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 1^st may to 31^st 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 

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

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