Rome's Great Beauty

Orson Welles wrote "In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace - and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." (The Third Man, 1949).

The Borgias were certainly a fascinating family who contributed to the overall development of Rome during the Renaissance and left a heavy mark on its history and art. However, their infamous antics have overshadowed any positive contribution they made. Yet, the arts and architecture flourished when Rodrigo Borgia was the Pope - it was then that Michelangelo sculpted the beautiful La Pietá....

Rodrigo Borgia became pope in 1492, which was the year Columbus 'discovered' the Americas and he was the arbiter between the Spanish and the Portuguese as to who laid claim to the Americas. As well as being a shrewd administrator and a patron of the arts this pope hosted orgies in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.... A bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character, wouldn't you say?

If you want to hear more about the Borgias, Rodrigo, as well as Lucrezia, Cesare and the mysterious Giulia Farnese, please join me in my zoom webinar next Wednesday evening from 7pm to 8pm. I will be sending out a reminder in the next few days. If you cannot make the time but are interested, please enrol all the same and I will send you the recording a couple of days after the talk.

Galleria Spada, Rome - how long is it? There is an optical illusion!

Some of Rome's Secrets

The length of the gallery above can only be determined if you walk it, there is an optical illusion which deceives your eye if you just stand at the entrance. Who was the architect? The great Francesco Borromini, who alongside Bernini, is responsible for so many Roman wonders. I often encourage friends to re-visit Rome if they haven't been for a while. In the last decade more sights have been opened to the public, for example Nero's fabulous Domus Aurea with its virtual reality experience, or the Roman domus of Palazzo Valentini.

Visiting Rome and knowing the stories behind the palaces, the gardens and the fountains certainly makes a huge difference. And Rome has so many stories to tell! I love in particular the quirky sights, such as the clock which is put into motion by the water of a fountain, or the painting by Rubens which is 'motorized', i.e. part of the panel is set into motion every night after evensong to reveal an older Madonna. Rubens designed it that way! You can find in the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella.

My only complaint about Rome is that if you stick to the historical centre and want to eat in an authentic Roman trattoria, this isn't easy to do. Even in Trastevere, which is supposed to be the best place for genuine eateries, I was once served potato gnocchi when I asked for Gnocchi alla Romana. This is a speciality of Rome and the gnocchi are made of semolina, not potatoes. I am not being fussy, I promise, it really is a completely different dish. The semolina dumplings are covered by two types of cheese and then baked, so that you get a wonderful golden crust over the soft gnocchi.

During the same trip one evening Ian and I caught a taxi just so that I could ask the driver to take us to a genuine trattoria. He was a grumpy looking man who barely answered my questions. After ten minutes of what seemed a goose trail he delivered us at the door of a modest looking place. However, the food was delicious and it included some of the most famous Roman dishes such as carciofi alla Giudea. Fried artichokes, but believe me, the name doesn't do it justice...

In my opinion, we can all afford not to worry about calories in Rome, with all the walking we have to do. Just a visit to the Vatican Museums makes you walk for miles! This reminds me, next time you go to Rome do not miss the Borgias apartment in the Vatican, which are part of the Vatican Museums. For 400 years they were closed to the public and in my talk I will discuss the controversy caused by some of their decorations. However, these are rooms of great beauty and, by themselves, are well worth a visit to the eternal city.

Terrazze Borromini, Roma