Can
you think of a more memorable emblem of a city then the capitoline wolf?
The
statue in the Capitoline museum has two babies, Romulus and Remus, hanging from
her teets and looks less of a wolf and more of a dingo. But all great cities
have legends associated with their creation. And the hill where Romulus was
suckled by a wolf is the true heart of Rome and overlooks the Forum and
Colosseum. Matched with the Palatine hill a little further south, which was the
Beverley Hills of Imperial Rome, - a visit to both these hills takes you back
to the creation of this great city. Ruined palaces, exquisite gardens,
magnificent buildings and a piazza designed by Michelangelo await you on these
hills. As well as views of the Forum, Centro Storico and Tiber that will bowl
you over.
The
Palatine Hill
This is one of
my favourite places in Rome. Much more spacious and greener then the forum . It
commands spectacular views across Rome. This was the Beverley
Hills/Knightsbridge/Upper East Side of Ancient Rome. Only the most exclusive
patrician families had villas and palaces on this hill. And eventually the
entire flat summit was covered by the great Imperial palace of Domitian.
"Palatine" gave the English language the word "Palace" and
it was from here that the Emperor's governed. The walls of the great palace
still stand and are so complete that you can pick out corridors, courtyards and
fountains. After the Forum you could do a lot worse then head uphill to the
Palatine.
Nowadays there
are only two entrances to the Palatine. The entrance from the Forum is the one
most people use and is reached up the path from the Arch of Titus. There is an
entrance fee of 13,000 lira and take a good map, just like the Forum the
Palatine is very badly labelled. The advantage of this way is that you will be
travelling the main route used by the Imperial household down to the Forum.
Imagine two thousand years ago centurions standing at a guard post at the
entrance to the Palatine. The Palace was just perfectly positioned away from
the hoi polloi and just close enough to the Senate and Forum.
First
impressions are misleading. The Palatine can look like a vast open-air park
broken only by russet-red walls and ruins. But as you look around you can
discern corridors, room outlines and courtyards. A lot of the ruins are as high
as your neck so their outlines form corridors leading to courtyards that once
gushed fountains. Rumour said that Domitian was so paranoid at the end of his
reign that held had walls of polished marble so he could spot assassins.
The focus for
the ruins is the Museu Palatine which houses marble statues and busts found in
the ruins and is definitely worth a look. But I wanted to see the Casa Livia.
The Empress Livia was wife to Augustus and if you have ever seen the BBC's
version of "I, Claudius" was memorably played by Sian Phillips. The
Casa Liva is a little way to the west of the Museu Palatine and only consists
of three rooms. The rooms however are adorned with frescoes. You can leave it
to your imagination to envisage the plotting and scheming that went on in this
palace.
The great palace
on the Palatine eventually fell into ruin and was picked up by Renaissance
families. One of these, the Farnese, created a garden dating back a thousand
years. It is a nice place to relax after the ruins with fountains, bamboo
groves, shrubs and grottoes. The view from the western end of the Palatine
across Rome to St Peters is unbeatable and worth the admission price on its
own.
The
Capitoline Hill
Where the
she-wolf suckled Romulus who founded a city in his name in 753BC. In Roman
times it housed the cities major temples - Minerva and Jupiter. But today
houses the spectacular Musei Capitolini in a gorgeous Piazza designed by
Michelangelo known as the Campidogio. To reach the Capitoline from the Forum
head to the northwest corner and take any of the trails up through the pine
trees. These should connect with the Via Della Consolozone.
In a city that
doesn't lack beautiful Piazza's - the Campidogio is one of the best. It was
designed by an aging Michelangelo on the orders of Pope III for a visit by the
Emperor Charles V. The very same man who sacked Rome twenty years earlier - but
such is politics. As you climb the cordonata the beauty of the Piazza becomes
apparent. The orange baroque buildings form a perfect square and surround an
equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.
The tangerine of
the buildings looks magnificent against the sapphire of the sky. Best of all
are the colossal white marble statues of Castor and Pollux which stand guard
against the ramp. This is a good place to rest and get your breath back.
If you hanker
after more Roman grandeur then you must enter the Capitoline museum. Split
between two buildings on the Piazza this is well-worth the 8,000 lira. Highlights
for me included the frescoe of the 'Rape of the Sabine women' (which probably
happened where we were standing), a green copper bust of Constantine with
staring eyes and the physical symbol of Rome - the capitoline wolf.
On the ground
floor is a terracotta courtyard which housed fragments from an immense statue
of Constantine. Going by the size of the head and feet - the statue must have
been gigantic. But my tip for you is the rooftop restaurant. You can take a
drink on the terrace and enjoy the cream cityscape spread around you. There is
only one word to describe Rome: Glorious.
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