The Assorted Scenery page contains a scenic potpourri including
the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (and views from the monument),
the Spanish Steps (the widest staircase in Europe), panoramic
views of Rome from the Aventine and Janiculum Hills, and a
few images from walks around the Eternal City.

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Monument to Victor Emmanuel II
Views from the Vittoriano

The Spanish Steps

Sunset Views from the Aventine Hill
Panoramic Views from the Janiculum Hill

Palace of Justice
Ospedale Santo Spirito in Sassia

Assorted Scenery

1938 Fiat 1500
Colosseum Street Mime

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Rome Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to the Galleries with images on this Page:

Bridges, Fountains and Street Scenes
Rome: Scenic Views (Panoramas)
Rome: Buskers and other People

There are a number of images in this section that are not yet on the Photoshelter site.
If an image you want is not yet uploaded, contact Ron Reznick (info at bottom of page).

There are 18 Galleries in the Photoshelter Rome Collection

Victor Emmanuel II Monument 8548
1500 x 1092 (395 KB)

The enormous white marble monument to Victor Emmanuel II, made of Botticino marble,
was designed by Giuseppi Sacconi in 1885 and completed in 1935. It honors the first King
of the Unified Italy. Known as the Vittoriano (and as both the typewriter and wedding cake to
Romans who are not fond of the huge bright white monument), it required demolition of the
medieval neighborhood at the foot of the Capitoline Hill (including Michelangelo’s house),
it looms over the Campidoglio and the nearby Trajan’s Forum, blinding in the daylight.
This image shows it in its most attractive light... night. Even at sunset, the reflectivity
of the white marble is so great that you have to wait for mauve light to bounce off
of the clouds before you get an attractive look (assuming there are clouds).
Many Romans refuse to even mention it. Some simply turn and leave.

The monument does offer spectacular views of the city of Rome, however,
one of the more creative jokes: “il Vittoriano has the best views in the city
because no matter which direction you look, you cannot see il Vittoriano”.
It also contains the monument to the Unknown Soldier (Altare della Patrie),
and was meant to resemble the Ara Pacis (the Augustan Altar of Peace), a
structure built by the Senate in 13 BC to honor the return to Rome of Emperor
Augustus after pacifying the Empire. It was intended to glorify Imperial Rome and
act as a reminder of what the Romans once were, and what they should aspire to be.
The design was inspired by the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia at Palestrina/Praeneste.

Victor Emmanuel II Monument detail 8550 M
1500 x 1290 (527 KB)

Detail of the Altare della Patrie and the goddess Dea Roma on the bottom tier of the monument, the Equestrian Statue of Victor Emmanuel II, and the colonnade with its Corinthian columns and statues of regions of Italy. The Altare della Patrie was designed by Brescia Angelo Zanelli, and consists of the goddess Dea Roma (a personification of the state of Imperial Rome), clad in a toga on a golden mosaic background in between two relief panels. The right panel features allegories of Agriculture, Livestock, Harvest, Irrigation and Industry, and the left panel features patriotic figures and symbols, all paying homage to Dea Roma.

The enormous Equestrian Statue of Victor Emmanuel II was designed to rival the legendary Equestrian Statue of Trajan. The scale of this statue is tremendous (detail shots below). The layout of the monument was intended to mirror that of the Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo, which also has a statue of Dea Roma and an Equestrian of Marcus Aurelius.

Tomb of Unknown Soldier Dea Roma 6627
795 x 1290 (358 KB)

Dea Roma was taken just after sunset, in sweet light.
She stands above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
flanked by the eternally watchful Guard of Honor.

Victor Emmanuel II Equestrian Statue 6644
1500 x 1092 (340 KB)

The enormous bronze of Victor Emmanuel II (Enrico Chiaradia) stands 40 feet
 above its pedestal in front of the monument. It is the largest statue in Rome. The
13 foot sword weighs 700 pounds, the trappings of the horse weigh 4000 pounds.
Pistol holders are over six feet tall. The head and helmet weighs more than two tons.

Victor Emmanuel II Equestrian Statue 6645
1500 x 1092 (414 KB)

The horse and figure had to be cast in 13 pieces.
It is so large that when the casting was completed,
a celebratory dinner was held in the horse’s stomach.

