The Romans loved the ancient Egyptians too. But the great irony of our interest in the Romans is that builders of the Pyramids were more distant in time to the Romans than the Romans are to us.
Tag: Rome
Forum Romanum, Rome, Italy
It’s hard not to take a great picture of one of the most picturesque places on the planet.
Early Italian Adaptive Reuse
Out the Appian Way, just beyond the city walls of Rome to the south, is the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, one of many monuments that line the road outside of the city. What is fascinating about this particular tomb is that it was re-appropriated by the Caetani family and turned into their own fortress. The…
Travels in Italy
I was in Italy last week, and I made it to some new places, and some old favorites, such as the Tomb of Cecilia Metella above, along the Via Appia south of Rome, or the colossal portrait bust of the Emperor Constantine below. I also was in Urbino, which is famous for its massive Renaissance…
Cupples Warehouse #7: The Future?
Update: Cupples 7 was demolished anyway. The saving of exterior walls has occurred throughout the country. My experience with the saving of curtain walls, even when the rest of the building has been torn down, was in Washinton, DC in the 900 block of F Street NW. Above, you can witness what is essentially a…
Dioscuri and the Soldiers’ Memorial
Update: The Soldiers’ Memorial underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2018 under the management of the Missouri History Museum. Read my article about the completed renovations here. I realized recently that the two horsemen out front of the Soldiers’ Memorial are clearly based off of the famous Dioscuri statues which stand out front of…
Villa Borghese, Rome
The Villa Borghese, now really the largest park in Rome, was once the country estate of the Borghese family. Like many powerful Italian families, they blew all of their money and had to sell off large portions of their collections and property to the state. Much like St. Louis’s Forest Park, you can see great…
How Important Is a City’s Link with Its River? A Look at Rome, Italy
Update: The new Gateway Arch grounds are now complete. All the discussion recently about the new Arch Grounds competition and how St. Louis has lost its soul by being disconnected from the Mississippi River raised some interesting questions in my mind. I started thinking about how various cities that I’ve visited around the world embrace…
Campo Marzio and Pasquino
The Campo Marzio, or Campus Martius in ancient Latin, is the heart of the city of Rome today, much as it had been the ceremonial heart of the city for centuries during the Roman Empire. Originally a grassy meadow where military exercises were conducted, the area filled with temples and other buildings as space ran…
Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
This church is one of those little packages with a big prize inside. Located on the Quirinal Hill, this church is less famous for its structure as it is famous for one of its altars in the left transept of the church. Below is one example of the beautiful paintings in the church that is…