Some Baroque Churches or Very Pretty, Take a Picture

One of my professors used to say, "very pretty, take a picture." Well, that's just what I did. I should add these churches are not the major churches that visitors look for when they have just three days in Rome. Unlike the US churches, they are ubiquitous, sometimes 2 or 3 within a 2 block area.

Santa Maria in Portico

Chiesa di San Pantaleo & San Giuseppe Calasanzio

Note below: the column and pedestal are trompe l'oeil

Below is a long shot of the same wall.

San Nicola dei Lorenesi

This church's portone was opened but the church was closed. You could, however, put some money in the meter to turn the lights on.

Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Anima

Below is the post-Vatican II altar.

Relics?

Restoration

Cancelleria church and courtyard

Fresco by Vasari?

Chiesa di San Francisco a Ripa

People are familiar with Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa, but here is another sculpture by him, Estasi della Beata Ludovica Albertoni.

The Colossal Statue of Constantine

He was a very big guy! A reproduction of the original statue is on display at the Capitoline Museum. 

Remnants of original massive sculptures are on display in one of the courtyards here and the reproduction is based on the scale of this head.

Musei Capitolini

The Capitoline Museums are found in the palazzos off the Piazza del Campidoglio. Now that I am at the Rome Center with reliable WiFi, I can post some of the works of art housed there.

Boy removing splinter from his foot, "Spinario"

2nd half of the 1st century BC

The She-wolf, "Lupa Capitolina," with Romulus & Remus

Early 5th century BC

Marcus Aurelius

This is the original in erected 176 AD. 

A copy of this statue is located in the center of the Campidoglio.

A very big bronze hand

Lion attacking a horse

Torso of Dionysius, ca 160-200 BC

One example of the busts on display. We think we missed the large display-must go back!

Hannibal on his elephant

The history of ancient Rome was projected on this marble wall in both English and Italian. If the text was read in Italian, the projected subtitles were projected on the wall and vice versa.

I thought the faces on this fresco were funny.

The interior grandeur of the Capitoline Museums.

This guy needs braces!

The Campidoglio and exterior scenes

The Campidoglio is the highest hill in Rome. In antiquity, it faced the Forum. With the Renaissance and Michelangelo its orientation was reversed, facing the Vatican.

Here is a painting from 1667 showing the steps leading to the Campidoglio. This hangs in the Museo di Roma. Michelangelo designed the much of the Campidoglio. These steps are gently inclined so that horses could easily mount the hill.

The center building above is the Palazzo Senatorio and below is the side view with its medieval vestiges.

Here are some more photos of the exterior. Michelangelo designed the piazza.

These statues are located on either side of the top of the steps.

The Nile with its little Sphinx is represented below.

The following represents the Tiber. Can you spot Romulus and Remus?

Nothing like a jab in the side!

Below is a view of St. Peter's from the Campidoglio from the balcony.

From the same spot on the balcony, looking more to the left, is the Synagogue, and just beyond it, is the Tiber.

The internet here is S.....L.....O.....W...... It has taken me all day to post this! (I think our landlord needs to top off the internet--yeah, that's a thing here, at least for this rental.) For more and better detail on the site, I refer you to Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_del_Campidoglio#:~:text=The%20Capitoline%20Museums%20(Italian%3A%20Musei,home%20to%20the%20Capitoline%20Museums.