Action Victor Emmanuel II Monument 6649
795 x 1290 (385 KB)

The best-known work of Francis (Francesco) Jerace, Action stands along with Thought at the base of the monument.

Action Victor Emmanuel II Monument 6617
795 x 1290 (360 KB)

The bronzes were supposed to be gilded, but it was decided  they would be too bright, so they were painted gold instead.

Thought Trajan’s Column Nome di Maria 6619
817 x 1290 (324 KB)

Thought (1911) by Giulio Monteverde in the foreground,
with Trajan’s Column and Nome di Maria’s Dome behind.

Winged Victory Trajan’s Column 6623
795 x 1290 (328 KB)

Victory on the Rostrum by Edmondo Rubino,
with Trajan’s Column in the background.

Nome di Maria Santa Maria Loreto Trajan's Column 6631
1500 x 1092 (494 KB)

The view towards the Quirinal Hill from the Victor Emmanuel II Monument.
On the far left, in front of the flagpole is the bronze sculpture of Thought. The
right center foreground is the sculpture of Concordia (by Ludovico Pogliaghi)
and the left foreground sculpture is Force (Augusto Rivalta). In the background,
at left is Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali (Italy’s largest insurance company).
Center is Santa Maria di Loreto, designed by Antonio da Sangallo (the Younger),
and at right is Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano, and Trajan’s Column.

Nome di Maria Santa Maria Loreto Trajan's Column 6637
1500 x 1092 (544 KB)

A closer view of the scene shown in the right center of the previous image, with
Santa Maria di Loreto, SS Nome di Maria and Trajan’s Column in the background
in front of Quirinal Hill, and the sculptures of Concordia and Force in the foreground.

Piazza Venezia 6630
1500 x 1092 (544 KB)

The Piazza Venezia is in the exact center of Rome. I picked a placid moment in the general
chaos of the traffic circle (Italian drivers are notoriously erratic) to take these images. The piazza
was enlarged at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries during the construction of the Vittoriano
by destroying the well-preserved medieval neighborhood, including the monastery of Aracoeli, the Villa
and Tower of Pope Paul III in front of Palazzo Venezia (left), one of the most beautiful palazzos in Rome
(belonging to the Torlonia family), and Michelangelo’s house and workshop (which used to be where
Palazzo Generali is now, at far right), among many others. The Roman people were not pleased.
Note the earth tones of the existing buildings. This is typical for the entire area, and you can
understand why the Roman people were not happy about the blinding white monument.
It required a direct order from Mussolini to stop the plan to paint the Vittoriano in a
bright yellow... why would you paint beautifully veined Botticino marble? Yellow?

Piazza Venezia 6629
1500 x 1125 (549 KB)

Across the piazza, on the left side of via del Corso (with the green balcony) is
Palazzo Bonaparte, where Napoleon’s mother lived after the French Empire fell.
Pope Pius VII gave her asylum, and she lived in the Palazzo until her death in 1836.

On the left is the Palazzo Venezia (from which Piazza Venezia gets its name).
This was the first Renaissance Palazzo built in Rome (between 1455 and 1464)
and the first to exhibit the architectural style of Leon Battista Alberti. It was built for
Cardinal Pietro Barbo, who later became Pope Paul II. After being elected Pope, he
added an small palace in front he called the Palazzetto. He had a Renaissance tower
built next to the Palazzo, and a covered walkway to the Capitoline Hill convent where
many Popes often spent their summers. The Palazzo was a papal residence until
Pope Paul gave it to the City of Venice, who used it as their Embassy building.
It is now a museum of Renaissance paintings, sculpture and ceramics.

In 1916, the Palazzo was acquired by the Italian Government.
Benito Mussolini used it as his headquarters, and the balcony in the
center of the building was the scene for many of Mussolini’s speeches.

Palazzetto Venezia was moved back from its original position in front
of the Palazzo Venezia (where the white car is) so it wouldn’t obstruct
the view of the monument from via del Corso. The Capitoline convent
was removed to make way for the monument, and the covered
walkway was removed to create space for the Piazza.

I guess you can see why the Roman people were not at all pleased.

Piazza Venezia Carriage 6640
1500 x 1092 (654 KB)

Two couples reduce the pace of Roman life to that of the 19th century
by taking a carriage ride through Piazza Venezia in the late afternoon.

