mercoledì 24 dicembre 2014

Special Christmas tour

We return after a period of absence and what better time than Christmas to walk through Roman streets? Today we suggest a special itinerary leading us to the central city decorated with lights and magical colors.
The walk starts from via dei Fori Imperiali, which connects the Colosseum to piazza Venezia; moving down this road, you can admire two Christmas trees, coming from the Val di Fiemme (in English: Fiemme Valley, which is an area located in the Dolomites mountain), and surrounded by suggestive monuments, such as the Altare della Patria (in English: Altar of Fatherland) or palazzo Venezia.
Continue on via del Corso, one of the main street of the historical centre, and see the bright flags dedicated to the nations which will participate in Expo 2015, the Universal Exposition hosted by Milan from 1st may to 31st October 2015.
Wander the lateral streets near piazza di Spagna, such as via Frattina, via Borgognona and via Condotti, well known for the expensive fashion shops and decorated with bright bells, waves and snakes.
It is time to head off in the direction of Tiber and visit piazza Navona. If you want go back in time, go for a ride on the carousel, and take the chance to see the light show on the obelisk of the central fountain, known as Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (in English: Fountain of the Four Rivers).
The last stop of our tour is piazza San Pietro (in English: Saint Peter's square), which houses a 25 metres high Christmas tree from Fabrizia, a little town in Calabria.
This tradition was started by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and it is regarded as one the most famous Christmas symbol in the city, as well as the Saint Peter's square Nativity scene.
This year the scene takes its inspiration from "Elisir d'Amore", an opera written by Gaetano Donizetti and settled in an unreal Dutch farming village in XVIII century.
The twenty Nativity characters, donated by a foundation called "Fondazione Arena di Verona", are made of terracotta.
If you visit the square in the late evening or night, do not miss the new ecological lightning system installed on the Dome.
Enjoy it and Merry Christmas!


Colosseum
 
Piazza Venezia

Via Borgognona


Saint Peter's square


Nativity scene of Saint Peter's square 

martedì 14 ottobre 2014

Madam Lucretia and the Talking Statues

In the heart of the city lives one of the most ironic Roman women. We are writing about "Madama Lucrezia" (in English Madam Lucretia), a member of the urban Talking Statues, known as the Congragation of the Wits, which is a group of classical monuments where the Romans posted satirical verses against the politicians.
Lucrezia is a colossal Roman marble torso from the 2nd century A.D, about 3 meters high and settled near the Basilica of Saint Mark.
The work is disfigured but its clothes allow to identify it as Isis (in Italian: Iside), the Egyptian goodness of the fecundity, venerated also in Rome
Indeed the torso may be a part of a colossal statue dedicated to Isis settled in Campo Marzio and moved to the current location in 1500, thanks to cardinal Lorenzo Cybo.
According to the legend, the name Madama Lucrezia comes from "Lucrezia D'Alagno", the lover of Naples king Alfonso V d'Aragona; when the king died, she was forced to run away to Rome, due to Palace hostility.
Throughout the centuries the statue was the protagonist of a carnival ceremony, called "cerimonia dei guitti" (in English: mummer's ceremony). During the rite, every man (usually artists and odd men) chose a woman and showed her to the statue, which was decorated with a necklace made up of garlic and ribbons. The couples started to move around Madama Lucrezia, dancing the "saltarello", a medieval leaping dance coming its name from the Italian verb "saltare" (in English: to jump).
In the centuries the people attached only few satirical verses to the statue, one of them in 1799, when the torso was dropped and someone attached this sheet to her back: "I just can not stand it any longer, about the failed try to establish a Roman Republic.
A last curiosity about Lucrezia! According to a popular tradition, the enormous marble foot, which is located near Palazzo Grazioli, could be a part of the original Madama Lucrezia (goddness Isis) colossal statue. Cinderella lost her shoe?

 
Madama Lucrezia
The marble foot
Il saltarello (medieval dance)
 

lunedì 15 settembre 2014

The Gothic Hall of Santi Quattro Coronati

The Caelian Hill, one of the most famous archeological site in Rome, houses a place known as the Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages.
It is a Gothic Hall set in the main Tower of a complex called "Santi Quattro Coronati"(in English: Four Crowned Martyrs), a church of  IV century which takes its name from four Christian martyrs killed by Emperor Diocleziano.

