All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page added in April 2022.
All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page added in April 2022.
John Chetwode Eustace was a Catholic priest, who went to Italy in 1802, as travelling companion to two young gentlemen of fortune, and published an account of his tour in 1813, under the title of "A Classical Tour through Italy"' He was a man of considerable learning, after the English school, and was especially well acquainted with the authors of Rome, both in prose and verse. Every thing which he serves up is garnished with quotations, but they are generally apposite and often new. Although a sincere and devoted Catholic, he was also a thorough, not to say prejudiced, Englishman; and he hated France and Frenchmen, as if there had been a special commandment to that effect in the decalogue. (..) The "Classical Tour" attained great and immediate popularity. It commended itself by its ripe English scholarship, its hearty English prejudices, by a style of considerable dignity and elegance, and a truly gentlemanly tone of feeling, for Eustace was a gentleman as well as a scholar, and is never scurrilous or vulgar even in the expression of his distaste and ill-will. It was for a time valued beyond its deserts, and a certain reaction necessarily took place; and when criticism was turned against it, many vulnerable points were found open to attack. Besides the prejudices, national and theological, with which its pages bristled, it was found to swarm with inaccuracies of detail. This last defect arose probably, in part, from the long interval between the date of the journey and the publication of the tour. Having been once much overvalued, it is now unreasonably undervalued. It is not, and never was meant to be, a guide-book, but it certainly may be read with pleasure and profit, either before going to Italy, or after returning from it; especially the latter.
George Stillman Hillard - Six months in Italy in 1846
The full title of Eustace's book was: A tour through Italy, exhibiting a view of its scenery: its antiquities, and its monuments: particularly as they are objects of classical interest and elucidation: with an account of the present state of its cities and towns: and occasional observations on the recent spoliations of the French. In the preface Eustace pointed out: The epithet Classical sufficiently points out its peculiar character, which is to trace the resemblance between Modern and Ancient Italy, and to take for guides and companions in the beginning of the nineteenth century, the writers that preceded or adorned the first. Conformably to that character, the Author may be allowed to dwell with complacency on the incidents of ancient history, to admit every poetical recollection, and to claim indulgence, if in describing objects so often alluded to by the Latin writers, he should frequently borrow their expressions.
Excerpts from the book which are related to Rome and to other locations covered in this website.
VeronaA traveller upon his entrance into Italy, longs impatiently to discover some remains of ancient magnificence, or some specimen of modern taste, and fortunately finds much to gratify his curiosity in Verona, the first town that receives him upon his descent from the Rhetian Alps. Verona is beautifully situated on the Adige, partly on the declivity of a hill, which forms the last swell of the Alps, and partly on the skirts of an immense plain, extending from these mountains to the Apennines. The hills behind are adorned with villas and gardens, where the graceful cypress and tall poplar predominate over the bushy ilex and spreading bay-tree. (..) The interior of the town is worthy of its situation. It is divided into two unequal parts by the Adige, which sweeps through it in a bold curve, and forms a peninsula, within which the whole of the ancient, and the greater part of the modern city, is enclosed. The river is wide and rapid, the streets, as in almost all continental towns, are narrower than our's, but long, strait, well built, and frequently presenting in the form of the doors, and windows, and in the ornaments of their cases, fine proportions, and beautiful workmanship. (..) In the whole, we visited few places with more satisfaction and left few with more regret, than Verona; whether as the first Italian city on our road, it happened, by its appearance and monuments very novel to a transalpine traveller, particularly to engage our attention or whether it really possesses many means of exciting interest, I know not. |
SirmioneMarch 13, 1802, We set out for the Lago di Garda (the Benacus), celebrated by Virgil as one of the noblest ornaments of Italy. Its principal promontory, Sirmio, has been commemorated by Catullus, as his favorite residence. (..) The borders of the lake towards the south, though rather flat, yet rise sufficiently to display to advantage the towns, villages, and seats with the olives, cornfields, and vineyards that adorn them ; and when lighted up by a bright sunshine, present a very exhilarating prospect. The shores, as they advance northward, assume a bolder aspect, and exhibit all the varieties of Alpine scenery. Rocky promontories, precipices, lofty hills, and towering mountains, in all their grotesque, broken, and shapeless appearances, rise in succession one above another; while the