Architecture · Heritage · Rome

Castel Sant'Angelo, or the Sorrowful Castle: one of the oldest surviving buildings in Rome

Founded in 135 on the commission of Hadrian as a mausoleum for the emperors of Rome, it later became a fortress and a residence of the Roman popes, and in the 14th century a papal castle with a prison, where Giordano Bruno, among others, was held. 📖 Parnassian Mockingbird

Aerial view of a round stone tower with a tiled roof and a terrace among old buildings

NB! · Faith · Observations · Rome · Humour

The Institute for Religious Affairs as the official name of the Vatican bank

Officially, the Vatican Bank is called the Institute for the Works of Religion. Ingenious

Marble statue of a seated goddess in a crenellated city-wall crown, holding ears of wheat, with a male figure at her feet.

NB! · Art · Museums · Observations · Rome

Statue of the Goddess Tyche as the Seleucid Capital in the Vatican Museums

I photographed this statue in the Vatican Museums some time ago because of its extraordinary crown. It turns out that this Roman copy of a Greek bronze depicts the goddess Tyche in the allegorical guise of the capital of the Seleucids. On her head sits a city wall, complete with

The altar of the Contarelli Chapel with three Caravaggio paintings of Saint Matthew framed by coloured marble.

NB! · Architecture · Faith · Art · Rome

Three Caravaggio Paintings of Saint Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel in Rome

The Church of Saint Louis of the French in Rome, between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, became famous thanks to three masterpieces by Caravaggio, painted in 1599-1602 for the interior of the Contarelli Chapel. The canvases depict scenes from the life of Saint Matthew: the Calling, the Inspiration (the

Faith · Art · Madrid · Museums · Rome

Two El Greco sketches for a Madrid polyptych in Palazzo Barberini, Rome

To see an El Greco in the flesh is a great stroke of luck. Of the slightly more than a hundred surviving works by El Greco in the world, Russia holds, for example, just five, and Italy eleven, of which Rome has only two, both in the Palazzo Barberini. These

Coming Up · Art · Museums · Rome

Until 16 June the Quirinal Palace in Rome hosts the exhibition “Napoli Ottocento”, that is, “Naples, the Nineteenth Century”

At the end of the eighteenth century the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii, the great popularity of the Grand Tour among the aristocracy and the enlightened elite, the fascination with the incessant eruptions of Vesuvius and the love of romantic landscapes made Naples the third city of Europe, after

Architecture · Heritage · Rome

On the pediment of the Palace of Italian Civilisation, built in 1938-1940 by the architects Guerrini, La Padula and Romano, Mussolini's quotation of 2 October 1935 is still inscribed: "A people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists…

On the pediment of the Palace of Italian Civilisation, built in 1938-1940 by the architects Guerrini, La Padula and Romano, Mussolini's quotation of 2 October 1935 is still inscribed: "A people of poets, of artists, of heroes, of saints, of thinkers, of scientists, of navigators, of

Marble cathedra with mosaic decoration, round inlays of green and red stone, twisted columns and a red cushion on the seat.

NB! · Architecture · Faith · Rome

Episcopal cathedra of 1254 in the Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome

The episcopal throne of 1254 in the Roman Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura. The blue-eyed one

View through a wooden window frame of a stone balustrade, orange buildings and palm trees under a rainy sky.

NB! · Observations · Rome

Rome, called the Eternal City, has turned 2777 years old

The Eternal City of Rome has turned 2777. Beloved for ever ❤️

Architecture · Faith · Monarchies · Rome

The Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome and the rain episode as described by Cassius Dio

The Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. Erected in 193 in honour of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius's victory in the Marcomannic War. The marble column itself stands 29.6 m tall, and its pedestal 10 m; the original height of the monument was almost 42 metres, and for

Archaeology · Architecture · Geography · Rome

The Karnak obelisk on Rome's Lateran Hill, brought to the city in 357

There are now about thirty genuine ancient Egyptian obelisks standing in the world; Egypt has eight, as many as Rome. The tallest stands on the Lateran Hill before the Basilica of St John the Baptist. It is an obelisk from the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak, raised in the

NB! · Archaeology · Architecture · Rome