Curious Traveler

As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day. From ancient times, through medieval, on through the incredible Renaissance, as you meander through the alleyways, and incredible piazzas here in Rome, you can still get little tastes of each of those time periods still today. So, let the meandering, let the wandering, let the curiosity begin! Remember when you were a child, and all you asked was Why? Why? Why? Well, I never outgrew that whole quest for knowledge phase. In fact, I've made a career out of asking who, what, where, why, and how, as an arts and travel journalist for the past 20 years. So, if I have an insatiable curiosity about the exciting, inspiring, beautiful world of art, architecture, and hidden history all around us, I bet you do to. This isn't your typical what-to-do-on-a-vacation travel show. Oh, no, this is your all-access pass to a deeper understanding of the world's great art and architecture, people and places, history and how-did-they-do-thats? So, come along on our educational journey, our fieldtrip for grownups, who have never quite grown up, and learn, on Curious Traveler. (grand instrumental music) Roma! The Pantheon, the piazzas, the pizza, and the pastas. We will consume it all, but with our Curious Traveler twist. We know it's not enough to say, "Roma e bella!" We need to know, why is that there? And that there? And that there? Here's what I'm curious about in Rome. Why does this ancient structure make me feel like I'm standing at the center of the Universe? Why are there four half-naked dudes here? (child giggling) What is this odd-shaped building? And, why does this wall look suspicious? What's the deal with all the keys in this church? And, the most important curious question of all, how do you take in all of Rome's beauty? (speaking in foreign language) (fanfare music) Here is what is amazing about wandering the streets of Rome. Now, back in ancient times, this was all part of Hadrian's complex, and you still get the same experience today, so ancient people and modern people alike, got treated to this sight, the Pantheon. As Michelangelo called it, "Built by angels, not by men." Most people know that the word Pantheon means All Gods, a temple to all the gods of pagan Rome. -

Unseen Man

Ahh! There have been three versions of the Pantheon on this same spot. The first, by Marcus Agrippa. You can still see Me. Agrippa above the portico. The second by Domitian, and the third completed under Hadrian. Believe it or not, this is that very same building, nearly 2000 years later. Originally built in 27 B.C., and later rebuilt in 120 A.D., the Pantheon is a masterpiece in ancient Roman engineering. It also has set the standard for every other magnificent dome you've ever seen. Think I'm kidding? Brunelleschi was inspired to create his Duomo in Florence from it, and St. Peter's Basilica, also here in Rome, bears a remarkable resemblance to the dome here at the Pantheon. In fact, those creators liked it so much they borrowed a little something from the Pantheon, which we'll tell you about later. But the real ancient wonder is definitely still here, the legendary Pantheon Dome. Symbolizing the dome of heaven or the roundness of the Earth, yes, it is possible that ancient Romans already knew the Earth was round. You have all the different gods around you, as if you were in the center of this little mini Universe, or mini Earth. You've got it right. It's cosmic. - So cool. It is the cosmos. -

Christine

But how did earthly engineers build this heavenly dome? Well, think of a basketball inside a trashcan. Except, this basketball just happens to be 142 feet. Now, how do you make that stand up? The layers of concrete have a different mix, as they go up towards the oculus. And to create less stress towards the top, they use a special volcanic pumice called pozzolana, and it's lighter and stronger than any other concrete mix. You've got 5,000 tons of concrete in that dome. -

Christine

It's amazing. At the top is the nearly 30-foot wide oculus. It works like a keystone, to release some of the pressure so the dome doesn't cave in. Kind of important. Now, look around, see any light bulbs? Nope, the oculus is the only light source, but that's not all. Most people know that Pantheon means temple to all the gods, but did you know how the ancients believed all those gods got in here? Well, from that oculus, of course. It comes out of the Greek and Roman sort of religion, that you're building your temple to entice the pagan gods to come into the temple, to inhabit it. - Ahh, okay. So if you've got a big hole in the roof, - Right. Then they can, you know. - Come on in! Come on in! Oculus is Latin for eye. - Hello! So this is God's eye watching over us. So you better be good, for goodness sakes! (child giggling) And, here is my favorite theory, that the oculus light creates a massive sundial, kind of like a Roman Stonehenge. -