declining sun playing upon the snow that capped their summits tinged them with various hues, and at length spread over them a thin veil of purple. (..) Sirmione appears as an inland; so low and so narrow is the bank that unites it to the main land. Its entrance is defended, and indeed totally covered by an old castle, with its battlements and high antique tower in the centre, in the form of a Gothic fortification. The promontory spreads behind the town, and rises into a hill entirely covered with olives; this hill may be said to have two summits as there is a gentle descent between them. On the nearest is a church and hermitage, plundered by the French, and now unhabited and neglected. On the farthest, in the midst of an olive grove, stand the walls of an old building, said to be a Roman bath, and near it is a vault called the grotto of Catullus. The extremity of the promontory is covered with arched ways, towers, and subterranean passages, supposed by the inhabitanta to be Roman, but bearing, in fact, a strong resemblance to Gothic ruins. At all events, Catullus undoubtedly inhabited this spot and preferred it, at a certain period, to every other region. (..) He could not, in fact, have chosen a more delightful retreat. In the centre of a magnificent lake, surrounded with scenery of the greatest variety and majesty, apparently secluded from the world, yet beholding from his garden the villas of his Veronese friends, he might have enjoyed alternately the pleasures of retirement and society. |
RiminiWe entered (Ariminum) Rimini. The bridge, over which we passed, is of marble, and in the best style of Roman architecture, erected in the times of Augustus and Tiberius Caesar, and inscribed with their names. It consists of five arches with niches for statues between, and a regular cornice surmounting both arches and niches. Its solidity, boldness and beauty, as well as the date of its erection, have led many connoisseurs to conclude, that it is the work of Vitruvius. The gate on the opposite side, under which the traveller passes on his way to Pesaro, is a triumphal arch of Augustus, of the best materials and noblest form. The order is Corinthian, but in some respects peculiar. The barbarous taste of the middle ages crowned this monument of Roman grandeur with a Gothic battlement, a deformity which is still allowed to exist, "in media luce Italiae" in such an age and in such a country. The town is large and well built. In the principal square is a fountain, and a statue of Paul V., changed into that of St. Gaudentius by the French, who, upon this occasion, seem, I know not how, to have forgotten their usual propensity to destruction. The cathedral had been turned by them into a military hospital, and so much disfigured as to be rendered unfit for public worship. The church of the Dominican Friars was, therefore, used for the purposes of cathedral service. That of St. Francis, adorned with a profusion of marble, deserves notice, particularly as it is supposed to be the last in Italy, if we except however the cathedral of Milan, into which Gothic forms and ornaments have been admitted. In fact, it was built in the year 1450, a period when the latter style began to give way to the restored proportions of Roman architecture. However, this attempt to resume the graces of antiquity does not seem to have succeeded, as the orders are ill proportioned and the whole edifice clumsy and whimsical. Several other churches and some palaces are worthy the attention of the traveller. |
PesaroPesaro is a large, clean, airy town, with a handsome square, ornamented by a noble fountain, and formerly by a marble statue of Urban VIII. lately destroyed by the French. Most of the churches are remarkable for their paintings, and some for their architecture. Among the latter are S. Giovanni, La Misericordia, and S. Carolo. Several palaces have the same claim to attention. On the whole, few towns have a handsomer or more prepossessing appearance than Pesaro. The bridge over the Foglia, anciently the Pesaurus, is a very noble edifice, and though not ancient, worthy of being so. |
AnconaAncona retains its ancient name, supposed to be derived from its reclining posture, and no small share of its ancient prosperity, as, Venice excepted, it is still the most populous and the most trading town on the shores of the Adriatic. Most of the towns we have hitherto mentioned were founded by various Gallic tribes. Ancona boasts a nobler origin. It was built by a band of Syracusan patriots, who, to avoid the insolence and lawless sway of Dionysius the tyrant, abandoned their country and settled on this coast, about four hundred years before Christ. It was anciently remarkable for a celebrated temple of Venus, and, like Paphos and Cythera, was supposed to be one of the favorite resorts of the Goddess of Love and Beauty. In reality, it would be difficult to find a situation more conformable to the temper of the "Queen of smiles and sports" or better adapted to health and enjoyment than Ancona. Seated on the side of a hill, forming a semicircular bay, sheltered by its summit from the exhalations of the south, covered by a bold promontory from the blasts of the north, and open only to the breezes of the west, and the gales that wanton on the unruffled bosom of the waters, which bathe its feet, surrounded by fields of inexhaustible fertility, Ancona