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The Results Are In - Part 23

Publication in the prestigious Black & White Magazine is once again the subject of this tooting of my horn. And, the volume of my horn playing has risen above the normal level because I was published in the magazine twice this year…once in a portfolio competition, and once again in a single image competition.

“The category that my Poeple’s Choice award was featured is the “PATTERN/TEXTURE/ABSTRACT” category”

And, though I am playing at a higher decibel level today, the tune is not as sweet as the recognition I passed on to you on June 10th of this year…that being my recognition as Photographer of the Year in the coveted 17th Annual International Color Awards. If you have not seen that article, please check it out HERE.

February 2025 Black & White Magazine Publication - Single Image Winners

This February issue is to announce the winners of the 2024 Single Image Contest. Two of my images were published in that issue. And, as a bonus for my Italy fans, both of those photos were taken in Italy during our 2023 trip with friends!

Here is cover of the February 2025 issue…

Though it was published in February, it seems to me that based on the cover photo, it would be a great image for an issue to be published around Halloween.

Note that the issue includes winners from the “People’s Choice Winners” category and “Single Image Winners” category. My photos were recognized in both of those categories.

Though I did not have a winner in the “Spotlight Winners” category, I did have a photo receive that recognition back in 2022, complete with a head-shot photo of yours truly. If you missed that article, you can see it HERE.

 

The People’s Choice Award - Feb 2025

B&W Magazine People’s Choice Award Winner

So, what is a “People’s Choice Award”? It refers to the public being offered the opportunity to select their own favorite photos. The public can vote on nominated images to help choose winners in different categories. The category that my Poeple’s Choice award was featured is the “PATTERN/TEXTURE/ABSTRACT” category.

Here is the People’s Choice Award winner in that “PATTERN/TEXTURE/ABSTRACT” category, which I titled “Stoned”.

 

This photo was taken in bella Bellagio, on the shores of Lake Como. Just recently, I published an article on eating dinner at Mistral Restaurant in the Grand Hotel Serbelloni, which you can see HERE.

To learn more about the wonderful lakeside village of Bellagio, you can see an article from the past that I’ve updated based on our 2023 trip by clicking HERE. You will see just what all of those stones are about!

Single Image Award Winner - Feb 2025

This Single Image Winner was featured in the “ARCHITECTURE/INTERIORS” Category. Being a church, It is obviously “architecture” related. And since it is inside the church, the “interior” term applies, also.

B&W Magazine Single Image Award Winner

This interior photo was taken during our 2023 trip with friends. We are in Venice. We are in the lengthily named “Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari”, or in short “The Frari”. I place this church in the Don’t Miss category for your Venice visit. You can see the wonderful interior of this beatutiful church in this previous article here…Venice’s Frari…which incidentally features a shot of brother-in-law Craig striking a pose just outside the church’s secondary entrance.

Here is the Single Image Award Winner in the ARCHITECTURE/INTERIORS Category, which I titled “God Ray at the Frari”.

August 2025 Black & White Magazine Publication - Portfolio Winners

In the August issue, the photos submitted are submitted as a portfolio of images…that being images that have some relationship to each other in subject. My submittal for this contest consisted of images of butterflies. Yes, they are butterfly photos, and they were not taken in Italy. They were taken in Gainesville, Florida at the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. This wonderful building is full of those little flutterbys. These photos were taken in March, 2022, during a photo workshop with my dear friend Jackie Kramer, of “Jackie Kramer Fine Art”, also known as “LuvBlooms”.

I will give you both the as-published black and white photos, as well as the color versions.

Here is the magazine cover, which is a good bit less creepy than the Single Image cover.

 

As this was a portfolio competition, there were more than one of my flutterby images published…there were three, and here they are in the Merit Award category, which has no particular subject category. Just below you can see the three images that were recognized.

As promised, here are the color versions of those three photographs.

Don’t you just love their eyes!!! And, since we are on the subject of butterflies, here are just a few more from that same Florida trip.

I Can See You!!!

And finally, since you are a somewhat captive audience, here are photos that I took last week on Bald Head Island, NC…which is a lovely place to be. These were taken with my iPhone.

Thank you dear reader for making it this far into my article where I tooted my horn a bit. You were able to see both God’s places, as well as God’s creatures as they were published in Black & White Magazine during 2025.

I hope you have a blessed day, and until next time, I say…

Ciao for Now,

Steve

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Central Rome Walking Tour - Part the Last!

Click the map for a larger view

Yes, that’s right Italy lovers…today is the beginning of the end of our walking tour of central Rome. The heart of Rome has history, romance, intrigue, and of course, wonderful sights.

As a recap…since you’ve been sleeping and dreaming of Italy since we started our tour a few weeks ago…here is where we’ve been and what we’ve seen:

This is one of my longest articles of Italy. It may be that getting through it will take longer than the actual walk through central Rome. But please, don’t let that discourage you…read on, dear reader.

Today, we visit a Piazza and a Campo. The word “piazza” shows up as “square” using my Google translate app. And “Campo” comes out as “field”. Today’s piazza is not a square, and our campo is not a field, though it used to be. But, we won’t let that literary quirk stop us from having a wonderful end to our special walk through the central part of Rome.

And, as you can see by clicking on the map above, the walk covers a lot of sightseeing in a short distance and time. From 9/10ths to 1 1/3rd miles in less than an hour if one were not prone to stop and gawk at the sights, as we have surely been doing. And, are you hungry yet after that delicious breakfast at Antico Caffe Greco?

THE WALK BEGINS…or I should say CONTINUES

We have just completed our visit to the Pantheon. This ancient building with its architectural uniqueness really captured our attention. And, let’s not forget that very tall column of exquisitely carved tribute to a Roman emperor of old. Here are just two reminder photos to jog your memory…and you can click HERE to review that Part 2 episode.

