Flood Markers around Rome and other Rome, Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

On many buildings in low-lying areas of the older sections of Rome, you'll find markers like these - literally pointing out the high water mark of floods, recent and more ancient. These were just three of many on the front of the church Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Santa Maria above Minerva - or above the supposed ruins of a temple to Minerva). You'll find them just to the right of the main entrance off the piazza with Bernini's whimsical sculpture of an elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk.

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Less than a two minute walk from Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the "pilgrim" basilicas, and one of the most famous churches in Rome, stands a smaller jewel of a church - Santa Prassede. Don't miss what may be the best mosaics you'll find in Rome.

The picture I've included is of the apse mosaic behind the main alter. My camera couldn't do justice to the Chapel of St. Zeno, to the right of the altar as you face it. Bring along some .50 euro coins to turn on the lights and be prepared to be delighted. It is literally like stepping inside a jeweled box. The mosaics date from the 9th century and are in the Byzantine style, which is uncommon in Rome. You'll see a resemblance to the mosaics of Santa Cecelia in Trastevere if you go there.

You'll also find a broken marble pillar, said to have been brought back to Rome by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperer. It is supposed to be the pillar at which Jesus was scourged before he was crucified.

The floor, which is 20th century, is still an exquisite version of the Cosmati floors.

If you take a look at the photo, you'll see most of the halos are round - but the one on the far left is square. This indicates that the person being represented wasn't dead at the time the mosaic was being completed.

Address: 9/a Via de Santa Prassede/Via San Martino ai Monti

Normally open daily 07.30-12.00 and 16.00-18.30.

For more information check out:
Santa Prassede

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Phone: 06 48 82 456

Most visitors to Rome never see this church, or even hear of it, for that matter. It's just one of the more than 900 churches in Rome, most of which never get visited.

Yet it is incredibly beautiful and has a wonderful, interesting history. The polished red marble columns alone are enough to make my knees week! The altar and tabernacle by Rainaldi is impossibly, beautifully ornate.

So what and where is this little gem of a church?

Santa Maria della Scala (of the stairs), in Trastevere, the now trendy working-class neighborhood. Trastevere literally means "across the Tevere" or the Tiber River, from the historical center of Rome. The church is not far from the more famous Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Next to the church (on the right as you face it) is a preserved antique pharmacy from the 18th century, which used to service the Vatican.

For more information on the church, the reason for it's creation, and the pharmacy and how to visit it, see:
Farmacia

and
Church

Like many churches in Rome, it is closed between noon and 4 p.m. most days.

An interesting sidelight of this church involves my favorite painter, Caravaggio. He was commissioned to produce a painting for the church; the subject was the death of the virgin. The work was rejected (this happened to Caravaggio a lot, he was always getting in trouble.) In this case, perhaps because the model for the virgin was a prostitute, perhaps because her legs were exposed, or perhaps because her belly was too realistically swollen in death. In any event, the painting now hangs in the Louvre. You can see a copy of it here.

Death of the Virgin

(click on the small painting for an enlargement, then click on "Fit Width" at the top)

Address: 23 Piazza della Scala, Trastevere

Less than 300 meters northwest of Santa Maria in Trastevere, where Via della Scala turns into Piazza della Scala.

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Even if you have no interest in art, even if you’ve never heard of Caravaggio, pay a visit to this church and the famous Contarelli Chapel (the first chapel on the left closest to the altar). If you’re near Piazza Navona, you’re less than 5 minutes away. Bring some coins with you to turn on the timed lights for the chapel.

The photo is of one of the three famous Caravaggio masterpieces – paintings on the life of St. Matthew, which marked a turning point in his career. This is the “Calling of St. Matthew” and shows the masterful technique for which Caravaggio is so famous – the use of light and dark – which so many followers imitated. Note the dark void between Christ (with the halo) and St. Peter, and Matthew the tax collector and his colleagues. And see how the dramatically lit hand of Christ visually and metaphorically crosses the void as he calls Matthew, and Matthew seems to say, “Who, me?”

The earliest of the three paintings is the one on the right, “The Martyrdom of St. Matthew”. The last was the altar piece "The Inspiration of St. Matthew." Matthew, one of the four gospel writers, as was customary, is pictured with an angel, just as Luke is usually pictured with an ox, John with an Eagle and Mark with a lion.

See this website for better reproductions of these and other works of Caravaggio.
http://www.wga.hu/index1.html

Near the chapel, the church has placed a small display and explanation of the paintings in French, Italian and English.

The church (facade designed by Giacomo della Porta) is dedicated to St. Louis IX, king and patron saint of France, who lead the crusades. But the facade isn't stylistically representative of della Porta. It is relatively austere and static compared to Il Gesu'. One of my knowledgeable friends wonders if the French commission required something more sedate.

Address: 5 Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi / Via Santa Giovanna d'Arco. Between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to noon - 3:30 to 7:00 p.m.

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Phone: 06-688-271

You found the Fountain of the Turtles! Congratulations! It must mean you've been wandering Rome, as it's not on the well beaten path. It was designed by Giacomo della Porta (but Bernini added the turtles). Della Porta was an important sculptor and architect who finished Michelangelo's Dome of St. Peter's.

If you go to see the three famous Carravaggio paintings on the life of St. Matthew at the church San Luigi dei Francesi (St. Louis of the French), you'll be in another della Porta building - well, the facade anyway.

This fountain was completed in 1585 and the water comes from the Acqua Vergine, said to contain the best water of all the aquaducts. It is so charming, it always makes me smile when I see it.

