Sagrantino Ballooning Trip 2019 - Rome      8th August:

Galleria Borghese

    Dan was going to visit Stadio Olimpico, 4kms north of the Vatican, built to serve as the centrepiece of the Foro Italia sports complex, a project initiated by the regime of Mussolini. The stadium hosted clubs AS Roma and SS Lazio, opened in 1953, and has a capacity of 72,698 seats. Stadio Olimpico underwent a last refurbishment in 2007 to keep it eligible to host future Champions League finals. This included, among others, the replacement of all seats. Both AS Roma and Lazio have at times expressed unease at playing in the much-too-large and aged CONI-owned stadium. In the mid-2000s, Lazio had plans to move to a new stadium, but these came to nothing. AS Roma currently have concrete plans to build a new stadium, Stadio della Roma, which will have a capacity of 52,500 seats and they hope to have completed in 2021, though the project has had some setbacks recently.

Grove of Trees between La Casina di Raffaello and Piazza di Siena

    Football stadiums are not my thing, so as oft times before, I planned to visit an art gallery instead. I had heard good reports of the Galleria Borghese, also known in English as Borghese Gallery, housed in the Villa Borghese, a beautiful and elegant mansion. It is one of the most renowned art museums in the world. The building's gardens are also a popular attraction and the third largest park in Rome.

King Umberto I Monument

    We parted company at Flaminio, in order for Dan to catch a tram to the stadium. I alighted at Spagna (Spanish Steps), and exited via long moving walkways into the enormous Villa Borghese park. I had only walked 200m into the park when I overtook two men and a woman, slightly older than myself. I greeted them, "Buongiorno!", and received a reciprocated response in English. "Is this the way to the Trevi Fountain?" asked one of the chaps. "Hell no, you are walking in completely the wrong direction. You are miles away," I exclaimed. "So where are you going?" asked the same man. "I'm off to visit the Galleria which is a hike up this hill. How on earth did you end up here?" I enquired. "We wanted to get off the Metro at Barberini, but the train didn't stop there, so we got off at Spagna. We must have left by the wrong exit," he replied.

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

    His two friends laughed and joked at his navigational skills. "You'd think an ex-army fellow would know how to use a compass," laughed the other chap, "How we reached Rome in the first place I'll never know."
    I learned that the "spokesman" was Alan, a bloke who had served with the REMI all his working life. He now lived in northern Germany and had German citizenship (probably married a German woman when he was based there). His two friends, Dave and Catherine, a married couple from Wales, had driven to Harwich, took the ferry across to the Hook of Holland, and drove across to where Alan lived. The three chums had travelled together over three days to Rome. So far they had seen most of the attractions in Rome, but would not be visiting Pompeii or Vesuvius.
    The trio did not have a map, but I showed them how to use Google maps to obtain a walking route to the Trevi Fountain. We walked together for a short distance before our routes diverged. I hope they made it.
    I hiked up through this delightful oasis to the Galleria, only to discover that the earliest time I could enter was 7pm. I should have booked! My, did I curse to myself. There was no way I was going to hang about for 8 hours. Instead, I took a leisurely stroll around the vast gardens, a green lung of the city.
    The Villa Borghese Gardens are located on the Pincian Hill, close to Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. The Gardens cover an area of 80 hectares and were developed in 1606 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who wanted to turn his former vineyard into the most extensive gardens built in Rome. In the same period, the Cardinal commissioned the building of the Villa Borghese Pinciana to the architect Flaminio Ponzio; today this elegant building houses the Galleria Borghese, The gardens were completely redesigned in the naturalistic English style in the 19th century and became a public park in 1903.

