Capitoline Hill and Obelisks!

We began the day at the usually time, meeting at the usual place, 9am at the portone. In the Campo di Fiori, Henry opened his presentation on obelisks to kick start to morning. We then followed Lisa and Junko to the Capitoline Hill for Junko’s presentation. Midway up the hill, we discussed how the stairs looked more like a slanted ramp. The omission of step-stairs allows horses to climb up the ascension quickly (possibly more useful a few centuries ago). At the top, she described Michelangelo’s reconstruction of the space and a brief history. We learned the ideas to rebuild the space emerged after the sack of Rome in 1527, under Pope Paul III. He wanted to impress the emperor with the remodeling by invoking the ancient glory of Rome.


The stairs to the top feel grandly welcoming and the open space above really draws in attention. Two large statues of Romulus and Remus frame the ascension. Junko pointed out their distinctive egg-shaped heads as a defining trait of the twins. These figures along with the area itself point out to the Vatican. The floor of the piazza contains dark and light tiles creating a twelve-pointed star that radiates attention to its center, but also draws viewers out as their eyes follow each leg to a point. The center represents this hill, and especially Rome, as the “belly button” or center of the world. Michelangelo went as far as creating another building to make a more symmetric space. Although the ‘square’ is not a true square but a trapezoid the overall feeling still emanates harmony. He also created emphasis in upper levels with the use of columns. Another typical Michelangelo attribute is the large cornices along the upper rim of the buildings.

The oldest museum in the world sits on this hill. It contains numerous bronze statues, rarities that didn’t melt down into cannons during wartime. Equally curious, is the bronze statue in the middle of the piazza. Supposedly the statue portrays Marcus Aurelius but in the past people have thought and/or mistaken it for Constantine.

Afterwards, Henry led to group to Piazza Quiranale as he resumed his presentation on the obelisks of Rome. During his introduction the topic, he stated some of the main characteristics that define an obelisk. They must be square, monolithic, have a tapering shaft, has to have a pyramidian with a sixty degree crown atop, must be solid not hollow, and should be one large piece of stone. Originally, the tops were made of gold and shone to look like appoint of light, like rays of the sun.

Thirteen obelisks mark the Roman horizon. Sixtus V and Pious VI ordered the creation and transportation of the majority of them. The placement of these obelisks seems random at first but most are placed in sight of another obelisk. This creates another level of connection and unity within the city while simultaneously beautifying it. As years past, the structures changed in significance. They have ranged from remembrance, to Christianity. After this obelisk we walked over to the Piazza Navona and studied the one atop Bernini’s fountain.

In the afternoon, we attended Italian class. Our teachers showed enthusiasm as always. This lesson centered around conversation when ordering food, common vocabulary and conjugating verbs. One of my favorite words of the day was pranzare, meaning “to have lunch” (something I’m glad I did before class with all that food vocabulary!).


After class we had a few hours to spare before a 7pm reconvening for an antipasti potluck at Lisa’s apartment. Due to weather, the location moved to Shawn’s apartment in the Rome Center. Each apartment did a great job in preparing food for the group. The girls in the Campo apartment brought cantaloupe melon and prosciutto, the Rome Center apartment made tomato and artichoke bruschetta, the Trastevere girls added cookies and Nutella, and the Trastevere boys contributed pizza Bianca with pesto, salad, and lettuce with fresh figs and walnuts.

During the night, Henery decided to impress us with his artistic vision and made a very convincing portrait of Joel. The night kept our stomachs satisfied alongside very entertaining company!

Ciao Tutti!
Susie