2016 ITALY Rome 8 - Trevi & Pizza

We continued our tour. Next up was Santa Maria sopra Minerva church, of the Dominican sect of the Catholic church. Most older churches in Italy are of the very ornate Baroque style (some built that way and some with makeovers). This was to lure back Christians from the newly popular Protestant faith in the 16th century. This church, however, was built in the much plainer Gothic style.

The church and the square it sits on received their name in a round about way. The original structure here was built on the ruins of a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis, but it had been mis-named for the Greco-Roman goddess Minerva. When the mistake was discovered, they kept the name for the Roman goddess.

In the middle of the piazza is an obelisk (see to left above). This one is quite curious. It is the shortest of the eleven Egyptian obelisks in Rome. And though its name is Minerva's Pulcino (meaning chick), at its base is an elephant, designed by Bernini. (Remember the Navona Piazza fountains? Same sculptor.) It may have gotten its name because it is so small compared to the other obelisks in Roma. For a while it also had the nickname "little piggy." Hmmm!

Next church up was Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola was the founder of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. This church was originally the chapel to an adjacent Roman college. Building completion was in 1650 and it is in the Baroque style. See the fancy interior here.

 

The ceiling is particularly interesting. It is painted in the troupe l'oeil style and appears to have an copula extending up, if you stand in the right spot.

In the nearby Piazza Colonna is the Marcus Aurelius victory column. The 98 foot (30m) tall structure is in the Doric style. It was constructed from 180 to 193 AD after the Emporer's death. The bas relief is a spiral marching around the column with 2,000 figures commemorating Marcus' triumphs. It was originally painted but over the years that has worn away. On top is an angel-lion statue. No pix, sorry.

Our last stop was the famous Trevi Fountain ("crossing of three streets" which led there). When it opened in 1762, water was directed to the fountain from innovative Roman aqueducts.

It was designed by Nicola Salvi with some Bernini influence. It is huge at 86h x 162w feet (or 26.3h x 49.15w meters) and hugely impressive. The facade and pool are travertine stone and the statues are carrara marble. The water flow each day is over 21 million gallons (80,000 cubic meters).

The backdrop of the fountain is the Palazzo Poli, which was owned originally by a Russian princess who was a writer and amateur opera singer. It is 4+ stories tall. The palace was a center for cultural events in its time.

The fountain consists of several parts. The center is Neptune (god of the sea) on a shell chariot being drawn by two horses. One horse is calm and the other is feisty, representing two "moods" of the ocean. They are led by two tritons (one old and one young). Other niches feature Oceanus, Abundance, and Salubrity (had to look this up, means health). Surrounding areas look like rock formations with delicate vegetation.

 

The tradition is that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you will return to Rome. I guess it worked because the last time I was in Rome, I threw a coin in and here I am again some 40 years later. Boohoo, I had no change today. Money was a flying though. About 3,000 euros per day are tossed into the fountain. It is used to subsidize a food market for the needy.

Several famous movies made here include La Dolce Vita directed by Federico Fellini,  Three Coins in the Fountain, and Roman Holiday. To honor great Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni at his death, the fountain was turned off and draped in black crepe.

If you want to see a live cam of the impressive fountain, go here: https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/italia/lazio/roma/fontana-di-trevi.html

After that we returned to the hotel to freshen up. Mike was really pooped by then from the overnight flight and 3-hour walking tour, so he opted to catch some zzzz's. No way was I going to miss our first dinner of the trip.

We strolled to the restaurant Trattoria Al Moro (the dark). It is nearly a century old. The menu is typical Roman fare. Most dishes were served family style on big platters that we passed around to help ourselves.

One of the dishes was brain (not sure what animal used this one!). I did not try it, but several of our food connoisseurs did and loved it. Nothing going to waste. Waiters here were quite friendly, funny, and helpful. Food was magnifique!

Here are some of the dishes of the day. My favorite, of course, was the PIZZA, our first of the trip.

I kept looking at the photo on the wall of this trattoria. I watch a lot of Italian movies and the man looked so familiar as an actor. I looked him up on my iPhone and discovered it was Mario Romagnoli. He played Il Moro (the dark one) in Fellini's 1969 Satyricon, among other movies. Fellini and fashion icon Valentino hung out here in the day. I'm sure that is how Mario was "discovered."

The restaurant is now hosted by fourth generation Andrea Romagnoli. Also see Gianluca Romagnoli (I think that was his name) standing in black shirt to the right of his papa's pix. Definitely a family affair.

Our last stop of the day was just around the corner (who knew) back at the Trevi Fountain. It was even more lovely and romantic at night. Dang, still no change!