Rome MMXXII

Monumental, magnificent, mesmerizing and beautiful. If anyone wants to witness the bygone era, Rome is the place. The grandeur of the monuments, ruins, art and culture from way back in B.C. to this date. The city has witnessed a change in rulers, emperors and people like no other. Around 50 kings, close to 15 emperors, around 200 popes and countless others, now lost in the sands of time, contributed to the city to get it where it is today. Like many other cities, it has its share of wars, bloodshed, corruption and ignorance. I lost myself in these monuments, fountains, old signs, and ruins, just like anyone new to the place. One has to have a good memory, to remember the dates and the capacity to reimagine the past and then join the dots. Thankfully, many famous and unknown architects, painters, sculptors, writers and artists have preserved the past happenings through their work for generations to come.

I might have slept in my history class when they taught me roman history as I could only remember the numerical and that "Rome was not built in a day". I can now confidently say it wasn't. Thanks for my weekend gateway, it opened a whole new world in front of me, or shall I say the past world, making it more mesmerizing. One cannot comprehend all the roman history in a single blog. It is my humble attempt to share my experience in this historic city to celebrate and appreciate all those who have gone before us.

Starting with the Pantheon, one of the oldest of the lot, built in B.C and later entirely rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around 125 A.D., is an architectural marvel. It is one of the best-kept structures of ancient times through multiple restorations from passing rulers. It is 47 meters in height & breadth with enormous marble pillars and bronze doors. The circular opening in the dome without any central support is about 9 meters, an engineering marvel back then and appreciated even today. Although magnificent, the outlook is poor, with visible signs of its past grandeur robbed. Many marble and metal artifacts used in the building, were removed to build other monuments. What impressed me the most was the opening in the clear blue sky, the morning sun rays illuminating the otherwise dull coffered ceiling.

It is the most simple yet sophisticated ceiling in entire Rome, I saw. During the rainy season, the rainwater drops down on the marble floors and makes its way through the small holes to the underground chambers leaving the floor dry. As an engineer, I was ashamed of even imagining how our ancestors managed to build such accurate buildings with little tools and technology at their disposal.

A short distance from Pantheon is the Colosseum, the famous world heritage site. When you first glance at it from far, you are stuck with the massive size and scale of the built-up. No amount of words can describe this building. It is one of the largest monuments of ancient times that is still standing tall. Build as the king's amphitheater and famous for its gladiator fights, this was the best sporting complex with a sitting capacity of 60 thousand spectators back then. The chambers and stands are well spaced out, with an excellent view of the central arena from all sides. The Colosseum also served well during wars and natural calamities as shelter to the citizens far and wide. The building was also a treasure trove of metal and marble artifacts, later removed to be used elsewhere in the city. The Colosseum is also a design inspiration for all our modern-day stadiums. It is hard to imagine how the vast structure was built by humans two thousand years ago.

The Roman Forums that silently stand next to the Colosseum give a real glimpse of the bygone era and have stood the test of times. Most ruins are of government buildings, places of importance and decorative arches of famous rulers. The Forums/marketplace went through numerous restorations and witnessed the rise and fall of empires. One can spot the Arc of Constantine, Arc of Titus, Julius Ceaser's tomb, and other monuments built to leave a mark on future generations.

Equally beautiful are the Imperial Forums on the opposite side. The huge Column of Tarjan, completed in 113 AD, commemorates the victory of the Emperor Tarjan in the Dacian war and grabs your sight immediately. The spiral carvings in the marble column depict the scenes from the war.

Closer to this is the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument, a relatively new site built and completed around 1935 to honor the first king of unified Italy. An enormous marble structure larger than any of the older buildings gives a panoramic view of the city and its hills from the top floor.

One cannot forget to describe Rome without the iconic St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. St Peter's basilica dome, the tallest in the world at 136 meters, is an architectural marvel by Michelangelo, among many others. The renowned renaissance sculptor, artist, architect, painter and important scholarly figure respected and treasured the works and talent of his predecessor. He admired and appreciated the ancient artists and was fascinated by the Pantheon dome. As a mark of respect to Pantheon, he kept the diameter of the basilica shorter. Although the dome was architected by him, many others contributed to the beauty we see today. One has to look up at the vast symmetric dome in the basilica to understand why the artist is honored and admired to date.

Barnini is yet another sculptor lauded for his intricate and massive bronze alter at the center of the basilica, built from the bronze ceilings removed from the Pantheon. Barnini also contributed to many other areas of the basilica and the city.

Next to the basilica are the Vatican Museums, one of the world's largest collections of ancient artifacts, comprising 54 museums and the Sistine Chapel, the most visited chapel in the world. A treasure house of the arts, culture and heritage from our glorious past. With many few centuries old, yet well maintained for the common public to view. I was here to see all the famous frescos from Raphael and Michelangelo. A fresco is a painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling. The colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries. Michelangelo's last judgment in Sistine Chapel is the most famous fresco in the world and worth a watch. Photography is not allowed inside the chapel, an opportunity to keep the screens away and see through the actual paintings. The more you see them, the more they reveal their hidden details to you.

Raphael's rooms close by having a series of frescos by Raphael, yet another treasured renaissance painter, and his associates. The figures on the ceilings and walls are so real that you feel like standing next to them. His School of Athens, completed around 1511 AD, is a masterpiece by the artists depicting the philosophers from Athens. He learned the art from nonother than the great Leonardo da Vinci. Hence the paintings cover his wide interests in arts, theatre, geometry, history, engineering, and the list goes on. One can easily spot Aristotle and Plato in the center. Looking deeper, we can spot the great philosophers as perceived by the painter. Although, historians still dispute the hypothetical figures. It still opens the door to the world of knowledge and wisdom of the past centuries. It makes me feel humble as to how little we know today.

The numerous beautiful fountains scattered in nooks and corners of the city are a blessing in the scorching heat of summer. There are around 300 large and thousand small fountains in the city. They not only add to the list of monuments but also are an oasis of fresh water for the tourists. The sound of the water, the feeling of getting the freshwater droplets on your face, and quenching your thirst with the cold water are soothing. They are even environmentally friendly as I saved many plastic bottles from going to waste. A few notable ones are the Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona fountain, the fountain of Neptune, and many small ones around the city that are equally important and serve well. And then there are many more monuments, museums, famous squares, shopping places and eateries that add their charm to the city. Such is the beauty of the place that you can't get enough in a single visit.

We will never live and experience such grandeur again. All we have now are these old ruins and monuments to help us understand and learn about the unseen past. But we can appreciate the hard work and sacrifices that went behind them. If possible, treasure them with the hope that they continue to stand tall and leave their mark on the times to come.

Thank you for reading so far, here is something little extra -