Museum tour

 The emperors of the Flavia family built this large amphitheater for gladiatorial shows and hunts of wild animals, which in the following centuries became the symbol of the Eternal City. The building, called Colosseum starting from the Middle Ages perhaps due to the vicinity of an enormous statue of Nero (Colossus), rose on the area covered by the artificial lake of the Domus Aurea.

The works started under Vespasian and were terminated in the year 80 A.D. by Titus that promoted a magnificent inauguration with games that lasted apparently one hundred days, during which five thousand beasts were killed. The construction was completed under Domitian (81-96).

The building has an elliptical plan and consists externally of a triple series of eighty travertine arches lined by Tuscanic semicolons in the first order, Ionic in the second and Corinthian in the third. We can still see on the top the shelves and the holes for the poles that sustained the large curtain that protected the spectators from the sun and the rain. Instead the numerous holes visible all over the outside surface were made during the Middle Ages with the purpose of recuperating the metal plates that kept the stone blocks together.

The arches on the ground floor gave access to the steps and stands for the public. Above the arches the Roman numbers that indicated the various sectors of the cavea are still visible. Only the main entrances, situated in correspondence of the main axes, were not numbered because reserved to privileged categories: magistrates, vestals, religious colleges, etc.. The northern entrance lead to the tribune reserved to the Emperor.

The underground basements where used to keep the machinery and the cages for the beasts, or as storage and service rooms. They are still visible today at the center of the amphitheater, but were originally covered with wooden boards that formed the surface of the arena. Four corridors located under the main entrances connected the basements with the outside: one led to the Ludus Magnus, the main barracks of the gladiators.

The shows were free of charge and the seats were assigned according to the class of belonging: some stands in the lower sector that were reserved to the senators bear inscriptions with the names of 195 personalities of the senatorial order belonging to the period of Odoacer (476-483). The gladiatorial games were definitively forbidden by Valentinian the Third after the year 438 A.D., while the shows with hunts of wild beasts continued until 523.

In the Middle Ages the Colosseum was transformed into a fortress that belonged firstly to the Frangipane and then to the Annibaldi family. After becoming a quarry of construction material and being unceasingly dispoliated for centuries, in 1749 it was consecrated by Benedict the Fourteenth to the Passion of Jesus and "reutilized" as a monumental Via Crucis.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the first interventions to statically reinforce the structure were performed and the large brick walls that still retain what remains of the external perimeter were built.

INFO
Address: Piazza del Colosseo
Opening hours:
8:30am-4:30pm from January 2 to February 15
8:30am-5pm from February 16 to March 15
8:30am-5:30pm from March 16 to 24
8:30am-7:15pm from last Sunday of March to August 31
8:30am-7pm from September 1 to September 30
8:30am-6:30pm from October 1 to last Saturday of October
8:30am-4:30pm to last Sunday of October to December 31
Closed January 1, December 25
Notes: The ticket office closes one hour before closing time.

Price: Full € 12.00 Reduced € 7.50
free unde 18 and over 65 years old UE

ROMA PASS: 25 euro

The first core of the Vatican Museums and Galleries was a collection of ancient sculptures created by Jules the Second (1503-13). The idea of the Museum was conceived by Clement the Thirteenth (1758-69), who set up the Profane Museum with the assistance of Winckelmann. The Clementine Pious Museum was created by Clement the Fourteenth (1769-74) and Pious the Sixth (1775-99) and the Chiaramonti Museum was set up by Canova in 1807-1810 under Pious the Seventh.

In 1822 the New Wing was opened. The Etruscan Gregorian Museum was opened in 1837 and the Gregorian Egyptian Museum in 1839, the Profane Lateran Museum (now the Gregorian Profane Museum) in 1844 and successively the Pious Christian Museum, all under Gregory the Sixteenth. In the first decades of the twentieth century the Ethnological Missionary Museum was set up and the Picture-gallery was opened to the public. In 1973 Paul the Sixth inaugurates the Historical Museum and the Collection of Modern Religious Art.
Clementine Pious Museum – It collects specimens of ancient sculptures such as the Apollo of Belvedere (130-140 AD), the Laocoon Group (first century AD), the Apollo Sauroktonos and the Venus Cnydia, the colossal Head of Jupiter. Of particular interest are the two porphyry sarcophagi of Constance and Saint Helen, respectively daughter and mother of Constantine.
Chiaramonti Museum – It hosts several Roman sculptures, such as the statue of Ganymede, a colossal head of Athena, a portrait of Tiberius, a relief with the Three Graces (first century AD). Many Pagan and Christian inscriptions are exhibited in the Galleria Lapidaria, and statues such as the Wounded Amazon, the Spearman, the enormous statue of the Nile, and the Augustus from Prima Porta are exhibited in the New Wing.
Etruscan Gregorian Museum – It contains several findings coming mainly from nineteenth century excavations performed in Southern Etruria, such as the trousseau of the Regolini-Galassi tomb. The exhibition includes sarcophagi and a rich collection of Greek, Italiot, and Etruscan vases. Of particular interest is the bilingual sepulchral stele of Todi with a double inscription in Latinand in Gallic (second century BC).
Egyptian Gregorian Museum – It was conceived by father Ungarelli, one of the first Italian Egyptologists, and collects a series of statues representing divinities or personalities of the Royal family, such as the mother and sister of Ramses the Second, sarcophagi, mummies, and elements of the funerary furnishings. Also the statue decoration of the serapeum at Villa Adriana in Tivoli has been reconstructed.
Profane Gregorian Museum – It exhibits Greek and Roman sculptures such as three fragments of the Parthenon in Athens, the Head of Athena (460 BC), the Altar of the Vicomagistri (first century AD) and two great reliefs representing the Arrival of Vespasianin Rome and the Departure of Domitian. It also includes sarcophagi decorated with mythological subjects the group of Athena and Marsia stands out from the bronze copies.
Christian Pious Museum – It collects materials coming from the excavations of the Roman catacombs, several sarcophagi (third-fifth century AD), one of which is a copy of the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, and the statue of the Good Shepherd (third century AD).
Ethnological Missionary Museum – It documents the religious events and the cults of other continents. Of particular relevance are the fifteenth century Aztec sculptures, the Indian sculptures of Hinduist gods, the ritual masks from Oceania and Africa.
Collection of Modern Religious Art – Partly set up in the rooms of the Borgia Apartment, decorated by Pinturicchio, it exhibits works by Rosai, Boccioni, Balla, De Chirico, Guttuso, and Manzù.
Upper Galleries – The Gallery of Candelabra collects archaeological material of the Roman Age, such as the sculpture group of Ganymede and the Eagle (second century AD) and the statue of Artemis. The Gallery of Tapestries exhibits tapestries of sixteenth century Flemish and seventeenth century Roman manufacture. The Gallery of Geographic Maps exhibits 40 panels dedicated to the territory of Italy made in 1580-83.
Vatican Library Museum – It hosts several testimonies of sacred art: the Hall of the Aldobrandini Wedding with frescoes of the Roman Age, the Hall of Papyri with gilded glasses of the early Christian Age, the Sistine Hall with frescoes by Cesare Nebbia and other artists, the Pauline Halls, the Alexandrine Hall, and the Clementine Gallery with sketches by Bernini.
Picture Gallery – It keeps works datable from the twelfth to the eighteenth century, realized by Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, Giotto, Beato Angelico, Masolino da Panicale, Filippo Lippi, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Tiziano, Paolo Veronese, Giulio Romano, Ludovico Carracci, Caravaggio, Poussin, G. Reni, Guercino, and O.Gentileschi. Clay models used by Bernini for his sculptures of the Chapel of the Sacrament and for Saint Peter’s Chair and 10 tapestries manufactured in Brussels designed by Raphael are also exhibited.

