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Monuments in Rome
The famous monuments in Rome are also famous European monuments as most of them are the oldest monuments on the continent, so they're particularly worth your visit. Circus Maximus for instance dates back to 600 BC and even though little of the original structure remains , it's still one of the most popular attractions of the Eternal City. Another oft visited monument is the Trevi Fountain, but what's interesting to know is that it's just one of over 60 fountains scattered throughout Rome. Add the Arch of Constantine, Colosseum, Spanish Steps and Stadio Olimpico to your list of monuments to see and start exploring Rome!
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Ara Pacis
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Address: Lungotevere
Phone: +39 6 3600 3471
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Ara Pacis Augustae is an altar dedicated to Peace, represented as a Roman goddess. It was constructed as a celebration of the peace established throughout the Roman Empire after the victories of Emperor Augustus in Hispania and Gaul, a period commonly referred to as Pax Augusta. The altar was unveiled in 9 BC and nowadays is believed to constitute one of the finest surviving masterpieces of Augustan sculpture. The outstanding feature of the decoration is the fact that the life-sized sculpted representations of persons in a procession are not idealised, but are individual portraits, many of them identifiable. The purpose of Ara Pacis Augustae was to present the Roman vision of civil religion, accompanied by peace and fertile prosperity.
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House of the Knights of Rhodes
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Address: Piazza del Grillo, 1
Phone: +39 6 678 9261
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The entrance to the lovely Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi, the House of the Knights of Rhodes, is rather difficult to find. Only an inquisitive eye will notice the small gateway at Piazza del Grillo. The seat of the order was constructed in the 12th Century. It was redecorated and renovated between 1467 and 1470 by Cardinal Pietro Barbo, at the time the order’s administrator. Most likely, he commissioned the same team of artists that carried out the decorative works at his own residence, the charming Palazzo Venezia. The main facade features a 15th-century Crusader window; others, overlooking Campo Carleo and Augustus’ Forum, are adorned by typically Roman elements, such as trilobate balcony and crossed windows. The interior of the house holds a chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist, constructed in 1947. The Antiquarium of Augustus’ Forum can be reached through the atrium.
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House of Lorenzo Manilio
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Address: Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 1
Phone: +39 6 48 8991
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The residence of the humanist Lorenzo Manilio is occupies the plots number 1 and 2 along Via del Portico d’Ottavia. An inscription on the architrave confirms its name and owner in Latin and Greek. The frieze bears Roman letters which officially note the year of construction as 1497. Casa di Lorenzo Manilio features two residential floors and a ground floor reserved for shops. The facade was originally decorated with a series of excellent high reliefs, of which parts have survived to this day. Of particular note is the scene of a struggle between a lion and a deer and a relief depicting two dogs.
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Column of the Immaculate Conception
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Address: Piazza Mignanelli
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Colonna dell’Immacolata is an ancient Roman column, converted into a Christian monument in 1800. After the pronouncement of the creed of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX, a statue of Madonna was installed on the top of the column. Ever since, it has been the site of the annual celebration of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. During the festivities, a fireman climbs up to the statue to adorn it with a flower garland. According to an anecdote, during an early celebration, the Pope himself climbed up to pay homage to the statue.
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Column of Marcus Aurelius
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Address: Piazza Colonna
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Colonna di Marco Aurelio was constructed as a magnificent memorial to Marcus Aurelius erected after his death. It celebrates his victories over the Barbarians. Decorated with reliefs of battles and scenes of escorting prisoners of war, it displays many features similar to the Arch of Constantine, which leads many experts to believe that they were produced by the same team of artists. The statue of Marcus Aurelius previously located on the top of the column was re-placed by a figure of St Paul. Copies of the original figure are displayed in the Museo della Civiltà Romana in the Italian capital and in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
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The Triton Fountain
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Address: Piazza Bocca della Verità
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The Fontana dei Tritoni was designed and crafted by Francesco Bizzaccheri. It’s located in a grassy space, facing the Church of St Maria in Cosmedin as well as two ancient temples, the Temple of Male Fortune and the Temple of Vesta. The fountain is a considerably younger structure than the adjacent venerable monuments, which by no means implies that it’s a recent installation. Constructed in 1715, it has the same subject matter as the better known fountain sculpted by Bernini. Bizzaccheri’s creation features two muscular tritons kneeling on a massive rock and holding up a basin. In a spectacular arrangement, the water from the basing gushes down into a larger basin below.
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Fountain of Neptun
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Address: Piazza Navona
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Upon its inauguration, the Fountain of Neptune was known as the Fountain of the Calderari. Designed by Giacomo Della Porta, it was displayed to the public in 1576 in the northern end of Piazza Navona, across the square from the splendid Fountain of the Moor. To balance the contrast between the lavish Moro and rather plain Calderari, a competition was organised in 1878 to decorate the fountain. As a result, an imposing statue of Neptune, crafted by Antonio Della Bitta, was added to the fountain, giving it its contemporary name. The God of the Seas is represented in a fight with an octopus; the powerful scene is surrounded by sculpted Nereids and seahorses by the sculptor Gregorio Zappalà.
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Fontana della Terrina
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Address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II Boulevard
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Designed by Giacomo Della Porta in the final decades of the 16th Century, Fontana della Terrina was originally located in the heart of Piazza Campo dei Fiori. At the end of the 19th Century, the fountain was disassembled to make room for a memorial to Giordano Bruno, the famous scientists sentenced to death for heresy and executed at the square. Stored away for several decades, Fontana della Terrina was reassembled in 1924 in front of the church in Piazza della Chiesa Nuova. Because of the low water pressure, its foundations had to be located below the ground level, as is the case with the famous Barcaccia in Piazza di Spagna.
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