tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71837346707701687852024-03-27T16:52:37.418-07:00RomepointCuriosities, events, monuments, art and history...in a word: RomeMauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-46499829628636709402016-01-26T00:27:00.002-08:002016-01-26T00:27:35.482-08:00Presentation of my book in Amsterdam<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">A photo of the presentation of my book in Amsterdam. Thanks to all the people who attended and a special thanks to the Dante Alighieri association of Amsterdam as well as the School of Italian “Studio Lingua” who actively helped in arranging this beautiful event. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">If interested in the book, don’t forget to have a look at the best online bookstores!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-49313560013440515312015-11-03T00:56:00.000-08:002015-11-03T00:56:28.257-08:00Presentation of my book in Den HaagA big thanks to all the people who attended the presentation of my book "Discovering the Colosseum" at Dante Alighieri's association in Den Haag, The Netherlands. It's been a great evening and plenty of copies got sold! The Dante Alighieri association is the most prestigious cultural association for the diffusion of the Italian culture around the world. <br />
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<br />Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-85034576301824102862015-07-21T05:47:00.001-07:002015-11-03T01:24:58.938-08:00"Discovering the Colosseum" is now available!My book "Discovering the Colosseum" has been published and it is now available on the best online bookstores like Amazon, Google Playstore, Barnes&Noble etc). If you want to discover the secrets of this wonderful monument as well as the stories about the spectacles and many other curiosities click on the below link and there you can have a better idea of my work. Happy reading!<br />
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<a href="http://romepoint.blogspot.nl/p/discovering-colosseum.html"><span style="color: yellow;">http://romepoint.blogspot.nl/p/discovering-colosseum.html</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mauro+poma" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">To purchase the book click here!</span></a></div>
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-31987817014703002792015-05-30T02:56:00.003-07:002015-05-30T02:56:21.249-07:00Another exceptional findingAnother exceptional finding: the second arch of Titus. The first one, still in place is at the beginning of the Sacred Way (at one of the entrances to the Roman Forum). This second one has been just discovered close to the Circus Maximus. It was the second one dedicated after the death of the emperor Titus in 81 AD. <br />
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<a href="http://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/05/28/news/circo_massimo-115493901/#gallery-slider=115510520"><span style="color: yellow;">http://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/05/28/news/circo_massimo-115493901/#gallery-slider=115510520</span></a>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-51165053223339591622015-05-13T01:21:00.003-07:002015-05-13T01:21:36.612-07:00Hadrian villa and Villa d'Este seen by a droneA wonderful video of Hadrian's villa and Villa d'Este in Tivoli seen by a drone. The Majestic ruins of Hadrian's villa and the splendid Villa d'Este seen under a different perspective. <br />
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<a href="http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/roma/villa-adriana-e-villa-d-este-viste-dal-drone/199633/198682" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/roma/villa-adriana-e-villa-d-este-viste-dal-drone/199633/198682</span></a>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-78556427047461117092015-04-30T00:07:00.000-07:002015-04-30T00:07:00.303-07:00Rome seen by a droneBeautiful video...Rome as a drone would see it, not bad!<br />
