The Rome That is Passed By

www.unusualstays.com ( A New Zealand blog of unique places to stay)

pippy.mccurdy@gmail.com

The Traveller's Rome

In a city that is renowned and admired world wide for some of the most famous monuments of all time, there are also those not so famous edifices which in a lesser city would be prime attractions in themselves. But in Rome? - Barely a mention.

The mighty Emperor Hadrian left his mark on many parts of the world. There was of course, his mighty wall - the remains of which snakes its way through the English countryside even today. There was the Temple of Venus and  Roma, -  which still stands partially in tact on a hill near the Colosseum and is visited by an estimated four million sightseers a year. There is the magnificent Pantheon with its huge domed roof - two thousand years old and still the largest un-reinforced dome in the world. These are Hadrian’s most well known legacies.

But if you happen to wander through the heart of Rome along the well-tramped streets as you weave in and out of the throngs of tourists, tour guides and guided walks, and then if you divert just a little, you will find yourself at the foot of what remains of the Temple of Hadrian; - eleven giant columns in a row with a huge scarred and pitted wall behind.

The Temple of Hadrian

This is the temple’s north  wall, - the only remaining wall, - now assimilated into the facade of the Rome stock exchange. There are no hoards of tourists around this edifice, just a handful of hawkers and captured in a moment in time, a girl playing violin in homage to a forgotten wonder.

A little further on but still in the main tourist tract of the city you may wander possibly by mistake, into the astonishing Galleria Sciarra. This Galleria is an object of great beauty. It soars up on all sides, its walls covered in murals and frescoes from the nineteenth century. Above these walls sits a pyramidal glass roof .

Galleria Sciarra

The art on the walls of the Galleria is the work of of a single artist, Giuseppe Cellini, and depicts themes in reverence of the virtues of  nineteenth century womanhood;  virtues such as self - sacrifice, servitude, obedience and chastity. Well perhaps the themes are no longer so acceptable but the overall effect of these tall art-covered walls in their rich earthy tones, is dramatic. This Galleria is easily missed. It is not well marked. The entrance is humble. It is not likely to be on your walking trail. But it is a detour you will be glad you took.

The surprise finds of Rome go on and on. Above, just two of these. And then there is the open air theatre beside the River Tiber. There are the night cafes and bars along the west bank. There is the eccentric Coppedè district. And there are also the wonders that you will find on your own; -  always the best discoveries.

Movies by the Tiber

Rome For Travellers

Are You a Tourist or a Traveller?

The vast city of Rome, wrapped in a cloak of antiquity and shaped around the renowned river Tiber, is a city which throbs with people. On trains, busses, cars, and planes, the daily influx pours into Rome. Rome is a hub and an axis for the whole of Italy. Centrally placed in the country, international visitors arrive in Rome whether their destination is the north to Tuscany and on to the lakes and the mountains, or whether they head south to the famed Amalfi Coast and the azure seas of the Mediterranean.

The Roman Forum

But it is not just tourists and workers who pour into Rome; - it is native Italians also. Italians come to Rome to see for themselves the history and the culture of this ancient city. For not only is Rome a hub, Rome is also a destination in itself - perhaps one of the most famous tourist destinations on earth.  The magnificent structures of the past, so well preserved, so well known, draw tourists and travelers from every country of the world, and from the far corners of Italy,  - all coming to experience the city of Rome and its famous and historic structures.

Castel Sant Angelo

 The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps - all so well known, so familiar from tv, from movies, from computer - from Wikipedia… This is a city of history where around every corner and on every horizon there is another towering dome, another ancient church, a two thousand year old wall, a colonnade of crumbling columns as tall as a four storey building.

Galleria Alberto Sordi

Everywhere tourists pour over small maps, peer at cell phone screens, follow flag waving tour guides. But this  microcosm of antiquity in the centre of Rome is so concentrated that a  map is scarcely necessary. Every corner, every street and every piazza holds another ancient edifice to experience and admire.

Ponte Sant Angelo

If the tourist hubbub is not for you, turn off from the main pathways and take a side street. There will always be something new to discover. Or stop for a while at a street-walk cafe and take the time to people-watch over a glass of wine or a bite to eat. Breathe in the air of Rome. Become one with Rome. Fall in love with Rome - as so many others have done before and will do again.

pippy.mccurdy@gmail.com
www.unusualstays.com ( A New Zealand Blog of unique places to stay)