Rome -December 28, 2011 - Capitoline Hill

The Capitoline hill was one of the seven hills of Rome and the center of the Roman World. It held the citadel and the temple of the Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva). It now contains the Piazza del Campidoglio created by Michelangelo, the Capitoline Museums in the Palaces with fronts by Michelangelo and the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

An extremely wide staircase of marble leads up to the piazza and the museums. At the base are two black basalt lions and at the top two humongous statues of Caster and Pollux (the Dioscuri).

Though Michelangelo designed the piazza and the three palazzos, none of them were built in his lifetime. However, the architects that followed stayed true to the original plans and created a stunning set piece of architecture.

In the center of the Piazza is a copy of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius that only escaped getting melted down because in the middle ages they believed it to be a statue of Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome.

All three facades are grand. With giant Corinthian Pilasters , classical windows and huge entablatures. You can really tell that this whole ensemble was designed to impress.

I find it highly amusing that the backs of these buildings are pretty plain, medieval brick, a few bits of old Roman wall and rough stone. Like a stage set really.

Capitoline Hill

Rome - December 28, 2011 - Viale Trinita dei Monti

There are some beautiful views of Rome from here and it is darn near abandoned. No tourists, no gentlemen selling wooden choochoo trains, plastic tripods, or fake Louis Vuitton handbags.

All we did was take a left in front of Trinita dei Monti heading towards the Villa Medici, and an oasis in Rome appeared. First the road itself; built on a high hill (uh Rome? Duh seven hills) and running a ridge it offers almost unprecedented vistas of Rome all the way to St. Peter's.

Along the way there was yet another ancient basin of stone turned into a fountain, though it was slight lopsided.

View of Rome and the Vatican City from viale Trinita dei Monti

Rome - December 28, 2011 - Piazza Viminale

A new day in Rome, today a long walk north to the Spanish Steps, Villa Medici, Pincian Hill and Piazza del Popolo. Around the corner from our hotel was the Piazza Viminale.

I have been able to find jack squat out about this piazza or the palazzo that dominates it. I will tell you though that the fountain was rather impressive.

The fountain had a lard rectangular coffer style basin smothered in symbolic Roman stuff, well symbols I suppose...The facis and the Capitoline wolf with Romulus and Remus suckling away. Other than that, I know that there was a tie shop opposite that never seemed to be open.

Double-plus the street is paved with cobbles that remind me of Bergen, Norway.

Viminale Basin with lots of symbolic symbolic-ness...