Castle St. Angelo

During my stay over an eight week period in Rome I have visited many sites. One of the many sites I had visited was Castle St. Angelo. It was so neat to be inside of the Castle and see and walk through history and know that it is still standing strong after being built thousands of years ago. The construction of this Castle took about sixteen years!
Castle St. Angelo was started in AD 123 and finished sixteen years later AD 139 by Emperor Hadrian. Emperor Hadrian had built the castle as a mausoleum originally. Throughout the years Castle St. Angelo has switched to many different roles and was used differently. Castle St. Angelo was also used as a fortress and then changed to a refuge in case of danger that arose in Rome in 1277. A very interesting fact about Castle St. Angelo is the fact that there is a secret passageway running from the Vatican to the castle. This passageway was used by Pope Clement VII and his Swiss Guards to take refuge from Charles de Bourbon’s army in 1527. Soon after the castle was used as a refuge, it switched roles and became a barracks and military prison.
The interior of the castle is so unique. Castle St. Angelo is in the shape of a round cylinder. Within the castle there were prisons and torture chambers. When I walked through the Castle St. Angelo, there were some rooms that held remains of clothing and paintings that were left behind over the years. The castle also holds a restaurant, which unfortunately I did not eat at but it was extremely pretty covered with green ivory and vibrant colored flowers. I had also got pictures of little chambers and secret rooms that were filled with cannons and guns and remains of other military machinery.
On the top of the Castle St. Angelo there are amazing views over the entire city of Rome. On top of Castle St. Angelo there is also a statue of an angel that was erected in year 590. Castle St. Angelo has such interesting history behind it and there is probably much more history that the castle holds that is unknown. It was just great to be able to walk through and see some of the rooms and views the castle had offered!

Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003

Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus does not look like much while driving by it. In fact when I first arrived in Rome, our taxi drove right by it and I did not even recognize it or notice it. However, the Cicus Maximus is an amazing site to see and reflects much of the history in Rome that many are excited to visit and learn more about.
Some of the earlier history, states that the Circus Maximus was used for chariot races which were extremely popular and a great form of entertainment thousands of years ago. The Circus Maximus was an arena built in the 6th century BC that was originally built to form a track between the Palatine and Aventine Hills. In 329 BC starting gates were first built, and then destroyed by three fires, being rebuilt every time by different rulers and emperors. The obelisk that stands in the center of Piazza del Popolo once was erected at the Circus Maximus.
After every fire that occurred in the Circus Maximus, it was rebuilt by different people and it resembled their power. In AD 103 Trajan rebuilt the Circus at the height of its power. The Circus was rebuilt was built in stone and was three stories high. And the seating areas for the spectators to sit on were built in marble. The Circus Maximus was about two thousand feet by five hundred feet. Some of the most popular entertaining events took place in the Circus Maximus, such as gladiator combats and chariot races. The last race that was held in the Circus Maximus was in AD 549. The only visible part of the Circus Maximus today is the layout. The stone and marble pieces were later used to build structures throughout Rome in the medieval and Renaissance era.


"Circus Maximus, Rome." A View On Cities. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Palatine Hill

Palatine Hill is another famous attraction site in Rome that many flock to. The day that I had taken a visit to the Palatine Hill, it was extremely hot. Palatine Hill is located between the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Circus Maximus which are all discussed in this blog. The Palatine Hill is beautiful area that is filled with ruins of what were once palaces of emperors and gardens. Palatine Hill seems to date back all the way to the 10th century BC.
Palatine Hill was once a place where the wealthy lived and it was a extravagant place to live. The reason for the extravagance was due to the views one would receive from the top of the hill. The Palatine Hill is about two hundred and thirty feet high which allow a beautiful outlook over all points of the Roman city. While standing on top of Palatine Hill I was able to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Il Victoriano, and as far as St. Peters Dome.
Eventually Palatine Hill had churches, convents, and homes built on it that was later all owned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, which is where the botanical garden of Farnese is located. The botanical garden is located on top of the hill as well. The garden is beautiful and filled with luscious flowers and trees. Also, on top of the Palatine Hill was a palace that was built in 81 AD. This palace was the largest of all the palaces for three centuries and was names Domitian’s palace.
Another famous palace that was built and is best preserved to this day is Domus Flavia. This house dates back to the 1st century BC and was owned by Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia. Throughout my tour around Palatine Hill, it was so interesting to see ruins that were once some of the largest palaces and the homes of famous emperors of that era. Palatine Hill is still just as extravagant today as it probably once was. There are still marble pieces laying around that was the flooring to the homes that once stood there. The views are breathtaking and now I know why this hill was one of the most famous places to live thousands of years ago.

Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003

Jewish Ghetto

Rome has some interesting and historical locations throughout the city. One of the historical sites being the Jewish Ghetto. The Jewish Ghetto is located in Rome close to the Tiber River. The government of Rome had forced the Jewish people into one area of the city which is known as the Jewish Ghetto. The Jewish people lost any property rights and had to rent from Christians at very high prices. Many Jewish people lost their jobs to the Christians and government. If they had been walking outside of the ghetto that they were put into, they would have to wear the Jewish symbol around the city. The Jewish signs that they had to wear were yellow patches on the hats for men and a yellow kerchief for women.
Unfortunately, since many Jewish people lost their jobs they could only sell items such as scarves, souvenirs, combs, etc. The Jewish doctors had lost their jobs and many other occupations were lost no matter what their level of education was. In 1904 the Jewish synagogue was built and is still currently standing. The inside of the synagogue is absolutely beautiful and was a place for the Jewish citizens of Rome to go and be together where they could not be touched by the government or Christians. There is much more history behind the Jewish Ghetto and the history of the Jewish people but the basis of all the information in listed in this blog.

To read more information about the Jewish Ghetto please visit the following website.


http://www.romanhomes.com/your_roman_vacation/quarters/jewish-quarter.htm

Boys Town

Boys town is an orphanage and was founded in 1951 which hosts a home for boys who have no families to return to or to support them. Boy’s town is a town of boys who has a president and adults around to keep an eye and help them. Our class as well as another class visited Boys Town. We had met a boy who was 9 years old, who had been there for about one month. The ages of the boys range from about 9 years to 21 years of age. There are about sixty boys that live in Boys Town. Boys Town is a charity town that gets money through fundraisers for boys who no longer have families or parents to return to. The boys get schooling while they stay in Boys Town by certified teachers. They have art classes, math classes, literature and English, etc. We had also met the mayor of Boys Town, which changes every two months. He was 17 years of age and had been in Boys Town for two years. They change up the mayor every two months to give the boys opportunities to be a leader and feel like they have an important role within the town.

The town was very nice filled with buildings, a church, kitchen, trees, and art that the boys have done recently and in previous years. Boys Town is a wonderful place where boys who have little or no support from their parents and/or family can earn an education, gain leadership roles, grow up and live and meet others who are in similar situations as they are in. The boys we had met seemed extremely happy to be able to have the opportunity to live in Boys Town and begin the process to one day be on their own. Boys Town is a national orphanage and there are many more located around the world. The boys that live in Rome, at Boys Town do have part time jobs and have to work to earn some sort of living and money to spend upon their wishes. It was extremely great to be able to meet to boys who took initiative to come to Boys Town and earn a living and meet other boys in the same situations as them.

*For more information on Boys and Girls Town please visit the following site:

www.boystownofitaly.org

Pantheon

Upon walking into the Pantheon the circular shape and light shining down into the middle of the church drew the eyes upward to see the famous ceiling of the Pantheon. The sense of activity that surrounds the Pantheon all throughout the day makes the church feel like history is behind it. People come to Rome to explore and sightsee around to all the different historical buildings. When you see massive crowds around an object or building, with the name so famous, you get a sense that this church is special and has something about it that intrigues others. The exterior of the building is dated looking with pieces of marble missing, and cracked brick. Lying within the Pantheon is the tomb of Raphael body which provides significance and history to this church.
The name Pantheon, which is Greek, means “all the gods.” In 10 BC, a man named Agrippa built the Pantheon which was later burned down, not once but twice, and then finally rebuilt in 120 AD by Hadrian, which is the Pantheon that we see today. The Pantheon is so unique inside. The Pantheon actually has a dome inside and the dome holds up an opening which is not covered by glass. When it rains in Rome it rains into the Pantheon onto the marble floors. While visiting the Pantheon, I did notice some drains on the ground that will draw the rain down. The history of the ceiling in the Pantheon is rather interesting as well. At one point the dome was solid brick and concrete. However, the ceiling was way too heavy and could have collapsed so the builders had to cut squares into the individual blocks of concrete. The Pantheon is now taken care of by the popes so it does remain in extremely good shape. The Pantheon is used as a church to this day.


Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003

Vatican

While staying in Rome for eight weeks, I have visited many sites, but today I visited the Vatican which was one of the most beautiful and massive sites I have ever seen. The Vatican is a city within a city. The Vatican has its own rules apart from Rome which was interesting to learn while studying abroad. This capital city of Rome consists of about one hundred and ten acres and has a population of about eight hundred people.
The Vatican has dated back at least 2000 years ago in 326 AD when St. Peter was buried underneath Vatican City. St Peters was also known to be crucified upside down in the center of The Vatican where the Circus of Nero obelisk stands today. The reason behind the name of the obelisk is the fact that before the Vatican City was established it was a location of the Roman Emperor Nero Circus.
I had also learned that in 1929 the Lateran Treaty formed this city-state. Vatican City was formed and was ruled by the Pope just like its own city. The Pope still lives in the vicinity of the Vatican City to this day. The Basilica that now stands in the Vatican City today was built over St. Peter’s tomb in 326 AD. After the Basilica was built, Vatican City started to become and form into its own city that was ruled by the Pope. Other church duties and buildings were formed around the Vatican. The duties of the Pope and the Catholic Church went largely unrecognized.
The Vatican City is extremely beautiful and is usually filled with many tourists interested in seeing the same city-state in which you are interested in. There are no words to describe the massiveness of this site. One of the greatest things about Rome is that when you are at any higher elevation within the city you can usually always see the St. Peters Dome which is one of the biggest parts of Vatican City.


"History of Vatican City." Rome Italy: Travel Guide to Rome & Italy. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Colosseum

As a class we often travel around Rome to some of the major sites and churches. Our class met in front of the Colosseum to discuss the background of the old historic site. I feel as though one does not realize the size of this massive design until standing next to or in it. Standing outside of this building onlooking all of the detail and structure just made me want to get inside to get the full picture of this historic site. In the afternoon, after visiting San Clemente and San Giovanni in Laterno, I had gone back to the Colosseum to take a good look at the inside structure and architecture. The pictures of the Colosseum in photographs on post cards and in books do not do this building justice.
In a book that we used for our classes in Rome called Eyewitness Travel Guides to Rome it states that the Colosseum was built with a practical design with eighty arches to allow easy access to 55,000 people. Designs have seemed to change over the years of this large building is just practical. I think as well as many tourists and locals seem to think that this historic site has much meaning and offers a beautiful design by using brick and travertine. The Colosseum has an intricate design throughout the entire building. All eighty arches are beautifully aligned with one another that add more than just easy access to the spectators. The Colosseum is a tourist attraction to many due to its once perfect circular building and the entertainment that it used to hold inside.
The Colosseum amazes me to think that this huge building held 55,000 people for their entertainment. The Colosseum held many fights including gladiators and animal fights that led to death. The goals were of the gladiators to kill which ever animal was released from the cockpit. It is really neat to know the history behind this large building that was used thousands of years ago back in AD 80! Throughout the Colosseum there are many tour guides offering a tour in English to gain understanding and perspective of this historical site. I was extremely excited to get a chance to look into this building that has been used so many times by various people.


Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003

Roman Forum

Our group met at the Roman Forum to explore the ruins. The Roman Forum is one of the most popular tourist attractions known in the world. The Roman Forum consists of many ruins dating back to the 6th century BC. The ruins once consisted of temples and places for emperors, and citizens to pray and to roam around.
The oldest existing groundwork that still stands today in the Roman Forum is the Temple of Saturn. I was unable to go inside of the Temple of Saturn but it was once used for a gathering place for holidays, such as Christmas! Two other architectural standings include the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Septimius Severus. These two large statues are dedicated to honor the victories Rome had in the Jewish War and the Parthian War. The Basilica of Constantine was one of Rome’s shelters for the courts dealing with laws.
Within the Roman Forum still stands the Mamertine Prison in which St. Peter was imprisoned. Deep within the prison in the underground cell was a mantle with a cross lying on the front of it. Not only was there a cross but the cross that lie on the front of the mantle was upside down. The story behind St. Peter is that he caused a spring in the cell which he then used the water to baptize his guards. And upside down cross symbolizes rejection of Jesus however St. Peter baptized his guards which is looked at as a positive way. St. Peter wanted to be crucified upside down because he felt he didn’t deserve to be crucified in the same way as Jesus did.
The Roman Forum plays such a huge and important part in Italy’s history. Roman Forum was home to many emperors, the laws and courts, and historical people such as Julius Caesar, St. Peter, and Mark Anthony. During my visit to the Forum, the ruins that were still standing were beautiful, standing tall and some still intact. There is so much history in the Roman Forum and it was great to be able to experience it and learning about it while living in Rome.


"Ancient Roman Forum, Roman Forums, Roman Forum History, Earthquakes in Roman Forums." Online Travel Guides of Travel Destinations - Las Vegas, Caribbean, Hawaii and Machu Picchu. Web. 18 Dec. 2009. .