 
 

WE ARE OFF TO PIAZZA NAVONA

Here is the route of our very short walk to fame.

The walk from The Pantheon to Piazza Navona

  1. Walk out of the Pantheon (note: you will not get to Piazza Navona if you stay in the Pantheon).

  2. Immediately turn left (sinistra) and walk along Salita de Crescenzi (Crescenti’s Climb)…which is no climb at all.

  3. After a 370-foot walk, you will come to a T-intersection at Via della Dogana Vechia (Old Custom’s Street) where you turn right (destra).

  4. Walk 147 feet and turn left (sinistra) on Via del Salvator (Savior Street).

  5. Stroll 312feet and turn left (sinistra) on Corso del Rinascimento (Course of the Renaissance).

  6. You will come to an ally-like street after a walk of 80 feet, where you will turn right (destra) onto Corsia Agonale (Diagonal Lane).

  7. Our destination is now in sight dead ahead, so walk 45 feet & 7 inches and you will be at, in and on Piazza Navona.

 

Regarding the distances referenced above, Google has a wonderful measurement feature. Whether you are interested in feet or miles, it is convenient and easy to use. I will go over the use of Google maps for your travels soon.

 

Piazza Navona

The first thing that you will notice about Piazza Navona is that it is definitely not a square, but an oval of 145 feet by 800 feet. The oval shape tracks its history.

The Piazza was the site of a 1st century stadium called The Stadium of Domitian. It was built by Emperor Titus Flavious Domitianus in AD 86 for the people of Rome to use for athletic games. The stadium was also known as the Circus Agonalis, or competition arena.

Its current oval shape follows the form of that stadium, which is long gone, and the arena floor was well below the present elevation of the piazza. Today, Piazza Navona sits over the interior arena, and grandstands holding around 30,000 people surrounded the arena floor, and the buildings you see surrounding the piazza would obviously not be there in the Stadium of Domitian days. With the surrounding grandstands, the width was 350 feet, with a length of 900 feet. Archeologists believe that the outside perimeter height was 100 feet above ground level, and the row one seats would be about 15 feet above the arena floor.

That arena would seem to be a perfect place for Charleston Heston to stage a Ben Hur sort of chariot race (if you have not seen that 1959 movie, I suggest that you do - check Amazon Prime), though I find no mention of any races other than those done on human feet.

Antonio Joli’s painting of a flooded Piazza Navona

So, right now as we begin our circuit of the piazza, we are on the arena floor and none of your fans are sitting in the grandstands. As a matter of fact, those grandstands have been gone for many centuries. However, we are a bit above that original arena floor, and that lower floor created an interesting diversion from normal athletics, as one could flood the arena for aquatic events. From 1652 until 1866, those floodings were held every Saturday and Sunday of August to celebrate the august Pamphili family (the family of Pope Innocent X). This painting by Antonio Joli depicts just such an event.

A little over 150 years ago, the pavement level was raised. The market that was held on the piazza was moved to nearby Campo de' Fiori, which is our next and final destination today.

Do you enjoy a European Christmas market? Each year a Christmas market is held in the piazza from the first week of December until the first week of January.

Let’s see what the piazza floor has in store for us in our 21st century.

The Piazza Navona Fountains

There are three fountains in the piazza…one at each end and one in the middle. When we were reading about the Trevi Fountain last month, we learned about the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct. Restoration of that piped water supply facilitated the construction of these three public fountains.

The northern most fountain is called the Fountain of Neptune created by Giacomo della Porta in 1574.

Fontana del Nettuno -or- Fountain of Neptune

The basin of the Fountain of Neptune (which originally was bare with no sculptures) was designed in 1574 by Giacomo Della Porta. It was sponsored by pope Gregory XIII. For the next 300 years, the fountain survived without statues. Then, in 1878 two sculptors added embellishments.

The first embellishment was Neptune fighting with an octopus. Antonio della Bitta was the creator of this rather entertaining sculpture. In my opinion, the overall fountain just wouldn’t be the same without Neptune poking an octopus.

The second embellishment was created by Gregorio Zappala, and it consists of the statues around the perimeter.

Let’s take a look at this fountain with its added sculptures. Click on the left image to get a larger view, but only if you do not mind seeing genitalia. Trust me on this statement: In Italy, male genitalia are very prevalent in statuary, as are female breasts, evidently.

Fontana del Moro -or- Fountain of the Moor

This fountain at the south end of the piazza mirrors in size and shape the Neptune fountain at the north end. And actually, both fountains were designed by Giacomo della Porta at the same time. It got its embellishments in the 1650s by Gian Lorenzo Benini and Giovanni Antonio Mari.

Here you see a nautical scene with tritons, so-called angry dolphins, a large conch shell, and a tush…and of course, the afore mentioned genitalia.

And, I just couldn’t move on without you getting a prime shot of this next guy. I’m pleased to say that I haven’t felt that way recently…how about you?!

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi -or- Fountain of the Four Rivers

This is the premier fountain of Piazza Navona. It was designed in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X, and it celebrates the papal authority of four different continents…each represented by a major river of that continent.

Those rivers are:

  • the Nile representing Africa,

  • the Danube representing Europe,

  • the Ganges representing Asia, and

  • the Río de la Plata representing the Americas.

I could certainly bore you with the details of each of the gods represented and how they apply to specific rivers and their continents, but I think enough has been said.

The obelisk is made of Aswan granite and is connected with the emperor Domitian

 

And oh, at the tippy-top is a dove with an olive twig.

 

To see the images in larger size, click/tap the first one and work your way through.

Traveling companion Sue Lee used her cellphone to make a panorama photo of Piazza Navona. Because of the distortion one gets with a very wide panorama, it loses its long oval shape, and looks like it’s coming at you and then going away from you. Here is her photo, with the Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone at the center.

