Rome, Italy (Part I)
We arrived in
Rome about 10:30 a.m.
tuesday,
November the 8
th.
We took the metro,
which was better than walking,
to the hotel
which was located next to the
Vatican Musuem.
We broke for lunch and our meeting
point was Piazza del Popolo.
This piazza
name is translated into the "
peoples square";
it was also the
starting point to modern day Rimini.
It was an amazing place to be, in the center
lies an Egyptian Obelisk,
which is beautiful in
itself.
There is also fountains on
either side of the piazza.
Soon after the
discussing about the piazza, the
weather got the
best of us.
Gathered under the
arch,
we had no
choice but to buy umbrellas from the
street vendors.
Our next stop
was one of the
buildings I
was waiting to see this whole trip, The Pantheon. I
had seen it before we arrive in Urbino,
but it was amazing to see it in the
rain.
It was also dark,
which made
it a
memorable experience. I
walked in
only to see the center
blocked off due
to the
rain falling down from the
oculus. I
saw The Pantheon
when it was sunny outside,
which was amazing,
but its a
whole other experience when its raining. The
building itself is massive, once
you walk in,
you can't help
but walk around with your jaw to the
ground.
The
second day,
we started the day
off at the
Roman Forum
to do some
sketching. I
had seen this area
from the
outside,
and walking in
to see all
this ruins was something else.
Everywhere you look,
there is something to see; a
fragment of a cornice, a
Corinthian capital,
pieces of buildings, etc.
After about an hour or so
sketching and exploring the Forum, the
highlight of day
was a
couple minutes away.
From a
distance,
it over powers everything around it,
its height soars over the
surrounding context,
and its history is conveyed through its material. The
Colosseum is one amazing feat,
illustrating one of the
greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.
The interior
of the
Colosseum is a
whole other story,
it conveys the feeling
of hearing thousands of Romans screaming and cheering overlooking the
event that was occuring.
As I
walked around, I
was confused and at the
same time
amazed on
how they achieved the
construction of this building. The center
of the
Colosseum shows about one-
third of what the stage
would look
like back in the
Roman times.
Knowing that this building has survived from the time
it was completed in 80 A.D.
is just mind blowing! A
magnificent work of architecture and a
must see building when in
Rome.
Soon after the discussing about the piazza, the weather got the best of us. Gathered under the arch, we had no choice but to buy umbrellas from the street vendors. Our next stop was one of the buildings I was waiting to see this whole trip, The Pantheon. I had seen it before we arrive in Urbino, but it was amazing to see it in the rain. It was also dark, which made it a memorable experience. I walked in only to see the center blocked off due to the rain falling down from the oculus. I saw The Pantheon when it was sunny outside, which was amazing, but its a whole other experience when its raining. The building itself is massive, once you walk in, you can't help but walk around with your jaw to the ground.
The second day, we started the day off at the Roman Forum to do some sketching. I had seen this area from the outside, and walking in to see all this ruins was something else. Everywhere you look, there is something to see; a fragment of a cornice, a Corinthian capital, pieces of buildings, etc. After about an hour or so sketching and exploring the Forum, the highlight of day was a couple minutes away. From a distance, it over powers everything around it, its height soars over the surrounding context, and its history is conveyed through its material. The Colosseum is one amazing feat, illustrating one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.
The interior of the Colosseum is a whole other story, it conveys the feeling of hearing thousands of Romans screaming and cheering overlooking the event that was occuring. As I walked around, I was confused and at the same time amazed on how they achieved the construction of this building. The center of the Colosseum shows about one-third of what the stage would look like back in the Roman times. Knowing that this building has survived from the time it was completed in 80 A.D. is just mind blowing! A magnificent work of architecture and a must see building when in Rome.
No comments:
Post a Comment