In January 2025, I spent two weeks on holiday in an apartment in the centre of the Centro Storico (Historic Centre) of Rome and I felt I had lived there for ever.
It was like being at home, but with many world famous landmarks just a few minutes walk away .
With a speedy internet on my trusted laptop, I was, I felt, truly at the centre of the world.
There was even a small courtyard downstairs where I could do my daily martial arts practice – White Crane style Kungfu and tai-chi. This space became my dojo, my training ground, and after just a few days, I felt grounded here.
I was living round the corner to a street that had the two thousand year old remains of an Ancient Roman building – a local resident told me had once been a Roman Baths. It appeared to be growing out of, even bursting out of, the surrounding buildings. Birds liked it too and used it as their cliff-top perch.
I’m next door to a shop too, not your average shop, but an upmarket ecclesiastical outfitters. I feel blessed every time I come home.
There was also, not only some good restaurant here but also a small café, the ideal place for a morning espresso and croissant. Perfetto.
The café was down my road but also across the street from the Pantheon, one of Rome’s most famous monuments, The Pantheon, a 2nd century Roman temple and, since AD 609, the Roman Catholic Basilica Santa Maria ad Martyres. Apart from its Corinthian pillared portico, the building is circular, in Rotunda style, one that was much copied through the Roman world and ever after.
The espresso was good too.
As with many famous Italian landmarks, people all seem to congregate in crowds outside the famous bits, and leave the adjoining streets empty. Going to Rome in January was definitely a good way to avoid the crowds.
I was not quite alone. This crow, a Pantheon resident, also takes an interest in croissants. He finds my morning routine much more interesting than the nearly two thousand year old building where he perches.
It is genuinely impressive to study the ancient brickwork and amazing to observe the concrete dome that has crowned the Rotunda through the millennia. And, as it is warm for January, to sit outside a café, people-watching.
Inside the Pantheon, in spite of the glories of the Renaissance decorations, the main attraction is the beauty of the circular space itself with its domed ceiling. The proportions are just right and I was not the only one who wanted to ignore the tombs and paintings and just to feel the space.
There are of course, a lot of tombs, most famously, the grand memorials to two kings of Italy, especially and, maybe, self-consciously impressive is this one for Vittorio Emanuele II ( reigned 1861 – 1878), the first King of a united Italy since the 6th century. He has a guard of honour and a monument fit for a king, even if it is still up-staged by the building itself.
The Guard of Honour, finely costumed, of course, are drawn from the impressively-named National Institute of the Guard of Honour to the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon. Nice work if you can get it.
Apart from the tomb of the influential Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli (1653 – 1713), the only other resting place that drew my attention was that of one of that great artistic triumvirate of Renaissance geniuses, Raphael.
The honourable gentleman of the Institute of Guards of Honour, paraded under my window the next day. And a fine, if slightly sinister, sight they made.
Very near to the Pantheon, and still just down the road from my apartment, is the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, magnificent and the only Gothic church in Rome. It was built over the foundations of a Greco-Roman temple to the goddess Minerva, consecrated in 1370. I felt the rumblings of the pagan gods under my feet. The elephant statue with its obelisk, felt pagan too. It was designed by Bernini and unveiled in 1667,
Before entering the Basilica, I visited the adjoining building, the Convent of San Domenico, a lovely tranquil place with a garden, robed Dominican monks, and decorated cloisters. When I was there they were holding an exhibition of paintings, Saint Francis of Assisi from Cimabue to Perugino. My favourite picture was the honest and down-to-earth image of St Francis, complete with his big ears, soon after his death, painted by Cimabue (1240 – 1302) on the simile wooden coffin lid used for the dead saint until his grand memorial was built at Assisi. It helped me believe that saints are human too. I was moved too to see a specimen of St Francis’ handwriting.
The gothic splendour of the basilica was a special treat for eyes in danger of getting a bit too worn down by the Baroque. I loved to see the all the colours on the arches and vaulted ceilings that we have lost on our English gothic churches. Here was another moment, as in the Pantheon, to just stand and stare.
As a frequent visitor to Finland these days, I was amazed to find this side chapel dedicated to Finland’s patron saint, St Henrik, with a modern Gothic-looking wooden statue of the saint by the Finnish sculptor, Sakari Pykälä (1992). I discovered that I in Rome for St Henrik’s feast day and couldnt’ resist going to the celebration of the mass in his honour where the hymns were all sung in Finnish
Sitting in the congregation I could see a statue of Christ holding a cross to the left of the altar. I wasn’t expecting to come across The Risen Christ by Michelangelo, no less.
There is rain in Rome in January, but that was ok, an umbrella bought in a shop next to the apartment did the trick and there was still so much to see.
and to eat. Rome, as I am sure you know is a foodie’s delight – I loved it too, as the two kilos I put on while I was there proves.
After dinner, what better, well, you have many choices here in Rome, but, just down the street from here is that most famous of fountains, the Trevi Fountain as remembered by most cineastes for the moment Anita Ekberg uses it as her private paddling pool in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita (1960). I am also nostalgic for this most voluptuous of monuments when I listen to the underestimated composer, Ottorino Respighi’s symphonic poem, Fountains of Rome (1916).
The 18th century statues were designed by Nicola Salvi but completed by Giuseppe Pannini, it is the largest fountain in Rome and the crowds, especially the young couples, can’t resist its resist its romantic appeal. It Fellini every day here in this part of Rome.
Out of my apartment, turn left for the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, turn right for the baroque Basilica di Sant’Andrea della Valle, St Andrew’s Basilica. It is a majestic baroque church consecrated in 1650.
The altar is surrounded by the epic painting by Mattia Preti (1613 – 1699) of Saint Andrew crucified on his x-shaped cross, under one of the most spectacular domed ceilings in the city.
I was lucky to catch a concert here celebrating the 600th anniversary of the birth of one of church music’s greatest composers, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 – 1594), or Palestrina for short. The music was supplied by one of the choirs from St Peter’s Basilica who were joined by a visiting student choir from the University of Minnesota. the match of youthful American clarity and mellow Italian experience worked wonderfully. Palestrina’s music was, after all, composed to be heard in just such an acoustic as here.
The other Italian composer associated with this church is, of course, Giacomo Puccini 18587 – 1924), for it is here that his opera Tosca begins when the tenor, Mario Cavaradossi, is painting a portrait of Mary Magdalene in the Capella Barberini, but the features are of his mistress, Floria Tosca, a beautiful opera singer and, because he’s an Italian tenor, he falls in love with the image on his canvas and sings ‘Recondite Armonia di bellezze diverse!’ (Concealed harmony of contrasting beauties). I couldn’t but remember this and just had to play the aria again when I got back to the apartment. Look out for part two of my Roman story, https://wolfiewolfgang.com/two-weeks-in-rome-part-two/but until then, here’s a link to Jonas Kaufmann singing the aria at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden..https://youtu.be/xw-pOOdm7bs?si=HgufGktRIxZlsLg
L’arte nel suo mistero
le diverse bellezze insiem confonde:
Ma nel ritrar costei
Il mio solo pensiero,
il mio sol pensier sei tu,
Tosca, sei tu!
Art in its mystery
two beauties together confuse
but in painting this
my only thought is of you
Tosca, of you!