Date(s): 2/25/08. Album by Deborah Kosnett. Photos by Deborah Kosnett. 1 - 48 of 99 Total. 570 Visits.
1 Today, we decided to start our day with a walk over the Tiber River to the old Jewish Ghetto. We crossed over the Ponte Fabricio - an ancient bridge, partly pedestrian-only, that passes through Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island), a largish island that is home to a hospital and various other buildings, including the restored Torre dei Caetani, or Pierleoni tower. This view is looking back over the bridge from the other side, toward the cluster of buildings in the center. (See Day ___ for pictures of the island.)
The knot of people you see sitting on the right - they're beggars, along with their dog. Apparently it's against the law in Italy to use animals for begging purposes, so these fellas are breaking the law, I guess.
2 If you click on this pic, go to the bottom, and click on "original" size, you can read all about the bridge, which was originally built in 62 BC. It is the oldest bridge in Rome.
3 "Jewish Health Hospital." This clinic is on the island, right across from the Jewish Ghetto. I Googled it, and it's apparently a Jewish geriatric hospital, specializing in neurological disorders (probably Alzheimers). I also found an "open letter" (http://tinyurl.com/38n2hz) from some person or group, protesting use of the restored Torre dei Caetani for a clinic . . . apparently they wanted a museum to be housed there.
4 This is Rome's magnificent central synagogue, in the Jewish Getto, on Via del Portico d'Ottavia. From our National Geographic guidebook, it was "built a century ago in an odd, but not unpleasing, mock Assyro-Babylonian style."
5 A tribute to the Jews of Italy and Rome who were deported and slaughtered during the Holocaust. It's hard to translate with Google, partly because "U" and "V" are identical. But, here's a rough approximation:
In all of Europe, six million innocent Jews were the victims of crude racial hatred.
On October 16, 1943, more than eight thousand Italian Jews were rounded up, deported, martyred and slaughtered.
Out of this number, two thousand were from Rome.
[The next block is difficult, but it appears to say that this event was an offense against civilization and the holy law of God, and that this inscription is a tribute to the tears of blood that were shed.]
[The next block appears to say that this martyrdom draws souls to a higher, indomitable vision of life, reaffirming the renewed faith of Israel.]
6 Another inscription on the side of the synagogue. I can't really translate this one; perhaps someone who reads Italian or Hebrew can enlighten me. It's a memorial, but whether it's a general one or related to the Holocaust, I can't tell.
7 This is a war memorial, commemorating the Jews who died in service to Italy. The top portion apparently references the wars for Italian unity, which took place from 1848 to 1870. (If you're interested in this, go here: http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Italian_Wars
The dates referenced are 1866 and 1867.
The bottom portion lists the war dead from World War I, 1915-1918.
8 A shot of lovely ornamentation on the right-hand side of the synagogue: a menorah and (I presume) the Ten Commandments.
9 A "largo" is a small piazza (plaza). This is where we found additional commemorative plaques - see next photo.
10 These plaques were easier, tho' I'm still stuck on the word "milanovantuno." (It's apparently a number.) Here's my rough translation of the top plaque:
Here, on October 16, 1943, the ruthless hunt for Jews and Gypsys (Romani) began, sending them to a savage death in the Nazi extermination camps, where they were joined by the other six thousand Italian victims of this infamous racial hatred.
The few who escaped the massacre join in solidarity, and invoke for all mankind, love, peace and forgiveness from God, and hope.
This plaque was placed by the National Committee for the Commemoration of Twenty Years of Resistance. ***** The bottom plaque is much easier.
"They Had Not Even Begun To Live"
In memory of the babies exterminated in the Nazi concentration camps.
11 Smack in the middle of the Jewish Ghetto is an important ruin, the Portico d'Ottavia -- the huge colonnade built by Augustus in 23 BC for his sister Octavia. This and the photos that follow show the archaeological excavation of the ruins.
12 In the middle ages, the Church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria was built into the ruins. Apparently a fish market operated on the site for many, many years.
According to my National Geographic guide book, this plaque (built into the far right pilaster of the pediment; see previous photo) says, "any fish head (considered quite a delicacy) longer than the plaque itself was to be handed over to city officials."
13 Looking through the pediment to additional ruins.
14 As you can see, this is quite a large excavation site! And we got to walk through it. These ruins are actually of the Teatro (Theatre) di Marcello, as well as the three surviving columns of the Tempio (Temple) Apollo Sosianus.
15 Architectural fragment from the porch of the Portico d'Ottavia, found during the demolition of some buildings in the ghetto.
16 A more head-on view.
17 Nice shot.
18 Gorgeous fragments.
19 Detail from a fragment.
20 More detail. This makes a lovely abstract composition.
21 More fragments.
22 When they say that new Rome is built atop of old Rome, they ain't kiddin'. Here, you see the ruins of the Teatro, and atop it, a modern residence.