Unseen Man

Whoa! Hadrian was astrology crazy, and in fact, this goes all the way through the Christian papacy as well. The Sun, coming in through the oculus, hits various parts of the Pantheon, to record certain times of the year. -

Christine

So cool! -

Lauren

So especially, for example, the winter solstice, and the summer solstice. The segments of the Pantheon are 28 of the dome, and of course, this represents roughly the Lunar Year. Roughly 28 days in a lunar month. -

Unseen Man

Whoa! (monks chanting) -

Christine

From giant calendar to, "Can anyone give me directions to "Santa Maria ad Martyres Church?" Well, you're already standing in it. -

Unseen Man

Hmm? Back in ancient times, all these niches you see behind me, those held statues of pagan gods, but once, of course, the Pantheon was consecrated as a Christian church, today, you see Christian statues. Yes, in 609 A.D., the Pantheon was the first pagan temple in Rome to be consecrated as a Christian church. I love that part of history, where you have these pagan temples, these pagan monuments, and all of a sudden, "Oh, we'll put a cross on top of it. "It's now a Christian symbol." That's exactly what happened here. That's exactly what happened here to get rid of the demons. -

Christine

From a pagan temple, to a cosmic sundial, to a Christian church, the Pantheon has lived up to its name of all things to all gods, and its divine architecture has inspired the great monuments of the world, including one really important one here in Rome, that may have something to do with a "why isn't that there?" moment. -

Unseen Man

What is this? -

Christine

Parts of the Pantheon used to be covered in bronze, symbolizing the Sun, the heavens, the power of the Emperor. So, why isn't that there anymore? Follow me, I think I know where to find it. (quirky jazz guitar music) But first, a pit stop. I'm kinda thirsty. So, here in Rome it is of course all about seeing ancient history. But what about tasting ancient history? Well, you can do that too, at all these wonderful public water fountains. It's completely safe. It's really kinda cool as you fill your water bottle here, it's out of a spigot called a nasone, 'cause that is Italian for nose. Shaped like a little nose. (water splashing) Mmm... Deliciosa! Finding a nasone when you're thirsty, here in Rome, is nessun problema, no problem. Because while Romans were building the Pantheon, they were also building another engineering marvel, the Aqueduct. In true to Roman style, the end of the Aqueduct had to be stylish. No simple end of a water-hose here. Like the Trevi Fountain at the end of the Aqua Virgo. -

Unseen Man

Ahh! -

Christine

So let's follow the ancient Aqua Virgo through Rome to another famous fountain, and our next "Why is that there?" to the Pope's front yard. I hear he's having a pool party. (jovial accordion music) Piazza Navona, today, one of the most picturesque and popular piazzas in Rome. With artists, restaurants, and plenty of curious travelers. But once upon a time, you wouldn't stroll or dine here, you would either be racing on horseback or swimming. -

Unseen Man

Huh? Here's the curious history of Piazza Navona, or as ancient citizens called it, Domitian Stadium, or Circus Agonalis. It was the first stadium ever built in stone, here in Rome, by the Emperor Domitian. In 86 A.D. he had inaugurated a new series of celebrations for the god Jupiter. -

Christine

So now, as you look around, can you see that shape of the original racetrack? This was where racing happened and the buildings up around it, those are where the stadium seats were. Exactly, it was big enough to hold 30,000 spectators, so it was always a place for entertainment, really, it's just shifted slightly. (crowds cheering) -

Christine

And even better, there are still parts of that ancient stadium underneath. And we can see how the level of the ground was so much lower, and just look at how they used the blocks. The remains of this stadium in the basement of almost all the homes that are around the edge of the stadium. It's the same shape as it was over 19 centuries ago. -

Christine

By the 15th century, the stadium was paved over and became a marketplace, just like it is today. -