Address: Viale Vaticano, 100 [ centra sulla mappa ]

Visiting Hours
Musei Vaticani - Cappella Sistina:
from 8.30 am to 6 pm last entrance 4 pm
Museo Storico Vaticano:
9.00 - 10.00 - 11.00 - 12.00
Price:€ 14,00, Reduced:€ 8,00

Open the last Sunday of every month from 8.30 am to 14 pm last entrance 12.30am
Closed Jan. 1-6, 11Feb., 19 Mar, Eater an Monday of angel, 1 May, Ascenzione, Corpus Domini,
15 Aug, Nov. 1, Dec. 8-25-26

Telephone: 0039 06 69884947 - 69884676 info - 6982
Internet: www.vatican.va

 The splendid small palace that hosts the Borghese Gallery was built at the beginning of the seventeenth century as the private residence and for public representation of the Borghese family.

From the very beginning it housed the collection of cardinal Scipio (1579-1633), nephew of Pope Paul the Fifth Borghese. The picture-gallery had already been transferred there in 1615 and in 1625 about two hundred pieces of ancient sculptures were also transferred there. The original core of the collection testifies cardinal Scipio’s deep interest in antiquity, classicism, and the innovative artistic currents of the time, excluding Medieval art. The collection was increased in the course of time through confiscations, donations, and purchases and was further enriched at the end of the seventeenth century by the inheritance of Olimpia Aldobrandini. In 1807 prince Camillo Borghese, husband of Paolina Bonapart, had to hand over to Napoleon much of the archaeological collection (154 statues, 160 busts, 170 bass-riliefs, 30 columns, and several vases that today constitute the Borghese Fund at Louvre in Paris). In 1902 the Italian State purchased the rest of the collection and thepalace. A long restoration has given back the original white marble color to the façade and rebuilt the external double-flight staircase according to the original design. Currently the collection consists of sculptures, bass-riliefs, and ancient mosaics, sixteenth-seventeenth century paintings, and sculptures. They include masterpieces by Antonello da Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Veronese, Raphael (Deposition), Domenichino (Diana’s hunt), Titian (Sacred and profane love, Venus blindfolding Love), Correggio (Danae), Caravaggio (Youth with a fruit basket, the Madonna of the footmen, David with Goliath’s head), Rubens (Pietà) and magnificent sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Proserpina, David) and Canova (Paolina Borghese).

Address: Piazzale del Museo Borghese, 5
Visiting Hours: Every day from 9 am to 7 pm. Closed on Mondays, Dec. 25, Jan. 1

Price:€ 8.50 Reduced: € 5.25 Guided Visit: € 5.00 Reservation: € 2.00
Telephone: 06 8413979 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 06 8413979 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (lun-ven 9:00-18:00; sab 9:00-13:00) - 06 32810 pren
Fax: 0039 06 32651329 prenotazione gruppi
Web site: www.galleriaborghese.it

 The Ara Pacis is the first work of architecture built in the historical centre of Rome since the end of Fascism. The museum space was designed by the architectural studio of American architect Richard Meier, the author of some of the most notable museums of the second half of the 20th century.

The Ara Pacis represents one of the highest examples of classic art. The Senate decided to build an altar to Peace dedicated to Augustus, upon its return from Gaul and from Spain where, in the course of three years, he had consolidated the power of Rome and his own power, he had opened new ways and founded colonies. The altar was built along the via Flaminia, at the border with the northernmost part of the Field of Mars, but the alluvial soil of the area and the floods of the Tiber caused the burial of the Ara, of which no memory was left. The rebuilding of the monument was decided in 1937/38 in the bimillenary of Augustus birth. It was given to archaeologist Giuseppe Moretti and was realized in the summer of 1938 inside the pavillion of via di Ripetta, hurriedly built from a project by Ballio Morpurgo. Due to the location on the banks of the Tiber, the Ara Pacis risked to be destroyed by the inappropriateness of its container that could not protect it from traffic, exhaust fumes, overheating, humidity and greasy and acidic dust that deposited all over its surface. The new complex has been for this reason planned to preserve the monument in accordance with the most up to date conservation criteria.

