9.11.2012 Rome, Italy (Day 3)

We started our last full day in Rome with a morning stopover at Piazza del Popolo ("People's Square".)

At the centre of the square, an obelisk from Seti I and Ramses II. 

Surrounding the towering obelisk are four Egyptian-styled lion fountains. I wouldn't mind having one of those in the backyard (Good grief. That's how it starts, isn't it? First the lion fountain, then feline-themed decor, eventually descending into full-on-crazy-cat-lady madness.) 

On opposite sides of the square (more like an oval, really), two fountains face one another:

The Fontana del Nettuno ("Fountain of Neptune") with two accompanying Tritons and fierce-looking dolphins. For a non-coastal city, Rome sure does have a lot of marine-themed fountains.

And the Fountain of Roma, goddess deity personification of the city of Rome (I suppose if Athens has Athena, then it's only right that Rome has Roma. Roma does bare an uncanny resemblance to Athena. Homage or blatant plagiarism?)

On either side of Roma lie the river gods Tiber and Aniene.

And at her feet, the She-Wolf Lupa with the twins Romulus and Remus. Romulus would later kill his twin (!!! So much for brotherly love) and establish the city of Rome on what is now the Palatine Hill.

Villa Borghese

The estate-turned-public-park offered a nice reprieve from the baking sun. It was awfully nice to walk underneath tall trees again. It looked like a nice place to bicycle as we saw plenty of people on rented bikes and pedal cars.

We didn't end up covering the entire park given our reservation at the galleria but apparently there are lots of see inside the park. There's even a zoo!

A nice-looking fountain greeted us on our casual stroll.

The path leading up to the Galleria Broghese are lined with headless statues. How poetically morbid.

Galleria Borghese
We arrived half an hour earlier than the reserved time in order to pick up our tickets and check our bags. Lady Luck was definitely on our side on this trip because had we tried to make a reservation in Rome instead of way back in Mykonos, we probably would have had to miss out on this wonderful galleria.

And by the way, all the pains of the reservation process (have you ever tried skype-ing a reservation, waited until you were next in line, only to have the wifi crap out on you? Never had I stared at the wifi bars so intensely, mentally willing the connection to stay at two bars. Repeat that five-six times and you will know my pain) is worth it. Trust me.

Amazing. A Must-See. It's one of those places that warrants repeated visits and where you will never get tired of visiting.

Although the galleria's collection may not be as large or extensive as that of the Vatican or the Louvre, it is extremely well curated. On the ground floor, each room is themed to match the sculptural masterpiece that stands in its centre. The frescoes, the paintings, and the surrounding sculptures contribute to the narrative of the room. Such is the case of the Room of the Hermaphrodite; the fresco panels tell of the story of nymph Salmacis and her infatuation with Hermaphroditus.

The Borghese Gallery has three Berninis: Apollo and Daphne, Rape of Proserpina, and David. Really really sublime. Make sure you view Apollo and Daphne starting from the back, walking counterclock-wise. You'll appreciate Bernini's genius so much more.

There is also a sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte in the gallery - Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix by Antonio Canova, another great Italian sculptor of a later period. Napoleon had her married into the Borghese family after the death of her first husband. Bonaparte then forced his new brother-in-law to sell many of the Borghese treasures to France. This is why a significant portion of what was once the Borghese collection (including the original Hermaphrodite statue) now reside in the Louvre. Maybe it's karma. Ancient Rome conquered Gaul (present day France+Belgium area) and Britain. They, in turn, pillaged Italian masterpieces and antiquities. Full circle? As for the Greeks, they drew the short stick, unfortunately. Bad karma by association.

Off tangent thought: It is still remarkable to me sometimes that the histories of the European countries are so intertwined and how the influences of ancient city-states such as Rome and Venice could still be seen in their once expansive territories. End tangent.

Even the fountain outside the galleria is beautifully decorated. It shows a dragon, part of the Borghese Family's coat of arms (which consists of an eagle and a dragon).

A side gate. The eagle from the Borghese coat of arms finally makes an appearance.

A section of the Aurelian Walls. Cool right?

 

Fontana del Tritone ("Fountain of Triton")
Another Bernini masterpiece. Just a chance encounter on our way to the Trevi Fountain.

How can you not love this about Rome?! All the nooks and crannies, the piazzas, the fountains ... Fantastico!

The Trevi Fountain
This ended up being the most crowded spot we visited in Rome. The crowd surrounding the fountain was 5-6 people deep. I ended up throwing my coin from the balcony area just to avoid the masses (I think it went in the fountain. Fingers-crossed).

As you can see, one-third of the fountain's backdrop was undergoing renovation. Still, the fountain is pretty amazing, due to both its artistry and its sheer size. Little wonder that it is the most popular tourist attraction in Rome. Did you know that the official theme of the fountain is "Taming of the Waters"?

For some reason, I always thought that the Trevi Fountain was an independent structure. I had no idea that it was constructed as part of the building facade. Really quite remarkable.

The close-up shows a better view of Tritons wrestling with hippocampi (half-horse, half-serpent/fish. A de facto "sea-horse") while Oceanus looks on. Love the small tree detail in the corner. I can definitely see why so many people love this fountain. The powerful rush of the water from the fountain certainly feels appropriate to the theme.

Piazza d'Spagna
So named because of the presence of the Spanish embassy (right.) For some reason, there were two extremely-armed guards at the embassy entrance. Was a famous politician scheduled to visit that day I didn't know about? Because otherwise, it seemed a little overkill. Who would have a grudge against Spain anyways?

And facing the Spanish embassy is the Colonna dell'Immacolata ("Column of the Immaculate conception").

Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti ("Spanish Steps")
Other than being the widest steps in Europe, I'm not sure I see what's so special about these particular steps. 
Regardless, climbed them I did. All the way to the top, then all the way back down. The Spanish Steps would be a great place to sit and snack (mmmh lemon gelato), if it wasn't for Rome's pesky law against eating in public areas.

Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the Old Boat")
A huge departure from the mythological figure-central fountains we have seen in Rome so far, this fountain is super quaint and comes with a great back-story. It is modeled after a fishing boat that was washed unto the piazza after a particularly serious flood from the Tiber river.

Adding to the quaintness factor, the marble boat was designed to look as if half-sunken. The designer? Pietro Bernini, whose son would go on to create some of the greatest fountains in Rome, the great Bernini himself.

Miscellaneous photos (left-to-right): 1) the Chinese restaurant in a sketchy-looking alley where we had dinner one night. Really top-notch beef soup; 2) view from our hotel room, just a hop-skip-and-a-stone's-throw away from the terminal station; and 3) Roma Pass booklet.