Piazza Navona by Sue Lee

Though the photo well shows the tourist attracted to this piazza, I was wondering what this site would look like without those tourists. So, I spent about 5 minutes removing them. Here is my revision of Sue Lee’s photo. Same base photo, but with some Photoshop magic.

Piazza Navona without Sue Lee’s Tourists

Evening on Piazza Navona

Though we always enjoy our time at Piazza Navona during the day, it really comes alive in the evening. Street buskers, musicians, and such abound. On the northern end of the piazza, al fresco dining can be found. We enjoyed our meal at Ristorante Tre Scalini (three steps) and I’ve thrown in a couple of photos of our dining there.

LET’S HEAD TO CAMPO DE FIORI

Piazza Navona to Campo di Fiori [Click/Tap the map to enlarge it]

We have a very short 1,000 foot walk to the final destination of our Central Rome Walking Tour. This map shows you the suggested route, but of course you can twist and turn on your own to get to Campo de Fiori, or in English Field of Flowers.

  1. At the Fontana Del Moro end of Piazza Navona (south end), take a right onto Via Di Pasquina for a very short 175 foot walk.

  2. At the very small and triangular-shaped Piazza Di Pasquina, take a very sharp left onto Via di San Pantaleo, where it is about 250 feet to the Piazza di San Pantaleo, where you stay to the right as you prepare to cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

  3. As you cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele II bare right a bit and enter a street named Piazza Della Cancelleria (the Chancellery Square), where you walk 350 feet to our destination of Campo di Fiori.

But First!! Let’s Recall Some Things Along Our Way!!!

We’ve had an interesting walk this today, and we’ve seen some very interesting sights. Not only those covered in our three-part journey, but just sights around us not of the sightseeing variety. Here are a few of those that we’ve seen on our own journeys over the years. But please, stay tuned for our Campo di Fiori visit that will end our walk today.

We Had Lunch at Pizzarcano

Other Food Things We Saw

PLEASE NOTE: For each photo gallery, please click the first image to get a full-screen view, and then work your way through the photos. If you are using a computer (preferred), hover the mouse pointer of the image and then use your arrow keys to advance through the photos…this way you can see the captions for each photo. When photos begin to repeat, click the “X” at the top right of the screen to exit the gallery.

People We Saw Doing Things

Something is amiss with this scene!

What is going on here? Do you see the irony in this street photo?

Something just doesn’t seem right!!!

Is it that the bag is empty?

Or perhaps, they were out of the appropriate things and she got stuck with an opposing item?

This doesn’t say much for the Copenhagen-based Flying Tiger store, does it?!

Other Things Along The Way

Rome “Stumbling Blocks”

IN MEMORIAM

Here is an image from which I published a blog article in 2015. Please read about it here, and remember the impact.

And Now, Our Final Destination - Campo de Fiori

I was looking at Campo de Fiori using the Google Street View and an image appeared that captured my interest because one never sees Campo de Fiori during the day without a myriad of tents covering the campo. The aerial view shows what I mean. The statue dead center in the aerial view is the same as the one in the street view.

A Bit of Campo History

This campo was once an actual field of flowers during the middle ages. It is unique in Rome, as it is the only monumental square in the historic center not to house a church or basilica. The campo was built by Pope Calixtus III on that site of colorful flowers. Then, in 1440, the square was paved, with inns and hostels for pilgrims rising around its perimeter. As mentioned way above regarding Piazza Navona, the market that you see now in the campo was previously held in Piazza Navona, but was moved here in 1869.

What Do You Find In The Market? The market, consisting of fruits, vegetables and flowers, as well as savory dried cooking spices, takes place every morning except Sunday, so plan accordingly. There is much variety under the tents. And, though it is a bustling market by day, it is even more bustling in the evening with dining and drinking.

What is really amazing is the mobility of all of those tents and their wares. All of the tents you see above in the aerial view of the campo, have to be removed along with their wares, each afternoon. The campo is market-vacant in the late evening for al fresco dining, and then in the early hours of the morning it slowly comes to life with vendors once again setting up their tents/stalls. Most stalls close by early afternoon so the campo can be cleared, so visit early.

Once dusk falls, things change dramatically, with al fresco restaurants and cocktail bars coming to life.

Ellen, Debbie & Scott 2012

Yes, we’ve arrived…no ifs or ands, but butts!

 

Our Market Favorite

Mauro Berardi

So, here is our favorite market vendor, where we come back during every Rome visit to gather Italian cooking spices.

Mauro Berardi’s spice market…where he has many culinary-related items.

Here is a recent 2023 photo of friendly Mauro.

 

Mauro has been running his business for many years. Here is an older photo of Mauro (same glasses and earring) and friend Debbie from 2012. Debbie has her credit card handy while she is doing a bit of negotiation with Mauro.

The area of Mauro’s tents cover a lot of territory.

Here are a number of photos of our shopping at Mauro’s site. You will note a lot of bending over to sniff at Mauro’s specialty of dried spices…and we always buy several bags to bring back home to use in our self-cooked Italian meals.

These sniffing photos are from past trips. The last photos in this gallery from 2023 show items that have been added since earlier trips. But, the spices are still prevalent!

There is a statue in the middle of Campo de Fiori. I won’t go into that story. If you want to, just do a search for Giordano Bruno.

Dining in Campo de Fiori

As I have mentioned above, the campo in the evening is a dining and drinking extravaganza. I’ll have to admit that we never participated in the evening, as we are usually staying quite a way from the campo. However, we have dined here during the day, and we were completely pleased with our meals.

Unfortunately, it seems that the ristorante that we enjoyed in 2012 is no longer on the campo. I can see the word “Arancia” in a couple of photos, so the osteria’s or trattoria’s name probably had to something to do with oranges.

Anyway, to give you an idea of the campo life during the day that is not related to the market tents/stalls, here are a few photos of our typical Roman lunch. It includes some local kids who enjoy playing in a lite rain.