seems formed for the abode of mirth and luxury. (..) The Romans, aware of the advantages of this port, made it their principal naval station in the Adriatic; built a magnificent mole to cover the harbour, and adorned it with a triumphal arch. This useful and splendid work was undertaken and finished by Trajan, and to him the triumphal arch is dedicated. It is still entire, though stripped of its supernumerary ornaments; the order is Corinthian ; the materials, Parian marble; the form light, and the whole is considered as the best, though not the most splendid, nor the most massive, model, that remains of similar edifices. It was ornamented with statues, busts, and probably, inferior decorations of bronze; but of these, as I hinted above, it has been long since stripped. (..) The cathedral of Ancona is a very ancient, but a low, dark edifice. It contains nothing within, and exhibits nothing without, to fix attention. Its situation, however compensates, in a great degree, its architectural defects. Placed near the point of the Cumerian promontory, elevated far above the town and the harbour, it commands a most magnificent view, extending along the sea coast to Pesaro and Fano on the north, bounded on the west by the snow-crowned Apennines, while on the east it wanders over the Adriatic, and, in clear weather, rests on the distant hills of Dalmatia. We lingered on this delightful spot with much satisfaction, and while our eyes feasted on the varied prospect expanded before it, we enjoyed, though it was only the second of April, the freshness of the gale, that sprang occasionally from the sea, and fanned us as we ascended the summit of the promontory, and the tops of the neighbouring mountains. |
LoretoLoretto is situate on a very bold and commanding eminence. This town is modern, and owes its existence to the Santissima Casa, and its splendor to the zeal or the policy of Sixtus Quintus. It is large, well built, populous, and, notwithstanding its elevated site, well supplied by an aqueduct with water. It is surrounded with a rampart, and from that rampart, commands a varied and most delightful prospect on all sides. To the north rise Osimo, the Auximum of the ancients, and Camurano each on a lofty hill; also close to the sea, an abbey, perched on the summit of Monte Conero. On the south, Monte Santo anciently Sacrata, and Macerata ; to the west, Recanati, and Monte Fiore, with the Apennines rising, broken, white and craggy, behind ; while to the east, between two hills, the Adriatic spreads its blue expanse, and brightening as it retires from the shore, vanishes gradually in the white fleecy clouds that border the horizon. (..) Under the dome is the Santa Casa, a building about thirty feet long and fourteen high, vaulted, of stone, rough and rather uneven. It is difficult to discover the original color of the stone, as it is blackened by the smoke of the numberless lamps continually burning, but it is said to be of a reddish grey ; the interior is divided by a silver rail into two parts, of unequal dimensions. In the largest is an altar; in the less, which is considered as peculiarly holy, is a cedar image of the blessed Virgin, placed over the chimney-piece. The exterior is covered with a marble casing, ornamented with Corinthian pilasters and sculptured pannels, representing various incidents of Gospel History. The font, the Mosaics over several altars, the bronze gates both of the church and of the Santa Casa, and several paintings in the chapels are admired by connoisseurs, and of course should not pass unnoticed. The square before the church, formed principally of the apostolical palace the residence of the bishop, the canons and the penitentiaries, is in a very grand style of architecture. |
Tempio sul ClitunnoThe Clitumnus still retains its ancient name, and recalls to the traveller's recollection many a pleasing passage in the poets, connecting the beauty of the scenery about him with the pomps of a triumph, and transporting him from the tranquil banks of the rural stream to the crowds of the forum, and the majestic temples of the Capitol. (..) The younger Pliny has given a lively and accurate description of this fountain, which the classical reader will prefer, no doubt, to the best modern picture. (..) The first stage from Foligno terminates at a place called Le Vene. Almost close to the post-house, on the northern side rises, on a steep bank, an ancient temple; and a little to the south of it, from various narrow vents or veins, gushes out a most plentiful stream of clear, limpid water, forming one of the sources of the Clitumnus. From these sources the place takes its name. (..) This temple consists of the cella and a Corinthian portico, supported by four pillars and two pilasters; the pilasters are fluted; two of the pillars are indented with two spiral lines winding round, and two ornamented with a light sculpture, representing the scales of fish. The inscription on the frieze is singular, "Deus angelorum, qui fecit resurrectione." (..) The walls are solid, the proportions beautiful, and the whole worthy the Romans, to whom it is ascribed. I am, however, inclined to think, that the portico has been altered or repaired since the construction of the temple, as it is more ornamented than the general form of the edifice would induce us to expect. Besides, the capitals of the pilasters differ from those of the pillars, a circumstance very unusual in Roman architecture. It is not improbable, that this temple suffered considerably before it was converted into a christian church, and that when repaired for that purpose, the ancient pillars, perhaps thrown into the river, might have been replaced by columns from the ruins of the various other fanes, which, as Pliny informs us, were interspersed up and down the sacred grove, around the residence of the principal divinity. |
