A Renaissance Ramble in Rome

Via XX Settembre is a road worthy of a ramble!! There are few tourists but LOTS of amazing things to see, especially if you enjoy the bubbly fountains, imposing obelisks and charming churches from the mid-15th to mid-16th centuries.  Here are some of our favorite things from today's stroll that we do not want to forget:

FOUNTAINS

Our walk started in Piazzo di San Bernardo at the Moses Fountain. After 1,000 years of living on well water, the citizens of this neighborhood finally got fresh water (c. 1585) and Moses is just the person to help them celebrate. It was he who performed God's miracle and brought forth water in the desert for the wandering children of Israel. 

Bernini's Fontana del Tritone (Triton fountain) made from travertine stone, has had a place of honor in Piazza Barberini since 1642.

Our stroll took us to an intersection along the "Pilgrim's Path" that boasts four fountains ...

where weary pilgrims and their horses, tired from their long journey, could quench their thirst. The fountains depict river gods relaxing in shade. From this intersection, those making a religious pilgrimage could look down the long roads to see either a grand church or an obelisk (from which you could see another grand church).

 

OBELISKS

This ancient Roman obelisk sits in the piazza on top of Quirinale Hill, the tallest of the Seven Hills of Rome. It is only one of thirteen ancient obelisks in Rome, the most of any city in the world. Eight were taken from Egypt, the other five are from Ancient Rome. 

The obelisk stands in front of the Palazzo del Quirinale, built in 1583, and is the home of the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. You can see that he was in residence on this day because his personal flag is flying next to the Italian flag and the European Union flag. This 1,200 room dwelling has been described as a combination of the U.S. White House and Versailles. The massive building is always very well guarded by fancy-dressed and armed soldiers at every gated entrance and corner. 

CHURCHES

Where do we begin to share and capture the charming churches we visited on our Renaissance Ramble?! Don't know how we will do it, but we are going to try!!

The circular Church of San Bernardo was built in 1598 in one of the corner towers of the Baths of Diocletian. 

It is similar in shape to the Pantheon. The only light source is the oculus in the dome. 

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Next stop, Santa Maria della Vittoria 

which houses Bernini's best-known statue, the swooning St. Teresa in Ecstasy. 

The space is loaded with Baroque architecture...highly opulent...very artistic...lots of detail...marble...large scale decoration and bright colors. This style originated in Italy in the 17th century and then spread to the rest of Europe. 

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The next stop, the Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, was possibly our favorite of the day with its wavey lines, arches, polygons and circles!!  

The church looks rich but the designer, Borromini, used lots of 3-D tricks to give his patrons  - an order of poor monks with little money - a structure they could be very proud of. He kept it small and used simple materials while at the same time he shook up the Baroque world with the introduction of using the oval!  

(Rumor has it that the architects of our beloved oval-shaped Rome Temple got much of their inspiration from this beautiful church!)

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Next stop, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, the "Pearl of the Baroque".

This exquisite church was designed in 1661 by Bernini as a chapel for the pope whose palace was just across the street. Unlike the Church of San Carlo mentioned above, Bernini's patrons were RICH!! No money was spared in the construction and decoration of this structure!! 

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In contrast to the beautiful church just described...by happenstance... we rambled into this plain and simple presbyterian church....The Kirk of Rome. We happened to catch a small orchestra rehearsing for a program that would be presented on Easter Sunday.

Its full name is St. Andrew's Church of Scotland in Rome. It has had a presence here for more than150 years, though in the early years they had to worship secretly for fear of persecution. Today many countries are represented in their congregation. Scots, of course but also Koreans, Ghanaians, Cameroonians, Italians, Americans and Kenyans.

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Living in Rome for more than 18 months has given us a chance to ramble off the beaten tourist path. We have not been in a hurry to cram "it all in" to just a few days. In the course of our ramblings we stumble upon some of Rome's hidden treasures. It has been a real pleasure and a rare blessing to be a leisurely tourist!!