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<a href="http://video.corriere.it/da-piazza-navona-colosseo-spettacolo-roma-vista-drone/b13965f4-ea58-11e4-850d-dfc1f9b6f2f5" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://video.corriere.it/da-piazza-navona-colosseo-spettacolo-roma-vista-drone/b13965f4-ea58-11e4-850d-dfc1f9b6f2f5</span></a> Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-60725094606999928192015-04-27T23:54:00.002-07:002015-04-27T23:54:25.318-07:00An ancient pyramid brought to lifeThe only pyramid of Rome has been recently brought to a new life thanks to a Japanese tycoon who sponsored its restoration. The colour you can see today has now the same splendour of 2,000 years ago...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/04/20/foto/marino_inaugura_a_roma_la_piramide_cestia_restaurata-112410188/1/?rss&ref=frct1&_vmx=529048" target=""><span style="color: yellow;">http://roma.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/04/20/foto/marino_inaugura_a_roma_la_piramide_cestia_restaurata-112410188/1/?rss&ref=frct1&_vmx=529048</span></a></span>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-29193897106937642982015-04-22T17:53:00.000-07:002015-04-22T17:53:00.455-07:00Ancient Ostia from the skySeeing the ruins of Ostia antica from the sky is incredible. A perspective totally different which will let you appreciate this beautiful archeological site even more. Wonderful video!<br />
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<a href="http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/roma/ostia-antica-l-area-archeologica-vista-dal-drone/198250/197293?ref=HRESS-5" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/roma/ostia-antica-l-area-archeologica-vista-dal-drone/198250/197293?ref=HRESS-5</span></a> Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-17152522664706799652015-04-21T06:38:00.001-07:002015-04-28T00:05:14.004-07:00Happy birthday Rome!<span class="hps">Today Rome celebrates</span> <span class="hps">2768 years</span>! <span class="hps">According to the tradition,</span> <span class="hps">it</span> <span class="hps">was</span> <span class="hps">founded</span> <span class="hps">on top of the</span> <span class="hps">Palatine Hill</span> <span class="hps">on April 21,</span> <span class="hps">753</span> <span class="hps">BC.</span> <span class="hps">That year</span> <span class="hps">became</span> <span class="hps">the year</span> <span class="hps">0</span> <span class="hps">of ancient times</span>: from <span class="hps">that</span> <span class="hps">date</span> <span class="hps">ancient people</span> <span class="hps">reckoned</span> <span class="hps">historical events</span> <span class="hps">exactly</span> <span class="hps">as we do</span> <span class="hps">today</span> <span class="hps">using</span> <span class="hps">the year of birth</span> <span class="hps">of Christ</span>. <span class="hps">Happy Birthday Rome</span>!<br />
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-30025650441649643952015-04-14T00:31:00.002-07:002015-04-14T00:36:15.444-07:00The ancient harbour of TrajanThe ancient harbour of Trajan was a masterpiece of the roman engineers. Built as a perfect hexagon, it could host a huge number of container ships. It is a private property but from April 25th is visitable. Shuttle buses can be taken from Fiumicino airport.<br />
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<a class="" href="http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/15_aprile_09/i-bimbi-scuole-fiumicino-mini-guide-porto-traiano-ae30ae42-ded4-11e4-9169-2cdb2836f1f0.shtml" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 21.299999237060547px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/15_aprile_09/i-bimbi-scuole-fiumicino-mini-guide-porto-traiano-ae30ae42-ded4-11e4-9169-2cdb2836f1f0.shtml</span></a>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-75758920362611161872015-04-06T00:06:00.002-07:002015-04-14T00:34:29.213-07:00Archeological bus 118For the people who don't want to miss a wonderful part of Rome normally neglected by tourists yet extremely fascinating take bus 118. From Via dei Fori Imperiali till Villa dei Quintili (the biggest of the villas in the immediate surroundings of Rome) passing through the marvellous Appian Way. The price is just the one of a normal ticket: 1.50 euros.<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"> <a href="http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/15_aprile_04/da-villa-quintili-fori-imperiali-sabato-nuovo-itinerario-storico-archeologico-bus-118-3d53c6e8-daf4-11e4-8d86-255e683820d9.shtml" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/15_aprile_04/da-villa-quintili-fori-imperiali-sabato-nuovo-itinerario-storico-archeologico-bus-118-3d53c6e8-daf4-11e4-8d86-255e683820d9.shtml</span></a></span> Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-23588847686063792962015-03-30T00:26:00.001-07:002015-04-14T00:35:05.005-07:00Exceptional findingIn Rome they have been working since 15 years to the construction of the third line of the metro (metro C). Aside from some corruption and various delays, the line isn't completed yet. And while they dig they keep finding exceptional things...like the one described in this article (it is in italian). It is saying that during the construction of the metro they found 80 metres (roughly 250 ft) of the original walls built at the end of III century AD. These walls were built to protect Rome from possible invasions of enemies. What they discovered is exceptional because for centuries they thought that part of the walls weren't existing anymore...but they was just buried underground very close to the Basilica of St. John in the Lateran. This part of the walls still preserves also some traces of frescoes. <br />
