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!!