Rome - Second time around

Walking through narrow streets of a sunlit morning, varying shades of reddish-brown & ochre thrown across four or five story buildings, sat softly within the uniqueness that only Rome & perhaps Florence radiate into the subconscious. The warmth of colours exuded a mellow moodiness that lasts indefinitely, playing with the senses, casting spells, it becomes objective, quietly dictating the Roman sense of balance, shadows casting an obliqueness in the narrow streets & alleyways.

The sunlight caused hues of subtle pale blue mingling  amongst the back streets creating in places, a cool  morning haze hidden around corners, permanently settling into expectations of time-honoured history.

From Lepanto, the Metro crossed the Fiume Tevere (Tiber), passing through Flaminio then reached Spagna where the French in the 18th century, with bequeathed funds from a French diplomat, built the Spanish Steps. At the base is the Piazza di Spagna, leading to elegant shops of what was once the couturiers of fashion, shops which stocked a little 'mass produced', on the Via Condotti & nearby. Various people from many countries strolled the pavements & roadway, intermingling languages brushing shoulders with a handful of locals, peering in doorways laden with Rome.

Rain then splashed the road with gentle force, pattering off coloured umbrellas moving in each direction along the straightened Via Condotti. Light toward the other end, hid behind the participants glistening on the puddled road, raindrops falling into pools of reflections, colours gleaming & shimmering. Droplets of falling showers gathered in gutters, trodden & splashed, illuminating the road into a photographic splendor, an opportunity not to be missed.

From Flaminio Metro stop, the Piazza del Poppolo widened into fountained grandeur, shining with rain-sprinkled authority, curving around the Piazza the fountain water pouring forth from a lion's mouth.

The twin designed buildings opened out, leading the way to a multiple choice of roads, one eventually to the Tiber flowing swiftly toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. The main one lead almost directly to the Forum, passing close to the Piazza Colonna in the heart of Rome. Another to the Mausoleum of Augustus, built by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 28 BC.

Many roads leading to & from Rome were stone-paved, linking other cities & often built for the use of armies, officials & civilians. 

The Forum, a reminder of the strength of Roman rule at the height of the Roman Empire, encompasses a vast area spreading within the heart of Rome. Its many ruins emphasize the carved intricate values imposed during the reign of Rome's rulers & great men, whereby statues & monuments commemorated their existence. It was originally a market place but became the site for public speeches, gladiatorial matches & triumphant processions amongst other things. Its existing pillars, arches & buildings lay claim to the quality workmanship of the time.

A titular basilica church of Santa Maria degli Angeli stood old with ageing walls & ceiling, richly decorated, just off the Piazza deglia Repubblica, one of many in Rome. There exist literally hundreds of churches throughout the city, all individually adorned with a definite purpose. The Santa Maria Maggiore stands by the Via Cavour, close to the Stazione Termini, linking Rome with many cities & towns in several directions.

The Vatican & its museums, a city within itself, almost overwhelms within its vast areas, encapsulating many pieces of art, architecture, tapestry, furniture & the magnificent Sistine Chapel, (taking its name from Pope Sixtus IV).

The Renaissance master Michelangelo, painted the canonical fresco on the alter wall, perhaps his crowning achievement, some twenty years after he painted the Sistine Chapel. He was in his late sixties when he completed the fresco, taking four years commencing in the almost middle part of the 16th century. The ceiling also, under the patronage of Pope Julius II, is a true masterpiece with its perspective, rich colours & subject matter. But it was first consecrated in 1483 after the original Capella Magna was restored by Pope Sixtus IV.

While viewing the walls & ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, you are lost in your own thoughts of artistic grandeur & magnificent prowess, swept away by a beauty that is sometimes difficult to perceive in a man that was not only an artist, but sculptor, architect, poet & engineer.

The very enormity of St. Peter's Basilica incorporates many beautiful pieces of art & decorative architecture. It is richly adorned in many ways. Michelangelo along with others including Bernini, were involved within its architectural structure. It was consecrated in 1626 & considered to be late Renaissance. Each & every part of the Basilica appears steeped in history written into the walls.

Entering the Colosseum on a rainy morning, the lower arches appeared in a darkened moody light, temporal of a past historic life cast in the gloom of those who fought & suffered there, an elliptical testament built in concrete & stone. The largest amphitheater in the world, construction of the Colosseum began in the year 70 AD under the emperor Vespasian. Dramas were held there based on Classical mythology, along with spectacles such as animal hunts, mock sea battles & gladiatorial contests. The ruins depict depressingly small areas where slaves & animals were kept & suffered. The ruined structure still stands after devastating stone-robbers & earthquakes have taken their toll, but nonetheless a great feat of Roman engineering & architectural arches.

Rome, the eternal city since its legendary founding in the year 753 BC with the Tiber running through it, goes back some two & a half thousand years of history, being the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, Republic & Empire. The warmth embedded in its very walls with ancient decorative adornment & length of history, has a unique vibrancy fulfilling & pulsating most expectations not necessarily predetermined.

For its visitor there is a wealth of art, history & architecture amongst other things to enjoy in Rome embellishing the soul, possessing an evocative individual & monumental charm of unbelievable proportions that presupposes expectations but fulfills with atmospheric abundance.