Address:
Lungotevere in Augusta

Visiting Hours:
Every day from 9 am to 8 pm. Closed on Mondays, Dec. 25, Jan. 1

Price:
€ 6,50; reduced € 4,50;

Telephone:
0039 060608 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0039 060608 end_of_the_skype_highlighting dalle 9.00 alle 21.00

Web site:

The Museum has both documentary and educational value, in that the material on display is essentially made up of reproductions of xamples of classical archaeology which have either been lost or destroyed or of works, which have been pieced back together.

There are mainly moulds of statues, busts, inscriptions, reliefs and of life-size parts of buildings, of plastic models of monuments and architectonic complexes of Rome and of the provinces of the Roman Empire, as well as evidence of the so-called “material culture” such as furnishings, objects of domestic use and work tools. The Museum is divided into 59 sections that cover a surface area of 13,000
square metres, for a wall development of 3 kilometres and a height of about 10 metres: such dimensions obviously make it possible to reconstruct, completely or partly, buildings and monuments of the ancient Roman world. The first fourteen rooms house an historical summary of the origins of Rome until VI century A.D., which includes a map that illustrates the progressive expansion of the Roman Empire, the portraits of emperors and illustrious men including Caesar, Augustus, Claudius, Nero, Brutus, Pompeus, Cicero, and plastic models of numerous Augustan, Trajan, Severian and Aurelian monuments. There are moulds of inscriptions and early Christian reliefs and sarcophaghi including that in porphyry of Costantina, the daughter of emperor Constantine, that of urban prefect Giunio Basso and that of St. Ambrose on exhibit in the section dedicated to Christianity. Among the numerous other sections that reconstruct Roman civilization in its varying aspects in detail, from public life to everyday life, there are those dedicated to the military sectors of the army and navy, that of the ports and provinces of the empire, a section dedicated to baths, aqueducts, nymphaea and reservoirs and a section illustrating theatres, amphitheatres, circuses and arenas with plastic models of the Colosseum and the Theatre of Marcello in Rome. The complete series of moulds of the Trajan Column deserves a special mention, there are reliefs that illustrate the two military campaigns of the emperor Trajan against the Dacians (101-102 and 105-106 A.D.) and the plastic model of Rome (scale: 1:250; surface:
200 metres squared), created by architect Italo Gismondi, which reproduces the city as it was presented at the time of the emperor Constantine, and it is reconstructed on the basis of results and research and excavation campagins carried out over the years. It’s construction had started for the Augustan Exhibition of the Roman World in 1937, it was completed in the seventies and is a useful instrument in learning about the ancient city, in an interesting comparison with the aspects that the same presents today.

Address: Piazza Giovanni Agnelli, 10
Visiting Hours: Every day from 9 am to 2 pm. Sundays from 9 am to 1.30 pm. Closed on
Mondays, Dec. 25, Jan. 1

Price: € 6,50; reduced € 4,50

Telephone:060608 Fax 06 5926135
Internet: www.museociviltaromana.it

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, situated on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, one of the four patriarchal basilicas of Rome and is the only one that has preserved the early Christian structures. A note tradition has it that the Virgin Mary herself and inspire the construction of the Esquiline Hill. Appearing in dreams to the patrician John and Pope Liberius, said the construction of a church in her honor in a place that she would miraculously indicated. On the morning of August 5, the Esquiline Hill was covered with snow. The pope traced the perimeter of the new church and John in its funding. Of this church there is nothing but a step in the Liber Pontificalis which states that Pope Liberius "Fecit basilicam appoint its juxta Macellum Livia. The recent excavations under the present basilica, while bringing to light important archaeological sites like the amazing timing of the second or third century AD and as the remains of Roman walls partly visible by visiting the museum, there have returned nothing of the old building. The bell tower in Romanesque style, rises to 75 meters and is the highest in Rome. It was built by Pope Gregory XI on his return to Rome from Avignon and is home to the top five bells. One of them, "the lost", repeated every evening at nine, with its distinctive sound, a reminder to all the faithful. On entering the porch, right, stands a statue of Philip IV of Spain, patron of the basilica. The model of the work, created by Jerome Lucenti in the thirteenth century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

At the center of the great bronze doors designed by Louis Pogliaghi in 1949, with episodes from the life of Mary, the prophets, the Evangelists and the four women in the Old Testament prefigure the Virgin Mary. To the left of the Holy Door, blessed by Pope John Paul II on 8 December 2001, completed by the sculptor Luigi Mattei and donated to the basilica by the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

At the center of the risen Christ, the model is the man of the Shroud, which appears to Mary, represented as the Salus Populi Romani. In the top left of the Annunciation at the Well, an episode from the apocryphal gospels, right Pentecost.

The lower left side, the Council of Ephesus, who established Mary as the Theotokos, the right that the Second Vatican Council wanted to Mater Ecclesiae.