This hall is considered an amazing example of Gothic style architecture in Rome and was built by cardinal Stefano dei Conti di Segni, nephew of Pope Innocenzo III and canon of Notre Dame in Paris.
The place is decorated by a cycle of frescoes discovered only in 1996, after being hidden for centuries under successive layers of painting, which were realized in XVI century, when the room was transformed into a monastery's laundry.
According to the critics, the decorations were realized by Terzo Maestro Di Anagni (an anonymous artist) or by Jacopo Torritti (a painter of the “Roman School”) in XIII century.
The frescoes' theme is the relationship between Church and Empire and they represent different biblical characters, such as king Solomon, and members of mendicant orders; but also personifications, such as the Twelve Months, the Arts, the Seasons and the Winds. The Gothic Hall may be visited only by advance booking.
Reservation requests for November 18th and 19th will be accepted from 15th September.

For further information visit the website http://www.aulagoticasantiquattrocoronati.it/

Frescoes of Gothic Hall

Details: Emperor Constantine dreams about S. Peter and S. Paul

Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati

martedì 5 agosto 2014

Summer Snowfall in Rome!

On every 5 August night the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (in Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore), celebrates the fest of Our Lady of Snow, housing a special event called "the miracle of the snow".
Indeed, during this night, the square outside the Basilica is covered by an artificial snowfall (created by the machines) with lights and music.
According to the tradition, on August 5 352 A.D., a roman patrician called John and the Pope Liberius dreamt about the Virgin Mary asking them to build a church in honor of Her.
The next day the Esquilino hill was covered by an incredible snowfall : a miracle which indicated the spot where the Virgin wanted the church.
The Pope and the patrician ordered to build there the Basilica, which was realized by Pope Sixtus III in  432 A.D, maybe over the ancient building created during the Liberius pontificate.
The Basilica of Saint Mary Major is today the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome and includes different art styles.
One of the most interesting place is the Pauline Chapel (in Italian: Cappella Paolina), where the tradition of Our Lady of Snow is still commemorating by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the afternoon of the feast.
The chapel is an important location because of it houses a miraculous Byzantine icon called in Latin “Salus Populi Romani" (in English: deliverance of the Roman people) representing Mary with her son Jesus.
The event starts tonight at 8.30!

The artificial snowfall

Basilica of Saint Mary Major

 
 

giovedì 24 luglio 2014

Marforio: from the Roman Empire to the Oscar night

C'è Roma e Roma keeps on writing about the "City Talking statues" known as "The Congregation of Wits",classical monuments where the Romans posted satirical verses against  the politicians (such as nobles families).  
The best friend of Pasquino (C'è Roma e Roma wrote an article about it)  is "Marforio", a marble statue from the I B.C., today settled in the yard of  Palazzo Nuovo (in English: New Palace), a building which is part of Capitoline Museum.
The sculpture represents a reclining bearded man holding a shell on its hand; this iconography allows to identify it as a river god or the Tiber.  
According to the tradition, the name Marforio is a corruption of the Latin inscription "mare in foro" (in English: the sea in the Forum) which decorated a circular basin discovered in the Forum, near the statue.
Another theory explains that the term Marforio comes from the Marfuoli family that lived near the Forum.
In 1558 Pope Sixtus V ordered to move the sculpture to piazza San Marco, where Giacomo Della Porta planned a fountain using Marforio as a decoration; but in XVII century it was relocated in the yard of Palazzo Nuovo.
The basin was used as drinking trough until 1816 when became part of the Dioscuri Fountain, set opposite the Quirinal Palace.
One of the most famous dialogue between Marforio and Pasquino is an invective against Napoleon; indeed during the French invasion of Italy someone posted on the statue a satyric sheet about the French general, accusing him to steal Italian artworks.
(The Italian dialogue is hard to translate in English. It is a play on words in Roman dialect using the verb "steal" and the surname "Bonaparte").
Today Marforio is famed thanks to the Oscar Movie "The Great Beauty" by Paolo Sorrentino.
The international poster is a brilliant photomontage representing the colossal statue behind the main character Jep Gambardella, dressed like a perfect and bored dandy.

