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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Crossing the threshold of the venerable University of Rome, I feel humble and overwhelmed. The dreamy thoughts are, however, quickly swayed by the pragmatic details of the formal application for enrollment, payment of admission tax and first installment of tuition fees, photograph to be pasted on the membership card, schedule of law courses, list of books.
It is time for luncheon, or rather dinner. Papa suggests a little “osteria,” a popular tavern in the vicinity. We enjoy there a succulent meal, aspersed with flavorous Frascati wine, at a very moderate charge. We are ready for a fresh start. I am anxious to see the Tiber and the Vatican which are not far from the osteria.
In less time than expected. I am looking into the murky, yellow waters of the historical river, which Horace glorified as the blond river, “flavus Tiberis.” Papa tempers my disappointment by explaining that the river is more turbid than usual, owing to recent heavy rains. The width of the Tiber is a couple hundred feet and the depth, I understand, varies from 20 to 30 feet.
My spirit is lifted when I stand on the famous bridge, Ponte St. Angelo, with a row of imposing statues of Angels on each side. The view up and down is beyond description. At the far end of the bridge is the heavy mass of Castle St. Angelo, the original tomb of Hadrian and his family, converted into a fortress when the Goths invaded Rome. Damaged, reconstructed and held by various Popes, one of whom built an underground passage connected the Castle with the Vatican, it is now a sight for tourists.
Leaving Castle St. Angelo and turning left of Borgo Nuovo, after a short walk, we are on Piazza Rusticucci, which is like a front courtyard to the magnificent Piazza S. Pietro. An ellipse of colonnades, enclosed the piazza. A slender Obelisk in the center and a tall fountain on each side…
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…form the foreground of St. Peter’s Church. The stupendous conception, the harmony and mellowness of this architectural masterpiece are ever-present in my mind.
In depth, the colonnades consist of four columns, each about 30 inches in diameter. They are so perfectly aligned that, standing on either focus of the ellipse – marked by a round slab or marble – you can only see the front columns and not a hair of the others.
The original small church was founded by Emperor Constantine, the first emperor to accept the Christian religion, and it is said to have been erected on the site of the Circus of Nero, where St. Peter suffered martyrdom. In the fifteenth century Pope Julius II decided to rebuild a monumental church, worthy of the catholicity of the Christian faith.
There is a rather common belief that St. Peter’s Church was designed by Michaelangelo. The fact is that, in a competition of all the known architects of the time, Bramante was the one selected for the project. After Bramante’s death, there were many changes from the first plan which was, in the end, revised and expanded by Michaelangelo, particularly in the construction of the Dome, which rises more than 300 feet above the roof of the Church and is said to have the same approximate dimensions of the Pantheon.
Before his death (1564), Michaelangelo made full details and models of the work to be completed. The church was consecrated in 1626. Its area is about 18,000 sq. yds. and the nearest to it is the cathedral of Milan with 10,000 sq. yds. On the floor, as you enter the church, you see noted in the bronze the depths of other large churches in the world.
The interior of St. Peter’s Church is striking for its symmetry and balance which tend to visually reduce its vastness. But, the marbles and gold, emphasized by rather strong light, are a little distracting.
Several hours pass in our superficial inspection of the basilica. Worth noting is a bronze sitting statue of St. Peter, whose right tow is considerable worn out by the kisses of millions upon million of devotees.
We ascend by many flights of steps to the inner gallery of the Dome and are spellbound by the view of the whole interior of the church. People below look like pygmies. The upper part of the Dome is decorated with immense mosaics of the Evangelists. Between the inner and outer…
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…dome is a staircase leading to a railed platform, from where we enjoy a full view of the church exteriors, the Vatican gardens, and of all the vast surroundings.
It is quite late when we walk out and I am little befogged. We take a tramway (street car), transfer once or twice and are back at Via Sicilia, in time for supper. In the evening, I try to organize my school program and make a preliminary choice of the courses to follow, selecting mostly morning classes, as I desire to devote the afternoons to my acquaintance with Rome, which tempts me now more than the study of law.
Next: Chapter 16