The arms of John Paul II and his motto is represented on the top, while the two bottom belong to Cardinal Furno, who was archpriest of the Basilica and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The present church dates mainly from the fifth century AD. Its construction is related to the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD which proclaimed Mary Theotokos, Mother of God, and was commissioned and funded by Sixtus III as Bishop of Rome. Entering it, one is overwhelmed by seeing its vastness, the splendor of its marbles and the richness of the decoration, the monumental effect is mainly due to the structure of the basilica and the harmony that reigns among the principal elements of its architecture . Built on the lines of "smart pace" of Vitruvius, the basilica is divided into three naves by two rows of columns on which runs an artistic precious entablature, interrupted at the apse of two arches erected for the construction of the Sistine Chapel, Pauline . Between the columns and the ceiling, the walls were punctuated by large windows which still remain, having been walled up the other half. Where were the windows, now you can see a series of frescoes that represent "the life story of Mary." Above the windows and frescos, a wooden frieze decorated with exquisite inlay of a series of riding bulls cupids joins the frame of the ceiling. The bulls are symbols of the Borgias and the arms of Calixtus III and Alexander VI, the Borgia popes, stand at the center of the ceiling. It is unclear what was the contribution of Callistus III to the implementation of this work, it is certain that those who created it was Alexander who put his hand when he was still archpriest of the Basilica: the ceiling was designed by Giuliano da Sangallo and completed by his brother Antonio. Tradition has it that the gold has been produced with the first gold brought from the Americas that Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain to Alexander VI. As a splendid carpet at our feet lies a mosaic floor made from marble masters Cosmas and offered to Eugene III in the twelfth century by Scotus Paparoni and his son John, the Roman nobleman. The uniqueness of Santa Maria Maggiore is, however, due to the splendid mosaics of the fifth century, commissioned by Sixtus III, that run along the nave and triumphal arch. The nave mosaics recount four cycles of Sacred History featuring Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Joshua as a whole, want to witness God's promise to the Jewish people of a land and its help to achieve it. The story, which does not follow a chronological order, starting on the left wall near the triumphal arch with the Sacrifice of Melchizedek, priest-king. This pane is clear Roman iconographic influence. Melchizedek, represented in the gesture of offering, and Abraham, wearing a Roman toga, is reminiscent of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Subsequent panels illustrate episodes in the life of Abraham prior to the first box. This has long believed that each box was an end in itself until, in depth study of the mosaics, it was not that the decoration was planned and organized. The panel of Melchizedek serves to link the nave with those of the triumphal arch which recount the childhood of Christ the King and Priest.

Then begins the story of Abraham, the most important character of the Old Testament, the one whom God promised a great and powerful nation ", with Jacob, to whom God renews the promise made to Abraham, Moses, who liberates his people from slavery in which they were born, making the "chosen people" with Joshua, who will lead them to the promised land. The journey concludes with two panels, made at the time of the fresco restoration called for by Cardinal Pinelli, which show David brings the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem and the Temple of Jerusalem built by Solomon. It is the seed of David that Christ will be born whose childhood is illustrated by episodes taken from the apocryphal gospels, the triumphal arch.

In 1995 John Hajnal released a new window in the canopy of the main facade. In it reaffirms the declaration of Vatican II, where Mary, the exalted daughter of Zion, is the connecting link between the Church of the Old Testament, represented by the seven-branched candlestick, and that of the New symbolized by the chalice ' Eucharist.

The triumphal arch is composed of four registers: the upper left of the Annunciation, where Mary is depicted dressed as a Roman princess, holding the time at which weaves a purple veil for the temple where she serves. The story continues with the announcement to Joseph, the Adoration of the Magi, the slaughter of innocents. In this box is to be observed the figure with the blue robe facing away from the other women is who flees with St. Elizabeth S. John in his arms. In the right presentation in the temple, the flight into Egypt, the meeting of the Holy Family and Aphrodisius, governor of Sotine. According to an apocryphal Gospel, when Jesus took refuge in Sotine, Egypt, the 365 idols of the capitol fell. Aphrodisius appalled by this prodigy, and remembered the fate of Pharaoh, goes with his army to the Holy Family and loves the child recognizes the divinity. The last scene represents the Magi before Herod. At the foot of the arch the two cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem on the left to right. If Bethlehem is where Jesus was born and where his first Epiphany, Jerusalem is the city where he died and rose again (there is a link with the apocalyptic theme of his Second Coming at the end of time, evidenced by the empty throne in the middle arc, the throne flanked by Peter and Paul, who was called by Christ to spread the Good News among the Jews, the other among the Gentiles, the pagans). All together form the Church of which Peter is the guide and his successor Sixtus III. As such and as "plebs Dei episcopus" up to him to lead the people of God to the heavenly Jerusalem. Nicholas IV in the thirteenth century, the first Franciscan pope, decided to destroy the apse and the current build several meters back, thus obtaining between the arch and a transept to the choir. The decoration of the apse was executed by the Franciscan Jacopo Torriti and the work was paid for by Cardinal Giacomo and Pietro Colonna.

The mosaic of Torriti is divided into two distinct parts: in the apse shows the Coronation of the Virgin, the lower band represented the most important moments of your life. At the center of the basin, enclosed in a big circle, Christ and Mary are seated on a throne depicted as a large sofa Eastern Europe. The Son is placing on his head a jeweled crown of the Mother.

In the mosaic Mary is not only seen as mother but as the Mother Church, bride of the Son.

At their feet the sun and the moon and around a chorus of adoring angels, while St. Peter S. Paul, S. Francis of Assisi and Pope Nicholas IV to the left, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, St. Anthony and the donor, Cardinal Colonna right.

In the rest of the apse is decorated with foliage sprouting from two trees placed at the far right and far left of the mosaic. In the lower apse scenes from the life of the Virgin are placed on the right and left of the Dormition located just beneath the Coronation. This way of describing the death of the Virgin Mary is typical of Byzantine iconography, but also spread to the West after the Crusades. The Virgin is lying on a bed, as the Angels prepare to remove from the astonished gaze of the Apostles, his body, Christ takes in his arms his "soul" white, waiting in the sky. Torriti embellished the scene with two small figures of Franciscan and a thirteenth-century lay with his cap. Below the Dormition Pope Benedict XIV placed the splendid Nativity of Christ "by Mancini. Among the Ionic pillars under the mosaics, were placed Escape from the bas-reliefs of the Realm Mino representing the Birth of Jesus, the miracle of snow and the founding of the basilica by Pope Liberius, the Assumption of Mary and the Adoration of the Magi. Fuga is the canopy over the altar in front of the station which will open confession, intended by Pius IX and built by Vespignani, where is located the shrine of the Cradle. The crystal reliquary in the shape of a cradle, and contains pieces of wood that belong to the tradition of the manger where Baby Jesus was laid. Was carried out by Valadier and donated the Portugal. The statue of Pius IX, Pope of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception is the work of Ignazio Jacometti hypogeum and was placed by the will of Leo XIII.