Marforio (Palazzo Nuovo)

International poster of "The Great Beauty"

mercoledì 2 luglio 2014

Circus Maximus

From the gladiators to The Rolling Stones. Circus Maximus is getting one of the most famous archaeological site in the world.
Today we can only see an huge green elliptical expanse, but in the past it was an ancient stadium for Roman chariots racing and public games sponsored by Emperors.
The site was 600 m in length and 200 m in width, accommodating up to 300,000 spectators.
According to the legend, the valley housed the mythical episode of the "Rape of the Sabine women”, in Italian “Ratto delle Sabine” (e.d.: in this context the word rape is wrong, it is better using the word kidnapping), described by Tito Livio.
Romolus, the founder of the city, decided to populate it  kidnapping the wives of Sabini people, which were settled in the centre of Italy; so Romans organized a ceremony in honour of Conso, a god of wheat, inviting them and abducting their women.
The husbands declared war to Rome, but the women, who had reached civil rights and goods, forced them to accept the peace deal.
In VII B.C. Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome coming from the Etruria (a central region of Italy which included part of Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria), created the archaeological site, ordering to reclaim a valley called “Murcia" valley.
According to Livio, the word "Murcia" came from a Roman Genius which had a temple between Aventine and Palatine hills where Circus Maximus was built.
In the II B.C. Julius Caesar planned a masonry structure and few years ago Emperor Augustus moved there the Ramses III Egypztian obelisk, which today is in piazza del Popolo.
In the following centuries Costanzo II  transferred there also the obelisk of Tutmes III, now settled in piazza San Giovanni in Laterano (C’è Roma e Roma wrote a post about it).
The area changed thanks various Emperors such as Tiberius, Nero, Titus, Domitian and Trajan. 

The last two gave to the Circus the actual look. 
In the Middle Ages Circus Maximus became a rural and fortified area of Frangipane, a Roman patrician family.
There is a little tower who belongs to that period and it is called "Torre della Moletta" because of its proximity to a mill, which used the water of river Saint John, diverted from Aniene river.

According to the tradition, in 1223 this tower houses Saint Francis of Assisi, friend of Iacopa dei Normanni (a member of Frangipane family).
These buildings were destroyed in 1943, under the fascist dictatorship, and today we can only guess its original project.



Building under the Palatine Hill

An etching of the 16th century

Torre della Moletta

A view of Circus Maximus

The Rolling Stones at Circus Maximus (copyright Elena Greco)

The Rolling Stones at Circus Maximus (copyright Elena Greco)

The Rolling Stones at Circus Maximus (copyright Elena Greco)

The Rolling Stones at Circus Maximus (copyright Elena Greco)




domenica 15 giugno 2014

The Roman talking statues: "Pasquino"

In a city as Rome every single stone hides a mystery to be discovered. Walking throughout the streets near piazza Navona is easy to chance upon Pasquino, a talking statue set in a little square of the same name. The Eternal City houses six talking statues, called also the "Congregation of Wits", and Pasquino is the most ancient of them. Indeed in the 16th century, during the Papal State,  anonymous writers started to post satirical verses against politicians (such as Popes, nobles) on these statues.
Pasquino is a torso of a Roman marble statue of the 1st AD (maybe a copy of a Greek bronze work of the 3rd BC) missing the most part of its body. The monument was found near piazza Navona in 1501 during an excavation ordered by Cardinal Oliviero Carafa, who saved it from the destruction.
In the 18th century the antiquarian Ennio Quirino Visconti discovered that Pasquino was a part of a double monument  representing "Menelaus with the body of Patroclus", which probably decorated the Stadium of Domitium (Italian: stadio di Domiziano), a famous ancient Roman circus built in 80 AD in piazza Navona area.
The origin of  its name is a mystery. According to the legends it comes from a nearby artisan known for his ability to write satirical poems.
Many people wanted to destroy Pasquino, such as Pope Adriano VI who tried to throw it in the Tiber, or Pope Benedetto XIII, who issued an edict calling for the death penalty for the anonymous writers.
In 1870 Rome became part of the Reign of Italy and people was less interested in this tradition.
In 1938, when Hitler went to Rome, Pasquino talked again criticizing this event (C'è Roma e Roma tries to translate the satirical poem from Roman dialect):
"Poor Rome made up of travertine!/ They are dressing you with rags to be admired by a dauber who wants to be a ruler!"
Restored few years ago, today the monument does not talk a lot. Is it in order to protect the cultural heritage or something else?