Unseen Woman

Hooray! -

Christine

In the 17th century, Pope Innocent X built his majestic Pamphilj Palace here, and he attached a family chapel to his not-so-humble home, the beautiful Sant'Agnese in Agone. -

Unseen Man

Ahh! So, after the Pope built himself this beautiful church and palace, what to put in his front yard, to cap it all off? A tacky pink flamingo? A little gnome? I don't think so. Instead, he built the very famous Fountain of the Four Rivers. (choral chanting) Behold, the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, by Bernini, the opening to the Aqua Virgo that we've been looking for. -

Unseen Man

Ta-dah! -

Christine

What's up with all these half-naked dudes? Well, these massive male sculptures aren't just here to flex their muscles. They're each a symbol of the four continents and rivers. -

Unseen Man

Hmm? -

Christine

Yeah, renaissance geographers only knew of four back then. -

Unseen Man

Oh. -

Christine

Asia holds an oar, showing the navigability of the Ganges. Europe holds the papal coat of arms, showing Europe's loyalty to the Church. Africa has a wrap around his head, signifying that the head or beginning of the Nile was undiscovered. America sits on a pile of coins, showing its wealth of resources, as in the wealthy that Europe could take from the Americas. (cash register trills) In the center is an obelisk, with a papal dove on top. This is a symbol of the Pope's power, so of course all the continents are leaning back in reverence. (angelic choir chants) This idea of the four continents which was the world, meaning that his power expanded as the Pope of the Universal Church far beyond the boundaries of Rome itself. But there's a lighter, funnier legend about the fountain too. See how America is shielding his head? -

Unseen Man

Huh? The story says he is protecting himself in case the Church suddenly falls down. No, seriously, why? Well, Bernini's archrival Borromini designed the Church, so this was the 17th century's version of trash talk. Next, care for a swim? Well, once upon a time, you could dive on into the Lago di Piazza Navona. Where is this Piazza Navona lake? You're standing in it. If we were standing here, and correct me if I'm wrong, standing here maybe in the 1400s, our feet would be wet. That's exactly right, because they used to flood it. They'd have naval battles, they'd have fun for the people, and you could even swim on the hot days. -

Christine

So, Romans splashed about until around 1870, when Piazza Navona was repaved in the Sampietrini style, a convex shape that forced the water to drain off. -

Unseen Man

Oh. -

Christine

Pool party poopers. Next, from one pope's villa to another. Time to take a passiagetta on over to a famous Roman castle, I mean fortress, I mean tomb. Well, it's kind of all of the above. Before the Pope lived here, the popes lived here, part-time, at Castel Sant'Angelo. But Papa wasn't the first resident here. No, not at all. The first resident was a dead emperor. Hadrian, the same dude who built that Pantheon we love. -

Unseen Man

Ah! -

Christine

He built his mausoleum here around 135 A.D., but where is it? -

Unseen Man

Hmm. When you look at the image of the castle, there's a part where it really, really looks like a castle which is the top brick part, that ends with the angel. In between that and the ground, there is a rough stone kind of area, that belongs to the time when it was a tomb for Hadrian and his family. -

Christine

But why build a mausoleum here, on the opposite side of the river, away from the city. - Huh? In the Roman world, it was forbidden to bury folks inside the city walls, so he was technically outside the city walls here. -

Christine

The next layer of our cake marks the time when Castel Sant'Angelo was used as a military fortress, and for that, we add some shoulders. Not the bad shoulder pads of the 1980s, but some heavy, foreboding concrete shoulders of the 1480s. That's Alexander VI, who is going to build these four bastions or towers, at each corner of the surrounding square protective wall, and he finesses the end of the sort of castle shoulders Yeah. - Of the mausoleum, around 1480-something, 1492, the time of Columbus. And he was very concerned about war. -