SpoletoThe ancient town of Spoletum is situated on the side and summit of a hill. It is well-known that Hannibal attacked this town, immediately after the defeat of the Romans at Thrasimenus, and the inhabitants still glory in having repulsed the Carthaginian general, flushed as he was with conquest, and certain of success. An ancient gate commemorates this event, so honorable to the people of Spoleto, in an inscription on the great arch. I have observed with great satisfaction, not only in Spoleto, but in many Italian towns, particularly such as were founded by Roman colonies, a vivid recollection of the glory of their ancestors. Notwithstanding the lapse of so many ages, notwithstanding so many crude and destructive invasions; though insulted and plundered, and almost enslaved the Italians remember with generous pride, that the Romans were their ancestors, and cherish the records of their glorious achievements as an inheritance of honor, a birth-right to Fame. (..) . The castle is a monument of barbarous antiquity, built by Theodoric, destroyed during the Gothic war, and repaired by Narses, the rival and successor of Belisarius. It is a vast stone building, surrounded by a stone rampart, standing on a high hill that overlooks the town, but as it is commanded by another hill still higher, it loses at present much of its utility in case of an attack. Behind the castle, a celebrated aqueduct, supported by arches of an astonishing elevation, runs across a deep dell, and by a bridge, unites the town with the noble hill that rises behind it, called Monte Luco. (..) The town of Spoleto is, in general, well-built, and though occasionally damaged by earthquakes, as we were informed by various inscriptions on the public buildings, yet it possesses many noble edifices, and beautiful palaces. |
NarniThe ancient Roman colony of Narni stands on the summit of a very high and steep hill, whose sides are clothed with olives, and whose base is washed by the Nar. At the foot of the hill we alighted, in order to visit the celebrated bridge of Augustus. This noble row of arches, thrown over the stream and the defile in which it rolls, to open a communication between the two mountains, and facilitate the approach to the town, was formed of vast blocks of white stone, fitted together without cement. Of this pile, all the piers, and one arch, still remain; the other arches are fallen, and their fall seems to have been occasioned by the sinking of the middle pier: otherwise a fabric of so much solidity and strength, must have been capable of resisting the influence of time and weather. The views towards the bridge, on the high road, and the plain on one side; and on the other, through the remaining arch, along the river, are unusually picturesque and pleasing. We proceeded through this dell along the Nar, tumbling and murmuring over its rocky channel, and then, with some difficulty, worked our way through the olives and evergreens that line the steep, up to the town. We were particularly struck with its romantic appearance. Its walls and towers spread along the uneven summit, sometimes concealed in groves of cypress, ilex, and laurel, and sometimes emerging from the shade, and rising above their waving tops; delightful views of the vales, towns, rivers, and mountains, opening here and there unexpectedly on the eye; a certain loneliness and silence, even in the streets. |
OstiaThe present town of Ostia (Gregoriopolis) is a miserable fortified village, containing scarcely fifty sickly inhabitants. Such is the badness of the air, real or supposed, that none but malefactors and banditti will inhabit it. The ancient town lay nearer the sea, as appears by the inside or brick walls of some temples, vaults of baths, mosaics, &c. Excavations have been made, and statues, pillars, and the most precious marbles found in abundance, and many more will probably be discovered if the excavations be continued. |
San FeliceIf the traveller can spare a day he may hire a boat, and sail along the coast to the promontory of Circe, which forms so conspicuous a feature in his prospect and appears from Terracina as Homer and Virgil poetically describe it, a real island. As he ranges over its lofty cliffs he will recollect the splendid fictions of the one, and the harmonious lines of the other. He may traverse the unfrequented groves, but instead of the palace of Circe he will discover the lonely village of Santa Felicita, a few solitary towers hanging over the sea, and perhaps some faint traces of the ancient Circeia covered with bushes and overgrown with shrubs. Nearly opposite the promontory of Circe, but visible only from the hills, lie a cluster of islands, the principal of which, Ponza now, anciently Pontia was little noticed under the republic, but ennobled under the Caesars by the exile and death of several iilustrious victims of imperial tyrranny. |