And of course, we have to start with a Banfi Chianti!

I’m sad to say that the walk is over, once again. This walk is one of our favorite things to do with friends who are visiting Rome for the first time. With the exception of the Capuchin Crypt, none of the features on our walk require tickets or reservations. And, the walk is not in any way strenuous.

Of course, this is not the extent of Rome, as there is the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and many dining opportunities. So, don’t wander far, as I will be continuing our recent time in Rome in the coming weeks. And then, we will visit Siena, Tuscany, Florence, and of course…our favorite, Venice!

And, just in case you missed it, the route that we took to get to Italy started in Zurich and transportation was provided by the Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps, as we headed to bella Bellagio. See it> Bellagio/Why Go?, Bellagio/Getting There.

If you want to jump ahead a bit, here are some Rome sites that I have already written about:

The Vatican: This is in two parts, so after going through Part 1, please go on to Part 2. I will be making an addendum soon just to suggest that a private tour guide be used, rather than a group tour guide. That will be a generic article and not just focused on The Vatican experience.

Eat Here: La Pergola: The most fabulous of fabulous dining experiences in Rome. Be sure start the reservation process about 4 months in advance.

There will be more of Roma in upcoming articles. Until then, may God bless you, and

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Central Rome Walking Tour - Part 2

Two of Rome’s finest

In Part 1 of our Central Rome Walking Tour, we saw two beautiful smiling police women as we began. It only seems fair that we start today’s walk with a couple of handsome smiling police men. I do love to photograph and honor those who protect us, wherever we may be.

We are back in Rome and we’ve been walking. We are just about to leave the beautiful Trevi Fountain. But, before we do, let’s make sure that we did all that one should do there.

TREVI FOUNTAIN CHECKLIST

  1. Toss coins into the fountain…not only is it allowed, it’s encouraged! Every Monday and Friday morning, the fountain seating area opens later to allow for the collection of coins tossed by us visitors.

  2. Group Photo

    1. Take group selfie

    2. Ask someone to take your photo for you instead *

  3. Look at those around you for interesting photo opportunities; like the beautiful police women that headlined the Part 1 article, or the guy in the window.

  4. Take panoramic fountain photo from 2nd Floor of the United Colors of Benneton

  • Fun Photo Tip: When someone asks you to take a group photo of them with their cellphone, as you get the camera lined up, and without announcing what you are doing, press the ‘selfie’ button and capture a selfie of yourself…and then tap that button again to unselfieize the camera and then snap away at the group. Making a face during your selfie is optional, but fun. I’ve done this a dozen times and I think that I’m hilarious.

What Not to Do at the Trevi Fountain

Beginning in 2025, there are some new rules at the Trevi. These rules apply to being in the managed area front-and-center of the fountain. I considered going through those rules, but unless you are actually in the process of going to Rome, you would be wasting your time reading through them. And, we need to get to our walk, don’t we? But, if you are planning a Rome trip, go HERE to check out the latest rules. Rule #1: No swimming in the Trevi1!!

Our Walking Tour Map

As a reminder of where we wander…today we begin our walk at the Trevi Fountain

CONTINUING OUR CENTRAL ROME WALKING TOUR

Trevi Fountain to Column of Marcus Aurelius

We have just a very short walk to get to the next stop. That stop is an unbelievable (yet, I do believe it because I’ve seen it!) carved stone column that celebrates Marcus Aurelius. Along the way to this beautiful column, we will have a chance to do a bit of light shopping…remember that you don’t want to be shlepping around heavy shopping bags on our walk.

Here is a map of our walk, which is only about 2 blocks. We start in the bottom-right corner of the map and we walk to the left side of the map.

Galleria Alberto Sordi

The outside of this galleria belies the beauty of the inside. I would suggest a stroll through the galleria, whether you want/like to shop, or not. This Italian galleria is a covered shopping arcade featuring a glass roof and it is lined with shops and restaurants. By now, you may be ready for a snack, do you think? At any rate, it does no harm to walk through, and then you can say that you did it. To see what you will see when you see it, see HERE.

THE COLUMN OF MARCUS AURELIUS

The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a Roman ‘victory column’. The victory refers to his success in the Barbarian Wars. Way to go, Marcus! No one likes barbarians, right? The column was started shortly after his death in the year 180AD. So, this column was not carved recently, and it did not involve a bit of AI and modern powered tools. It was erected in the year 193AD!!! Yes, that’s over 1,800 years ago. And who was Marcus Aurelius? I’ll not bore you with that…you know how to search for that information. I’ll just say that at the age of 40, he became Roman emperor on 8 March 161.

Let’s take a look at this unique column…we will start with a distant view and work our way into the marvelous detail.

Distant view of the Column of Marcus Aurelius

 

You will note in this next photo with a bit of detail that the frieze spirals up the column. I’ll give you a fact with each photo. The first fact was that the carving spirals up the column.

 

The next fact is that there are 21 spirals in total that slink their way up the column. And by the way, the column is 97 feet tall, and that cubic base is 33 feet tall. That adds up to 130 feet in height.

The 21 spiraling motifs of the Column of Marcus Aurelius

 

The next fact is that those 21 spirals make up an unbelievable total of 367 feet of detailed carvings if you were to unslink them into one long piece. Can you tell that the diameter of the Carrera marble column is 12 feet?

Is it solid marble? The next fact left me stammering…

Detail of the Column of Marcus Aurelius

 

And here is your next friarzsct (sorry, I was trying to type ‘fact’, but I was still stammering): The inside is hollow, and there are over 190 steps to the top platform! In the photo just above, you can see an opening slit in the column about 1/4 way from the top, and another about 1/3 up from the bottom…both on the left 1/3 of the column. Those slits provide sunlight inside for your trek up the stairs.