Spanish Steps 7862
1500 x 1092 (495 KB)

A painting depicting 18th century life in the
Piazza di Spagna, below the famous Spanish Steps.
The night before visiting the Spanish Steps, I stopped in a
little restaurant to fuel up for my next excursion, and found
 this painting above my table. It provided the perfect
inspiration to get up early the next morning.

Spanish Steps 7913
1500 x 1101 (427 KB)

The Spanish Steps were planned as early as the 17th century, when the French wanted Bernini to connect their church of Trinita dei Monti with the Piazza, and place an equestrian statue of Louis XIV at the top of the stairs. Pope Alexander VII would not allow a statue of the powerful King Louis in such a prominent position in Rome, so the plans were shelved.

Spanish Steps 7915
1500 x 1092 (590 KB)

About 60 years later in 1717, a competition was held to design the Steps as heated discussions
had been continuing since 1580 over how to urbanize the Pincio hill without creating some way of
connecting it with the rest of the city below. Alessandro Specchi (the Papal architect trained by
Carlo Fontana) had submitted what everyone considered to be the perfect design, but the
French monks preferred the design of the little-known architect Francesco de Sanctis,
so the two collaborated to execute one based on GianLorenzo Bernini’s design.
The staircase has 138 steps in 12 flights, slightly off-axis and asymmetrical
(something that would never have been done in the Renaissance, but
which fit perfectly with Baroque architectural concepts). The primary
focus of the design, besides ascending the hill, was the optimization
of the views from the steps, so symmetry was bypassed in favor of the
best angle for views as one entered or exited a section of the staircase.

Spanish Steps 7925
1500 x 1092 (553 KB)

The requisite dramatic low-angle shot. Taken in the early morning, as this is the only time
when the Spanish Steps are not crowded with hordes of people moving from Trinita dei Monti
to Piazza di Spagna. In the background is the famous Babington’s Tea Room, founded by two
English ladies in 1893 to cater to the English people in Rome. At the time, tea was only able
to be bought in pharmacies. It is a favorite meeting place of artists, writers, and actors.
Even the occasional politician can be seen there, partaking of the food and the tea.

Spanish Steps 7926
1500 x 1092 (591 KB)

The Spanish Steps, seen from the base in Piazza di Spagna.
At the far right is the Keats-Shelley house, where the English poet
John Keats lived the final four months of his life (d. 1821 of tuberculosis).
Keats-Shelley House holds what is probably the world’s largest collection
of memorabilia, letters, manuscripts, first editions, etc. of Keats, his friends
Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and other Romantic and Victorian poets.

The Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna were named for the Spanish Embassy
which opened in Palazzo Spagna in 1647 and which still exists today. The architecture
of the area was part of the urban planning campaign of Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590), who
in a short time initiated projects which transformed Rome (continued by the later Popes).

The Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti) is the widest staircase in Europe.
Atop the Spanish Steps stands the Sallustiano Obelisk, brought to Rome by the historian
Sallustius, where he had Roman masons carve a copy of the hieroglyphs on the Flaminio
Obelisk (which now stands in the nearby Piazza del Popolo). He erected it in the Gardens
of Sallust (Horti Sallustiani). The obelisk was moved to its current location by Pius VI (1789).

In 1986, the first McDonald’s in Italy was opened near the Spanish Steps, and caused such a
controversy against fast food that Carlo Petrini founded the international Slow Food movement.

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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Rome Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to the Galleries with images on this Page:

Bridges, Fountains and Street Scenes
Rome: Scenic Views (Panoramas)
Rome: Buskers and other People

There are a number of images in this section that are not yet on the Photoshelter site.
If an image you want is not yet uploaded, contact Ron Reznick (info at bottom of page).

There are 18 Galleries in the Photoshelter Rome Collection

Sunset Views from the Aventine Hill

Capitoline Sunset from Aventine 6897M
1626 x 1011 (613 KB)

The view at sunset from the Orange Garden at Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill.

The view is from the Tiber River and Forum Boarium on the left, the Tarpeian Rock,
Monte Caprino and the Capitoline Hill in the center (dominated by il Vittoriano),
and in the right center the bell tower of Santa Francesca Romana at the
Temple of Venus and Roma, and along the same line in the left
background the Torre dei Milizie behind Trajan’s Market.

