Safari in Rome

A SAFARI IN ROME Pictures

Isola Tiberina According to the legend the island was created by silt piling up on the crops of the Tarquins thrown into the Tiber when the last king of this line was driven out of Rome.

Natural island, It grew on the centuries of waste This is the only island on the river Tevere.

What shape has it got? ● A boat ● An eye ● A plate Look down the river and point: Where is the sea?

How far is the sea from here?

Ancient place of cult dedicated to Esculapio the God of the medicine, whose snake, was carried to Rome from Epidauro in order to vanish a terrible plague in 293 b.C.. The snake slid from the boat, swam upstream, and made the island its home. As this was clearly a sign of divine intent a temple was built in honour of Esculapio. The island's shape suggests a ship and an obelisk was placed in the middle for a mast. To the Temple the first hospital of Rome was annexed, whose intense activity continues to our days.

Now you have to find the Esculapio snake on the island and take a picture of it!

The Geese of the Capitoline A long time ago when Rome was attacked by the Gauls, some noisy geese came to the rescue. Here is how it happened. The Romans, frightened by the siege, ran to take refuge on the Capitoline hill because it was a hill protected by high cliffs. The Gauls cleverly waited until nightfall to attempt to climb the hill and take them by surprise while the soldiers were in a deep sleep. However, there were some beautiful fat geese, sacred to the goddess Juno, who were disturbed by the noise that they began to squawk and flap uncontrollably! So much so that the soldiers awoke, quickly armed themselves and were able to stop their enemies.

There’s a typical roman saying linked to this fact ● Sei stupido come un’oca del Campidoglio ● Strilli come un’oca del Campidoglio ● Sei carina come un’oca del Campidoglio

Piazza Mattei Wandering through the Jewish Ghetto, in Piazza Mattei, there's the Turtle Fountain of Rome completed after the restoration of Virgo aqueduct. The square took its name from the "Mattei family", one of the most powerful families in Rome during the Renaissance. About the Turtle Fountain, probably projected by Bernini, there is a tale that says how Duca Mattei built it in one day to demonstrate to his future stepfather that he was still a rich person Role play The boy The girl’s father

∙ Which is the window of the rich man? ∙ Take a picture

Largo di Torre Argentina is a square There are ruins of buildings dating back Republican age ( BEFORE Caesar) Who was killed in a building called Curia in this place? ● Tarquinio il Superbo ● Julius Caesar ● Napoleon Look around and find .. which kind of animals?

Take a picture of one of these LIVING animals Do you remember the movie “ Aristocats” by Walt Disney? Do you know that in the Italian version the orange cat travelling to Paris is called Romeo and he arrives from here?

can you sing his song?

Via Della Gatta The name of this street derives from the marble statue of the cat that was in origin in the temple of Isis, There is a legend : if you look in the same direction of her eyes you find a hidden treasure

The small Elephant

Near Piazza della Rotonda, there is a path full of discoveries even for younger tourists. The first stop is Piazza della Minerva with its very curious monument by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a great artist of the seventeenth century. At the centre of the piazza, there is a heavy Egyptian obelisk being transported on the back of a baby elephant, which is sweet and plump. He is called “Pulcino” by the Romans. There is also the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church, which was built during the thirteenth century on the ruins of a temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva. If you look closely at the front, on the right you will see some strange markings which indicate the level reached by the Tiber when the river overflowed its banks and flooded the entire city during ancient times.

● Can you see how high the water got? Try and compare your height to the markings.

What do you think of the elephant? Is it a big one? What Pulcino means according to you? ● Chick ● small pig ● little elephant

The Fountain of the Rotonda is located in Piazza della Rotonda. The fountain was designed during the sixteenth century by Giacomo della Porta. It has a large basin filled with a huge rock covered with a coat of arms and figures. In the centre, there is an obelisk once belonging to Pharaoh Ramesses II that stands 6 metre high. ● How do you think the obelisk was carried here and why?

If you walk around the fountain, you will see that not even one image is repeated. It’s a fountain where there is always something new and unexpected. Many strange creatures also live here. ● Find all the animals.. and guess ! What are they?

There are 4 terrifying, grotesque masks that spit water with dolphins next to them. There are other dolphins with elongated bodies and fountains as their mouths. Finally, there is the large conch shell from which water slides down. If you look very closely, you will also be able to find a small monkey and some leaping snakes.

Take pictures of 4 different animals in the fountain

Piazza Navona is always crowded, both day and night. It is full of colourful attractions with music, stands, painters, who can paint your picture, and street artists. Here and in the nearby streets, you will find ice cream shops, pizza parlours, restaurants and local treats.

There are shops with handcrafted items and an historic toy shop that sells gigantic stuffed animals ­ the biggest you have ever seen! And you can also find legendary ghosts and talking statues.

During December, the famous square is colourful and has decorated stands filled with sweets, games, figurines for Nativity scenes, Christmas decorations, gifts and items from around the world. The Festival of the Befana is celebrated each year in this square.

To find out who is the Befana and what she does look at the video..

Piazza Navona has always been a famous theatre for games and fun as well as a place dedicated to water with its three fabulous fountains. Look at the central fountain, the Fountain of the 4 Rivers. It will stun you with its stone zoo and its rivers with human features! Also, take a look at the Sant’Agnese in Agone Church which is located in front of the fountain. The church and fountain, are masterpieces of the seventeenth century, are linked by a legend of the rival artists It is said that Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, two great artists of the seventeenth century, were somewhat argumentative and often competed with each other.

This rivalry takes actual form in Piazza Navona with two monuments that face each other ­ the Fountain of the 4 Rivers (Fontana dei 4 Fiumi), a masterpiece by Bernini and the Church of Sant’ Agnese (Chiesa di Sant’Agnese) by Borromini. Legend states that while building these masterpieces, each accused the other of building theirs too high and not safe enough. Things continued like this for some time. Finally each artist decided to poke fun at their adversary by actually putting something in the work of art.

● Find who are the two characters interacting: one is in the fountain and the other on the church ● Act the scene in your team ● Draw the scene In fact, it seems that one of the giants in the Fountain is shielding his face with his hand as if to protect himself from the collapse of the Church. Whereas, the statue of Sant’Agnese, who you see on the front of the work by Borromini, gives the impression of promising her safety by putting her hand on her chest. In reality, this is only gossip because the two works were completed at different times and because it wasn’t Borromini who completed the church but another architect, Carlo Rainaldi.

Guess the names of the 4 rivers ● Nile, Tiber, Thames, Gange ● Nile, Plata, Danube, Gange ● Tiber, Arno, Po, Adige ● Seine, Tiber, Danube, Volga Take a picture of the symbol of the European river

The extremely long shape of the piazza is because it was a stadium during ancient Roman times. The stadium was built by Emperor Domitian and it held chariot races and sporting competitions. During the centuries that followed until the end of the nineteenth century, it was actually here that the races between the carriages of the princes and cardinals were held. During the period of Carnival, there were parades of people in masks with decorated carts. And during the summer there were even processions of boats and naval battles in the completely flooded piazza!

Upon first glance, you will immediately see three splendid fountains. There is the central fountain called the Fountain of the 4 Rivers and two smaller ones called the Fountain of the Moor (Fontana del Moro) and the Fountain of Neptune (Fontana del Nettuno). Between these fountains, there are churches, impressive palaces and small panoramic terraces.

During past centuries, many famous artists have worked to make this square rich and beautiful.

Count all the animals in the 4 rivers fountain count all the animals in the three fountain Find the Armadillo and take a picture