It’s absolutely insane the way that it got carved. Once again…no modern stone carving instruments!!! Just look at the detail below. People. Animals. Vegetation. Spears and swords. Shields. Cloth and clothing. The people even have facial expressions!

Another amazing thing is that it has survived these 1,800 years with little deterioration.

Detailed view of the Column of Marcus Aurelius

I hope you enjoyed our viewing of the ancient Column of Marcus Aurelius. I’ve stopped stammering, though I am now staggering a bit as we head to our next stop because I’ve been staring straight up for the past 15 minutes and I can’t seem to point my head down to see ahead.

On to the Pantheon

We have just a short walk to our next destination, which is the ancient Pantheon. We start at the corner of the Piazza Colonna (where the Column of Marcus Aurelius is located) that is furthest from the Galleria Alberto Sordi. This takes us immediately to the Piazza di Monte Citorio. The large building to our right as we begin our walk is the Chamber of Deputies meeting place for Italy's parliament.

As you begin to head away from that building, you will see an obelisk in the piazza. After having seen the wonderful Column of Marcus Aurelius, its ok to be disappointed as you pass the obelisk. Twist and turn your way to Via in Aquira to Piazza Capranica and then twist and turn a bit more on Via degli Arfani until you are at the large pizza on which the Pantheon sits…(sorry spell check didn’t capture that mistake)…it should have said that the Pantheon sits on a large piazza.

 

THE PANTHEON

 

The Pantheon, like much of Rome, is ancient. It was built about 126AD as a temple of all the gods. Think ‘pan theology’. Just below you see the front face of the Pantheon in a photo that I took in 2012.

The front of the Pantheon with surrounding distractions removed

You need to know what the words across the front of the Pantheon represent. It means that Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, built this when he was consul for the third time.

I put the words into my Google Translate app and came up with something different and weird because I made to small errors when I typed it in. I typed ‘MAGRIPPA L F COSTERTIVM FECIT”…i.e. I didn’t have a space between the M and A at the beginning, and I didn’t have a space between the S and T as required. You can check this out for yourself by translating just as I have typed it…it translates to “The flu made him sick”. Seriously? Now, it would be really spooky if Marcus Agrippa had died of the flu.

There are 16 large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. As you get close to the entrance to the portico and pass by the first row of columns you get an idea of just how ancient this building is.

Once inside, the beauty of the interior stands out. Though the building started out as that tribute to all the gods, since AD 609, it has been a Catholic church called the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs. God has been glorified by the beautiful additions of the church, as seen below.

The interior is an architectural wonder of geometry. A sphere with a diameter of 142 feet can fit perfectly snug inside.

This means that the open top, called an oculus, is 142 feet above the floor.

The oculus of the Pantheon rotunda as photographed by Victor Grigas

Here you see a fisheye lens view taken straight up by Victor Grigas. I added a red circle to designate the opening of the oculus. A faint sun beam can be seen projected through the oculus like an hour hand pointed at 4 o’clock.

Here are a couple more exterior photos that I captured so you can see again the ancient time-worn patina of the Pantheon.

That large piazza in front of the Pantheon is quite nice. It’s called the Piazza della Rotonda. There is a fountain commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII that has a combination of ornate marble dolphins and an obelisk.

The Piazza della Rotonda

Let’s take a closer look at that fountain. I’ll cut it out and remove the young lady photographer.

There are some crazy looking creatures embellishing this fountain. The sculptor must have had some early childhood nightmare issues.

Just below the central shield you see the letters “SPQR”. This is seen all over Rome and is an acronym for “The Senate and People of Rome”. The wording just under says that it was restored in 1880. Nice job.

The Fontana del Pantheon

Water fountain in the Piazza Rotunda

And right in front of the fountain, but not visible in the photos above, is this drinking fountain. It runs continuously.

What about that potential waste of water? Remember in Part 1 that the Trevi Fountain is fed by the Virgo Aqueduct, completed a few years ago in 19 BC by Marcus Agrippa. The source of this drinking fountain’s water here near the Pantheon is probably that aqueduct.

Once again, we see the initials “SPQR” on this object.

I do believe that this is enough for today. We will end our Central Rome Walking Tour in Part 3 next time by visiting a wonderful piazza and a campo (a campo is not large enough to be considered a piazza, but that designataion is not a measure of its significance).

I may take a quick trip to Rome this week to get a closer look at those fascinating fountain creatures! But, I’ll be back in time for the next installment of my Italy, Our Italy article on our Central Rome Walking Tour. Until then, I say ‘ciao for now’ and ‘Diem tibi benedictus spero!’

Steve

 

Central Rome Walking Tour - Part 1

Everyone is waiting to begin my Rome Walking Tour

If you do not join us on this short, but heavily sight-packed walk, you won’t get to meet these beautiful, smiling police ladies along the way!

And, the guys in the sunglasses are wondering what the hold up is…they’re ready to go, and NOW.

So, let’s get going!!!

Summary of Today’s Short walk

In today’s Central Rome Walking Tour article, we start our walking tour. However, we hit only three of its highlights today, as follows:

  1. The Spanish Steps

  2. The Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars

  3. The Trevi Fountain

“A decision is needed by you as to whether you will want to see the first site of our walking tour. If you are particularly squeamish, then a decision definitely needs to be made.”

We will catch up with the remainder of the Central Rome Walking Tour in the next installment of my Italy, Our Italy blog articles.

Yes, today’s the day that we start our walking tour of the central part of Rome. Let me say at the beginning that this walking tour is based on Rick Steves’ “Rome” by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw. However, I will start us off in the opposite direction. I do that because we had our breakfast this morning only a few steps from the Spanish Steps. So, if you have not had breakfast, before we start our walking adventure, step THIS WAY to see a wonderful dining establishment.

And here is a one-photo refresher of our wonderful breakfast at the Antico Caffe Greco.