TerracinaThe rocky eminence of Anxur now rose full before us, and as we approached presented to our view a variety of steep cliffs. On the side of one of these craggy hills stands the old town of Terracina looking towards the marshes (prona in paludes). (..) On the ridge of the mountain stood the ancient Anxur and on the summit immediately over the sea, rose the temple of Jupiter, on a conspicuous and commanding site, whence he was supposed to preside over all the circumjacent country, and regulate the destiny of its inhabitants. On this pinnacle still remain two vast squares, consisting each of a number of arches, and forming probably the substruction of the temple of Jupiter and that of Apollo. The colonnades of these two temples, the color of the rock which supported them, and the lofty walls and towers of the city which enclosed them and crowned the cliff, gave Anxur the splendor and majesty so often alluded to by the poets. (..) The new town descends gradually towards the beach and lines the shore; it was considerably augmented by the late Pope, who built a palace, and resided here during the spring and autumn, in order to urge on by his presence his favorite undertaking. In truth the draining of the Pomptine marshes is one of the most useful as well as most difficult works ever executed. (..) The principal fault at present is said to be in the distribution of the land drained, the greater part of which having been purchased by the Camera Apostolica was given over to the Duke of Braschi (the Pope's nephew). The Roman noblemen have never been remarkable for their attention to agriculture, and the duke content probably with the present profit is not likely to lay out much in repairs, particularly in times so distressing as the present. |
The Aniene Valley and Horace's VillaMay 15th, 1802. We rose about three in the morning, and although the weather appeared rather lowering, mounted at four, and forming a party of nine proceeded from Tivoli on our road towards the Sabine mountains, to visit Horace's villa at Roccagiovine. The Via Valeria is, without doubt, the shortest road to Vico Varo but we took one which, though very bad and somewhat longer, gave us an opportunity of seeing more of the country. Winding along the hills we saw the river meandering beneath us through a beautiful dell, and forming a variety of pleasing scenes, especially near a spot where the ruins of two aqueducts throw their arches over the road, and form a sort of frame for the towers of Tivoli, and its neighbouring mountains, about a mile and a half distant. An artist who was in company with us took a sketch on the spot, and has since made a very fine drawing of it. The aqueducts frequently reappeared during the course of the day sometimes rising like masses of brown rock on the hills, and sometimes sweeping in a successton of lofty arches over the plains. The face of the country, here wooded and there naked, but always bold and in general very fertile, was pleasing. Its most striking features were a ruined castle on the bank of the river, distant towns lodged in the high recesses of the mountains, particularly St. Polo on the left and Castel Madama just opposite. The latter is said to be extremely healthy on account of its airy situation; it affords a fine view of the valley, the river, and the mountains, with their various hamlets. From the side of the hill we looked down upoVico Varo, whose churches and walls of white stone appeared to much advantage. This town nearly retains its ancient name, and is the Variae mentioned by Horace, and the principal municipality, where, it seems, representatives from the circumjacent villages used to meet. It stands on a hill close to the Anio, has considerable remains of its wall, composed of vast stones, like those employed in the Coliseum, and though not large must have been opulent, if we may judge from such a magnificent rampart. (..) On the top of a rock stands the Franciscan convent of St Cosimato, a neat and convenient building with a very clean church. Hither we repaired, in order to take shelter from a very heavy shower, and were received by the good fathers with cordiality, and treated in a very hospitable and polite manner. (..) You discover towards the north two villages beautifully situated on the summit of a woody and well-cultivated hill supported by a range of mountains behind; one of these villages is called Canta Lupo the other Bardela. The latter is Mandela which on account of its high situation Horace represents as suffering much from the effects of the cold. As we advanced we found ourselves in a fine valley with beautiful hills rising close on our left, while on our right in the midst of fertile meadows, bounded on the opposite side by the hill of Mandela, and a ridge of successive mountains glided the Licenza, anciently the Bigentia, the favorite stream of Horace. We proceeded and to the left, on the brow of a craggy steep we perceived the Fanum Vacunae, whence the poet dated one of his philosophic epistles; it was almost in ruins in his time and probably sunk under the pressure of age not long after; a village has risen upon its site, and assumed the name of Rocca Giovane. (..) About a mile and a half beyond the road which leads to Rocca Giovane we turned up a pathway, and crossing a vineyard found ourselves on the spot where Horace's villa is supposed to have stood. |