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<a href="http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cultura_e_spettacoli/15_marzo_29/ritornano-luce-mura-aureliane-dimenticate-4203bb84-d636-11e4-b0f7-93d578ddf348.shtml"><span style="color: yellow;">http://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cultura_e_spettacoli/15_marzo_29/ritornano-luce-mura-aureliane-dimenticate-4203bb84-d636-11e4-b0f7-93d578ddf348.shtml</span></a>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-9752191187294781172015-03-26T01:53:00.002-07:002015-04-14T00:35:11.741-07:00Vatican Museums for homeless<span class="hps">A</span> <span class="hps">wonderful initiative</span>: <span class="hps">the pope</span> <span class="hps">gives</span> <span class="hps">the opportunity</span> <span class="hps">to a</span> <span class="hps">large group of</span> <span class="hps">homeless people</span> <span class="hps">to have a free guided tour of</span><span class="hps"> the Vatican Museums</span> <span class="hps">and the Sistine Chapel</span>. <span class="hps">At the end</span> <span class="hps">of the tour</span> <span class="hps">dinner is offered to everybody</span>. <span class="hps">I enjoy reading</span> <span class="hps">these things</span>: <span class="hps">the powerful people who</span><span class="hps"> try</span> <span class="hps">to help the </span><span class="hps">less</span> <span class="hps">fortunate</span>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ilmessaggero.it/PRIMOPIANO/VATICANO/papa_barboni_cena_musei_cappella_sistina/notizie/1257405.shtml" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://www.ilmessaggero.it/PRIMOPIANO/VATICANO/papa_barboni_cena_musei_cappella_sistina/notizie/1257405.shtml</span></a> Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-15079044721427880932015-03-23T03:48:00.002-07:002015-04-14T00:35:20.403-07:00Street food festival in Rome<div style="text-align: justify;">
Street food, well...let's spell it properly: streeat food! Many times this means good food at a reasonable price. In few days in Rome there will be a street food festival:</div>
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<a href="http://www.gamberorosso.it/news/item/1021614-streeat-food-truck-festival-a-roma-il-cibo-di-strada-su-ruote-arriva-alla-citta-dell-altra-economia" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.29px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;">http://www.gamberorosso.it/news/item/1021614-streeat-food-truck-festival-a-roma-il-cibo-di-strada-su-ruote-arriva-alla-citta-dell-altra-economia</span></a>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-25437463709150906902014-05-21T04:06:00.000-07:002015-03-24T04:08:17.031-07:00Reception inside an horse belly!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32zuGrzF1kVtS-AtqqDxwE3XQC0bUpfFlrZKTPUO1Qb3OVpyqVWYG_7wdGMGS5m-glziDSh4rArC6bK0tfUUwEtmd97J0cN82mzZv2J-32JiU3EPTNb_d96v60VtOMk2UXUl7fXH4UYA/s1600/P1050267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32zuGrzF1kVtS-AtqqDxwE3XQC0bUpfFlrZKTPUO1Qb3OVpyqVWYG_7wdGMGS5m-glziDSh4rArC6bK0tfUUwEtmd97J0cN82mzZv2J-32JiU3EPTNb_d96v60VtOMk2UXUl7fXH4UYA/s1600/P1050267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32zuGrzF1kVtS-AtqqDxwE3XQC0bUpfFlrZKTPUO1Qb3OVpyqVWYG_7wdGMGS5m-glziDSh4rArC6bK0tfUUwEtmd97J0cN82mzZv2J-32JiU3EPTNb_d96v60VtOMk2UXUl7fXH4UYA/s1600/P1050267.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
<span class="hps">The horseback statue of</span> <span class="hps">Vittorio</span> <span class="hps">Emanuele</span> <span class="hps">II</span> <span class="hps">at the Vittoriano</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">12 meters high</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">stands out</span> <span class="hps">with its mass</span> <span class="hps">at the center</span> <span class="hps">of the monument itself</span>. To realise it <span class="hps">50</span> <span class="hps">tons of bronze were used. </span><span class="hps">To celebrate</span><span class="hps"> the visit</span> <span class="hps">of</span> the king <span class="hps">Vittorio</span> <span class="hps">Emanuele</span> <span class="hps">III</span> <span class="hps">it was decided to</span> <span class="hps">organise</span> <span class="hps">a reception</span> <span class="hps">inside</span> <span class="hps">the immense</span> <span class="hps">belly</span> <span class="hps">of the horse:</span> <span class="hps">twenty people were accommodated inside</span>! <span class="hps">It was a memorable reception as the old pictures still display.</span><br />