Statue of Pasquino

An ancient etching about Pasquino

A poem about the famous Italian actor Alberto Sordi


 
Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

giovedì 29 maggio 2014

The Turtle Fountain

The Turtle Fountain (Italian: Fontana delle Tartarughe) is a little treasure hidden in the streets of the historic centre, close to Lungotevere. It is located in piazza Mattei, which comes from the name of the noble family owner of the building near the fountain.
The monument, built in 1581 by the sculptor Taddeo Landini and the architect Giacomo Della Porta, is made up of two levels. The first one is a marble base decorated with four conch shells and dolphins, which are dominated by four bronze ephebes putting their foot on the head of the dolphin and supporting the second level: a bowl surrounded by heads of putti, which spout water into the base below, and four little turtles climbing on the edge.
The original version represented eight dolphins and four of them decorate today the fountain in front of the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, in Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
According to the legend, a duke of the family Mattei was a famous gambler and during a night he lost his assets, so the father of the girl, who he loved, refused his marriage proposal.
The duke decided to prove to the father in law his valor, building an amazing fountain in a night. Thanks to this the couple get married and the window used to look at the monument was bricked up.
If you visit the fountain take the chance to walk throughout the ancient Jewish neighborhood and taste the Roman-Jewish food. One of the most famous dishes is called "carciofi alla giudia" (English: Jewish style artichokes), a particular kind of fried artichoke.
Here the recipe!
                                                       Jewish style artichokes
Peel off the external leaves from the artichokes, till you reach the inner leaves that are fresh and white at the base.
Cut the heart in half vertically to reveal the inner fuzzy..
Rub the heart with lemon, then place it in the bowl of lemon water.
When the artichokes are ready to cook, remove them from the lemon water.
Place the artichokes into the heated oil and let them fry for about 15 minutes, turning them once halfway through cooking, till artichokes are golden brown and the leaves are crisp.
Remove from the oil and let them drain on paper towels. Serve fried artichokes warm with salt.
 

The Turtle Fountain

Fountain features © Domenico Casamassima 

Ephebes and turtles
   
Jewish style artichokes
 
 

lunedì 19 maggio 2014

A piece of Egypt in Rome: the Lateran Obelisk

The historic center of Rome is a world to discover, indeed walking through the San Giovanni neighborhood, near the Colosseum, you can admire a piece of Egyptian art: the Lateran Obelisk, located in Saint John Lateran square (Italian: piazza San Giovanni in Laterano).
The obelisk is made up of red marble and is about 32,18 meters (105,6 feet), which makes it the tallest surviving ancient Egypt obelisk in the world.

In 15th century BC Pharaoh Tutmosis III commissioned it for the courtyard of Amun Temple in Karnak, a little village near Luxor. It remained unfinished for many years, until Tutmosis IV, the successive Pharaoh, completed the obelisk, decorating it with hieroglyphics which allow to relate it to Amon Ra, the Egyptian sun god.
In 4th century AD Emperor Constantinus tried to remove the obelisk and bring it to Constantinople, the new capital of Roman Empire, but he died suddenly, and his son Constantius II decided to transport the monument to Rome, erecting it in Circus Maximus.
During the Middle Ages the obelisk was forgotten, collapsing and it was found, broken in 3 pieces, only in 1587, when Pope Sixtus V ordered an excavation of the Circus Maximus area.
After being restored by architect Domenico Fontana, who created the marble pedestal decorating it with inscriptions about its history, in 1588 the obelisk was moved to its present site in Saint John Lateran square, which also houses the Cathedral church with the same name, the Lateran Palace (the old Papal residence) and the Baptistery.