View from Monte MarioWe passed Monte Mario, and beheld the city gradually opening to our view: turrets and cupolas succeeded each other, with long lines of palaces between, till the dome of the Vatican, lifting its majestic form far above the rest, fixed the eye, and closed the scene with becoming grandeur. |
View of Ancient RomeAscending the tower of the Capitol, we seated ourselves under the shade of its pinnacle, and fixed our eyes on the view. (..) Before us, scattered in vast black shapeless masses, over the seven hills, and through the intervening vallies, arose the ruins of the ancient city. They stood desolate, amidst solitude and silence, with groves of funereal cypress waving over them; the awful monuments, not of individuals, but of generations; not of men, but of empires. (..) A little farther on commences a double range of trees, that leads along the Via Sacra, by the temples of Antoninus, and of Peace, to the arch of Titus. A herdsman, seated on a pedestal while his oxen were drinking at the fountain, and a few passengers moving at a distance in different directions, were the only living beings that disturbed the silence and solitude which reigned around. Thus the place seemed restored to its original wilderness. |
Rupe TarpeaEvery school-boy has read with delight Virgil's short, but splendid description of this hill (Aeneid VIII), then a silvan scene of dark forest and craggy rock though destined one day to become the seat of regal opulence and universal empire. |
Capitoline TriadIn the centre of the temple, with Juno on his left, and Minerva, on his right side, the Thunderer sat on a throne of gold, grasping the lightning in one hand and in the other, wielding the sceptre of the universe. |
Palace of the CaesarsA hall of immense size was discovered about the beginning of the last century, concealed under the ruins of its own massive roof. The pillars of Verde antico that supported its vaults, the statues that ornamented its niches, and the rich marbles that formed its pavement, were found buried in rubbish; and were immediately carried away by the Farnese family, the proprietors of the soil, to adorn their palaces and furnish their galleries. The hall is now cleared of its encumbrances and presents to the eye a vast length of naked wall, and an area covered with weeds. As we stood contemplating its extent and proportions a fox started from an aperture once a window, at one end, and crossing the open space, scrambled up the ruins at the other, and then disappeared in the rubbish. |
ColosseumLet the spectator first place himself to the north, and contemplate that side which depredation, barbarism, and ages have spared, he will behold with admiration its wonderful extent, well proportioned stories and flying lines, that retire and vanish without break or interruption. Next let him turn to the south, and examine those stupendous arches, which, stripped as they are of their external decorations, still astonish us by their solidity and duration. |
Protestant CemeteryWhen we first visited this solitary spot, a flock of sheep was dispersed through the grove, nibbling the grass over the graves; the tombs rose around in various forms of sepulchral stones, urns and sarcophagi, some standing in good repair, others fallen and mouldering, half buried in the high grass that waved over them; the monument of Cestius stood on the back ground, in a perspective, and formed the principal feature of the picture; and a painter seated on a tombstone, was employed in taking a view of the scene. None but foreigners, excluded by their religion from the cemeteries of the country, are deposited here. |
Piazza del PopoloThe streets are well built and well paved, narrower, in general, than those in London, and wider than those in Paris; but as the houses are not too high, they are light and airy, often very long and straight, and not unfrequently terminating with an obelisk, a fountain, or a church. Such are the three streets which diverge from the Porta, or rather Piazza del Popolo; the Corso, anciently the Via Lata, terminating at the foot of the Capitol; the Strada del Babuino, ending in the Piazza' de Espagna, and the Strada de Ripetta, anciently the Via Populi, leading to the Tiber. |
Fontana di TreviIn the Piazza di Trevi on a rough, vast, and broken rock, rises a palace, adorned with Corinthian pilasters and supported in the centre by vast Corinthian pillars. It is ornamented with statues, representing the salubrity and fertilising powers of the waters. In the middle of the edifice, between the columns, under a rich arch stands Neptune on his car, in a majestic, attitude, as if commanding the rocks to open before, and the waters to swell around him. Two sea-horses, conducted by two Tritons, drag the chariot of the god, and, emerging from the caverns of the rock, shake the brine from their manes, while the obedient waves burst forth in torrents on all sides, roar down the clefts of the crag, and form a sea around its base. In the heats of summer they overflow their usual limits, fill the whole marble concavity round the fountain, and rise to a level with the square, where, after sun-set, the inhabitants of the neighbouring streets assemble to enjoy the united freshness of the waters and the evening. Such is the celebrated Fontana di Trevi, the noblest work of the kind in Rome, and probably the most magnificent fountain in the universe. |