Christine

Next, why is it called Castel Sant'Angelo, Castle of the Angels? Well, because of a divine vision of the Archangel Michael, in 590 A.D. by St Gregory the Great, trying to save his people from the plague. So he conducted a series of processions for three days, up to the point where this bridge begins. Okay. - And the accounts are that on that day, he and a group of people near him, probably some of them monks and nuns, saw the angel there, so the sculpture marks that vision. -

Christine

But why is the angel's sword pointing downward? - Huh? -

Christine

He is putting his sword back in its sheath, or at rest, meaning the plague was over. But there's another theory too. While that is one explanation, that the angel was put there to mark the end of an epidemic, there is also the sense that the angel marks the christening of pagan Rome, - Ahh! as Christian Rome and it begins the story of medieval Holy Roman Empire. -

Christine

And what safer place for a pope, than at the top of this fortress castle, close to an angel, ready to protect with his sword. So, for the icing on our cake, Castel Sant'Angelo becomes a regal papal apartment. That little balcony that we see there, with the two columns belongs to the papal apartment of Julius II, who was Michelangelo's friend and patron, that asked him to paint the frescos of the Cistine Chapel ceiling. It was like a penthouse. It is a penthouse, the penthouse suite. (angels singing) And leading up to this beautiful penthouse suite slash castle, slash fortress, is the beautiful Ponte Sant'Angelo. It's adorned with heavenly angels, designed by Bernini, who did that Fountain of the Four Rivers we've already seen. - Mm. -

Christine

But there's more than one way to get to the castle. You just can't see it, unless you're the Pope. My favorite part about Castel Sant'Angelo and probably for a lot of other people too, is the secret passageway between St. Peter's Basilica-- It's a wall, that you see, that has little tiny vertical openings that let in air and light, for the people passing in this corridor, that's actually a little bit elevated from ground level, and that takes the pope and whoever was in his entourage back and forth. So everyone else on the ground, on the street level, thought it was just a wall. Yeah, except those in, - In the know. On the inside, yeah. The inside, the inside folks. But why is the Passetto di Borgo here? -

Unseen Man

Huh? -

Christine

Well, the wall was built in ancient times, but the secret passageway was added in the Middle Ages, just in case some bad guys came to the Vatican for a not-so-friendly visit, and the Pope tried to make a run for it. -

Pope

Oh no! (swords clashing) -

Christine

So let's follow that secret passageway from Castel Sant'Angelo to the home of today's Pope, and the most magnificent spectacle in Rome. Cue the angelic music, it is time for... We have truly saved the best for last. The ultimate, the magnificent, the happiest place on Earth. No, not Disneyworld, St. Peter's Basilica. Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, Bernini, these are just some of the legendary names that helped to create the beautiful, the magnificent St. Peter's Basilica. The one you see today is actually the second church, built atop the first. This one was built 1506 and 1626, and yes, it really does take that long to build something this magnificent. Let's get curious about why this magnificent basilica is here in the first place. This, where we're actually standing right now, this was Nero's Circus, which was basically a racetrack, right? It was his private racetrack. He liked to do chariot racing. His villa was here. -

Christine

So, why build a church on top of Nero's racetrack? Well, because under Nero's reign, this is where St. Peter is believed to have been crucified. So, Constantine chooses to build a magnificent structure to commemorate St. Peter, a representative of the new God in town, which is Christ, and it is a magnificent structure. -

Christine

But why does the Pope live here? -

Unseen Man

Hm. Jesus named Peter the first teacher or pope, so that's why, to this day, the popes live and teach from here. -

Unseen Man

Ah! (choral chanting) -

Christine

Also, Peter, or Petra, means rock, the rock that the church will be built upon, and what a church it is. But one that took some serious time to build. There was a lot of strife going on over who was going to get commissioned to do the design. Well, it starts off being the architectural baby of Donato Bramante, and his design basis was, he wanted to place the dome of the Pantheon over the Temple of Peace, so he had this grand vision, a circular-planned church, a kind of new Pantheon for a new God. -

