The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Music

With Songs They Have Sung For 2.75 Thousand Years

Views from the hills of Rome on clear sunny days are like music for the soul. I was ever so fortunate to experience this and now share it.

From the top of Janiculum Hill

Parkland at the top of Janiculum Hill is a popular and peaceful escape from the densely packed streets below.

More pics

Also called Giancolo in Italian and often consided the "Eighth Hill of Rome"

The top of the hill is also filled with monuments.


Garibaldi Monument

Janiculum Hill has played its part in defense of the city. The last occasion was in 1849 when Garibaldi held off attacking French troops.

Independence War Memorial

On Sep 20,1870, troops of the kingdom of Italy put an end to papal domination of Rome. And once again, Rome became the Italian capital.
For more on this history.

View of Janiculum Hill from the third floor of Palazzo Corsini.

For connection - see older post

Manfredi Lighthouse (center right)

Built in 1911, a gift from Italians in Argentina.

Can you see the lighthouse now?

Aventine Hill

Largely residential and one of the most peaceful areas of the city.

A panarama

From top of Aventine Hill
Next to basilica of Santa Sabina

Tiber River in foreground, hidden by the trees.

More pics of Aventine Hill and surrounding area

Right center - twin towers of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

Santa Sabina

An early Christian basilica, 425AD.
Inside, one of the oldest Crucifixions in existence.

Next to Santa Sabina

Small parks abound in Rome

Kilroy For relevance - see older posts

More Business (less is more)

For More About the Business of Site Seeing While the Wild Hordes (of tourists) Migrate - See Older Posts

The Pantheon


Facing the Piazza della Rotonda

More pics of The Pantheon and the Piazza della Rotonda

Inside the Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

The Colosseum

More Colosseum pics

The Spanish Steps

More pics of and view from Spanish Steps

View from the Spanish Steps

Campo de' Fiori

"Cardinals and noblemen used to rub shoulders with fishmongers and foreigners in the piazza's market, making it one of the liveliest areas of medieval and Renaissance Rome. Today's market retains much of the traditional lively atmosphere."

"In the center of the square is a statue of Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake for heresy here in 1600."

Lively tourist business

More Campo de' Fiori pics

Piazza Navona

The foundations of this elongated oval were the ruined grandstands of the vast Stadium of Domitian (forerunner of the Colosseum)

The Baroque style of Bernini and Borromini dominates

More Piazza Navona pics

Rome has some of the lovliest fountains in the world. Many are drinking fountains while some cascade from the sides of buildings. All these hundreds of fountains have potable water, even today. (note; I did regularly drink the tap water, but didn't brave to drink from any fountains) These fountains are a testament to magnificent Roman engineering of aqueducts in the 2nd

Century BC; built to bring in water from surrounding hills, some over 50 miles away. - sounds like I'll need another post for that!

Fontana del Moro (foreground) - Bernini's 1653 remodel of the sea god.

Migration of Wild Hordes is Never Ending in Rome

Roamin in Rome or Roman in Rome, Because When in Rome...

(Must be the "in" thing to do)

Of all the wild animals on earth that migrate, that sub-species of homo sapiens called touriste interuptus is by far the most destructive. Drawn by increased mobility on a shrinking planet with an inexorable drive to check off boxes on their bucket list, they are easy to spot; even though many would tell you they would like to blend in. While yours truly portends to prefer the non-touristy environs, he too feels the pull and obligation to do the dirty deed! As a citizen of the current and shortest-lived of all this world's empires, I get to see what remains of the greatest and longest lived - The Roman Empire! Ah Rome, the eternal city, founded some 2,750 years ago and continuously inhabited. Not built in a day, of course, but a monumental city by any accounts, past and present. So, in the parlance of the day and place: Friends, Romans Countryman, lend me your ears and let us Carpe diem (Seize the Day - Horace) and forgive me Errare humanum est(To err is human - Seneca the Younger) as I, of a much later genration, will do my best Kilroy. I was there, using photography, not graffiti, although modern Rome is resplendent with that form of written expression also. Is it really true, Amor vincit omia(Love conquers all - Virgil) or are we just blowin in the wind (Bob Dylan). And now, without further ado, my homage to the rulers of the world, - the large corporations and their business:

One Days Business







It's a gorgeous day and I'm feeling great. There's the Castel Sant' Angelo. Must be getting close to the Vatican now.