UPDATE, MARCH 5, 2006: VT member Baronedivandastad had been torturing me for months....he knew a secret about the fountain, but he wouldn't tell me until we met for dinner in Rome. We finally met and with great fanfare, he disclosed the secret at a wonderful VT dinner in Testaccio. I think I'll keep the tradition. No telling of the secret unless we have dinner together in Rome!

If you want to look for the Fontana delle Tartarughe, see my directions below, but PROMISE me, you'll wander after you find it. The neighborhood is great for wandering. You're close to the Jewish Ghetto, a perfect excuse to stop for some artichokes fried in the Roman Jewish tradition. Or kosher pizza - yes, really.

The fountain is in Piazza Mattei. Find "Largo Argentina," the excavated Roman site, which is is on the south side of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II (just to the west of Piazza Venezia ). Piazza Mattei is just south of that.

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On Sunday mornings, lots of tourists head for Porta Portese flea market in Trastevere, but nearby, there's another market which I think offers a little more local color and a little less of the piles of cheap, new, plastic junk. Instead of going into the Porta Portese main entrance, continue heading west, to Viale di Trastevere and turn left. Walk down the street, noticing the impromptu shrine on the left to the Blessed Virgin, with many plaques thanking her for favors granted. At Piazza Benardino da Feltre, turn left and follow the hordes to Via Benedetto Musolino on the right. Just before the market stalls begin, there's a great little pastry shop on the left. To be sure, you'll find cheap, new, plastic junk here, too, but there are some real flea market finds as well.

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Well, it is in all the guidebooks. Maybe that's why you're thinking of going here?

Every Sunday morning, in Trastevere, just across the Ponte Sublico (one of the many bridges across the Tevere - the Tiber River) hundreds, maybe thousands of tourists come looking for an interesting flea market.

But I would guess that most leave very disappointed - and some of them get pickpocketed, to boot.

Frankly, there's mostly new, cheap junk. Hardly any interesting flea market finds at all - just the chance for the professional thieves to get another chance at your wallet or purse in crowded conditions while you're distracted.

I've got a better idea - it's nearby, and while there's some new cheap junk here, too, you'll find some real flea market finds as well. See my tip called: "Better than the Porta Portese Flea Market?" found here: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/67a55/23513/6/

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If you're up early on Sunday, here's a lovely way to spend the morning. Take a taxi to Santa Sabina in the Aventine (or walk, south of the Bocca della Verita) . Plan to get there before nine, because by 10, the churches will likely be filled with a bridal party. Weddings often take place on Sunday mornings, but this makes visiting the churches even better -- as they are often decorated with flowers in this upscale residential area. Facing Santa Sabina, first, walk right along Via Santa Sabina to the Parco di Sant'Alessio, the perfect little orange tree park. Walk to the edge and spend a few minutes admiring one of the lovliest views in Rome. Then visit Santa Sabina, and next to it Sant' Alessia. Continue on -- the street comes to a dead-end. On the right, you'll pass a large dark green gate (at least it was green in March of 2006) with a large key hole. Look through it for the amazing and surprising miniature view. Then follow Via Porta Lavernale (stop and see Sant'Anselmo) down to Via Marmorata, and across the bridge to Ponte Sublico, to the Porta Portese market, or see my tip on what I think is a better local market nearby.

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UPDATE: Jan 2005 - open again after being closed for a year.

The slightly bizarre Capuchin Crypt in Santa Maria della Concezione, is located on Via Veneto, near Piazza Barberini. It's definitely worth a visit. Seven rooms deocorated with mosaics, designs, even lanterns hanging from the ceiling, made from thousands of the brothers' bones.

Yes, really their actual bones! Piles and piles of them. Rosettes made of hip bones and vertebrae. Arches made of skulls.

It's fascinating and creepy at the same time.

Most kids LOVE this place.

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Phone: 06 - 487-1185
Other Contact: Address: Via Vittorio Veneto, 27

Who knew you could take a guided tour of the INSIDE of the Pyramid ?

VT friend Antonio Barbieri did!

We agreed to meet in front of the huge (36 meters) pyramid 15 minutes before the scheduled Saturday morning tour. Most guide books say you can’t visit the inside – but you can when the twice monthly tour is given.

To check for the next tour when you’re in town, buy the publication “Roma C’è” at newsstands. Unfortunately, the listings are mostly in Italian – so ask your hotel to make a reservation for you. The tour of the Pyramid was given only in Italian, but interestingly enough, 2/3rds of the visitors in our group were not native speakers of Italian. The tour guide kindly spoke very slowly for us!

After the Roman conquest of Egypt, in 30BC during the reign of Augustus, tourism boomed. Rich Roman tourists were so impressed with the pyramids as burial monuments, several were built in Rome, but only this one survives. It was built, according to the Latin inscription on this marble-clad tomb, in just 330 days. Not much is known about Cestius, but the inscription says he was a praetor (magistrate).

Entrance to the burial chamber requires stooping a bit through a low door and tunnel. Like its much larger Egyptian cousins, this pyramid was broken into and robbed. The chamber is about 6 meters by 4 meters by 5 meters high. While most of the decorative fresco medallions on the white walls have been stolen (literally chiseled out of the wall) there are enough left that you can imagine the original design.

The pyramid was incorporated in the Aurelian Wall, around 271 A.D. The Pyramid is also home to one of Rome’s cat sanctuaries, like the one at Largo Argentina, but smaller.

The Pyramid of Caius Cestius (Pyramide Cestia, pronounced "peer RAH mee day CHESS tee ah) is easy to find, just a little outside of the center of Rome, south of the Aventine Hill, at the Porta Ostiense, also called the Porta San Paulo.

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