Capitoline Sunset from Aventine 6893
1500 x 1092 (668 KB)

Another view of the same scene from the Orange Garden but shifted more to the right.
The Giardino degli Aranci is in a 10th c. fortress originally built by the Crescenzi family,
which was then reinforced by the Savelli family in the 1280s. Another name for the garden
is Parco Savello, from the family name. The Savelli gave their fortress to the Dominicans
of Santa Sabina, who in 1932 created a public park to share the view with other people.

Through the Keyhole 6906
800 x 1290 (343 KB)

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta owns a building just down the hill from Giardino degli Aranci
at Parco Savello. As a sovereignty, this view through the keyhole of their building allows you to see
across three sovereign nations: The Sovereignty of the Knights of Malta; Italy; and the Vatican (the
view past the rows of trees is St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, which is also a sovereign country).

Rome at Dusk from Janiculum Hill M
1800 x 900 (488 KB)

After the keyhole shot, we scooted off of the Aventine Hill to get to the Gianicolo
as quickly as possible before it got dark. The Gianicolo (Janiculum) Hill is across
the Tiber, and while it is the second highest hill in Rome, it is not one of the famous
seven hills of Rome as it was outside the city walls, but it offers the best panoramic
views of the entire city. Above, below the balloon is the Villa Medici and the dome
of San Carlo al Corso. The large dome at center left is Sant’Agnese in Agone in
Piazza Navona. Dead center is the dome of the Pantheon and in the distant
center background is the Quirinal Palace. The domes at center right are
SS Nome di Maria and Santa Maria di Loreto, then Torre delle Milizie
behind Trajan’s Market and of course on the right is the Vittoriano.

Janiculum Dusk View LG
2000 x 966 (604 KB)

The two-shot pano above shows just over 40% of the left side of the scene
in the previous two-shot, it is wider as well to show detail. This image ranges
from the Villa Medici (with the Dome of San Carlo al Corso) directly below the
balloon, across to the dome of Sant’Agnese in Agone at Piazza Navona, center
 right. In the center foreground is Santa Maria in Vallicella and San Filippo Neri.
In the background from center left to the right is the Trevi section of Rome,

Janiculum View 6928
1600 x 990 (549 KB)

This one-shot gives you about 60% of the scene on the left side of Dusk View LG,
from the Villa Medici on the left to Santa Maria in Valicella and San Filippo Neri on
the right, again with quite a bit more detail. Here, we are essentially looking at the
area from Piazza di Spagna across to the corner of the Quirinal Palace in Trevi.

I have to say that figuring out identifications on buildings from the
rooflines of a city that you have not lived in is an interesting challenge.

Janiculum View 6924
1600 x 810 (428 KB)

This image shows about 30% of the right side of the scene in Rome at Dusk M.
The Dusk View LG and this would go together if we had the whole Quirinal Palace.
On the far left are the Scuderi (Stables) of the Quirinal Palace. The foreground
dome on the left is the church of Sant’Andrea della Valle (Theatines). To its
right is Chiesa del Gesu, then Torre delle Milizie (always moving toward
the background), and on the right is il Vittoriano, with the dome of the
Church of San Carlo ai Catinari (Borromeus) in the foreground.

Justice Force and Law Palace of Justice 8012
1500 x 1092 (476 KB)

Justice Between Force and the Law by Enrico Quattrini.

The Palazzo di Giustizia is the Supreme Court of Cassation of Italy. The building is an
enormous structure covered in travertine, with what many consider to be an excess of
decoration and statues, however, this sculpture group over the main door is striking.
The excessive use of travertine and the monumental scale of the building caused
problems with cracks due to sinking into clay below the foundation concrete.
This required almost immediate repairs after completion of the building
in 1910, and significant restoration work beginning in 1970. The
structure’s unusual size and decoration and the 30 year
process of construction promoted accusations of
corruption led to a parliamentary inquiry in 1912.

Lantern Palace of Justice 8004
752 x 1290 (303 KB)

Night under the Arches 8443
808 x 1290 (410 KB)

A couple descending stairs down to the Tiber at night.

Hospital Santo Spirito Sassia 8038
794 x 1290 (431 KB)

One of the oldest hospitals in Europe, the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia was originally founded as a hospice and shelter for Saxon pilgrims in 727. At the end of the 12th century, Pope Innocent III founded the hospital and entrusted the organization to the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, enlarging the old hospice between 1198-1200.