It's an arch - looks like an entrance to me!








You know when your getting close to the meat of the situation, when you see all the large tour buses lined up. That's St. Peters, in the background, the center of the Roman Catholic faith. The first shrine on this site dates from 349AD; current structure completed in the 16th century. The Dome designed by Michelangelo though not completed in his lifetime.

Where the Pope speaks to the people on Sundays.

In front of St. Peters:
The Piazza San Pietro was laid out by Rome's influential artist - Bernini, between 1656 and 1667.

Kilroy

Let's take another pic, shall we!





More outside pics











Who doesn't want to mail something home with a Vatican postmark? Ok, so the outside is under construction.














Then you enter; so massive in scale, how can you not be impressed.








So you keep looking and looking and you stand in awe; over and over again.

More inside pics

What light through yonder window breaks - (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2) is what crepted into my feeble mind at this point. I remember reading somewhere about the great light, in the early AM; so at least I made it by late morning and it was special.

It took some waiting to get this pic without the crush of tourists dominating the shot. No one seemed to notice how the fresco fit the eye just so, if you took the time to look. After two hours of intense herd interplay, inside and out, I was exhausted. So, seeing the line leading to the museum and Sistine Chapel as a fork in the trail, I retreated to the peace of a wandering loner.

By leaving the Vatican without standing in line for the museum and Sistine Chapel, I ended up looking out the window of the third floor of the Palazzo Corsini and a delightful interlude filled with such magical properties still being felt today. (Hint: only the second floor is open to the general public) But, that's a story for another day...

Rome Begins Just South of Trastevere

At least it did for me. I had very little trouble in navigation from the airport, taking the “local” train, then the Tram, and finally a short walk down a side street lined with “relatively” new tallish apartment buildings to find my B&B. On the other hand, I had a great deal of trouble pronouncing Trastevere. From, the moment I arrived, waiting at the luggage carousel I was being counseled on the correct pronunciation. This area was to be my primary stomping ground for the next two weeks and I can’t even say it properly. After much coaching over the next few days, of course, I did manage (with much thought each time) to make a decent stab at it. And by the second week, it was - second nature to me now, by George, I’ve got it! (that’s – Tras-tehv-ah-ray)

Upon arrival, my Italian is almost non-existent - not nearly as good as my French or Spanish, which I don’t speak either, but my survival skills in those are well-practiced and I can pick up a little in conversation. The Italian people, however, are warm and helpful, even many in Rome. Before the end of my trip, I have improved to a decent level of survival speak, even if I can’t hear a thing!

Looking Left

After settling into my marvelous B&B and benefiting from the spectacular weather, I walk out, look left, look right, it’s almost heaven – not West Virginia, it’s Trastevere, well the main street of “Viale di Trastevere”. Of course, cars, mostly very small and non-descript abound, but that's an other post! I'm off to wander and explore the center of my world's sojourn- Trastevere.

Looking Right

Trastevere is the 13th district of Rome, its name derives from the Latin “Trans Tiberim” (beyond the Tiber). It was placed out of the town and joined to the rest of Rome through the Subliciotale bridge until the emperor Aurelian (270-275 A.D.) included it within the Roman walls.

One of the old walls of the city

Just the charm of the narrow cobbled streets and buildings

The light and the small fountain at the end of the street draws me toward it.

Then up the Janiculum Hill for views and what views. I am told Romans love to look down from the hills, maybe it's cause Rome was founded as a hill town.

More street scenes of Trastevere

One one level, my lovely magical carpet ride continues, but on the other hand, must

take of some business……..