The pastry selection at Antico Caffe Greco

[Please remember that all photos can be viewed full-screen by clicking/tapping on the photo]

The Spanish Steps

Aerial image of The Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are dead-center in the photo, marked by the red pointy-dot thingie.

The steps form a connection between the lower Piazza di Spagna, and the upper Church of the Holy Trinity of the Mountains. This church, which is seen in the upper part of this aerial Google photo, was constructed in 1502 by Louis XII of France.

By the way, if you are not familiar with how I got this aerial photo from Google maps, I will cover that soon in an article about the benefit of using Google maps for your trip planning. It can be both fascinating and informative.

 

And the Piazza di Spagna (Piazza of Spain) owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See.

Here is my photo of the front of this Palazzo.

 

By the way…here’s the original snapshot that I had to transform for you to get the nicer photo of the Palazzo entrance.

The original photo

One often hears people talking into their cellphone as they walk the streets of Rome, “We’ll meet you at the Spanish Steps". It is a very traditional meeting place, which is why we chose to meet there this morning after breakfast. It is within walking distance of anywhere in central Rome, which you will see as you continue to read below.

This is our view as we approach the Spanish Steps from just a few feet away at our Antico Caffe Greco dining place on Via dei Condotti…a shopping street for the well healed.

The fountain that sits proud on the piazza is called the Fontana della Barcaccia, or Fountain of the Boat. If you want to know more about the fountain than just what is looks like, you can check it Here.

Side view of the Fontana della Barcaccia

End-on view of the Fontana della Barcaccia

The Spanish Steps is not only a meeting place for us humans, but the equine folks like to gather here to horse around a bit.

(get it? “a bit”!

 

Here are folks of the human variety that you may recognize…

If you do not recognize these humans, they are from left to right: Jonathan, Sue, Jason, Marsha, Ellen and me, myself, and I

Here are a couple of photos of the sites of Piazza di Spagna…

The Column of the Immaculate Conception

And this beautiful column is to celebrate the Immaculate Conception, and is coincidently called The Column of the Immaculate Conception.

This marble column is 40 feet high and 5 feet in diameter. To say it weighs a ton is an understatement, and it took 220 firefighters to raise this marble column on December 8, 1857. This started a firefighters’ tradition of paying homage to the Virgin with a wreath of fresh flowers each December 8th.

At the top, that’s the Virgin Mary, who stands 13 feet high.

At the base you see two of these four biblical personalities: Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel and David.

I would guess that the gentleman to the right is King David, as he is wearing a crown, which none of the other three would dare to do.

On the left? My guess is a Ten-Commandments displaying Moses.

A BEGINNING-OUR-WALKING-TOUR DECISION

Yes, a decision is needed by you as to whether you will want to see the first site of our walking tour. If you are particularly squeamish, then a decision definitely needs to be made. We first visit the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars.

Recently, I brought to you a blog article titled A Significant Transformation - Involving "Danger of Death". In that article, we were not exactly sure what the danger of death was about. However, in our first stop on our walking tour, there is no mystery about the death aspects of this historical stop. The skeletal remains of 3,700 mostly monks’ bodies are artfully arranged for your viewing pleasure. Various rooms depict like skeletal parts artfully arranged.

We’ve been to this museum twice, and we’ve had no squeamishness at all. By the way, there is no odor at all, as these bones are hundreds of years old.

To help you make your decision, pictured here is a bit of the Crypt of the Skulls. If this photo offends you, then do not visit the Capuchin crypt.

More will be said below when I cover this first stop in more detail.

If you opt out, you will have no problem at all with finding your way without enduring this stop.

 

La Nostra Mappa di Navigazione di Roma

[Our Rome Map of Navigation]

I think that it is wonderful that the major sites of central Rome can be taken in within less than an hour and just a bit more than a mile. Of course, you have to add time to look at what you came to look at and not just stride by those sites. And having lunch in the latter half of the trip will be an enjoyment.

So, is it Capuchin, or no Capuchin? If it is “no” to the ancient bone art, then go below to The Trevi Fountain. If it is a “yes”, then follow the burnt-orange line above to the crypt of the capuchin friars.

What Was Your Decision Regarding the Crypt?

If you decided to take the Capuchin Friars Museum tour, then keep reading immediately below. If you’ve opted out, then you can skip down to “If You Skipped the Capuchin Crypt”…but, you might as well read until you get there, so you can see what you’ve missed…and perhaps when you go to Rome in real life and not just reading about it, you may decide to give the crypt a go.

The Museum & Crypt of the Capuchin Friars

In Italian, that would be “Museo e Cripta dei Frati Cappuccini”.

This is a good place to have a ‘Speaking Italian’ lesson. Notice that in English, we say “Capuchin”, where the ending of “chin” is just as we would say “chin”…that thing below your lips. Expressed in Italian, you see that the ending is “cini”. A “ci” in Italian is pronounced as ‘chee’. And, when you see a “chi” in Italian, it is not ‘chee’, but ‘key’. Zucchini is a good example of the ‘key’ sound as we say zoo-key-knee. And ‘cini’ is pronounced ‘chee-knee’.

Let’s Begin Our Walk to the ‘Museo e Cripta’

As we are at the Spanish Steps, let’s check out the steps themselves. We walk to the top of the stairs to the plaza in front of the church. Take a right at the church and we will immediately encounter a fork in the road. The left fork is Via Sistina, and the right fork is Via Gregoriana…we want the left fork of Via Sistina, which is a one-way road with traffic coming at you, but as we are walking, all is well.

Enjoy the sites and shopping along Via Sistina as you travel only 1/4 mile to Via dei Cappuccini…convenient, yes?

Here are just a few of the things you will see, like Ellen outside a shop of “Articoli de Regalo”, which simply translates to “Gift Items”. And then, there are the ubiquitous motorcycles and motor scooters of Rome.