Hospital Santo Spirito Sassia 8043
795 x 1290 (249 KB)

When the building erected by Innocent III burned in a fire, Pope Sixtus IV built the structure you see today in 1478. This is the Renaissance-style groin-vaulted colonnade designed by Baccio Pontelli, inside of the Old Ward in Sistine Lane shown in the previous image. The old hospital was converted to a convention center after the new hospital was built.

Trevi Apothecary 7504
1600 x 1050 (410 KB)

The Farmacia Pesci (founded in 1552) is in the
Palazzo Castellani on the east side of the Piazza,
next to Trevi Fountain. While waiting for the mauve
light of sunset to hit the gap in the overcast and
light the fountain, I popped in here to shoot
this display. I thought it looked cool.

Rome Printers Museum 7508
1500 x 1110 (336 KB)

Also near the Trevi Fountain is a small Printers Museum in the Palazzo della Stamperia. The image above shows some early 19th century printing machinery that I thought you might find of interest (especially the three-legged wheel on the Hopkinson and Cope press in the center).

Palazzo Barberini Gatepost 6401
779 x 1290 (467 KB)

On Via delle Quattro Fontane is Palazzo Barberini,
begun by Carlo Maderno in 1625 and completed by
GianLorenzo Bernini after Maderno’s death in 1629
(Bernini finished the project in 1633). I was on my
way to the Trevi Fountain at the time, but the
scene with the gateposts had to be shot.

Palazzo Barberini Gatepost 7899
795 x 1290 (427 KB)

During an early morning excursion to the
Spanish Steps, I passed the Palazzo Barberini
again, and the combination of early morning light
and Bernini’s gateposts against the blue sky
stopped me for another shot, this one
taken from a much lower angle.

1938 Fiat 1500 7522
1500 x 1155 (536 KB)

While walking past the Viminale Palace (which houses the Ministry of the Interior) on my way to Santa Maria Maggiore, I saw this 1938 Fiat 1500 parked in Piazza Viminale in front of the fountain. Not something you see every day. This is either the A or B (no major difference other than better brakes).

1938 Fiat 1500 7526
1500 x 1092 (530 KB)

The Fiat 1500 was introduced in 1935, and was the second car to be wind tunnel tested after the 1934 Chrysler Airflow. It had a new 6 cylinder 1493cc OHV engine (45hp), but what  interested a lot of people was the body. The doors opened 90 degrees (from the center, so the rear was a suicide door), and there was no central pillar, allowing easy access to the rear.

Street Mime Colosseum 6692, 6697
1475 x 1200 (437 KB)

Composite will open in a second window or tab.

There are a number of street performers at or near the major tourist spots in Rome.
Some are buskers, a fairly large number are costumed characters, including some
young women who pretend to be old, stooped and poor, covering themselves in
ragged clothes, hood and gloves and asking for alms. Watch out for those.
Then, there are the creative ones, like this mime I encountered near the
 Colosseum. She strapped herself to a light post and performed.

Street Mime Colosseum 6698
1500 x 1092 (359 KB)

Her fluid movements, aided by balancing her weight against the straps, and
her even more fluid facial expressions were intoxicating. I stopped and took
a set of shots, and she proved to be a superb model. These are just a few
 of the images (she was really good, constantly changing her expression).
After a while, I gave her 10 euros and said goodbye. Her expression at
the end and her farewell was perfect. Two of the images are below.

Street Mime Farewell Colosseum
1475 x 1200 (395 KB)

Composite will open in a second window or tab.

I am not usually a fan of the art of mime, but this lady was special.
I am not posting any other images of street performers (although
there are a few in the Photoshelter Galleries). however, as I said,
she was special, and I thought you’d like these as much as I did.

— Return to the top of this page —

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Rome Collections page where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to the Galleries with images on this Page:

Bridges, Fountains and Street Scenes
Rome: Scenic Views (Panoramas)
Rome: Buskers and other People

There are a number of images in this section that are not yet on the Photoshelter site.
If an image you want is not yet uploaded, contact Ron Reznick (info at bottom of page).

There are 18 Galleries in the Photoshelter Rome Collection

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