To anyone who has just started reading the blog, I am adding these posts now because I have transferred my blog over from Tumblr onto Blogspot a few days ago; that is why I am adding a post from April now!
So far I had been in Rome for four hours and had already had enough time to walk leisurely through the Forum, crossed the old quarter (including the Pantheon, Piazza di Venezia, Galeria Doria Pamhilj) and visited the Vatican Museum. Now it was lunch time and once more I was on my feet, across the Tiber and over to the Museum of the Ara Pacis.
I had wanted to visit this museum for some time now. At school I completed an Extended Project on Emperor Augustus' very extensive builting programme in Rome during the start of the Roman Principate. I had seen a section of the altar at the Louvre the summer before, but I had never seen the actual thing. So this was the time to visit once and for all!
The "Altar of Peace" itself is now in a very modern white building right by the Tiber, which has caused some controversy amongst the Romans, partly for being too modern. Personally I think that this new building, in the same way that La Defense in Paris creates a modern counterpart to the Arc de Triomf, creates a new lasting house for a very old temple to extend it's life lease. It also gives Rome a contemporary new icon and showcases the extremely high value which the Ara Pacis has, especially amongst international archeologists and architects.
I had never realised how tall the altar was until I first saw it. If you see the picture above these lines, you will see the entrance into the altar itself: a person would reach about halfway up the door! It is a really striking monument; and marble makes it stand out eve more, although in Roman times it would have been isolated, probably in the fields next to Rome.
The history behind the Altar of Peace is long: Augustus erected it after finishing his battles against Gaul and Spain, and portrayed himself as a religious figure, with his head covered and amongst his people, not physically separated form them. He had quite a reputation after the Civil War for being a very brutal and fearless man, a warrior, and now he had to create an image of himself as a victorious and peaceful leader, not a military commander.
The side wall outside the building is inscribed in big letter with one of history's most important documents to date: the "Res Gestae", Augustus' "Things Done". I was surprised to see that few people (not more than 30 inside the museum) although yet again I had arrived only about 40 minutes before closing time... Thank god I had planned out my day in advance and stuck to the timetable!
Rome is a beautiful city, especially in spring, when all the cherry trees are in bloom. After visiting the Ara Pacis museum, I headed North a bit to the main thoroughfare of Rome, which crosses from Piazza Venezia all the way to Piazza del Poppolo. This is the main shopping district, with high end names such as Cartier, Versace, and especially the big Italian brands of Armani and Gucci, as well as many international brands.
Something which struck me about Rome was its extremely laid back atmosphere, very similar to Spain. People would shout across the road to each other, without any regard to whether they were distracting passers by or whether they had burst into a family's photo pose by accident. And it was already getting quite late, although the sun was still shining. This is exactly what the Mediterranean lifestyle is famed for, and without a doubt it is very much more sociable than the cold Northerners who bustle quickly to escape the rain or snow at this time of year.
I was planning on walking across Rome again (it is very manageable, as the city centre is only a few km wide) starting at the famous Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna, and heading on towards one of Rome's most impressive monuments: La Fontana di Trevi.
Something which struck me about Rome was its extremely laid back atmosphere, very similar to Spain. People would shout across the road to each other, without any regard to whether they were distracting passers by or whether they had burst into a family's photo pose by accident. And it was already getting quite late, although the sun was still shining. This is exactly what the Mediterranean lifestyle is famed for, and without a doubt it is very much more sociable than the cold Northerners who bustle quickly to escape the rain or snow at this time of year.
I was planning on walking across Rome again (it is very manageable, as the city centre is only a few km wide) starting at the famous Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna, and heading on towards one of Rome's most impressive monuments: La Fontana di Trevi.
The fountain itself is completely hidden away from view. One moment you are walking down small cobbled streets, then you start hearing a rush of distant water, and suddenly you find yourself staring open-mouthed at a huge crowd staring at a wall. You turn around and there stands one of the most impressive sights in the world: La Fontana di Trevi.
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