THE Floor
On entering the basilica is still admired by the peculiarities of the mosaic floor of marble masters Cosmas called "cosmateschi" (XIII).

Cesi Chapel
Commissioned by Cardinal Paolo Emilio Cesi and his brother Frederick was built around 1560 and do not know the author, although it is believed to have been designed by Guidetto Guidetti, in collaboration with Giacomo Della Porta.

Regina Pacis
The statue of Queen of Peace, by Benedict XV in thanksgiving for the end of World War I, was created by Guido Galli. On the face of the Madonna, seated on a throne "Regina Pacis and Sovereign of the universe", there is a sense of sadness.

Sforza Chapel
A side entry two plaques remind us that the chapel was made possible thanks to Cardinal Guido Ascanio Sforza Santafiora, archpriest of the basilica, and his brother, Cardinal Alessandro Sforza Cesarini, who took care of the decoration carried out in 1573. According to Vasari, author of the project was Michelangelo Buonarroti, who left us two sketches for it, where you can clearly see the original plant with ellipses on the sides and a rectangular room which houses the altar. The portraits included in the tombs and the altarpiece (1573) have been attributed to Jerome Siciolante from Sermoneta (1521-1580). The square table is the altar of Siciolante and the Assumption of the Virgin that are scanned is well organized plans to move smoothly from the ground to the sky, where the figure of Mary sits discreetly in prayer.

The grave of Bernini
"Noble family Bernini here waiting for the Resurrection." As a side altar, the simplicity of the tombstone of one of the greatest artists of the '600.

The Sacred Cradle
In front of the altar Hypogeum, opposite the statue of Pius IX and under his arms, is held and cherished a famous relic, commonly known as "American Baby." It offers itself to the eyes of the faithful from the precious urn crystal and silver, designed by Giuseppe Valadier.

The "Nativity" by Arnolfo di Cambio
The image of the sentimental and spiritual reconstruction of a "crib" in memory of a revered event, its origins since 432 when Pope Sixtus III (432/40) created in the early Church a "cave of the Nativity in Bethlehem similar. The many pilgrims who were returning to Rome from the Holy Land, brought the gift of precious pieces of wood of the Holy Crib (cunabulum) today kept in the golden shrine of Confession.
The Holy Cave of Sixtus III was very dear to various popes over the centuries, until Pope Nicholas IV in 1288 commissioned to Arnolfo di Cambio a sculptural depiction of the "Nativity".
There were many renovations and changes in the church and when Pope Sixtus V (1585/90) wanted to built a large chapel in the right aisle of that SS. Sacramento or the Sistine Chapel, in 1590 ordered the architect Domenico Fontana to move there without demolishing the ancient "cave of the Nativity" with the surviving sculptural elements of Arnolfo di Cambio.
The three Magi, with stylish clothes and shoes, rude Gothic style, and S. Joseph, reverent wonder and admire the miracle of the Child in the arms of Madonna (P. Olivieri) warmed by the ox and the donkey.

It was conceived as the self-celebration of the rise of a papal family. The huge complex of Palazzo
Barberini was established by the Florentine Pope Urban VIII.

In 1625, two years after his nomination, Pope Urban VIII took advantage of the financial difficulties of the Sforza di Santa family and acquired their estate located between the Quattro Fontane and Pia (today XX Settembre) streets and the related magnificently ecorated buildings in order to carry out the project of a palace-villa able to compete with the luxurious dwellings of the Roman nobility. The
mansion was in fact appropriate for the twofold functions of “villa of the delights” opened on the green belt surrounding the ancient inhabited area and city palace. The mansion originally overlooked Piazza Barberini. The qualities which were already intrinsic to the Palazzo Sforza, were reinforced by the new project which refused the traditional model of the city-palace with a quadrangular plan and courtyard, instead the project of the architect Maderno was based on an H-shaped open plan with two parallel wings joined by a central septum with arcade entrance and false upper open gallery. The work of Bernini is mostly concentrated in this connecting body which is the official and public part of the palace common to both residential wings. Bernini became the head of the work being done after the death of Maderno in 1629. Bernini was assisted by Borromini, who was the grandson of Maderno and had already been working on the construction site. Some of the most notable structures of the palace are tied to these two names such as, the ovoid staircase of the right wing by Borromini, which echos the similar wide staircase of the Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola; the monumental staircase with a quadrangular plan projected by Bernini beside the oval hall and the impressive double height hall where Pietro da Cortona would paint the famous fresco “The Triumph of the Divine Providence”, an allegorical celebration of the glories of the Barberini dynasty, between 1633 and 1639. The palace was acquired by the Italian State in 1949 and, in spite of the difficult cohabitation with other institutions which were already tenants of the Barberini, the state decided that it would be the location of the National Gallery of Ancient Art which had already been established in 1895 but had never been set up. The museum was closely tied to the other collection located in Palazzo Corsini, therefore the Gallery was initially divided in accordance with a chronological criterion that assigned the more ancient works (until end of Seventeenth century) to Palazzo Barberini and the more recent ones to Palazzo Corsini: such a rigid division was finally discarded with the 1984 reorganisation of both museums. Justice was finally rendered to the Corsini collection on that occasion, it was re-assembled and brought back to its historical site. Instead, Palazzo Barberini would host, in accordance with chronological criteria, the various works acquired by the State either by purchase on the market or as bequests and donations which came from various collections which were otherwise dispersed. The same remarkable Barberini collection is now reduced to a minor portion of the original acquired by the State in 1934, because of a law which, gave the family back part of the collection in exchange for the right to have possession of the remaining part. The pieces returned to the family was incredibly dispersed. The current property of the museum, without taking into account the so-called “third gallery” constituted by the works in external warehouses, state agencies and ministries, boasts approximately 1500 paintings and more than 2000 items of decorative arts including furniture and objects from the former Industrial Artistic Museum. The core of the collection is however represented by paintings that include several masterpieces especially dating from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. The collection, in which significant works by specific artists are often
represented, dates back to the Thirteenth century; it includes, the icon coming from S. Maria in Campo Marzio and some Fourteenth century crucifixes, grotesque works of the Fifteenth century and the famous Madonna di Corneto Tarquinia by Filippo Lippi.
The core of the gallery is represented by the masterpieces which date from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. The famous painting by Raffaello called the “Fornarina” deserves special mention besides the works by Andrea del Sarto, Beccafumi, Sodoma, Bronzino, Lotto, Tintoretto, Tiziano and El Greco. While Caravaggio’s Judith cutting off the head of Oloferne opens the superb itinerary of the Seventeenth century art which includes paintings by Reni, Domenichino, Guercino, Lanfranco, Bernini, Poussin, Pietro da Cortona, Gaulli and Maratta. The Eighteenth century is also very well represented. The paintings displayed by schools, offer a rather exhaustive view of the Italian art of that period that is complemented by an interesting group of French paintings coming from the Cervinara collection.
The final touch to complete the visit is the evocative apartment set up and furnished by Cornelia Costanza Barberini in the second half of the century using rare and precious decorations. This little jewel is the expression of the taste of that age and it also exhibits some of the most interesting decorative artworks which belong to the museum.

