Rome: Heaven for historians |
Posted: April 24, 2018 |
Let’s play a quick round of rapid fire, shall we? Say the first word that strikes your mind as soon as you hear the following words: Octavian? Cleopatra? The Celts? And finally Renaissance? It’s safe to say that you have slithered into an imaginary architectural realm of Rome. Rome has a powerful history. A history glorified by the fact that once being persecuted for being a christian, this country has fully converted into one , with Vatican City being the head of Roman Catholic Church. Apart from having a religious history Rome has also flourished from being the epicentre of classical & imperial builts to fascists architecture.
Let’s take a stroll on the enchanting architecture of Rome & the events that led to their establishment or the historical events that these edifices have been witness to. The Arch of Constantine:
Constantine was a controversial figure but apart from employing administrative, civil reforms to the empire during his reign, he is mostly remembered for being the emperor who contributed enormously towards spreading & retaining christianity & being baptised on his deathbed.
The Arch of Constantine, a significant 20 metres high monumental arch, located in between the Colosseum & the Temple of Venus and Roma along the Triumphalis Way commemorated the victory of Constantine over Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge.
You can take a taxi ride from Fiumicino Airport to the vatican city. From there it’s a 20 minute ride via Vittorio Emanuele.
The second renaissance capital of Italy or Rome as we know it, saw the emergence of column-supported canopy & entrances decorated with rustigated blocks. One such architectural beauty is the St Peter's Basilica ( remember Dan Brown’s Angel & Demon?) . Apart from being the largest church in the world, the Papal Basilica is regarded as the greatest of all churches of Christendom.
Traditionally, regarded as the burial site of St Peters, the basilica holds significance due to its liturgical functions & its pilgrimage value.It holds a rank of Major Basilica among four others, wherein the pope presides over several liturgies and is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1984.
You can take a taxi ride from Fiumicino Airport to Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana, Tiburtina. If you get off in Trastevere you can take the train FR3 (to Viterbo or Cesano) or FR5 (to Pisa) both leading to Roma San Pietro. This station is at walking distance to the St Peter’s Basilica.
The neoclassical rome saw the influence & blend of ancient Greek & ancient Rome civilizations wherein instead of using contrast of light and dark , the emphasis was laid on detailed work on the walls.
Situated between the Capitoline Hill and Piazza Venezia, this monument made entirely of white marble was designed to commemorate the First king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II & his determination to see Italy as a unified nation.
You can take a 45 minutes taxi ride from Fiumicino Airport via A91.
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