Pietro Canonica Museum

    Many folk were enjoying the park, either walking, jogging or cycling. Artists sat under shady groves capturing the moment. Assortments of musicians played accordions, saxophones, guitars and fiddles. This was an excellent place to unwind.
    A gang of kids charged out of the trees shouting and laughing, and disappeared down a slope on the other side of Viale dei Cavalli Marini. I turned to look where they had sprung from, and spotted an equestrian monument. I ambled over to it; in the fierce heat amble is the only word to use. The man mounted on the horse was King Umbert I, King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. On April 21st, 1868, Umberto married his first cousin, Princess Margherita of Savoy (their fathers were brothers). According to legend, in 1889, the Margherita pizza, whose red tomatoes, green basil, and white cheese represent the Italian flag, was named after her. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colonial expansion into the Horn of Africa, successfully gaining Eritrea and Somalia despite being defeated by Abyssinia at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. In 1882, he approved the Triple Alliance with the German Empire and Austria-Hungary.

Globe Theatre

    He was deeply loathed in leftist circles because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan. He was especially hated by anarchists, who attempted to assassinate him during the first year of his reign. He was killed by another anarchist, Gaetano Bresci, two years after the Bava-Beccaris massacre.
    I continued my way to the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Designed by Cristoforo Unterperger, the small temple was built in 1792, in the framework of the renovation commissioned by Marcantonio Borghese. It is composed of fragments of ancient architecture from the Roman Forum (Italians are masters of recycling old buildings), juxtaposed with modern parts to pretend a ruin, according to the fashion of English gardens. Behind the façade, on a pedestal, is the ancient statue of Faustina. On the sides there are two areas with copies of the Greek inscriptions and the Latin metric version that decorated the entrance to the villa of Herod Atticus at the Caffarella.
    Turning left towards the city, I came across the Pietro Canonica Museum which houses many works of art by this sculptor. The building, dating back to the 17th century, is known as Fortezzuola (small fortress), hosts the works by Pietro Canonica and the storage of Villa Borghese sculptures, displayed in the inner garden and in a room inside the museum. These sculptures originally decorated the paths and the buildings of the gardens, and were restored between the 16th - 19th centuries.

Goethe Monument

    Then I stumbled across a corner of Villa Borghese that is forever England, hidden behind an avenue of trees, a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the open-air Silvano Toti Globe Theatre. Built to resemble a classic Elizabethan theatre, the Globe features upper and lower balcony sections that wrap around the stage as well as a standing area that allows audience members to become part of the action. This amazing Elizabethan open-air theatre offers a traditional repertoire from the end of June until early October; currently running "Much Ado About Nothing".
    Strolling along Viale San Paolo del Brasile, I discovered a Monument to Goethe. The monument was made in Berlin from Carrara marble by the sculptor Valentino Casali on the model of Gustav Eberlein. It was donated to the city of Rome by the German Emperor William II, as a sign of the friendship between the Italians and Germans and in remembrance of the hospitality the city showed towards the poet. On 23rd June 1904, in the presence of King Victor Emanuel III, the monument dedicated to the great author and poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832), was inaugurated.
    The statue of the poet alone is 3m high. He is represented at a young age at the time of arrival in Rome in 1786, dressed in an elegant suit with a cape on his left arm and a notebook in his right hand to recall the works written at Villa Borghese itself. Goethe is flanked by 3 groups of sculptures showing the main fields in which Goethe worked: drama, lyrical and philosophy. Goethe is shown as a young man at the time of arrival in Rome in 1786, with a notebook in his right hand to recall the works written at Villa Borghese itself. At the base of the statue are three groups of sculptures concerning three phases of Goethe's poetics, representing: Mignon and Lotario (left front), for lyric poetry; Ifigenia and Oreste (front right) for dramatic poetry; and Faust & Mephisto (back) for didactic poetry.