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-24376841854476876272014-03-05T03:35:00.000-08:002015-03-24T04:08:24.624-07:00The Vittoriano<br />
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-89086617243231846582012-12-11T01:20:00.000-08:002015-03-22T07:26:56.299-07:00The deer of Sant'Eustachio church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Very close to the Pantheon, in a square called Piazza Sant'Eustachio, there is a church where on top of the facade there is a deer instead of the usual cross! According to the legend Saint'Eustace, whose name was Placido before his conversion, was a roman soldier. One day when he was hunting he saw a deer which was looking much nicer and bigger than all the other ones. When he was about to kill him he noticed that he had a cross between his antlers. The following night Placido's wife dreamt what happened to his husband and the whole family decided to be baptized. After the baptism Placido changed his name in Eustace and after a while he and his family were killed for his christian faith. It was the year 130 A.D. and the emperor was Hadrian. </div>
Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-55560547002357018622011-09-28T06:05:00.000-07:002015-03-22T07:29:00.979-07:00The origin of the word “money”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome visible today in the way Michelangelo arranged it, it was built the temple of Juno Moneta (from the latin verb <i>monere</i> meaning "to warn" - the warning Juno). This temple was built in the IV century BC and later on close to it the romans built the mint of <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Rome</place></city> (where the coins were made). Since the mint was constructed near the <place w:st="on"><placetype w:st="on">temple</placetype> of <placename w:st="on">Juno Moneta</placename></place>, what the mint was producing (the coins) was started to be called <i>moneta</i>. Still today the coins keep this name in many languages aside from italian. For example: <i>money </i>in english, <i>monnaie</i> in french, <i>moneda</i> in spanish and romanian, <i>moeda</i> in portuguese etc.</span></div>
Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-69805707853434893102011-07-03T02:16:00.000-07:002015-03-22T07:31:36.310-07:00The Pyramid of Cestius <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pyramid of Cestius</td></tr>
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Not all the italian cities can boast a pyramid...but Rome does! Close to San Paolo's gate there is the Pyramid of Cestius, which takes its name from Caio Cestio who commissioned its construction in the I century B.C. He was a very wealthy politician who decided when he would pass away to not have just a simple grave but...a real pyramid! Imitating the style of the ancient pharaohs, before dying he asked to his heirs to build a pyramid. But he underlined one important and curious detail: being a wealthy man and being obliged to leave everything to his heirs, he wanted the pyramid to be completed within 330 days! It seems that just to be sure his heirs, attracted by so much money, carried out the construction of the pyramid few days early! The curiosity concerning the construction can be still read in an inscription on the facade of the pyramid itself.</div>
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-58471301184773740742011-05-10T12:54:00.000-07:002011-05-10T13:15:50.823-07:00The Palatine hill<div style="text-align: justify;">The Palatine hill is the richest hills of Rome in terms of history. The Palatine stands on one side of the Roman forum and looks upon the Circus Maximus on the other side. On top of it, recent excavations have discovered remainings of huts of XII century BC which witness the very old origins of Rome (but traditionally Rome is born "just" in 753 BC!). After the I century AD the Palatine became the residence of many roman emperors who started to build a huge complex of buildings to be used as their private residences. Many emperors contributed in enriching this complex so that the Palatine became an enormous building and for ancient romans the name of the hill was synonymous with "palace". In fact the word palace (in italian palazzo, in french palais etc.) derives from the Palatine which in latin was called <em>Palatium</em>.<br />