Lateran obelisk

Lateran obelisk and its hieroglyphics


Saint John Lateran square view




Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

sabato 10 maggio 2014

The Crescenzi House

In the centre of Rome, you can admire an ancient Patrician house, settled in the South of the Tiber Island. It is regarded as a rare example of a Medieval aristocratic building, which housed the Roman noble family of Crescenzi. The house, built between 1040-1065 thanks to Niccolò Crescenzi, had a tower in order to protect the residents; its location, in front of a bridge called "Pons Aemilius", allowed them to control the access, charging a fee for passing the bridge.
The house had originally two levels, but today we can only see the ground floor and a part of the first floor; the walls are made up of several architectural elements (such as capitals, columns, ledges) which come from different historical periods.
The tower collapsed due to a popular revolt in 1312.
In the Middle Ages, during the Good Friday Way of the Cross, the building was used as Pontius Pilate's house (Italian: casa di Pilato) and the people started to call it so.
Before being restored in 20th century, the house was forgotten for many centuries, becoming a stable.
In 1939 and still today, the house became a History of Architecture Centre, which holds an interesting collection ranging from monuments renovation to urban studies.

The Crescenzi House


Architectural elements

Architectural elements



Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

sabato 3 maggio 2014

Santa Maria della Scala and the ancient Apothecary

The church of Santa Maria della Scala (English: Holy Mary of the Staircase), built between 1593 and 1610, is set in the historical district of Trastevere.
According to the tradition, the church takes its name from a picture of the Virgin Mary, which in 1592 was located in the stairs of a nearby house. This relic was regarded as miraculous since it saved a child.
In the 16th century the Carmelities built one of the most ancient urban Apotechary in the monastery near the church. At the beginning only the friars could use it but in the 17th century it was opened to all the citizens.
The Carmelites were excellent chemists and they became famous for preparing a lot of remedies for every diseases using the herbs of their garden, such as the water of the stair for neuralgia, the melissa one as sedative and the samaritana one as disinfectant.
Even Pope Pius VIII (1761-1830) used their preparations, so the workshop became known as the Popes' apothecary.
The friars cessed their activity in 1954, but the Chemistry is still open and you can visit its laboratories, located in the first floor of the monastery.
These rooms conserve apothecary vases, mortars, balances, herbals and recipe books.
King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele I and other historical personalities visited the chemestry and these events are testified by paintings on the closets.


Santa Maria della Scala

Paintings on the closets

Apothecary



Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

venerdì 25 aprile 2014

A Pyramid in the heart of Rome

There is a strange Pyramid in the center of Rome, near the Acatholic Cemetery. The funereal monument was built in the 1st century BC on request by Gaius Cestius Epolo, a rich Roman praetor and member of a religious order, which organized holy banquets and games.
Thanks to the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC, Gaius, as well as all members of the upper class, had the opportunity to know and appreciate the Egyptian culture.
The Pyramid is about 36,40 meters tall and it is covered with white marble; according to the inscription on the East side, this work was completed in 330 days.
The small burial chamber is located inside the building and it is decorated with paintings, which represent nymphs, winged Victories and women offering votive gifts.
During the Middle Age someone desecrated the burial chamber, ruining the inner paintings and stealing the ashes urn.
In 271 AD the Pyramid of Cestius was incorporated in the City Walls, known as Aurelian Walls, and surrounded by urban buildings, which helped to preserve the construction.
In the 14th century many intellectuals, such as the Italian writer Francesco Petrarca, named the Pyramid as Remus' tomb, brother of the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus. In the following centuries it has been tried to convert the Pyramid into a church, designed by Borromini, and also into a lightning rod placement.
Just a little curiosity! Near the Pyramid there is one of the most ancient Roman cattery called "I gatti della Piramide" (English: The Pyramid Cats), managed by an association which allows to adopt abandoned cats.

Pyramid Opening hours
The tomb can only be accessed by special permission
Reservation numbers: (+39) 06 39967700, (+39) 06 5743193
Cattery Opening hours
Open 7 days a week: 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm


Pyramid of Cestius

Burial Chamber


Pyramid cat

Other guests of Pyramid Cattery



lunedì 21 aprile 2014

Happy Birthday Rome!

Today we celebrate Rome's Birthday (Italian: Natale di Roma)! The legend says that Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars and the Vestal Rea Silvia, decided to build a town on the banks of the river Tiber. They quarreled over founding the city and Remus was killed by his brother. Romulus founded Rome on the Palatine Hill in 753 BC and Romans started to count years from this date, using the Latin expression "Ab Urbe Condita", which means "from the founding of the city".
Emperor Augustus decided to commemorate this day with an ancient rite called "Palilia" which was dedicated to"Pales" or "Pale", an archaic rural goddess.
Romans celebrated this ceremony on 21 April, which was regarded as the first day of spring.
During this event, the shepherds were used to wash their cattle, prepare flatbreads and the "burranica", a drink made up of milk and must.
For many centuries the Foundation Day was put on the back burner but it became popular again in 1870, when Rome was incorporated into Italian Reign.
The first historical parade was organized in 1902 and a lot of citizens took part in it dressing as Ancient Romans.
Every year the city celebrates its birth organizing different events, such as shows, free museums and the parade, obviously !