At the first major intersection, you are suddenly walking with, rather against, the vehicle traffic…how does that work? The next street should be Via dei Cappuccini, and we take a left there. It is now just two short blocks to the Capuchin, with our destination building always visible ahead of us. That is our destination in this photo, which was captured using Google street view.

Just walk up the stairs and enter the building

The price of entry should be about 10€, which is much less than you wanted to spend walking down the Via Sistina. But, you did well not to make large purchases along the way, as you do not want to be carrying those things for the rest of your walking tour…come back later for those items…or maybe have them sent to your hotel.

Enjoy your visit to the museum. There is more to see than just the bones of friars. You can catch a glimpse of the exhibitions HERE.

There’s a current everyday use of the term “capuchin”, as in capuchino, as in a barrista produced coffee with a light tan foamy head of the Capuchin friars…yes, that’s the origin of the coffee treat’s name. See the tan hood of the monk below…now, enjoy your cappuccino knowing that 3,700 monks helped to create it.

All done now. As you exit the museum, walk left down the street (literally down the hill) along Via Vitorio Veneto. At the northeast corner of the intersection of Via Vitorio Veneto and Via di San Basilio you will see a nice little shell shaped fountain called the Bee Fountain. To see it in more detail, check out my older article HERE. Now keep going down a few feet to Piazza Barberini, where you will see this interesting fountain…but it will be daytime for you. Those fish seem to be upset about their day and night job of holding up that shell with their tails. I can sympathize with them, but not empathize.

It is now about 1/3 mile to our next destination, which is the famous Trevi Fountain, site of the 1954 movie titled, “Three Coins in the Fountain”.

If You Skipped the Capuchin Crypt

I’ll let you in on the point of the crypt and bones. As you are gaping at the artistic assemblage of bones, there is a sign along the way that says something like, “As you see us now, you will one day be”…I don’t remember the exact wording. But, the friars point is that you will die one day as they have, and you should be prepared for eternal life by finding Jesus Christ, just as they did and are now experiencing. Fair warning, my friend.

  • As you head south from the Spanish Steps, you will pass to the right of the Column of the Immaculate Conception (the purple star on the map)

  • Bear right onto the Via di Propaganda.

  • Bear right after crossing Via di Capo le Case onto Via di Sant' Andrea delle Fratte

  • Turn left at Via de Nazareno

  • Cross Via del Tritone at the crosswalk and bear right onto the narrow Via della Stamperia

  • Continue straight until you come to the Trevi Fountain on your right

 

If You Went to the Capuchin Crypt

I hope you enjoyed the unique art of the crypt. Fascinating, wasn’t it? After you headed down the street as you left the museum and you then passed through the Piazza Barberini, passing through the piazza with the fountain on your left, you will come to a major intersection.

  • From Piazza Barberini, the street that you are looking directly down to the west is Via del Tritone and that is the street you want.

  • Walk Via del Tritone for a block-and-a-half and then angle left onto Via dei Serviti, which is a very narrow street with traffic coming at you.

  • At Via del Traforo, cross the street and continue straight onto Via in Arcione. This street, which translates to “Off on Horseback”, is a very narrow walking street, but you may encounter some vehicles.

  • As you cross Via della Panetteria, the green guard box to your left and up the hill denotes the street to the Italian equivalent to the US White House.

  • Keep straint on Via in Arcione, which mysteriously changes name to Via del Lavatore. About mid-block, you will see a very small park on the right. That is where I took the photo that you can see in my blog article titled, “Transforming L’Uomo della Pizza”. The restaurant has changed dramatically since I took the photo 13 years ago. It’s just a few more steps to the Trevi Fountain.

 

THE TREVI FOUNTAIN

The Trevi Fountain (Fontana Trevi) is iconic Rome. It is possible that no one has ever been to Rome without visiting the Trevi Fountain.

The plot-site of the movie “Three Coins in a Fountain”, it is obvious from this next photo why visiting the Trevi is popular.

You too can take a photo from this same vantage point…see how below

PHOTO TIP: To get a view like the one above where there are no people blocking your view of the fountain, here is what you do. Surreptitiously go up to the second floor of the United Colors of Benneton store and there you have it.


Thank you Sue Lee for that photo tip!

The Trevi Fountain is the terminal point of the Virgo aqueduct, the only ancient aqueduct in continuous use to this day

The Aqua Virgo was one of the eleven Roman aqueducts that supplied the city of ancient Rome. It was completed in 19 BC by Marcus Agrippa, during the reign of the emperor Augustus

It has been suggested that when the Apostle Peter baptized saint Mark, he did so in this Aqua Virgo

In 1732, Pope Clement XII announced a competition in which the greatest artists of the time participated. Among the various projects submitted, that of the architect Nicola Salvi was chosen .

So, what do you do at the Trevi fountain besides gawk at it? You toss in coins. Everyone does it, and you are part of that illustrious group. Here you see Jason and Marsha doing just that.

 

Here you see Debbie tossing in a few coins.

So, it’s not like the fountain at the mall with the sign that says not to toss in coins.

 

The other thing you do at the Trevi Fountain is have your photo taken. Again, Marsha and Jason are into it!

And apparently, if you don’t have friends there to take your photo like I did for those above, you might ask a nice policeman to do it for you.

OK folks, it will soon be time to move on to the Piazza Colonna to see a true marvel of ancient craftsmanship…please don’t miss it. But, you will have to wait until we get together next time at your Italy, Our Italy blog.

 

But, I give you one parting shot from the Trevi Fountain. I grabbed this photo while standing at the fountain. This undressed gentleman seemed to be reading his Sunday paper. I just couldn’t pass this one up.

So, once again it’s ciao for now…but I’ll figuratively see you next time right here, as we move on through the heart of Rome and its marvelous sites.

