Category } Culture, Arts & Music
Not quite. Diego Della Valle, owner of the Tod's brand of shoes, is footing the 25M Euro bill for the restoration of the monument.
Every few years the local news has been reporting of some rich American, Russian or Chinese tourist wanting to purchase and transfer the Colosseum abroad, with the locals having a good chuckle talking about it over a coffee.
But the jokes are turning into reality and nightmare for the proud Romans. The Colosseum is not being sold to the yanks but its restoration sponsored by the private sector. More specifically, by Diego Della Valle, owner of, amongst other things, Tod’s shoes.
The deal will not allow Mr. Della Valle to set up shop amongst the Colosseum’s arches but there will be subtle reminders that the crumbling walls have been saved by pricey his loafers. Read up more about the deal on Reuters’ website.
Rome’s mayor has managed to fix a major problem without digging into public finances – quite a result – and the Colosseum will not be dismantled and shipped to Texas. Given the economical situation in Italy, most people will be happy about the deal.
The Colosseum will not be closed down during the two year long restoration, which is also much appreciated.
A much bigger concern these days is that another local icon has been sold off. AS Roma, the local soccer team, has been sold to an American tycoon called Thomas DiBenedetto.
Tamara de Lempicka was the first female celebrity artist, making a name for herself thanks to her bold and sensual style.
In her youth she visited Italy with her grandmother and was able to appreciate the works of Italian masters and in 1925, under the sponsorship of Count Emmanuele Castelbarco, she had her first major show.
But that’s about as far as her her connection with Italy goes. Unless you recognise similarities between her style and Futurism, which characterised the Italian art scene during the 20s? That certain ‘dashing’ quality… those bold, square lines…
But we won’t say that or we risk the wrath of the experts in the field. One of which Ms. Gioia Moris, curator of the exhibition and a specialist in the subject. She’s top her field which means you will get great content to complement the pieces on display.
If you’re a fan of art deco and in Rome at the time this one’s not to be missed.
But we also recommend this exhibition to those who have passed in front of the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II at Piazza Venezia and wondered what goes on inside those big, white walls.
Exhibition times and transport options
- Mon/Thu 9.30 –19.30;
- Fri/Sat 9.30 – 23.30;
- Sun 9.30 – 20.30
Please note that visitors are admitted up until one hour before closing time.
If you’re heading there by metro get off the Colosseo stop. If you’re catching a bus jump on to any one passing by Piazza Venezia. Head for the massive white building and watch out for the posters advertising the exhibition — they are huge and hard to miss.
Enjoy!
Today, Rome celebrates Vespasian's 2000th birthday by holding the an exhibition called "Divus Vespasianus: Il Bimillenario dei Flavi", which makes one wonder whether a figure such as Vespasian would help Italy get through the current socio-economic crisis.
When talking about the Flavian Dynasty (Vespasian, Titus and Domitian) the focus is usually on the impact their policies had on Rome: the financial, social and development reforms aimed at improving the quality of life of the population. Similar initiatives that are desperately needed by Italy today.
The end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty – good news for Rome
To better understand and appreciate the success the Flavians enjoyed one has to look at the challenges that presented themselves following the turbulent years of the preceding Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Nero’s suicide in AD 68 marked the end of a reign of tyranny, extravagance and… fire (supposedly). Namely, the Great Fire of Rome of 64 AD. The year following his death was a period of politcal and economical instability, including a civil war. It was a remarkable year, in fact, as 4 emperors ruled in quick succession: Galba, Otho, Vitellius and finally Vespasian.
The Flavian Dysnasty (69–96 AD) was a turning point for Rome. The political system was improved and started to function effectively again. Finances where restored and major landmarks built.
The Flavians (starting from Vespasian)
Vespasian was born into a family of equestrians from a village near the modern city of Rieti. Not the typical background of an emperor. Julius Caesar, for example, was born into a Patrician family, the Gens Julia, that claimed to descend from the Venus and Mars.
His rise to power was due, in part, to his success as a military commander. In 66 AD, for example, he subjugated the Judaea province during the Jewish rebellion of 66 AD. He was also a person of integrity, charisma and experience having been elected a consul and subsequently governer of the Africa Province.
In 69 AD is succeeded to Vitellius and was declared emperor by the Senate.
Rome under the Flavian Dynasty
Vespasian arrived to Rome with a plan in mind to deal with the instability inherited from the previous years. He quickly gained support from politicians, the Senate, the military and the public by rewarding loyalty (and removing those against him).