Mausoleo di AugustoThe best, and indeed the only ancient account of the former monument, denominated by way of eminence the Mausoleum, is given by Strabo, who represents it as a pendent garden, raised on lofty arches of white stone, planted with evergreen shrubs, and terminating in a point crowned with the statue of Augustus. In the vault beneath, lay the remains of the Emperor and his family; at the entrance stood two Egyptian obelisks; around arose an extensive grove cut into walks and alleys. Of this monument, the two inner walls, which supported the whole mass with the vast vaults under which reposed the imperial ashes still remains; a work of great size solidity, and elevation. Hence it is seen at a considerable distance and continues still a grand and most striking object. The platform on the top was for a considerable time, employed as a garden and covered, as originally, with shrubs and flowers. It is now converted into a sort of amphitheatre, and surrounded with seats and benches, where the spectators may enjoy in safety the favorite amusement of bull-baiting. |
Palazzo del LateranoThe Lateran stands close to the patriarchal church of that name, and was appointed for the residence of the Bishops of Rome, at the same time as the adjoining Basilica was converted into a church by Constantine. It had fallen into ruin, and was rebuilt by Sixtus Quintus. A part only is now reserved for the accommodation of the pontiff, when he comes to perform service at St. John's. The main body of the building was turned into an hospital for the reception of two hundred and fifty orphans, by Innocent XI. It presents three fronts of great extent and simplicity, and strikes the eye by its magnitude and elevation. |
SS. Silvestro e Martino ai MontiNot far from S. Pietro in Vinculis is the church of S, Martino and Sylvester situated out of part of the ruin of the neighbouring baths of Titus, and, as far as regards the Crypta or subterraneous church as ancient as the time of St. Sylvester and Constantine the Great. It has, as will easily be imagined undergone various repairs and is at present one of the most beautiful edifices in Rome. It is supported by Corinthian columns of the finest marbles, bearing not arches but an entablature, irregular indeed as to ornament, but of great and pleasing effect. The walls of the aisles are adorned with paintings by the two Poussin and much admired by connoisseurs. The tribune or sanctuary is raised several steps above the body of the church: the high altar which stands immediately above the steps is of the most beautiful form and richest material. The paintings on the walls and roof are coloured in the brightest yet softest tints imaginable and seem to shed over the whole church a celestial lustre. |
Statue of St. CeciliaOver the tomb is a fine statue, exactly representing the attitude and the drapery of the body as it was discovered in the tomb. (..) The saint is represented as reclining on her side, her garments spread in easy folds around her, and her neck and head covered with a veil of so delicate a texture as to allow the spectator almost to discover the outlines of the countenance. The posture and drapery are natural as well as graceful, and the whole form wrought with such exquisite art that we seem to behold the martyred virgin, not locked in the slumbers of death, but awaiting in the repose of innocence the call of the morning. |
S. Maria in TrastevereIts bold portico and its nave are supported by ancient pillars, some of red, some of black granite, all of different orders and different dimensions; the entablature also is composed of the shattered remains of various ancient cornices; and indeed the whole edifice seems an extraordinary assemblage of orders, proportions, and materials. However, it exhibits a certain greatness of manner in the whole that never fails to cover defects in the detail, and its general appearance is bold and majestic. |
PantheonTwenty ages have now rolled over the Pantheon, and if they have not crushed its dome in their passage, they have at least imprinted their traces in sullen grandeur on its walls; they have left to it all its primeval proportions, but they have gradually stript it of its ornaments, its leaves of acanthus and its glossy colours. Perhaps these marks of antiquity and this venerable tint which time alone can shed over edifices, rather increase than diminish its majesty by adding to its justly admired form that which no architect can bestow, the charms of recollection and the united interest of age and disaster. |
S. Lorenzo fuori le MuraThough frequently repaired and altered since, yet its original form and most of its original decorations still remain. A portico, as is usual in all the ancient Basilicas leads to its entrance; is supported and divided by four-and-twenty pillars of granite; the choir occupies the upper part of the nave in the ancient manner. The ambones or two pulpits stand on either side of the entrance to the choir, close to the pillars; they are very large and all inlaid with marble. From the choir a flight of steps leads to the sanctuary paved with mosaic and adorned by a double story, each of twelve pillars of rich marble and Corinthian form. Of the lower range of pillars part only appears above, as it descends through an open space left for that purpose, far below the pavement. Four other columns adorn the wall that runs some feet behind the sanctuary, as four more of porphyry support the canopy over the altar. The seats of the sanctuary are of marble as is the chair of the pontiff, a very ancient episcopal throne. Under the altar is the Confession or tomb of St. Laurence where his body reposes, and is related, with that of St. Stephen, the first martyr; it is beautifully inlaid and incrusted with the most precious marbles. This church, though unfrequented on account of its site is yet rendered highly interesting by its antiquity, its form, and its materials and by a certain lonely majesty which seems to brood over it, and fills the mind with awe and reverence. |