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</div>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-42636558200647701622011-04-17T03:14:00.000-07:002015-03-22T07:33:09.678-07:00The Appian Way<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Appian Way</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The Appian Way from Rome to Brindisi </td></tr>
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The Appian Way was called by the ancient romans <em>regina viarum</em>, the queen of the roads. It is certainly the most important ancient road whose ruins survived till today and it connected Rome with Brindisi in the south of Italy, a strategic harbour linking Italy to Greece and the Middle East. The construction of the Appian Way was started by the censor Appio Claudio Cieco (who gave the name to the road) in 312 B.C. The road, differently to all the previous ones realised, was entirely paved and polished. This way the road could be used with no issues also under the rain. It was 4,1 meters wide, which allowed to cross it both ways at the same time. At the sides of it there were sidewalks, exactly like we see today at the sides of the modern roads or streets. During the middle age the road has been used by the crusaders to reach Palestine to free Jerusalem from the arabs. A curiosity is about Spartacus: he was a slave who, together with other 6,000 slaves, started a revolt against Rome. After he was killed all his companions were crucified along the Appian Way from Rome to Pompei. He must have been a quite shocking view!</div>
Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-79479361418217612962011-03-20T04:23:00.000-07:002011-04-03T12:12:30.839-07:00Pizzeria "Da Baffetto"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKYk5XO6pORb_HBbMHSkMA0itGzxZGmHeZc-ktd9X9kUNeMBZ9wttkFN-BqzeVp3huyS3C4sIDj0yhw1yNyWHus1Hf5Ts6_RNEb5phe0j46SjPnvCrO1OR7SMqJUPBj8wrstPmkTkY1E/s1600/pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKYk5XO6pORb_HBbMHSkMA0itGzxZGmHeZc-ktd9X9kUNeMBZ9wttkFN-BqzeVp3huyS3C4sIDj0yhw1yNyWHus1Hf5Ts6_RNEb5phe0j46SjPnvCrO1OR7SMqJUPBj8wrstPmkTkY1E/s200/pizza.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To enjoy the tipical atmosphere of a roman pizzeria together with the voices of loud locals and with their excellent pizzas, once you are in Rome it is a "must" go eating at Baffetto (litterally "cute mustaches"). It is in via del Governo Vecchio 114, very close to Piazza Navona. Baffetto makes thin and crunchy pizzas, done in a tipical wood oven. Be ready to wait a little while before entering and as soon as you are done to be hurried on your way. The experience of eating a pizza at Baffetto is definitely a good one. Don't miss the fried starters before the pizza!</div>Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-9480688657183664782011-03-03T03:23:00.000-08:002015-03-22T07:34:50.945-07:00The Basilica of Maxentius (and Costantine)<div style="border: currentColor; text-align: justify;">
The Basilica of Maxentius is one of the greatest buildings of ancient Rome that we can admire today. It was built at the beginning of the IV century A.D. by Maxentius who has been emperor for few years before being defeated by Costantine. It was occupying quite a large area and what we can see today from Via dei Fori Imperiali is just a small aisle of the whole complex. Inside there was a huge statue of Costantine (modelled from a previous one of Maxentius) and few parts of it survived. Just the head of this statue is 2.6 meters of height! Going towards the Colosseum, just at the end at the right of the monument, you can see the immense vaults of nearly 25 meters. These vaults, because of their greatness and harmony, have inspired many Renaissance artists. All the rest of the construction was lost during an earthquake occurred in the IX century and the materials have been used for the decoration of the old St. Peter.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Basilica of Maxentius, internal part</td></tr>
