Paparazzi

Today with the word "paparazzo" we mean those kind of tabloid photographers who hunt celebs to shoot pictures during their intimate or private moments. The word paparazzo became known and it was "launched" by the Fellini's movie "La dolce vita" shot in Rome in 1960. In fact the name of one of the tabloid photographers of the movie was Paparazzo (paparazzi is the plural form) and since then this word commonly indicates in many languages that kind of profession. The character was played by the italian actor Walter Santesso.

Michelangelo and the Creation of Adam

The fresco of the Creation of Adam, one of the scenes from the Bible realised by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, contains a very fascinating mistery. In fact it seems that the red "shell" within which lays the figure of God (in the right part of the fresco) is a representation of the right side of a human brain. Michelangelo got an excellent anatomical knowledge, despite at that time was forbidden to dissect corpses. But the most incredible thing is that the right side of the human brain is the one which supervises fantasy and...creation. The idea of a "divine brain" dedicated to the creation of the human kind: a concept magnificently expressed by Michelangelo.

The vase of Trevi's fountain

When you look at Trevi's fountain you admire the scenic beauty of the whole monument, the water effects, the white marbles which evoke the majesty of Baroque Rome and won't probably notice an ornamental vase placed to the right of the fountain itself. It seems that it has been put there by Nicola Salvi, the author of the project of the fountain in 1733. In front of the vase there was a barber shop and the barber while the works were ongoing criticised the project: the fountain wasn't beautiful at all! Nicola Salvi, sick and tired of the critics, created a vase and he placed it just in front of the barber shop so to prevent the barber from criticising his work again! The barber shop isn't there anymore but the vase still is.

The Circus Maximus and the obelisks

The Circus Maximus can be considered the biggest circus ever built. It was 600 meters long and 140 meters wide and it could host 250.000 people. It was built in the 6th century B.C. In the 1st century B.C. Augustus placed in the central part of the circus the obelisk of Rhamses II which today dominates Piazza del Popolo. In the year 357 A.D. it was placed at the centre of the circus another obelisk, the highest one in Rome, which can be admired today in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano. Both obelisks were stolen by the romans during the occupation of Egypt and both of them reused to decorate two beautiful squares.

The Pantheon and the canopy of St.Peter

Pantheon

Pasquino statue

The Pantheon is an extraordinary monument: it is the best preserved ancient monument of Rome and, among other records, it has the biggest masonry dome ever realised. It was built and destroyed several times until its final version (done in the 2nd century A.D.) arrived till today. The ceiling of the entrance (pronaos) was covered by tons of bronze which were removed in 1625 by pope Urban VIII from Barberini family to realise the canopy of Bernini in S.Peter. Some time later, someone put the following sentence above Pasquino's head  (the most known "talking statue" of Rome): "quod non fecerunt barbari fecerunt Barberini" (what the barbarians never managed to do, the Barberini actually did)!  

Few data about the Colosseum

The Colosseum was built in 8 years, from 72 to 80 A.D. using thousands of slaves. It could host up to 60,000 people and the emperor Titus, in the year of its inauguration, declared 100 days of national holidays. 100,000 tons of marble have been used together with 300 tons of iron to cement the blocks. It's 5o meters high and 188 meters long and what we see today is just 1/3 of what it was in the past...

The Pietà by Michelangelo

The Pietà is a sculpture that Michelangelo realised in 1498-99 for the french ambassador to the pope when he was just 24. This is the only sculpture which has been signed by Michelangelo. According to the story, one day Michelangelo heard some people talking positively about his sculpture but they referred to it as a good work done by another artist native from Rome. Annoyed by these comments, he came back during the night in the church and he carved on the ribbon of the Virgin Mary his name. Because of the hurry (who was catched inside the church during the night risked a death sentence) he nearly forgot to carve the second "e" of his name...which in fact appears inside the "g"!

The signature of Michelangelo