Vespasian was ‘media savvy’ too and understood that controlling the perception people had of him was key to ensuring his power and influence continued. What current Italian politician shares the same trait?
However, the financial situation he inherited was dire as a lot of resources has been consumed by the civil war. But thanks to his fiscal policies and taxtation he was able to restore economic stability and order, characteristics that Romans valued a great deal.
Of all policies that Vespasian was responsibile for the most famous remains the vectigal urinae, a tax that was originally levied by Nero upon the collection of urine. This tax could be justified as urine (a source of ammonia) served as the raw material for a number of chemical processes. This did not stop him from gaining a reputation as somewhat stingy leader and have urinals named after him – you can still see modern versions of Vespasiani around Rome today.
Vespasian continued to invest time and money making Rome a more prosperous and habitable city, but it was his sons Titus and Domitian, who become emperors after him, who are credited with much of the architectural and urban development work that was completed: the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus, the Odeon of Domitian, the Stadium of Domitian (now Piazza Navona) and the Domus Flaviae e Augustana palaces on the Palatine hill.
Architectural achievements of Vespasian, Titus and Domitian
This list is by all means complete, but if you happen to be in Rome you should make an effort to see the following:
- Temple of Peace (Templus Pacis) – Inaugurated un 75 AD by Vespasian to commemorate victory in Judea
- Colosseum – A joint production: commissioned by Vespasian, inaugurated by Titus in 80 AD and completed by Dominitian
- Templum Gentis Flaviae – Built by Dominitian in 95 AD to celebrate the Flavian family.
- Arch of Titus – Built by Dominitian in 95 AD and dedicated to his brother, Titus
- Flavian Palace and the Domus Augustana – Started by Vespasian and finished by Dominitian. The former was more an exercise to show off the Flavian dynasty’s power and influence and the latter is was their private residence.
- Stadium of Domitian – Built by Domitian to for athletic contest later become Piazza Navona.
Does Rome need Vespasian today?
The situation in Italy today is quite bleak. There may not be civil wars in Italy but security is an issue just the same. Even before the global economic hit Italy the economy wasn’t performing particularly well – now thousands are losing jobs. The closest parrallel is, however, the disfunctioning political system. If you want to learn about the corruption and excesses of modern Italian politics you should read a book called La Casta (the caste), by Sergio Rizzo.
Italy needs a new Vespasian desperately. A leader with integrity, charisma who is not afraid to make tough decisions. The current ‘Emperor Berlusconi’ may share some of the qualities but lacks integrity.
Want to know more about the Flavian Dynasty?
Simpe. Visit the Divus Vespasianus: Il Bimillenario dei Flavi exhibition that runs until 10 January 2010, and give yourself enough time in Rome to visit the above mentioned landmarks.
Four hundred years after Galileo the Vatican Observatory together with the Vatican Museums and the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) have organised an exhibition in occasion of the International Year of Astronomy.
If you’re visiting the Vatican Museums over Christmas and New Year don’t miss AStrum 2009, and exhibition about astronomy and instruments used throughout the centuries to look deep into the sky.
Things have changed since the 17th Century when Galileo was tried by the Inquisition that found him “vehemently suspect of heresy”. But he was right. The world isn’t flat.
The exhibition will display an important selection of rare instruments for astronomic observation and its particularly interesting to see how these have evolved and become sophisticated over time.
All items are property of the National Institute of Astrophysics but there are also instruments belonging to the Vatican State.
Visitors will also be able to admire works of art that relate to the subject matter depicting, for example, celestial and earth globes.
Opening hours
The Entrance Ticket to the Vatican Museums enables the visit of the exhibition.
- Opening hours of the Vatican Museums.
- Open Monday to Sunday: the Ticket Office is open from 9 am to 4 pm.
- The Museums close at 6 pm. Closed: Sunday; 8, 25, 26 December 2009; 1, 6 January 2010.
- Free Entrance the last Sunday of every month from 9 am to 12.30 am. The Museum close at 2 pm.
Ron is an American who has been living in Rome since 2007 and sharing his experiences and giving advice on his blog.
Search Google for information about Rome and much of the stuff you get is out of date, the same information repeated for the 1,000th time or regurgitated blog spam.
So it was refreshing to come come across Ron’s blog – Ron in Rome – which provides clear, useful and thoughtful information via an uncluttered design. It’s rare to see a blog with such good content not taken over by adverts.