Return to Reggio and Random Things

 Last September we did a detailed post about our visit to Reggio Calabria. We love it there! So, during the temple closure, we returned to Reggio. Here are some of the things we enjoyed.... 

Fresh fruit and produce shops or trucks are found on practically every corner. 

Everything on this truck is 99 cents a kilo. 1 kilo = 2.2 pounds.

Pescheria or fish mongers are on every corner where there not a fruit vendor (that might be a bit of an exaggeration!) In this picture he is cutting a swordfish into nice thick steaks. 

It was Easter time and the Pastry Shops were selling traditional desserts including white candy lambs. 

The painted face on this one is a little scary!!

Italy is a dog-friendly country. The pooches are always on a leash and are mostly very well behaved. The owner of this snack shop, called a bar here, provides drinks for pets as well as for their people. 

While waiting an extra long time for our pizza to bake, the waiter brought us this bowl of....??? We discovered that they were tasty fried dough balls with a little piece of anchovy inside each one. They were surprisingly tasty. We might try making them at home to share with our fish-loving family!!

There are ferries that transport people, cars, semi-trucks, buses and trains across the Strait of Messina. 

We spent a couple of hours watching the fascinating way that they load and unload the ferries.  

Reggio has many churches. All old and well cared for structures. 

Villa Zerbi sits on the seaside promenade of Reggio.

 It was built in 1915 for the aristocratic Genoese family after the big earthquake.

We stayed in an AirBnB in this building built in 1933. It was typical of its era with front windows facing the street and an open courtyard in the back. 

The intricate interior woodwork and moldings were charming and interesting. 

The view off the balcony shows the typical narrow streets laid out in a checkerboard pattern of one-way streets. That pattern allows for fresh sea air to flow throughout the city.  

A day trip to the small seaside town Bagnara Calabra by train held some fun surprises. The main coastal highway can be seen high up on those trestles. Not a fun place for acrophobics!!

We got a good workout climbing up and down the steep streets and then.... 

.....resting on a bench looking out to the Aeolian Islands. In the distance we could see the active smoking volcano, Stromboli. It was a beautiful day!

While riding the train we heard some English conversation taking place behind our seats on the train and turned around to find seven missionaries! 

They were traveling to the fishing village of Scilla for a District P-day activity. 

Three from Utah, one from France, one from Pennsylvania, one from Portugal and one from Italy. 

What a fun surprise! 

On our train ride back to Rome, while passing through the beautiful region of Tropea, we looked out to see vast fields of onions ready to be harvested. 

We love those sweet Tropea onions!! It was great to see where they grow!  

Another interesting view from the train window...houses clinging to the hills. 

A Stirring Visit to the Jewish Quarter of Rome

Three things have lined up to increase our faith and testimony of God's prophecies and promises:   

1. A study of the teaching of Isaiah as part of our Book of Mormon study where we are learning how the Lord always guides, warns and loves His Covenant children.   

2. Daily time in the temple, the House of the Lord, where covenants are made, families are united for eternity, where all things center on Jesus Christ and where He is gathering His Covenant children.

3. And a visit to the Jewish Quarter in Rome for an up close look at the life, times and trials of a group of His Covenant children. Let us tell you about it and perhaps your understanding will increase like ours did!! 

The Great Synagogue ... 

...sits on the corner of Via del Tempio and is the heart of the community! On the exterior we could see tablets of the Ten Commandments, several menorah, large wooden doors, and grand columns.  We found the square cupola on top interesting. It distinguishes it from the round cupolas found on the Catholic and Christian churches in Rome. This large synagogue replaced five smaller ones that were demolished in the mid-1800. 

By appointment we were able to take a guided tour of the interior of the Synagogue which is beautiful! It was obvious right away that it is a well love, and well used place of worship. The women of the congregation are seated in the balconies just below the colorful glass windows. 