23 A shot from down amongst the ruins, looking at the modern buildings of the Ghetto.
24 More abstract ruins. I could have taken dozens more photos like this. Even as fragments, they are beautiful.
25 Juxtaposition of the old and new Rome.
26 This is all that is left of the Tempio Apollo Sosianus.
27 Tempio close-up.
28 A shot of the ruined Teatro.
29 Here's what the Teatro and Tempio look from a distance. As I said, new Rome atop old Rome.
30 At the edge of the Teatro ruin. This is San Nicola in Carcere, a medieval church built, literally, into and around the remains of the Forum Holitorium's three temples.
31 The streets of the Ghetto. From my NG Explorer book:
"The papal bull issued by Pope Paul IV on July 12, 1555, confined the Jews of Rome to a walled-off area of less than 3 acres, where they were forced to live for more than 300 years. One motive was simple anti-Semitism. But the Counter-Reformation zeal inspired by the Protestant schism probably also played a key role in the creation of the Ghetto, formally abolished only in 1883."
"Jews have lived in Rome since the second century BC, settling first in areas favored by foreigners, such as the Aventine and Trastevere. However, by the time the Ghetto was decreed, many Roman Jews, especially merchants, had already moved to this commercially thriving riverport neighborhood."
32 "Roman Jewish Cuisine." No, it's not what you think. Roman Jews eat pretty much what the rest of Italy does. From my NG Explorer book:
"Roman Jews are neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardic and pride themselves on being part of a community that preexists the destruction of the Jerusalem synagogue in A.D. 70. This entitles them to enjoy certain privileges such as eating lamb at Passover. But if the kosher restaurants you see start you dreaming of a pastrami sandwich or a bagel, forget it. Jewish people have been in Rome so long that often (pork dishes excluded) the Jewish and Roman cuisines are almost indistinguishable. Some favorites of Jewish origin are carciofi alla Giudea (fried, whole artichokes), filetti di baccala fritti (frid codfish fillets), and marinated zucchini."
33 Roman Jewish Cuisine - daily specials (kosher, of course).
34 Menorahs and other items for sale, in a shop window. The little row of people? That's a menorah - look closer.
35 The Fountain of the Turtles, in the Jewish Ghetto. This is a bronze fountain and apparently difficult to maintain, and so there are many admonishments: under video surveillance, don't drink the water, don't throw in coins, etc.
36 Aw, he's so cute!
37 We happened upon a lovely little enclosed courtyard, filled with sculptural ornamentation. I got only a few shots, and then my memory card filled up, forcing me to dump a few pics so that I could continue shooting.
38 Detail. Looks like Will Shakespeare, doesn't it? It's definitely from the Renaissance period.
39 The magnificent Santa Maria in Campitelli, said to be architect Carlo Rainaldi's masterpiece. Who needs to visit the Vatican, when every church in Rome is an art-filled treasure?
40 View from the entrance. All of these photos were shot without flash, using available light. Have I mentioned recently that I LOVE my Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Digital ELPH camera???
41 Close-up of the main altar.
42 Cardinal Bartolomeo Pacca (died 1863), is buried in the church, and this appears to be his funerary monument. It was sculpted by Ferdinando Pettrich.
43 The church's magnificent domed ceiling.
44 This may be the Shrine of Our Lady, but I am not sure. I was taken with the artwork; it so resembles that of the Orthodox churches.
45 On our way to the Forum, we climbed the Capitoline Hill. Here's the view looking back from our climb.
From Wikipedia: "The Capitoline Hill, between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the most famous and highest of the seven hills of Rome. By the 16th century, Capitolino had become Campidoglio in the Roman dialect. In modern Italian, campidoglio also refers to any capitol building. Similarly, the English word capitol derives from Capitoline. The Capitoline contains relatively few ancient ground-level ruins, as they are almost entirely covered up by Medieval palaces (now the Capitoline Museums) that surround a piazza. A significant portion of the architecture in this area was designed by Michelangelo."
46 At the top of the hill, in the Piazza del Campidoglio.
This is a replica of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. From Wikipedia: "The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome, Italy, is made of bronze and stands 11’ 6” tall. Although the emperor is mounted, it exhibits many similarities to standing statues of Augustus. The original is on display in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, with the one now standing in the open air of the Piazza del Campidoglio being a replica made in 1981 when the original was taken down for restoration in the Palazzo."
47 The Palazzo Senatorio, in the Piazza del Campidoglio.
From Wikipedia: "Built during the 13th and 14th century, the Palazzo Senatorio ("Senatorial Palace") stands atop the Tabularium that had once housed the archives of ancient Rome. Peprino marble blocks from the Tabularium were re-used in the left side of the palace and a corner of the bell tower. It now houses the Roman city hall. Its double ramp of stairs were designed by Michelangelo. The fountain in front of the staircase features the river gods of the Tiber and the Nile as well as Dea Roma (Minerva). Its bell tower was designed by Martin Longhi the Elder and built between 1578 and 1582. Its current facade was designed by Giacomo della Porta and Girolamo Rainaldi."
