Roaming in Rome

September 28, 2013

After the fabulousness of the Galleria Borghese I didn’t want to go for baroque art in another palazzo museum. Besides, the weather was perfect and Rome is a city that lends itself to walking. From the conference hotel in the outer western suburbs I took the subway to the Piazza del Popolo (below), one of the many central squares flanked by an obelisk, baroque sculptures, and water fountains.

By the way, the water in the fountains is apparently safe to drink. The water is carried in an aqueductal system that was designed and built by the ancient Romans. I walked across central Rome and visited the Campo dei Fiori, the central flower and vegetable market, the Piazza Navona, and the Vittorio Emanuel monument (below).

I also went to the Church of the Gesu, the "Mother church" of the Jesuits. Built between 1568 and 1580, it was the first building to have a baroque facade. It set the pattern for subsequent Jesuit churches around the world.

The interior of the church is also famous for its beautiful ceiling fresco, "Triumph in the Name of Jesus" by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. You would get a stiff neck trying to look at it for a long time, so the Jesuits have thoughtfully supplied a large mirror so that you can look down at the details.

All told, the walk was over 7 miles (as documented by the Fitbit I am holding), which meant that I earned my artisanal gelato!