S. Maria MaggioreThe traveller on his entrance is instantly struck with the two magnificent colonnades that line the nave and separate it from the aisles. They are supported each by more than twenty pillars, of which eighteen on each side are of white marble. The order is Ionic with its regular entablature, the elevation of the pillars is thirty feet, the length of the colonnade about two hundred and fifty. The sanctuary forms a semicircle behind the altar. (..) There is no transept, but instead of it two noble chapels open on either side. The one on the right as you advance from the great entrance towards the altar, was built by Sixtus Quintus, and contains his tomb. It would be considered as rich and beautiful, were it not infinitely surpassed in both these respects by the opposite chapel belonging to the Borghese family, erected by Paul V. (..) These two chapels, whatever their magnificence or peculiar beauty may be, have prejudiced the external appearance of the church, and occasioned the only material deformity which even the eye of a critic can discover. I mean the break occasioned by the arcades formed on both sides, to serve as entrances to these two oratories. (..) The simplicity of the plan, the correctness of the execution, the richness of the materials and the decorations of the parts, the length of the colonnaded and the elevation of the canopy, form altogether one of the noblest and most pleasing exhibitions that the eye can behold. As we advance along the ample nave we are rather pleased than astonished with the scenery around us; we easily familiarize with the calm grandeur of the place, and at the end retire with an impression, not of awe, but delight and tranquillity. |
S. Giovanni in LateranoThe architect it seems had an antipathy to pillars; he walled them up in the buttresses, and adorned the buttresses with groups of pilasters: he raised the windows, and in order to crown them with pediments, broke the architrave and frieze, and even removed the cornice: he made niches for statues and topped them with crowns and pediments of every contorted form; in short, he has broken every straight line in the edifice, and filled it with semi-circles, spirals and triangles. (..) The Corsini chapel is entitled to particular consideration, and may be regarded as one of the most perfect buildings of the kind existing. (..) This chapel is in the form of a Greek Cross. The entrance occupies the lower, the altar the upper part: a superb mausoleum terminates each end of the transept: the rail that separates the chapel from the aisle of the church is of gilt brass: the pavement is the finest marble; the walls are incrusted with alabaster and jasper, and adorned with basso relievos; six pillars adorn the recesses. (..) In the whole, though the Corsini chapel has not escaped criticism, yet it struck me as the most beautiful edifice of the kind ; splendid without gaudiness, the valuable materials that form its pavement, line its walls and adorn its vaults, are so disposed as to mix together their varied hues into soft and delicate tints; while the size and symmetry of its form enable the eye to contain it with ease, and contemplate its unity, its proportions, and its ornaments without effort. |
S. Croce in GerusalemmeThe lonely situation of this antique Basilica, amidst groves, gardens and vineyards, and the number of mouldering monuments and tottering arches that surround it, give it a solemn and affecting appearance. |
Chair of St. PeterThis ornament of bronze consists of a group of four gigantic figures, representing the four principal Doctors of the Greek and Latin churches, supporting the patriarchal chair of St. Peter. The chair is a lofty throne elevated to the height of seventy feet from the pavement; A circular window tinged with yellow throws from above a mild splendor around it, so that the the whole not unfitly represents the pre-eminence of the apostolic See, and is acknowledged to form a most becoming and majestic termination to the first of Christian temples. |
Sacrestia di S. PietroThe vestry or sacristy of St. Peter's is a most magnificent edifice, connected with the church by a long gallery and adorned with numberless pillars, statues, paintings and mosaics. It is in reality a large and spacious church, covered with a dome in the centre, and surrounded with various chapels, recesses and apartments adapted to the devotion and accommodation of the pontiff, the dean of St. Peter's, and the members of its chapter. (..) Though in many respects liable to criticism in point of taste, yet is on the whole entitled to admiration. |
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