River between 1422 and 1870 because this is the lowest point in Rome and was subject to frequent flooding. Some of the Tiber flood waters rose to as high as 65 feet.

Interior of the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, the only Gothic church in Rome. The church houses the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Dominicans began construction on the gothic church in 1280 and used Santa Maria Novella in Florence as their model. Above the main doorway’s triangular pediment is the coat of arms of the Dominican Pope St. Pius V (1566-1572)

To the right of the neo-medieval church facade, admire the Palazzo Fonseca which is now the luxurious Grand Hotel Minerva. Stop in for a lovely Vino con Vista.

Lobby of the Grand Hotel Minerva

Grand Hotel Minerva in Rome ItalyInterior of the Grand Hotel Minerva in Rome Italy

Gian Lorenzo Bernini‘s famous smiling elephant called “Pulcino della Minerva” supports one of Rome’s smallest Egyptian obelisks that was escavated in the Domenican cloister and brought to Rome by Diocletian during his reign from 284-305. The Latin inscription at the base of the monument that was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII says “A strong mind is needed to support solid knowledge.”

see filename (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Detail of the vault (one of the 4 sibyls : Sibyl of Delphi) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bernini also has some interesting works inside the basilica including the funeral monument of Maria Raggi constructed in 1643. Before San Giovani dei Fiorentini was built, Minerva was the church of the Florentine nation and houses tombs of nobles and citizens from Florence including Pope Urban VII. Fra Angelico and Pope Paul IV. The tombs of two Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII are located in the choir area behind the altar.

Altar in Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bernini’s monument to Maria Raggi

Bernini

One of the fascinating aspects of sightseeing in Rome is visiting the churches to view an amazing spectrum of art.

There are over 900 churches in Rome Italy and they are the frequented by religious pilgrims and locals. These amazing churches are repositories of the relics of martyrs that are venerated within as well as priceless artistic treasures. The Gothic Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is located in Piazza della Minerva near the Pantheon.

Rear view of the Pantheon from Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome Italy

Look for the trusty map inside the church to help you identify the key artwork in the basilica. In front of the altar you will find a staue of St. John the Baptist by Giuseppe Obici (1858) on the right and Michelangelo’s ”Risen Christ the Redeemer” on the Left.

The churches of Rome (hotair.com)

Michelangelo’s statue of “Christ the Risen Redeemer” was started in 1519 and shipped unfinished from Florence in 1521. The bronze draping was added later.

Saint Catherine of Siena is also buried in the Basilica beneath the main altar; although her head is in the church of San Domenico in Siena. The monument was created by Isaia da Pisa in 1430. In 1939, Saint Catherine and Saint Francis of Assisi were proclaimed principal patrons of Italy and she was also proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970.

The Chapel of Saint Dominic has a painting byPaolo de Matteis and Benedict XIII’s tomb is protected by a lovely statue of “Purity” by Pieto Brracci on the right side of the ornate tomb.

Visit the Carafa Chapel of Saint Thomas Aquinas with beautiful frescoes by Filippino Lippi. I love the scene that depicts St. Thomas presenting Cardinal Carafa to the Blessed Virgin. The relics of St. Thomas were kept in this chapel until 1511, when they were moved to Naples.

In the Chapel dedicated to the Annunciation you can admire the “Annunciation” painting by Antoniazzo Romano. The Virgin is shown giving dowries to young girls who are kneeling with Cardinal Juan de Torquemada. The cardinal is buried nearby.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides about Italy. To learn more about Rome visit www.vino-con-vista.com

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Filed under Ancient Rome, ebooks, Hotels in Rome, Italian Architecture, Italian art, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta, Pantheon, Pope Alexander VII, Renaissance Art, Roman Architecture, Roman Emperors, Rome History, Siena, St. Francis of Assisi, Tiber River, Travel and Tourism, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Annunciation, Architecture, Art, Arts, Bernini, Bernini's elephant in Piazza della Minerva, Christ, Christian, Churches in Rome, Churches of Rome, Egyptian Obelisks in Rome, Florence, Fra Angelico, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Gnaeus Pompey the Great, Gothic architecture, Italy, Lazio, Michelangelo, Pantheon Rome, Piazza della Minerva, Pompey, Pope Alexander VII, Pope Paul IV, Pope Pius V, Pope Urban VII, Rome, Saint Peter, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Santa Maria sopra Minerva Basilica in Rome Italy, St. Peter's Basilica, Tiber River, Travel Blogs, Vatican CIty, Vatican Museum, Vatican Museums

March 9, 2012 · 9:26 am

The “New” Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in Chicago’s Loop

Facade of St. Peter's in Chicago

When you travel to Chicago, take time to tour the beautiful churches and Cathedral. I recently visited the “New” St. Peter’s Catholic Church located at 110 W. Madison.

