Friday, October 15, 2010
Footsteps: Journey Of An Artist "When In Rome (Roma, Italia)"
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Podcast Episode Summary
Another 6:30 wake up call and another wicked buffet style breakfast. Bright eyed and bushy tailed Josko is all amped and rearing to go so we hop on the tour bus and get a ride to the first stop of the day, Rome round two. Nestled in a quiet corner of Rome amongst the fresh cut grass and elegant flower smells along with the harmonic sound of birds is The Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. This is one of four churches that are the great ancient major basilicas or papal basilicas of Rome: the basilicas of St. John Lateran, which is stop number two, St. Mary Major or Maggiore and St. Peter's, both of which we saw previously are the other three. The basilica was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Saint Paul, where it was said that, after the Apostle's execution, his followers erected a memorial, called a cella memoriae. St. Paul is the largest church in the city after St. Peter's. On July 1823 it was almost completely destroyed, along with it's inestimable artistic treasures by a fire. It was rebuilt in 1823-29. The facade decorated with large mosaics is preceded by a large four sided arcade. The interior, vast and majestic consists of a nave and four isles delimited by 80 huge monolithic columns. Amongst it's beautiful early 13th century Cloister the basilica contains a number of precious works of art. The13th century mosaic in the aspe representing Christ and the Apostles for example. We walk through the Porta San Giovanni, a gate in the Aurelian Wall of Rome named after the nearby Basilica of Saint John Lantern. Against the skyline 15 statues of Christ and flanking saints is on the top facade of St. John Lantern, second only to St. Peter's in importance. It was erected at the beginning of the 4th century over an area of the family palace of the Laterani donated to the church by the emperor Constantine. Damaged by fires and earthquakes, sacked during the barbarian invasions, the basilica has been continuously reconstructed, enlarged and enriched with precious decorations and works of art. In the building on the other side of the piazza is the Scala Santa. This staicase according to tradition was ascended by Christ on his way to be judged by Pontius Pilate. The portrait of Jesus above the altar was thought to have been begun by St. Luke and finished by an angel earning it the name 'picture made without hands' However there's something rather immoral about the Pope Bennidict bobble heads sold by the vendor in front of the Scala Santa. Josko is a genius taking us to the four major basilica's of Rome. Feeling happy we march through the streets of Roma in which case I thought the Italian national anthem would be fitting. It is hard to describe the surreal feeling of walking down the street, turning a corner and seeing the colosseum in the distance. Seeing it as a backdrop to a much more modern civilization is crazy like, who dropped this old building in the middle of the city. Once you get used to the weirdness, it all sorta works, it fits, it's phenomenal... To say the least. The elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city and the largest and greatest works in architecture ever built by the Roman Empire. It's construction started between 70 and 72 AD and was capable of seating 50,000 spectators ready to watch gladiatorial contests, public spectacles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles and dramas based on Classical mythology. Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, still with connections to the Roman Catholic Church. Speaking of stone-robbers, we went down to take some pictures of the Arc of Constantine and coming back we ran into some drunk Roman guards. After some rude jokes about black people having huge genitals and some pictures all in good fun, they asked me for 20 euros...are you phukked. They got offended. Goga was ready to take them inside the Colosseum and bitch slap them like Russel Crow did in Gladiator. I pulled Goga back gave them 5 euros and told them to phukk off before I slit there throats with their plastic swords. Shit, must be left over energy from the ghosts of gladiators past floating around this place. Before they brought more guards we dipped out and headed to The Basilica of Saint Clement. This is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement. Three phases of Rome's long religious history lie layered one above another. The first is encapsulated by a peerless medieval church (1108-1130), beneath which lies a second older church, founded in 392. Below this again extend the ruins of a temple dedicated to one of Rome's must important pre-Christian cults. Next was San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) which is a minor basilica best known for being the home of St. Peter's chains allegedly used to bind St. Peter in Jerusa
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