Cinema dei Piccoli

    Not far behind the Goethe Monument, across the grass, stood the Cinema dei Piccoli. This cinema is included in the Guinness World Records as the world's smallest cinema (it has 63 seats) and is housed in a green chalet-style building in the heart of Villa Borghese. Cinema dei Piccoli regularly hosts screenings for children, in addition to regular movie screenings in the evenings, including in original languages.
    The slow meander around the gardens, interspersed with the occasional coffee, was the perfect tonic to the last few days of tourist cramming. I had thoroughly enjoyed the time out - if I had managed to get into the Galleria I might have missed that delightful time in the gardens.
    But the time had come for me to do something productive. I headed back down into the city to purchase some presents for my grandchildren - always a daunting task that takes ages. I made it easier on myself by deciding up front to buy items that they could wear.
    With that mammoth task accomplished, I took refuge under the awning of a bar in Piazza di Pietra overlooking the Temple of Hadrian. A cool beer and Macedonia (fruit salad) provided me with sustenance.
    Numerous guided tours passed by, pausing to gaze at the temple before moving on. One elderly gent slowly walked out of a side street, a little flag on a stick limply waving about above his head marked him down as a tour guide. He slowly shuffled across the piazza, but where were his flock? About 40 seconds later they appeared from the same side street, ambling at the same pace, bored and reduced to a twitching, trickle of sweat.

Temple of Hadrian

    Dan eventually caught up with me at the cafe, and we partook in a cool beer. We watched with interest as a chap dressed in 1930s costume set up a tripod in the square, and then walk about with a camera with a mock old fashioned flash gun taking photos of anyone in range. He would then go back to his tripod which had a machine beside it, which I guess was a printer. I suspect his ploy was to show folk their photos with watermarks all over them. Then, for a fee, he would email them the original photo minus watermarks. The cheek of it. Some folk were getting rather stroppy with his antics.
    Several times we had spotted a tall, white, marbled building with two horse drawn chariots straddling its top. We decided to investigate, and so we hiked to Piazza Venezia where it is located. This piazza is a major road junction in the city, located where four major roads meet. On one side you can look down Rome's longest street, the Via del Corso to the ancient northern gates of the city by Piazza del Popolo. This street was named for the 15th century "corsa dei barberi" or "race of the barbarians" - a tradition at Carnival of racing horses down the 1.5km street, but it's origins date back to ancient Rome. Today, Rome's longest, straightest street is best known for shopping. From another angle, the ruins of the Imperial Forums lead the way to the Colosseum. Take a different road and you'll end up in the Jewish Ghetto, on your way to Rome's Trastevere neighbourhood and last but not least, towering over the piazza, is the unmissable marble monument: Il Vittoriano.

Il Vittoriano

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Eternal Flame to the Right, and Vittorio Emanuele II Monument Above

    Where we had entered the Piazza Venezia where the Via del Corso met the square, we stood beside the Plazzo Bonaparte. This 17th century palace was once the property of Napoleon's family. Napoleon's mother Letizia Bonaparte lived the last 18 years of her life here and the palace is named after her. She spent most of her time on the first-floor loggia, watching the busy streets of Rome.
    To the right of us lay the Palazzo Venezia This building is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings in Rome, constructed between 1455 and 1464. The Palace, built by a Venetian cardinal (hence how Piazza Venezia takes its name) who later became Pope Paul II, was used as a papal residence, embassy of the Republic of Venice and later headquarters for the Italian government. Benito Mussolini, "Il duce," had his office inside and from the palace's balcony overlooking the square he shouted his speeches to the crowds below.
    Opposite the Palazzo Venezia is an insurance building, the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, finished in 1906 to mirror the older Palazzo Venezia. Unifying the squares "look" was more important than preserving its history. One of the buildings that was torn down was the house where Michelangelo Buonarroti lived and died, commemorated by a plaque on the side facing the Vittoriano.
    But the star of the show here stood proudly before us, that gleaming cascade of marble, almost like a man-made Pamukkale, Il Vittoriano. The colossal monument, which is 135m wide and 70m high, is comprised of scores of majestic Corinthian columns and endless stairs, all carved in white marble. We carefully negotiated our way across the busy traffic-filled square to this marble mountain, observing a white-gloved policeman on a podium directing traffic and pedestrians using hand signals and a whistle.