Address: Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13
Tue-Sun 8.30am-7.30pm
Closed Monday, 25 December, 1 January
The ticket office closes 30 minutes before closing time.
Telephone: 0039 06 4824184 - 06 4814591
Telephone: 06 32810 Prenotazione biglietti e percorso al Museo
Fax: 0039 06 4880560
Sito web: www.galleriaborghese.it/barberini/it/

Price: Full: € 5.00 Reduced: € 3.00 Guided Visit: € 5.00 free under a 18 and over 65 anni UE

San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is a basilica in Rome, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's magnificent statue of Moses.

History
Also known as the Basilica Eudoxiana, it was first built in 432-440 to house the relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem. According to legend, when the Empress Eudoxia (wife of Emperor Valentinian III) gifted the chains to Pope Leo I, while he compared them to the chains of St. Peter's final imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison in Rome, the two chains miraculously fused together. The chains are kept in a reliquary under the main altar in the basilica.

The basilica underwent several restorations and rebuildings, among them a restoration by Pope Adrian I, rebuilding by Pope Sixtus IV and by Pope Julius II. There was also a renovation in 1875. The front portico, attributed to Baccio Pontelli, was added in 1475. The cloister (1493-1503) has been attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo.

The current Cardinal Priest of the Titulus S. Petri ad vincula is Pío Cardinal Laghi.

Interior
The interior has a nave and two aisles, with three apses divided by antique Doric columns. The aisles are surmounted by cross-vaults, while the nave has an 18th century lacunar ceiling, frescoed in the center by Giovanni Battista Parodi, portraying the Miracle of the Chains (1706).

Reliquary contaning the chains of St. Peter.Michelangelo's Moses (completed 1515), while originally intended as part of a massive 47-statue, free-standing funeral monument for Pope Julius II, became the centerpiece of the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in this, his family's church (della Rovere family).

Moses is depicted with horns, as opposed to "the radiance of the Lord", due to the similarity in the Hebrew between the word for "beams of light" and "horns". This kind of iconographic symbolism was common in early sacred art, and in this case was easier for the sculptor (as sculpting concrete horns is easier than sculpting rays of light) and would have been understood by all who saw it as referring to the radiance of Moses' face; they would not have actually thought that he had horns.

Other art works include two canvases of Saint Augustine and St. Margret by Guercino, the monument of Cardinal Girolamo Agucchi designed by Domenichino (also the painter of a sacristy fresco depicting the Liberation of St. Peter (1604). The altarpiece on the first chapel to the left is a Deposition by Pomarancio. The tomb of Nicolò Cardinal da Cusa (d 1464), with its relief, Cardinal Nicholas before St Peter, is by Andrea Bregno. Painter and sculptor Antonio Pollaiuolo is buried here. Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, is also buried in the Church.

Info and reservation of guided tours:

Cooperativa IL SOGNO - Viale Regina Margherita, 192 - 00198 ROMA
Tel. 06/85.30.17.58 - Fax 06/85.30.17.56
Email : service@romeguide.it
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Moses (Michelangelo)

Michelangelo, 1515
Marble, height 235 cm
Rome, San Pietro in Vincoli
The Moses is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti 1513-1515 which depicts the Biblical figure Moses.

Originally intended for the tomb of Julius II in St. Peter's Basilica, "Moses" and the tomb were instead placed in the minor church of San Pietro in Vincoli on the Esquiline in Rome after the pope's death. This church was patronised by the della Rovere family from which Julius came, and he had been titular cardinal there.

The statue depicts Moses with horns on his head. This is believed to be because of the mistranslation of Exodus 34:29-35 by St Jerome. Moses is actually described as having "rays of the skin of his face", which Jerome in the Vulgate had translated as "horns" (See Halo). The mistake in translation is possible because the word "karan" in the Hebrew language can mean either "radiated (light)" or "grew horns".

The tomb of Julius II, a colossal structure that would have given Michelangelo the room he needed for his superhuman, tragic beings, became one of the great disappointments of Michelangelo's life when the pope, for unexplained reasons, interrupted the commission, possibly because funds had to be diverted for Bramante's rebuilding of St. Peter's. The original project called for a freestanding, three-level structure with some 40 statues. After the pope's death in 1513, the scale of the project was reduced step-by-step until, in 1542, a final contract specified a simple wall tomb with fewer than one-third of the originally planned figures.