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-25503403821289262792011-02-25T00:42:00.000-08:002015-03-22T07:36:16.479-07:00Some curiosities about the Pantheon<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSCEQzhyphenhyphen6EBamVDTZAMXGc2Rpy8CF9l6uIPwRloW0tSYAqAdvubI7PLh3G6PlIRCr0NHoercUlKBUn5Y1GrQkhmIZnNuYgefq8uLgFjdndlY17DC_6Zu1ZS8MPn2SjJUE6SBBrb3Z1hw/s1600/pantheon-roma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSCEQzhyphenhyphen6EBamVDTZAMXGc2Rpy8CF9l6uIPwRloW0tSYAqAdvubI7PLh3G6PlIRCr0NHoercUlKBUn5Y1GrQkhmIZnNuYgefq8uLgFjdndlY17DC_6Zu1ZS8MPn2SjJUE6SBBrb3Z1hw/s200/pantheon-roma.jpg" height="123" l6="true" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD133jSiekP9mrzwdn6FSqMnFstQG_Wd8wLSIoSd1KOtaNRh0nsLcM-D0ospT2qLD7fjyoc9sjZWO6aAl8dnjS8i8uxRikQZxRyz17KrcQ_S1h37nJkSdKnfh7IFE0UHaScgQeo2XcSM/s1600/cupola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD133jSiekP9mrzwdn6FSqMnFstQG_Wd8wLSIoSd1KOtaNRh0nsLcM-D0ospT2qLD7fjyoc9sjZWO6aAl8dnjS8i8uxRikQZxRyz17KrcQ_S1h37nJkSdKnfh7IFE0UHaScgQeo2XcSM/s200/cupola.jpg" height="132" l6="true" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Pantheon was first built in the I century B.C. by Agrippa, (as it is written on the facade) son in law of Augustus. After two fires it was rebuilt by Hadrian in the II century A.D. The Pantheon, a temple dedicated to all the roman gods (Pan = all; Theon = gods) is the best preserved roman monument and this is because it became a church in VII century. Being a church the popes couldn't steal any marble or stone, differently from what happened to the Colosseum or to the Forums. The Pantheon is a sphere inserted inside a cylinder: in fact the height of the monument (from the pavement till the top of the dome) is 43.3 meters as well as the diameter of the base of the dome. Another curiosity: the dome of St.Peter is the biggest one in Rome (and in Italy) and it was designed by Michelangelo. But Michelangelo loved and admired the Pantheon so much that, when he realised the dome of St. Peter he wanted to make the diameter of the base few centimeters smaller than the one in the Pantheon: this was his personal tribute to the greatness of the latter. So, dimension wise, St. Peter has the biggest dome of Rome but the one with the largest diameter at the base is the Pantheon's one. </div>
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7183734670770168785.post-9514161822235443972011-02-24T01:08:00.000-08:002015-03-22T07:37:21.662-07:00The Fountain of the Four Rivers<div style="border: currentColor; text-align: justify;">
The Fountain of the Four Rivers is in the center of Piazza Navona. It was realised according to a project of Bernini in 1651 and it is an imaginative baroque representation of the main rivers of the four continents known at those times: Rio de la Plata (South America), Nile (Africa), Gange (Asia) and the Danube (Europe). Australia will be discovered only many years later and this is why the statues are four and not five. Worth to notice is the statue of the Nile: he covers his face with a veil because at those times its source wasn't known yet. The obelisk on top of the fountain belongs to the roman period and it was found on the Appian Way. The dove at the top of the obelisk is the symbol of the family of the pope (Innocenzo X) who commissioned this fountain but also of the Holy Spirit which is spread through the four continents represented by the below statues. Recently during the last restoration, since the fountain is threatened by the dungs of the pigeons, they have put a mechanism (invisible from outside) which releases small electric shocks to prevent the birds from approaching the fountain. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy_D1kr34YGVLqQpU_wLuxow5n7R0oyCYKavsTrBbnjLtRGWRjgLW5GhsOvS_9B2rCl63Y1qoudt8fYbPMjmPu2BK4BnISTAVN-ncJomm58vXxofNj60_KqAoM0fn1S51lxtdPCIQCT0/s1600/Roma_p_navona_La%252520fontana%252520dei%252520Quattro%252520Fiumi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy_D1kr34YGVLqQpU_wLuxow5n7R0oyCYKavsTrBbnjLtRGWRjgLW5GhsOvS_9B2rCl63Y1qoudt8fYbPMjmPu2BK4BnISTAVN-ncJomm58vXxofNj60_KqAoM0fn1S51lxtdPCIQCT0/s200/Roma_p_navona_La%252520fontana%252520dei%252520Quattro%252520Fiumi.jpg" height="154" l6="true" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fountain of the Four Rivers</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyhUsF-uFptCga3keG6MR1KfqAiaNXbyF8pjf7dOq3Ad_ohtLYcnV0cSU2n8GfcS6_KmpWhyecEoIo3ZsbrHwbmQNXLR3Bgu2S25mP6-eRxLshkeqZ0xAq2A1KIvXih3hY4F_uc6Gy2g/s1600/P1050353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyhUsF-uFptCga3keG6MR1KfqAiaNXbyF8pjf7dOq3Ad_ohtLYcnV0cSU2n8GfcS6_KmpWhyecEoIo3ZsbrHwbmQNXLR3Bgu2S25mP6-eRxLshkeqZ0xAq2A1KIvXih3hY4F_uc6Gy2g/s200/P1050353.JPG" height="150" l6="true" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The statue of the Nile</td></tr>
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Mauro Pomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07861348525883050898noreply@blogger.com