ARC 531 Architectural History II Fall 2022
Zoe CopeExperiencing Day Eight in Rome
After hearing the word around town about Giuseppe Vassi’s new book, “Itinerario istruttivo diviso in otto giornate per ritrovare con facilità tutte le antiche e moderne Magnificenze” which broke down an eight day itinerary featuring Roman structures, I decided to do the tour myself.Today went on the eighth and final day. [0]
I began my journey at PonteAdriano right next to the river I had the perfect view of a few iconic buildings of Rome including St Peters, Castel S Angelo, and the distant Vatican buildings The boatmen were traveling through the river
I walked towards Ponte S Angelo, as I approached the bridge, I could see the skyline and some of the buildings that I have visited these past few days.The bridge is decorated with statues designed by Bernini and his group of sculptures [1]
Juan Lopez
Next, I traveled to Porta Castello, which happens to be a bland entry way It appeared to be a utility gate for Castel S.Angelo which I could see within close proximity. [2]
The gate led me to S Maria dellaTranspontina where I saw a great number of nuns hurrying in for mass I was in shock by how straight the roadway was ahead
As I continued to walk west, I came across S Giacomo in Scossacavalli It appears to be another church, this one with a piazza and fountain in the middle.
Down south I saw Spedale e Chiesa di S. Spirito in Sassia.The church which is on the corner street In the distance I saw a man S Spirito in Sassia is one of Rome’s
ano which was half of the piazza. amount of monuments in the view which made it noisy but full of life The view included two fountains, an obelisk in the center and Bernini’s curved colonnade with statues up above
Pora Cavalleggieri ol. Posterula had a great view looking towards an arch gate made of stones. The dome of the Basilica Vaticana appeared to be the focal point from this view I was also amazed to see the amount of statues that appeared in the distance They built anticipation leading into the Vaticano if I were to enter from this route
Next I was located in the Valle delle Fornaci looking at S. Maria alle Fornaci.The outside of the building featured a series of stairs and landscape surrounding the site. It appeared to be heavily active during the construction of S Pietro’s Basilica because of its proximity to a cave
The next stop was on the outside of Porta Fabrica which was a service entrance that provided for the materials of S. Pietro’s Basilica. Surrounding the site were many brickyards and kilns. Above the entrance was the coat of arms of Pope Clement XI.This gate was not protected by towers or bastions [3]
After entering through the entryway, I came across the Seminarui di S Pietro in Vaticano This view featured a small seminary behind S Pietro’s Basilica It appeared to be a Roman institution in charge of the education of future priests. [4]
Porta Pertusa featured a high wall, a tower, and a door that, unlike the rest, was closed. It contrasted the Nolli map because the door appeared to be open Maybe this was done to confuse people into thinking there is an entryway
Next was the pope’s villa, Giardino e Casino Pontificio nel Vaticano, which was once in isolation from the Vatican palace but no longer was because of the city expansion Though the building was in close proximity to other buildings, it also had a feeling of wanting to be in isolation because of the semi formal garden surrounding the villa
From there I traveled back to S. Pietro’s Basilica in Vaticano.This time with a clear view of the second half of the colonnade and S. Pietro's Basilica. I could also see the obelisk which was across S Pietros and fountains which were also located in the piazza Once again this view was lively and could be one of my favorite views of the day
Next we reached the high point of the Vatican hill to the Casino del Belvedere, a papal summer retreat It featured an open courtyard and a great view of the city I had a great view of the fountain in the center of the garden and the pigna/bronza peacocks that decorated the courtyard.This was the perfect place for a suburban villa. [5]
Within close proximity was the PortaAngelica which protected the Casino del Belvedere building It did not appear to be very interesting, however it did have a majestic view to Belvedere This gate appeared to be an access gate for travelers coming in from the north [6]
Just entering the gate was a church, S. Maria delle Grazie.This was one of the few buildings that was surrounded by landscape within the walls that protected the Vatican city.The road ahead leads to the Vatican piazza
Far out I reached Casino al Pigneto del Marchese Sacchetti It happened to be a suburban villa that was quite elaborate in decorations but was turning into ruins. It featured a series of statues and two staircases that led up to the main entrance. It was also surrounded by trees in its isolation from the city.
The S Maria Sopra Minerva was the last stop of the trip It was a church that was roughly 1 25 miles from the city walls The building sits on the hill of Monte Mario and features a set of stairs that lead up to the entrance of the building.
In all, I had a great time exploring the eighth day of the itinerary. I especially enjoyed seeing the walls that protected the Vatican city