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“Pic of the Week”, December 11, 2015: Bernini’s Elephant and Obelisk, Rome
My wife and I love to visit Rome! While walking to the Pantheon from the Forum, we passed a curious and playful sculpture of an elephant and above it, an obelisk. These were in a square very near the Pantheon, just outside a church.
After our visit, we did a little research and discovered this sculpture, named Elephant and Obelisk. was designed by the great artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, arguably the greatest sculpture since Michelangelo. The elephant was probably executed by Bernini’s assistant, but it’s clear Bernini had a hand in its design. The Egyptian obelisk was uncovered during nearby excavations — the ancient Romans were fond of bring obelisks back from Egypt. The completed composite work of art was unveiled in …
Dec 10, 2015
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“Pic of the Week”, April 17, 2015: Castel Sant’ Angelo, Rome
During a recent (and all too short) visit to Rome, my wife and I spent a day strolling the Baroque section of town. Just as the sun was setting, we found ourselves along the historic and beautiful Tiber River. In the distance, silhouetted by the setting sun, was the dome of St. Peter’s basilica Near us was Castel Sant’Angelo.
Castel Sant’Angelo is a castle-like building that houses the remains of Emperor Hadrian, he of Hadrian’s Wall fame (which still stands in Britain). Castel Sant’Angelo was built around 140 AD and over the years has served as a place of refuge and a military fortress. Baroque statues of angels holding elements of the Passion of Christ line its approach. It …
.All Trips / Europe / Italy / Vatican
La Dolce Vita (Part 3) The Vatican’s Treasures
When visiting the Vatican you leave Italy and enter another country, albeit a very small (110 acre) country with only a few hundred permanent residents. Yet the Vatican is an extraordinary place with an influence that belies its diminutive size. One of the most remarkable travel days we’ve ever experienced was our visit to the Vatican. Here we saw not only the world’s most beautiful church (the Sistine Chapel) but also its largest and most impressive church (St.Peter’s Basilica) and the treasures of an extravagant papal palace (the Vatican Museum). I understand that the massive spending spree by the Catholic Church during the Renaissance lead to the Protestant reformation, but as a Protestant and lover of …
Tagged Cathedral, Michelangelo, Rome, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican
.All Trips / Europe / Italy
La Dolce Vita (Part 2) Rome: A City in Renaissance
After the fall of the Roman Empire around 500 A.D., Rome entered a dark age that lasted a thousand years. During this time the only stability and leadership was provided by the Catholic Church and the Pope. But with the Renaissance, spilling from Florence into Rome, a period of rebirth began and a new Rome emerged which eventually developed its own unique Baroque style, fueled by the brilliant art of Bernini. Renovations and new buildings, elegant fountains and art flooded Rome and, with time, it became the energetic city you can visit today.
You can spend weeks exploring today’s Rome, but there’s a lot you can see and do in a few days. …
Tagged Bernini, Cathedral, Michelangelo, Rome, UNESCO World Heritage Site
.All Trips / Europe / Italy
La Dolce Vita (Part 1) Rome: Ruins of an Empire
One of the challenges in crafting these blog posts is deciding how to best convey my impressions of a travel destination. How to best discuss a city as fascinating and historic as Rome? I decided to split this into two parts, this posting on the historic Rome of two millennia ago and the next a (relatively) modern look at this ancient city.
A Brief History of Rome:
While I’m far from a great historian, I do enjoy learning about a country’s history and culture as a way of appreciating it. There’s no better way for me to do this than to literally walk through history, which is easy to do in Rome. There are few cities older than Rome and fewer …
Tagged Cathedral, Coliseum, forum, Rome, UNESCO World Heritage Site
