Rome

October 10–11, 2019

After the Vatican tour we headed back to the hotel for a break to recuperate from the morning's sensory overload. Next we headed to the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. Like a lot of things in Rome, there is a long lunch break, so the church didn't open back up until 4pm.

In the patron's chapel is Pinturicchio's Nativity with St. Jerome.

Of course one reason we chose to go there was to see more Caravaggio paintings.

Crucifixion of St. Peter

Conversion of St. Paul

Raphael designed yet another of the chapels and hired Bernini to do sculptures. Raphael designed the dome.

The church was near the beginning on a tram line, so we then headed that way to take a ride. I find that riding trams and street cars is a good way to see more of a town as well as for getting around. Vienna and Prague are among the most obvious cities to explore that way. In Rome, even with maps and my phone, I never really figured out the tram system. It serves local neighborhoods, and not so much tourist attractions and is more on the periphery of things. I was going to ride a short way to change lines, and never saw how to do that. We rode around and eventually found ourselves at a kind of tram plaza. At that point, all we needed to do was to find a line that headed to Termini, and so back near our hotel. So that's what we did. I rather liked the aimless wandering through different parts of town, and I hoped that Torrey wasn't too unhappy with wasting that much time. He later said that the tram ride was one of the highlights of our time in Rome, so I was glad for that. So from Termini we found somewhere to eat and the way back to the hotel for the night.

The next day we headed to the Pantheon. Not much is left of the temple that was behind it, but the Pantheon has contined in constant use, and thus has the best preserved interior from ancient Roman times. The design inspired architects over the centuries, including Raphael and Thomas Jefferson.

The inscription is from an earlier building, rather than reflecting the time of Hadrian.

In front is a fountain with an obelisk brought from Egypt, now Christianized on top.

The dome is too massive even for my composite of six photos to capture.

It houses the tombs of Rapheal, Victor Emanuel II (the first king of united Italy), and King Umberto I and that of his wife Margherita, of pizza fame.

As the name implies, the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva was built over a temple of Minerva.

In front an Egyptian obelisk sits on the back of an elephant that was designed by Bernini.

The church has the only Gothic interior in Rome, according to Rick Steves. It was closed for construction and was not lighted inside.

I managed to take three shots over the top of the barrier and merge them to get something visible. I couldn't see a thing with my own eyes.

Nearby is the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi (Louis IX of France).

This carving in a chapel is quite intricate. I can't find any information about it. It may have been a temporary exhibit. I didn't see much about it at the church.

The façade pipes are obviously just decorative and not playable.

There are three Caravaggio paintings about the life of St. Matthew. These two are The Inspiration of St. Matthew and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew.

I was surprised when Apple Maps told me to go to Argentina to catch a bus. But the reference was to Largo Argentina, oddly named for Strasbourg, which after various wars is now in France. Excavations are going on in some of the oldest ruins in Rome. They hope to have walkways done in a couple of years for tourists to observe them. It seems like we caught buses here several times during our stay. Julius Caesar was murdered in this area.

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