The men are seated on the main floor on original wooden benches each with a name plaque and locked compartments that hold their prayer books and other essential items for worship. 

The high ceiling is designed in rainbow colors as a reminder of the covenant God made in Noah's time, that the earth would never again be destroyed by flood. Blue areas on the ceiling are decorated with hundreds of stars as a reminder of God's promise that Abraham's posterity would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. The walls are painted with images of the Cedars of Lebanon which is a biblical reference to having strong roots, as well as other symbolism.

The central focus of the synagogue is the Aron Kodesh which shelters the Hebrew Torah or scrolls of scripture. They are solemnly removed three times a week and a portion is read aloud. 

The Hebrew Museum

The museum was fascinating!!! We spent over an hour getting a real education on the traditions, culture and practices of Jewish history, customs, challenges, and faith. Particularly interesting was the way that they treasure their scrolls of scripture called the Torah. 

The box holds numbered silver discs that are distributed among the men of the congregation and determine who does the reading from the Torah which is the heart of the synagogue. It is a parchment of perfectly handwritten columns of the first five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Christian Bible). Because human hands can never touch the paper of the scrolls, the pencil-type implements shown here are used to keep the reader's place.

The large (3 feet tall) scrolls are protected in special handmade wrappings and fabric coverings called mappah. 

The Torah/scrolls are housed in an ark called Aron Kodesh. They are wrapped in silk and adorned with a silver crown and rimmonim on the wooden handles of the scroll. 

The Torah is treated with great honor and respect. 

Museo dei Shoah -The Museum of the Catastrophe  

Located near the Synagogue, is a building that houses a museum that aims to keep alive the memory of the extermination of 6 million Jews including Italian Jews.

 

In 1943 the Nazis occupied Rome and set in motion the deportation of the Jewish population who were already confined to living in the Ghetto. 

On October 1943, over 1,000 men, women and children were taken from Rome and sent to Auschwitz. Just 16 survived. 

Walking through the Jewish Ghetto, if you are paying attention, you notice bronze plaques inlaid among the cobblestones. We stopped to read the ones in front of this doorway.... 

..."Here lived Anita Sermoneta. Born 1910. Arrested October 16, 1943 deported to Auschwitze. Died. In an unknown place. On an unknown date." 

 

A Very Brief Review of the Very LOOOOONG History of the Roman Jews

200 BC - Left Holy Land, settled in Rome, before the "scattering". 

500 AD - With the fall of the Roman Empire, their previous favored status fluctuated as Christianity enveloped Rome. For the most part they prospered but could not intermarry, proselyte or build new synagogues.  

1492 - Rome's Jews population doubles as Spain and other European countries expelled them.

1555 - The pope confined all Roman Jews into the 7-acres of mucky land along the Tiber River. They lived in cramped conditions, behind a wall, with a curfew for three centuries.

1870 - With Italian unification and a  new secular government, Italian Jews were granted full rights and the old Ghetto was demolished.

1920 - The rise of the facism brought many anti-Jewish laws. 

1943 - World War II brought the Nazi occupation of Rome. Of the 13,000 ghetto dwellers, about 2,000 were sent to concentration camps. Only a handful came back.  

1982 - After a special service to bless the children, PLO terrorist attacked with hand grenade and machine guns killing a 2-year-old and injury 37 others. Since that time security at Jewish institutions has been tight with armed guards at each entrance to the neighborhood.

2024 - There are around 15,000 Jews living in Rome today. The congregation is very large and active. They send their children to the community day school in the ghetto. The neighbor hood is charming and full of character with restaurants serving Roman-Jewish cuisine (artichokes are our favorite), Kosher bakery, and gelato shops. It is an amazing walk through time and a tribute to those who have created a new community amid the ruins of an old one. 

A Map of the Jewish Quarter - Yesterday and Today

This interesting map gave us a real appreciation for how the area once was and how it has been rebuilt to the charming neighborhood it is today.