Trajan's Column

    Il Vittoriano derives its name from Italy's first king, Victorio Emanuele II of Savoy to whom it is dedicated. Construction started in 1885, 4 years after his death and it was fully completed in 1925 under Mussolini. It was built to celebrate the uniting of Italy as a nation. The monarchy only lasted another thirty years after the completion of the Vittoriano, and most Italians would still scoff at the idea of unity, but the monument remains and is still important for those Italians with thoughts of nationhood.
    Built on the side of the Capitoline Hill, the central and sacred hill of Ancient Rome. Many historic buildings, including a convent located on the hill were demolished. One building, the Palazzetto Venezia, was even moved so it wouldn't obstruct the view of the monument from Via del Corso. This immense monument also goes by another name, "l'Altare della Patria" or "Altar of the Fatherland". It also has two less prestigious nicknames: "The wedding cake" and also "The typewriter." Most Romans aren't a fan of the monument which has been rightly criticized for clashing with the existing architecture.

Trajan's Markets

    The massive gilt bronze equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II stands in front of the building. When the casting of the 10m long and 12m tall statue was completed, twenty people comfortably posed for a photo around a long table set up for pastries and vermouth inside the horse's belly. The other statues and decorations ornamenting the monument all have allegorical significance: the statues around the base of the equestrian statue, for example, represent fourteen historically-important cities of Italy. The two quadrigae on top symbolise Liberty and Unity. The bright white marble used is from Brescia in the north of Italy.
    The front terrace provides the dramatic setting for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where an eternal flame burns, guarded by soldiers. Inside the monument are many exhibition rooms, some with permanent displays and others used for temporary exhibitions. There is a Museo del Risorgimento, dedicated to the uniting of Italy, and exhibition halls where major exhibitions are mounted.

Colosseum

Roman Forum

Enjoying the Views From Il Vittoriano

    It was getting close to closing time for the monument, so we wasted no time and took an elevator, built onto the back of the monument in 2007, which shot us up to the rooftop of the 135m monument for one of the finest 360 degree views of the city. Both ends of the top are crowned with Quadriga dell'Unità, two statues of the goddess Victoria riding on quadrigas. A quadriga chariot drawn by four horses abreast was raced in the Ancient Olympic Games and other contests.
    Looking in a north easterly direction, just the other side of Via dei Fori Imperialli, stood Trajan's Column. Trajan's Column in Rome has served as a prominent landmark and a symbol of imperial power of the capital city since it was dedicated at the height of the emperor's reign in 113AD. Standing today in isolation, the Column was a focal point of the great forum and market complex built by Trajan to complement a group of older imperial fora clustered on the north side of the venerable Forum Romanum itself. The Trajanic project was funded by the rich spoils Trajan brought to Rome as booty from the Dacian Wars, a conflict waged in two separate campaigns over the years 101-102 and 105-106AD.
    Turning around more to the east, the Trajan's Markets stood. Trajan's Market is the name given in the early 20th century to a complex of buildings in the imperial fora of Rome constructed in 107-110AD during the reign of Trajan. The complex, currently holding the Museum of Imperial Forums (Museo dei Fori Imperiali) included a covered market, small shop fronts and a residential apartment block. It is considered to be Rome's first "shopping center". The principal products sold at the market would have come from across the empire and included fruit, vegetables, fish, wine, oil, and spices such as pepper.
    The complex was constructed on three different levels into the terraced hillside behind, access to the various parts was provided via connecting staircases. The ground level shallow alcoves opened onto a street and were used for small shops whilst there were more shops in the arcades above. The buildings are largely constructed using concrete and faced with brick, and it is one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture using these materials.
    To the south east stood the impressive Colosseum, and adjacent to it the Roman Forum, both subjects to be discovered in depth tomorrow. We marvelled at the panoramic views over the city until we were politely asked to leave.

    We retired to the Piazza Novena in the evening, dining in one of the many fine restaurants situated around the periphery. Afterwards, we took time out to stroll around the square, taking in the efforts of the hordes of artists who had set their wares out for sale. Musicians played, kids played hide and seek amongst the fountains, many stalls, musicians and clumps of people. The whole square was illuminated - enhancing the wonderful atmosphere.