The tomb of Julius II, with Michelangelo's statues of Rachel and Leah on the left and the right of his Moses.The spirit of the tomb may be summed up in the figure of "Moses", which was completed during one of the sporadic resumptions of the work in 1513. Meant to be seen from below, and balanced with seven other massive forms related in spirit to it, the "Moses" now, in its comparatively paltry setting, can hardly have its full impact.

In his essay entitled The Moses of Michelangelo Sigmund Freud, along with several well-respected experts, associates this work with the first set of Tables described in Exodus 32: (19) “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”

A more recent view, put foreword by Malcolm MacMillan and Peter Swales in their essay entitled Observations from the Refuse-Heap: Freud, Michelangelo’s Moses, and Psychoanalysis, relates the sculpture to a second set of Tables and the event mentioned in Exodus 33: (22) “And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:” and (23) And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."

This event is described further in Exodus 34: (4) “And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. (5) And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. (6) And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (7) Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (8) And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.”

It would seem as though Freud’s atheistic views prevented him from seeing the spiritual content Michelangelo incorporated into this work of art. Nevertheless, he notes the following: “As our eyes travel down it the figure exhibits three distinct emotional strata. The lines of the face reflect the feelings which have won ascendancy; the middle of the figure shows the traces of suppressed movement; and the foot still retains the attitude of the projected action. It is as though the controlling influence had proceeded downwards from above."

Michelangelo felt that this was his most life-like creation. Legend has it that upon its completion he struck the right knee commanding, "now speak!" as he felt that life was the only thing left inside the marble. There is a scar on the knee thought to be the mark of Michelangelo's hammer.

 The Forum Romanum is situated in the valley between the Palatine Hill and the Capitol and consists of an almost trapezoid-shaped square that stands between the Regia and the Rostra on the short sides and the Basilica Aemilia and the Basilica Julia on the long ones. An extension of the northern part is represented by the Comitium. The squarewas conceived as a place for commercial exchanges and political and judicial activities, situated in a point where important roads (Via Sacra, Vicus Tuscus, Vicus Iugarius, Clivus Capitolinus, and Argiletum) converged.

