Itineraries & Pathways Post-1870 neighborhoods (select and explore a zone urbanized after the unification of Italy)
This is Prenestino Rome.Prenestino is located in the eastern Lazio region of Rome. Spreading towards farther out in the outskirts of Rome, it is not as appreciated as a notably touristy site like other central areas in Rome. However, Prenestino can be seen as the transportation hub from the early AD until today. It is proximate to the remnants of the Aurelian Walls from 271AD and two most important streets, Via Casilina and Via Prenestina lead out radially from the wall defining the Northern and Southern boundaries of Prenestino. Prenestino takes its name from the street, Via Prenestina. ​This is a lynch map I drew for the neighborhood. It was inspired by Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City. This neighborhood had rapid urbanization towards the 80s after the agricultural land was transformed to a subway station. Usually villini and intensivi are found in this neighborhood.
Urban Ensembles & Piazze Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo was the closest piazza to my hotel when I first arrived in Rome. ​The Piazza del Popolo is located north of the Villa Borghese and in the south you meet three great lengths that connect you to the center of Rome. Go straight on in the square and you will see Via di Corso, on the left the bubble del distance (Via del Babuino) and on the right the lie peta distance (Via di Ripetta). The square was designed by architect Giuseppe N'Dieer in the early 19th century. Standing at the center of the square, the 36-meter-high obelisk is the second oldest obelisk of the 3rd century BC and Roman, brought by Emperor Augustus from Egypt. The two Baroque churches that stand across Via Corso are like twins. The church on the right is Santa Maria dei Miracoli, and the church on the left is Santa Maria dei Montesanto. The parish cupola of the right church is a circular won, and the left church is elliptical with slight differences, but they look almost the same with the naked eye. Piazza di Spagna/Spanish Steps
One of the most famous steps and tourist sites in Rome. ​The Spanish steps, which was made by donations from the French ambassador 100 years after the fountain, was designed by Francesco de sanctis in the Rococo era. ​When I went up the stairs I could feel that the steps had both elegance and peculiarity to it. Circular spiraling stairs can be imaged and it gives an elegant feel to the stairs with the continuous concave and convex lines. It is not simply for fast traversing but it is made to enjoy its beauty. When I was standing on top of it it seemed like the stairs weren't parallelly aligned. The obelisk is crooked to the side. It was built with Via dei Condotti as its axis of symmetry. Terme di Caracalla
I was simply astonished by its great scale. It is 220 m wide and 114 m long, with a hot spring bath, hot and cold baths, a meeting hall, a game room, and a library. Built on a vast quadrilateral base. -Apodyterium (changing room) -Latrina (public toilet)
-Palestra (fitness center) -Natatio (outdoor swimming pool) -Tepidarium (lukewarm bath, warm bath room, lukewarm water)-Large central room divided into 3 sections. Concrete cross bolts and ceilings are decorated with copper grid ceilings. -Caldarium (hot bath) usually hot water -Laconicum (open bathroom) Very hot water -Frigidarium (cold bath room)-Located in the center of the building, cross bolt -Unzionium Space to cool down and spray massage, oil or perfume -Exedra: This part includes classrooms and libraries on the east and west sides of the site, and there is a playground. -Underground passage under the building has a warehouse and a boiler room, and there are slaves and firemen. In this huge bath, there are various interior spaces made of bolts and domes, and these spaces can be seen as an effort to combine them with each other to form a complex group of buildings.The buildings surrounding the site are quite deep, with offices and residential buildings on the north side and a main entrance in the middle. To the south is the connection between the water tank and the waterway. Seats are installed on the outer wall of the tank so that you can watch the game taking place in front of the bath building. The east and west sides of the site are designed to be viewed from the classroom, and between them are athletic fields.
Piazza Venezia
Unlike its name, Piazza Venezia, this is not really a piazza like any other. I felt more like a rotary when a great amount of traffic was going on. It felt like the arc de triomphe rotary in Paris. It is well known for being the connecting point of Capitoline hills and Foro Romano to Palazzo di Venezia. Palazzo Venezia is where Mussolini lived for 20 years. Also the Vittorio Emanuele II’s statue is what catches one's eyes. It is great in size and it is even larger than expected. It stands as the focal point of the Piazza. Buildings & Building Complexes Castel Sant’Angelo/Ponte Sant’Angelo
Castle of Sant'Angelo was first built in 139 as the tomb of Emperor Hadrian, and Emperor Aurelius was remodeled as a fortress. Later, when the Black Death spread to Europe, Pope Gregory I saw the vision of the angel Michael at this fortress, and then the Black Death resigned. From this time on, the name of the fortress began to be called the 'Castle of the Angel'. Sant'Angelo Castle is not far from the Vatican. It is a 10-minute walk, so it was said that the Vatican was also used as a temporary residence for the Pope when attacked. The interior was very different from what I have expected it to be. It was intricate and elegant whereas the exterior stands more like a fortress. The view from the top of it was breathtaking. I could have a good look at the Vatican as well. In the late 17th century, Urban VIII (Lat Urbano VIII) destroyed most of the
military and decorative buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries, creating a new fortress with strong defenses and fortresses. In 1667, the Sant'Angelo Bridge leading to the castle (Ponte Sant'Angelo) began to be decorated with angel statues. Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini and his students performed 10 Baroque sculptures protecting this bridge for two years. Sant'Andrea della Valle
This was located just next to my apartment. I went almost every Sunday for service at this cathedral. Its ceiling work was absolutely astonishing. I wasn't able to dare to sketch it. Contrasting from its rather indistinctive exterior the interior is filled with intricate Baroque style frescoes. The inside of the dome had a painting of “assumption of our lady into the glories of paradise�. There were lanterns which made the cathedral brighter. The frescoes were made in the 1620s.Paintings on the pendentives were the four apostles. Museums & Galleries Galleria Doria-Pamphilj
When I entered Galleria Doria-Pamphilj, I was able to see the Portico from the 16th century and I got a eastern feeling from its very symmetrical design. The artworks in the Galleria Doria-Pamphilj and the poshness of the interior decoration are inclined; fruit trees are planted in the ground floor gardens, and a graceful Renaissance fountain is centrally located, the second floor of the palace is an art museum that opens the collections of the Pamphilj family to the public. The building is splendid through several restoration processes based on the Rococo style, but there are more than 1,000 rooms inside. The Galleria Doria-Pamphil displays about 400 famous paintings owned by the family at one side of the palace. Since it was my last day in Rome when I visited, I did not have much time to look around fully. I would love to come back again.