An example of what to expect from Ron’s blog is the very useful post titled 20 tips on Visiting the Vatican Museums. This find was particularly relevant to us as we recently launched the Vatican area of the site. Ron’s post should be required reading to anyone wanting to visit the Musei Vaticani.
Apart from writing up about what to see in Rome Rob provides a guide service for small groups of people who want to explore Rome at their own pace including what he describes as ‘aimless wandering’ (which is often when one discovers the best things).
Ron’s blog is available at: www.roninrome.com
The discovery was made during the restoration of the Santa Tecla catacombs on the Via Ostiense.
Archeologists were using an innovative laser-based technique when they suddenly came across one of the most expressive and elaborate depictions of Saint Paul. The hope is that more of the same will be found.
The fresco dates back to the 9th Century and its style is typically classical, depicting a big nose, eyes and a face full of expression. The red background and yellow ring shape around it are similar to iconography found in Pompeii.
The archeologists believe that Saint Paul was chosen to protect those who were buried in the catacombs.
The fresco was discovered on 19 June during work carried out by the Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra, a commission created by the Pius IX in 1852 to “ take care of the ancient sacred cemeteries, look after their preventive preservation, further explorations, research and study, and also safeguard the oldest mementos of the early Christian centuries, the outstanding monuments and venerable Basilicas in Rome, in the Roman suburbs and soil, and in the other Dioceses in agreement with the respective Ordinaries.”
Dolce & Gabbana & ... a Nun, in San Giovanni's metro station. From the Photos of Rome series.
It must have been 2002 or 2003 when I was going to the outdoor market in San Giovanni.
She did notice me taking a photo and didn’t look pleased. I got away before she realised what the other half of the image was.
Thanks to the Rome Reborn Project anyone can visit the Colosseum (virtually) and experience Rome as it was about 1,600 years ago under Emperor Constantine.
Rome Reborn is a project by the clever folk at the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia. The purpose is well explained on their website:
Rome Reborn is an international initiative whose goal is the creation of 3D digital models illustrating the urban development of ancient Rome from the first settlement in the late Bronze Age (ca. 1000 B.C.) to the depopulation of the city in the early Middle Ages (ca. A.D. 550)
Visit ancient Rome version 2.0 on Google Earth
The model has been built on a Google Earth layer above the modern day version. It consists of 6,000 individual building and landmarks, many of which in high detail. You can also click on each monument to learn more about its history.
All this is available free but you have to download and install Google Earth on your PC. Here’s the link:
Fly through the Colosseum
The Colosseum is a particularly good landmark to explore given its architecture and purpose. If you can’t make the Divus Vespasianus. Il bimillenario dei Flavi takes place, in part, in the Colosseum then a 3D fly-through is your second best option.
The video…
P.S. Don’t forget to visit Rome for real too!
On 16 May museums in Rome will remain open until 1am.
We must thank the French for this, though. Merci.
This event was originally conceived by the French Minister of Culture and Communications back in 2005, the idea being to extend opening hours and organise special events to promote history, culture and what not.
For this fourth edition cities in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Serbia, Denmark, Spain and Romania will do the same. But this is no Eurovision song contest. This is good!
Best of all, entrance to many museums is free.
Clever people plan ahead
Are you? For some museums, the good stuff, you will need to book ahead — so it’s best to plan. Have a look at http://en.museiincomuneroma.it, a website set up by Rome’s authorities about museums in Rome linking to… many other websites for each museum. Once you know what you want to book, go back to the Tickets and booking page.
Not to be confused with…
Shawn Levy’s rather poor 2006 feature film: Night at the Museum (2006). No crazy animals here. Just Italians.
Contact details
- Email: eventi@beniculturali.it
- Tel: +39 06 6723 2390 / 2851
'Culture belongs to everyone: you too can participate'.
This is how the event is being promoted this year by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
To make culture more accessible Opening times have been extended too and whenever possible things are open on Mondays too.
Bear in mind that UNESCO has estimated that 40% of the world’s cultural heritage that’s been preserved lies in Italy. That’s a lot to see and it’s impossible for the state to keep everything open to the public throughout the year. Initiatives like this give people the opportunity to see things that are normally not accessible and for the organisations involved in restorations to show new developments to the public.
Private institutions are also involved in this initiative to promote access to associations, institutes, libraries, concerts and places that are not normally visited by tourists and locals.