Steve

 

Eat Here: Antico Caffe Greco

Index of Articles

Yes, let’s eat here…it is a very tasty, elegant, historic, and well-located breakfast place. Its location is just yards (or perhaps I should say ‘meters’) from the Spanish Steps (it is actually 263 feet/80.16 meters from restaurant to the Spanish Steps), which is where we will start our Rome walking tour in my next Italy, Our Italy blog article. Here is a simple map…

Location of Antico Caffe Greco

However, before we begin our walk to the Spanish Steps, we need to have breakfast. Also, though I have shown barefooted foot prints on the map, I recommend that you wear comfortable shoes today. If you entered the restaurant with bare feet, you will find these stores right there within a two-block area on Via dei Condotti: Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, Max Mara, Brioni, Sergio Rossi, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Hermes, Harry Winston, Celine, Buccellati, Patek Philippe, Loro Piana, Mont Blanc, Van Cleef & Arpels, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Cartier, Damiani, and Moncler. I have no idea which of those have shoes for you, but I know for a fact that Antico Caffe Greco does not have shoes.

Enough shop talk…let’s go ahead and get to the restaurant!

Here is the exterior of the restaurant…

Exterior photo of Antico Caffe Greco in Rome

A Bit of Restaurant History

Before we go in, let me point out a couple of signs that are very significant. First is this banner…

This banner tells us that Antico Caffe Greco is 250 years old…it was at least that old at the time of our dining in 2023.

Since it opened in 1760, that makes it 263 years old when we entered the doors.

 

And, it is well recognized for its longevity. Here is a plaque that documents its significance.

A plaque celebrating Antico Caffe Greco in Italian

Since you carefully read my recent article titled, “A Significant Transformation Involving ‘Danger of Death’”, you will know how to pull out your cellphone right now to pull up your Google app to get instant translation satisfaction.

 

Just in case you do not have your cellphone handy, here is the translation, as seen on my own cellphone, using the Google translation feature.

Breaking the Language Barrier

Here is something of interest regarding the alphabet used in the Italian language: You will see the letter “V” often, which in our English language is shaped like our letter V, but is actually our letter “U”. It stems from the Latin alphabet, from which our own alphabet comes. This is why the letter shaped as W, which we pronounce double-yoo is formed by two letter “Vs”…or double-yoos (which look like two Vs to us English speakers, yet they are yoos in Latin). Probably 99% of you already knew this.

This means that the date of the decree is July 27, 1953. I find it strange that Google did not immediately translate LVGLIO to July, though as I moved my cellphone in and out it occasionally popped in “JULY” for me. The letters “G” and “L: found together before the letter “I” in Italian is pronounced “lee”. For instance “garlic” in Italian is spelled “aglio” and is pronounced ah-lee-oh. and “wife” is spelled “moglie” and is pronounced “mo-lee-ay”.

So “LVGLIO” is pronounced loo-lee-oh.

To help you in your own translation, here are the months of the year in order:

Gennaio, Febbralo, Marzo, Aprile, Maggio, Giugno, Luglio, Agosto, Settembre, Ottobre, Novembre, Dicembre.

My Apology!

I must sincerely apologize…I told you that we were going to have a fabulous breakfast, but all I’ve done is talk about shopping and language. So, without further ado, here is what Antico Caffe Greco is all about…food!

The pastry case of Antico Caffe Greco

Let’s get a closer look at these pastries. As always, please click on the first image below to get a full screen view, and then use your arrow keys or mouse to advance through these tasty treats. When you have seen the starting photo once more, click on the white “X” in the upper-right-hand corner (not the black “X” in the EXTREME upper-right-hand corner, as that will close your browser and you will miss seeing all of the treats).

From their menu:

  • Fresh Fruit Tarts

  • Sicilian Cannoli

  • Saint Honorè Cake

  • Grandma’s Cake

  • Peach Charlotte

  • Absolute Chocolate Cake

  • Caffè Greco's Baba Cake

  • Greek Coffee Cake

  • Mixed Fresh Fruit Cake

Are there non-pastry items available? Yes there are. Though I didn’t see it on their on-line menu, we had an egg omelet while we were there.

And where might you sit to eat? There is The Red Room, The Gubinelli Room, The White Room, The Gallli Room, The Szoldaticz Room, The legendary Omnibus room, The Hall of Roman Views, and The Rome Room with Giovannini's Works. So, take you pick…or just sit where you can find a vacant table.

Our Visit

Here is a photo of our pre-Rome-walk breakfast…

Ellen and Steve enjoyed their meal

And, were we satisfied?

This photo tells it all!

And, we had a Coke Zero…no Diet Cokes in Europe anymore.

 

Jason Johnson enjoyed his breakfast


And yes, Jason was also impressed.

But, good thing we brought our pocketbooks…right Jason?

 

Ellen and I are not coffee drinkers, but we made good with the hot chocolate. In Italy, it is almost the consistency of melted Hershey bar.

The remains of a cup of hot chocolate

Polish Regulars

You have probably been wondering if any famous Polish painters, novelists, or poets were regulars at Antico Caffe Greco. Well here is the answer to mollify your curiosity.

Images of famous Polish celebrities who were Caffe Greco regulars

Visting

I couldn’t tell from their website whether they take reservations. Here is the salient information for making a visit to this very historic and delicious dining establishment.

  • Antico Caffe Greco is open every day from 9:00am to 9:00pm

  • The address is: Via Condotti, 86 Rome 00187

  • Telefono: (039) 06 6791700

  • Email: info@caffegreco.it

  • Website: https://anticocaffegreco.eu/?lang=en

That’s it for today with this rather varied article on a fabulous dining experience…and the neighborhood. Stay tuned for the rest of this day’s journey as we explore Rome by foot, seeing many of the major sites in one wonderful day.

Until next time, I say…

Ciao for Now,

Steve

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