Christine

Then, Michelangelo expanded on that design, then Maderno extended the nave. The entire length of the Basilica is about two football fields long. Hail Mary, indeed. And in the center is our next glorious "Why is that there?" Remember how we said there was some bronze missing from the Pantheon? Well, I think I've found it. It's all thanks to Romans' unique view on, let's call it, recycling. That's right, the bronze from the ancient Pantheon is right here at St. Peter's Basilica. Now this, of course, is just one of the many theories of where all that ancient bronze went to, but what a curious theory indeed? Pope Urban VIII Barberini, he takes the bronze from the roof of the portico and gives it to the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini. -

Christine

Hard to believe anyone would destroy one masterpiece to build another, but this happened all the time in Rome. (speaking in foreign language) What the Barbarians didn't do, the Barberini did. Did, amazing. So what is this incredible structure made out of stolen Pantheon bronze? The Baldacchino. So, what is a baldacchino? Well, it's a canopy to shelter the pope as he was carted around, kind of like the original Popemobile (child giggles) only this canopy is made out of multiple tons of bronze, and is almost 10 stories high, so no, I don't think this one is exactly mobile. This monumental scale was intended to make us feel tiny, at the foot of God. Mission accomplished. So, why is it here? - Hmm. Because it still shelters a pope, the original pope, St. Peter, whose tomb is below. And some say the columns are modeled after Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and there's four to represent the four evangelists. Together, this symbolizes the Old Testament uniting with the New. -

Unseen Man

Whoa! -

Christine

Now, follow those columns up to Michelangelo's dome above. Michelangelo, his comment on the Pantheon, was that it was designed by angels, and not by men. The dome of St. Peter's, which he made 1.5 feet less than the Pantheon, out of respect for this incredible engineering from the Roman world. And so it's a true tribute. He said, "I'm not gonna compete with it, "I'm not going to outdo it, "I'm going to be inspired by it, "but still respect it." It is his tribute. -

Christine

But here, instead of a Pantheon-style oculus for pagan gods, there's the Christian version with a vision of heaven. There's also 16 massive windows up here. -

Unseen Man

Huh? -

Christine

What's so interesting about a couple of windows? Look how the rays stream onto the religious works below. These are called crepuscular rays, meaning sunrays or God's rays. They happen in nature all the time, and wise architects like Michelangelo created them for divine effect within churches like St. Peter's. How cool. Next, we climb even higher for an amazing view of St. Peter's Square. But wait, why isn't it in the shape of a square? Hm. - It has something to do with all these keys everywhere. -

Unseen Man

Huh? (angelic music) The key to all these keys is right here, under the balcony. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to Peter, "I will give you the keys "to the Kingdom of Heaven." -

Unseen Man

Ah! So now, look again, at that not-so-square St. Peter's Square, and you will see the biggest key of all. But wait, there's more. So, down here, in St. Peter's Square, you can see how all the columns stretch around to form the shape of a key. It also is in the shape of kind of a hug, right? Well, that was intentional, supposed to be the mother's arms welcoming all who come inside. (gentle guitar music) So, what is the key to truly experiencing and immersing in Rome? By being curious about the connections between an ancient engineering marvel built by a Roman emperor, to his final resting place, which became a palace for the pope that led us to the current Pope palace, which was inspired by that original ancient dome, even if it borrowed some of its raw materials. By walking a bridge of angels designed by the same artist who created this canopy, and this fountain, that represented the world and its rivers that sometimes overflowed into an ancient sport stadium, and then following that ancient waterway to other glorious Roman fountains, or humble ones, to drink in all that ancient history. No matter where you wander in Rome, the key is to always be curious. Thank you for joining us on our educational journey and hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why and how of Rome, as they say here in Rome, "A presto, ciao!" When in Rome, it's very important not to run over the nuns. Very important. Very importante, so, in Italian? (speaking in foreign language) What he said. (chuckling) (gentle guitar music) -

Christine

Still curious? Go to curioustravelerTV.com, and follow us on Facebook, @CuriousTravelerTV, on Twitter @ CuriousTravTV and on Instagram, @CuriousTravelerTV (jazz guitar music)