Originally the zone was partly marshy and used as a cemetery starting from about the tenth century BC, as testified by tombs discovered in 1902 in the burial ground. Ruins of huts and ceramic material found next to the archaic burial ground lead to think that dwelling places were disseminated there already in the second half of the eighth century. The most ancient monuments of sacred character, attributed by tradition to the first kings of Rome, date back to the second half of the sixth century BC. The temple of Saturn and the temple of the Dioscuri were built at the beginning of the Republic (509 BC). The first tribune for speakers situated between the Forum and the Comitium probably dates back to the fifth century BC. Four basilicas intended for the administration of justice and the conduction of business were built in the second century BC. The Forum was submitted to further changes under Caesar and later Augustus. The travertine floor that is still visible dates back to the Augustan Age. Many honorary monuments were erected in the area of the Forum in the Imperial Age; the last of which is the column dedicated in 608 AD to emperor Foca. The Forum was then abandoned and filled in by a thick layer of earth, becoming a pasture known as Campus Vaccinus. Some temples were transformed into churches, allowing their preservation in the course of time. During the Renaissance the area of the Forum Romanum was used as a marble and stone quarry.
Arch of Titus - This arch was erected in 81 AD by emperor Domitian in memory ofhis brother Titus to celebrate his victories against the Judaeans. Decorated with Greek marble slabs, the monument has a single opening flanked by four semicolumns with capitals.
Basilica of Maxentius - This basilica was built between 306 and 312 AD by emperor Maxentius and completed by emperor Justinian. Originally five wide passageways led to a huge hall consisting of a nave and two aisles separated by marble columns. The only column that survived was removed in 1613 and placed in front of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. In the apsis of the central nave Constantine erected a gigantic statue of himself with arms, legs and head made of white marble and the rest of gilded bronze. The head and one foot are exposed in the Capitoline Museums.
Temple of Venus and Rome - This temple was built in 135 AD by emperor Hadrian who probably also designed it and then completed by emperor Antoninus Pius. Rich in columns, it occupied an area of 330 by 480 feet and enclosed two cells that were rebuilt by Maxentius in 310 AD after a fire.
Balnea - This is a complex of small thermae situated near the Temple of Heliogabalus and Vigna Barberini, just off Via Sacra.
Temple so-called of Romolus - This building was once considered a temple dedicated to the memory of Romolus, the son of emperor Maxentius who died very young in 309 AD and was deified by his father. Today it is indicated as theTemple of Jupiter Stator.
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina - This temple was built in 141 AD by Antoninus Pius in honor of his dead wife Faustina and after the death of the emperor itwas dedicated also to his memory. It stands on a high podium preceded by stands (rebuilt with bricks) at the center of which are the ruins of the altar. The atrium consists of ten marble columns. The cell was consecrated as the Church of San Lorenzo in Miranda in the eleventh century.
Temple of Caesar (of of Divine Julius) - This temple was built by emperor Augustus in the place where Julius Caesar’s body was burned and where Marcus Antonius pronounced his famous funeral oration. Only a few ruins remain, including a round altar that was probably built in the place where the funeral pire was arranged.
Regia - Attributed by tradition to king Numa Pompilius and probably a residence of the Tarquinii. In the Republican Age the Rex Sacrorum, the Pontifex Maximus and the other Priests performed their duties here. The Regia was destroyed by a fire in 64 AD and rebuilt on its original design in 36 AD by Domitius Calvus to demonstrate its sacredness.
Round Temple of Vesta - This building was built as the "hut of the sacred fire " probably with wood, straw and wickers and reconstructed in 191 AD by Julia Domna, wife of emperor Septimius Severus. It had a circular plant and was covered by a roof with a hole on the top to let out the smoke of the sacred fire. It was encircled by twenty columns, three of which remain today. Here were kept the sacred objects bound with the fortunes of Rome, which by tradition Aeneas had brought from Troy.
Temple of the Castores (or Dioscuri) - Dedicated to the cult of Castor and Pollux, this temple was inaugurated in 484 AD and restored several times. The facade faced the Forum and the temple consisted of nineteen columns (three of which remain today). In this building where the Senate once met, weights and measurements were controlled. Bankers, exchangers and barbers had shops at the foot of the podium, among the plinths of the columns.
Basilica Julia - This basilica was built by Julius Caesar in 54 BC on the site of the Basilica Sempronia after its destruction and then dedicated to him. It was completed later by emperor Augustus. It was rebuilt after a fire in the year 2 BC and restored for the last time in 416 AD. The Basilica consisted of a two-story building with a nave and four aisles and a huge central hall. It hosted the four sections of the Roman Court of Assizes held by 105 judges, called the Centumviri.
Santa Maria Antiqua and the Domitian Buildings - This complex constitutes the link between the Forum and the Palatine Hill. It consists of a huge hall of Domitian’s Age, “tabernae” of Hadrian’s Age and another uncovered square room from which three entrances lead to a hall formed by a central room with a quadriportico and three rooms behind it. This last part was transformed into the church of Santa Maria Antiqua in the sixth century AD.
Horrea Agrippiana - This work is dated back to the Augustan Age and consists of a square two-story monumental tuff building with wide rooms that face a huge courtyard with porticoes and other smaller rooms. It was built by Agrippa to beused as storerooms (horrea), as commemorated by an inscription that can still be seen in one of the central rooms.
Basilica Aemilia - This is the only Republican Basilica to survive. It was built in 179 BC by the censors Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Marcus Fulvius Nobilior. It was initially called Fulvia or Fulvia Aemilia and was restored several times by members of the Aemilia Gens, from which it took its definitive name. The facade consisted of a two-story portico with sixteen arches on pillars with semicolumns. Behind the portico were the shops, from which three arched entrances (the one that is complete is of the modern age) led to a majestic hall divided in naves by marble columns. The plaster cast of a tract of the frieze that decorated the trabeation with scenes of the legendary origin of Rome is placed next to the outer wall. The ruins of the more ancient Basilica are still visible on the western side.
Curia - By tradition this building was founded by king Tullius Ostilius and rebuilt in 80 BC by Silla. It was moved from its original site to its current position by Caesar. It was completed by Augustus in 29 BC and restored by Domitian in 94 AD. It was last redone by Diocletian around 283 AD. The facade presents three large windows and a monumental door whose wings are a copy of the original ones moved in 1660 to the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Arch of Septimius Severus - This arch was erected at the foot of the Capitol in 203 AD, on the tenth anniversary of the ascent of emperor Septimius Severus to the throne and dedicated by him to his son Caracalla. The two facades are encircled by a high attic (originally surmounted by a quadriga with the emperorand his son), inside which are four rooms that can be accessed through a staircase. On the two sides of the attic there is a large inscription with a dedication to Septimius Severus and Caracalla. Scenes of the two campaigns against the Partii are represented on the panels above the smaller arches.
Portico of the Consenting Gods - This building consists of eight rooms placed side by side and preceded by a portico with twelve columns and Corinthian capitals. The statues of the most important Gods of the Greek and Roman pantheon were probably situated in some of the rooms. The building dates back to the Flavian Age and was restored in 367 AD.
Rostra - The semicircular stands used as a tribune for the orators were decorated with the rostra, the bronzer ams removed from the ships after the victorious battle of Antium (338 BC). They were moved here from the area of the Comitium during the the demolitions made by Caesar and inaugurated in 44 BC, shortly before his death. The building today consists of part of the semicircular stands at the entrance, some ruins of the interior and the facade. On the northern side there is a brick addition that dates back to 470 AD.
Temple of Saturn - This temple was started around the end of the Royal Age and was inaugurated between 498 and 497 BC and entirely rebuilt in 42 BC. A forepart leaned on the front of the facade (all that remains is the threshold of the door that opened towards the Forum) where the State Public Treasure was kept.
Temple of Vespasianus and Titus - All that remains of this temple are three columns on the north-eastern side. The staircase leading to the entrance and part of the podium date back to the nineteenth century. Emperor Titus started the construction of the temple in honor of his father Vespasianus, but died before it was completed. His brother the emperor Domitian completed the works of the temple and dedicated it to Vespasianus and Titus.
Column of Foca - This is the last monument of the Forum Romanum. The column was dedicated in 608 AD to Nicephorus Foca, the Byzantine emperor who donated the Pantheon to Pope Boniface the Sixth. The Column is more ancient in origin (it dates back to the second century AD) and is surmounted by a Corinthian capital.
Via Sacra - This Via (Sacred Road) was the path followed by the victorious leader (dux) through the Forum towards the Capitol. It was called Sacra because according to the legend it was covered by Romolus and Titus Tatius after entering the pact of alliance at the end of the war between the Romans and the Sabines. Solemn religious ceremonies with sacrifices were held there every month.

Address: Via della Salara Vecchia, 5/6 [
Opening hours from 8.30 am to one hour before sunset:
8:30am-4:30pm from January 2 to February 15
8:30am-5pm from February 16 to March 15
8:30am-5:30pm from March 16 to 24
8:30am-7:15pm from last Sunday of March to August 31
8:30am-7pm from September 1 to September 30
8:30am-6:30pm from October 1 to last Saturday of October
8:30am-4:30pm to last Sunday of October to December 31
Closed January 1, December 25
Notes: The ticket office closes one hour before closing time.
Price:Full: € 9.00 Reduced: € 4.50 free unde 18 and over 65 years old UE
Telephone: 0039 06 699841 - 06 39967700
Fax: 0039 06 6786689