Architecture sights in Rome
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Chiesa del Gesù
Rome’s most important Jesuit church, the Chiesa del Gesù is a much-copied example of Counter-Reformation architecture. It was built between 1551 and 1584 with money donated by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. Although the façade by Giacomo della Porta is impressive, it is the awesome, interior that is the real attraction. Designed by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, a pupil of Michelangelo, it’s a shimmering ensemble of gold and marble. Of the art on display, the most astounding is the Trionfo del Nome di Gesù (Triumph of the Name of Jesus), the swirling, hypnotic vault fresco by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (aka Il Baciccia). Baciccia also painted the cupola frescoes and desig…
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Chiesa di Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza
Hidden in the porticoed courtyard of Palazzo della Sapienza, the Italian state archive, this tiny church is unique testament to the genius of baroque architect Francesco Borromini. Based on an incredibly complex geometric plan, it combines alternating convex and concave walls with a circular interior topped by a twisted spire. Inside, there’s not a lot to see, but it’s interesting to note how Borromini uses light to create a sense of spaciousness in such a small area.
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Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
The only one of Rome’s major churches to have suffered bomb damage in WWII, the Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls is one of Rome’s four patriarchal basilicas. An atmospheric, tranquil place, it’s a hotchpotch of rebuilds and restorations. The original church was constructed in the 4th century over St Lawrence’s burial place, but rebuilt 200 years later. Subsequently a nearby 5th-century church was incorporated, resulting in the church you see today. The nave, portico and much of the decoration date to the 13th century. Highlights are the Cosmati floor and the frescoed portico, depicting events from St Lawrence’s life. The remains of St Lawrence and St Stephen are …
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Mercati di Traiano & Museo dei Fori Imperiali
Mercati di Traiano & Museo dei Fori Imperiali is a striking new museum that brings to life Trajan’s great 2nd-century market complex. It provides a fascinating introduction to the Imperial Forums with detailed explanatory panels and a smattering of archaeological artefacts. However, the museum’s real highlight is the access it gives to Trajan’s Forum. From the main hallway, a lift whisks you up to the Torre delle Milizie (Militia Tower), a 13th-century red-brick tower, and the upper levels of the Mercati di Traiano (Trajan’s Markets). These markets, housed in a three-storey semicircular construction, were Trajan’s frenetic commercial precinct, with hundreds of trade…
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Palazzo dei Congressi
One of the few planned developments in Rome’s history, EUR was built for an international exhibition in 1942, and although war intervened and the exhibition never took place, the name stuck – Esposizione Universale di Roma (Roman Universal Exhibition) or EUR. There are few museums but the area’s appeal (or lack of it) lies in its spectacular rationalist architecture. It’s not to everyone’s taste but the style is beautifully expressed in a number of distinctive palazzi, including the wonderful Palazzo dei Congressi. The area is still a focus for development, with Massimiliano Fuksas’ cutting-edge Nuvola (‘cloud’) congress centre being built here, and mayor Gianni…
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Palazzo Laterano
Flanking Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano is Domenico Fontana’s 16th-century Palazzo Laterano. Part of the original 4th-century basilica complex, it was the official papal residence until the popes moved to the Vatican in 1377. Today it houses the diocese of Rome. Just around the corner is the fascinating octagonal battistero (baptistry). Built by Constantine in the 4th century, it served as the prototype for later Christian churches and bell towers. The chief interest, apart from the architecture, are the decorative mosaics, some of which date back to the 5th century.
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Chiesa Nuova
Something of a misnomer, Chiesa Nuova was built in 1575 as part of a complex to house Filippo Neri’s Oratorian order. Originally Neri had wanted a large, plain church, but after his death in 1595 the artists moved in – Rubens painted over the high altar, and Pietro da Cortona decorated the dome, tribune and nave. Neri was canonised in 1622 and is buried in a chapel to the left of the apse. Next to the church is Borromini’s Oratorio dei Filippini and behind it is the Torre dell’Orologio, a clock tower built to decorate the adjacent convent.
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Palazzo Spada
The central attraction of this 16th-century palazzo is Francesco Borromini’s famous perspective. What appears to be a 25m-long corridor lined with columns and leading to a hedge and life-sized statue is, in fact, only 10m long. The sculpture, which was a later addition, is actually hip-height and the columns diminish in size not because of distance but because they actually get shorter. Upstairs, the four-room Galleria Spada houses the Spada family art collection, with works by Andrea del Sarto, Guido Reni, Guercino and Titian.
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Chiesa di Sant’Andrea della Valle
A must for opera fans, this towering 17th-century church is where Giacomo Puccini set the first act of Tosca. Its most obvious feature is Carlo Maderno’s soaring dome, the highest in Rome after St Peter’s, but its bombastic baroque interior reveals some wonderful frescoes by Mattia Preti, Domenichino and, in the dome, Lanfranco. Competition between the artists was fierce and legend has it that Domenichino once took a saw to Lanfranco’s scaffolding, almost killing him in the process.
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Spanish Steps
Designed by Italian Francesco De Sanctis, financed by a French diplomat, and named after the nearby Spanish Embassy, Rome's most famous staircase (completed in 1725) keeps it global with daily hordes of camera-clicking tourists, migrant hawkers and crush-struck local teens. Head to the top for Chiesa della Trinità dei Monti, or to the bottom for the boat-shaped Barcaccia (1627) fountain on Piazza di Spagna, attributed to Pietro Bernini (father of the famous Gian Lorenzo).
reviewed
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Porta Pia
An imposing crenellated structure, the Michelangelo-designed Porta Pia was the scene of bitter street-fighting in 1870 as Italian troops breached the adjacent walls to wrest the city from the pope and claim it for the nascent kingdom of Italy. The concrete monstrosity just inside the city walls is the British Embassy. Opposite it is Villa Paolina, the residence of Napoleon’s sister Paolina Bonaparte between 1816 and 1824 and now the French embassy to the Holy See.
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Dome
Entry to the dome is to the far right of the basilica. A small lift takes you halfway up but it’s still a long climb to the top (320 steps to be exact). Press on and you’re rewarded with some stunning views over Rome. It’s well worth the effort, but bear in mind that it’s a long and tiring climb and not recommended for those who suffer from claustrophobia or vertigo.
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Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
For a thousand years, the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano was the most important church in Christendom. Founded by Constantine in AD 324, it was the first Christian basilica built in the city. It is still Rome’s cathedral and the pope’s seat as bishop of Rome.
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Palazzo Chigi
Located on the northern flank of Piazza Colonna, the 16th-century Palazzo Chigi has been the official residence of Italy’s prime minister since 1961.
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