Saint Peter's Church Chicago

Doors of St. Peter's in Chicago

Old Saint Peter‘s was originally on the west side of Chicago at Clark and Polk Streets.

Cornerstone from Old Saint Peter's Church

This beautiful church is located in Chicago’s Loop Neighborhood. The Chicago loop area includes many early classic skyscrapers of the Chicago School of Architecture including Burnham and Root‘s Monadnock and the Reliance Buildings.

The facade of the church is dominated by a large crucifix. The crucifix was designed by Latvian sculptor Arvid Strauss and executed by Chicago artist J. Watts. It is called “Christ of the Loop.”

St. Peter's in Chicago

A vintage photo of Old St. Peter's in Chicago

The Crucifix highlights the Gothic arch in the center of the main marble facade. The 18-foot, 26-ton Georgia pink marble sculpture was commissioned in 1950 by the Franciscan Fathers, Brothers and Benefactors of the religious order of the church.The current building was erected in 1953. The building is situated amongst the city’s landmark skyscrapers. St. Peter’s is staffed by Franciscan Friars of the Province of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who live above the church.

The cross is positioned in front of a stained glass window dedicated to Mary, Queen of Peace. The window in front of the crucifix is the only window in the church. The walls inside the church are covered with 10 recessed marble panels depicting the life of St. Francis. There is a beautiful statue of St. Francis of Assisi with his beloved animals in the church.

Saint Francis

Michelangelo's signature on Mary

There is also a replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta in the church. Buonarroti’s original sculpture is housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

Replica of the Pieta in St. Peter's in Chicago

There is an interesting display case in the basement of the church. I was captivated by the intricate hand-carved mother-of-pearl (also known as nacre) rendering of the Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper“. This icon is from the Holy Land.

The “Last Supper resides on the lower right side of the display case. It is so delicate and beautiful.

A vintage photo of Old St. Peter's in Chicago

Nacre (mother of pearl) is a composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also what makes up pearls. It is very strong, resilient, and iridescent.

This material is used extensively for this type of creative art in the Holy Land. The beautiful “Last Supper” icon was displayed at the World’s Fair in 1933.

The Church is run by the dedicated Franciscan Friars. Observe the church panels on the walls, they tell the story of St. Francis.

The Story of Saint Francis

Here are some of the stories associated with the panels:

“The tiny chapel of St. Mary of the Angels below Assisi was a gift from the Benedictines to Francis. He rebuilt the chapel in 1210, claimed it as the womb of the Order, received Clare there and chose to die on the floor in 1226.”

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

”It was from this holy place that Francis, as did Jesus, sent the friars out by two on mission to announce to all peace and repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

In 1223, Francis gathered the people who lived in the village of Greccio Italy into a mountain cave at midnight on Christmas Eve. They acted out the story of the birth of Christ, with Francis singing from the Gospel of Luke. On this day, Francis of Assisi began the tradition of the Christmas creche.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com

Silent Night Holy Night: A Vatican Christmas (vinoconvistablog.me)
Assisi – Birthplace of St. Francis (greatmentor.net)
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America (laurieslane.com)
Andersonville’s St. Lucia Festival of Lights in Chicago (vinoconvistablog.me)
Assisi, the City of Peace (iriscapes.wordpress.com)
Saint Peter in Chains (cardinalsblog.adw.org)
Santa Maria in Traspontina sits on the site of an Ancient Pyramid in Rome(vinoconvistablog.me)
Image via Wikipedia

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Filed under Saint Francis of Assisi, St. Peter's Church in Chicago

Tagged as Assisi, Catholic Church, Chicago, Christ, Francis, Francis of Assisi, Franciscan, Jesus, Michelangelo, Peter, Saint Peter, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Church in Chicago, Vatican CIty

Tag Archives: Michelangelo

I Love Italian Renaissance Art

Top Treasures of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel in Italy

I Love Caravaggio

Caravaggio (1572-1610) (Michelangelo Merisi)

My Glorious Vino Con Vista Weekend in Rome: Non Basta una Vita

Silent Night Holy Night: A Vatican Christmas

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Capitoline Hill Adventures in Rome

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Luca Signorelli is best known for his “Last Judgement” in the Cathedral of Orvieto.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides and Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites.

To learn more about Italian art read www.vino-con-vista.com Travel Guides. Ipad version available .

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