Parade Starting Time
Circus Maximus: 11.30 am (Imperial Fora: 12.00 am).

Museums open with free admission
Centrale Montemartini, Museo dell'Ara Pacis, Museo Barracco, Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale, Museo Canonica, Museo della Memoria Garibaldina, Museo delle Mura, Villa di Massenzio, Museo Civico di Zoologia, MACRO Testaccio.

Temporary exhibition fees apply in the following museums:
Musei Capitolini: € 3,50; special ridottissimo ticket € 2,00;
Musei di Villa Torlonia - Casino Nobile: € 2,50;
Mercati di Traiano: € 1,50;
Museo Carlo Bilotti: € 1,50;
Museo Napoleonico: € 1,50;
Museo di Roma: € 1,50;
MACRO (via Nizza): € 4,00.


Rome seven Hills


Romulus and Remus

Parade








venerdì 18 aprile 2014

Way of the Cross at Colosseum

This Friday Pope Francis will lead the annual procession of the"Way of the Cross" at Colosseum.
The Flavian Amphitheatre is the symbol of Rome and its construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD. It hosted gladiators and many public shows, but in 1750 Pope Benedict XIV decided to commemorate the Passion on Good Friday with a procession. He ordered to place fourteen representations of the Stations of the "Way of the Cross"in the Colosseum, but they have been removed years later and today we can only see a cross in memory of it.
As Rome became part of the Italian Kingdom in 1870, people started to be less interested in this Catholic custom .
When in 1964 Pope Paul VI brought back the"Way of the Cross"in the Colosseum the procession was broadcast in Eurovision for the first time and later, in 1977, shown on tv worldwide too.
In 1984 Pope John Paul II composed the comments to the stations and thanks to him, since 1985, actors, authors and celebrities can write the texts of reflections.
Every year thousand of pilgrims and Romans see the rite outside the Amphitheatre praying all together. The procession starts at 9.10 p.m. and you can join the spiritual atmosphere going there today early or watching the event live on RaiUno.

Way of the Cross at Colosseum
Other view of Colosseum

martedì 15 aprile 2014

The mistery behind the Mouth of Truth

Everyday a lot of tourists visit the Mouth of Truth (Italian: “Bocca della Verità”), which is set in the portico of the medieval Church S. Maria in Cosmedin, near Circus Maximus.
The Roman marble disc was created during the 4th Century BC  and represents a colossal face, portrayed with eyes, nose and nostrils opened, probably a river god.
The most accepted theory about the “Mouth” is that it was used as manhole cover in order to canalize large amounts of water into the Cloaca Maxima, the first Roman sewage system built by the king Tarquinius Superbus in the 7th century BC. The nickname comes from a medieval tradition which tells us that the face closes its mouth if a liar sticks his hand in it.
According to the legend the emperor Julian the Apostate cheated a woman and the crowd forced him to prove his honesty to the Mouth. The devil spoke to the emperor from the sculpture and helped him, who promised to restore the Paganism in Rome.
The other stories talk about an husband, who having doubts about his wife’s loyalty, asked her to put the hand in the Mouth. She managed to save her life thanks to a stratagem planned by the lover .
The sculpture was placed in the Church in the 17th century  and became more popular in 1953 thanks to the film Roman Holiday. In the “Mouth of Truth” scene the American journalist Joe tricks the frightened princess Ann into believing his hand was bitten off.
Gregory Peck told that the scene was improvised by him and so the Audrey Hepburn’s terrified reaction is real.

Are you ready to put your hand in the Mouth of Truth?

Opening time

Open 7 days a week
Wintertime (nov-mar): 9.30-17.00
Summertime (oct-apr): 9.30-18.00


Tickets
Free admission

Mouth of Truth


Roman Holiday
 
S.Maria in Cosmedin