Orchestra Italiano | Part 4, Taming of the Waters

Monday, April 1, 2024: Pizza Forum

After exploring the Coloseum and working up all of that sympathetic hunger on behalf of the gladiators who once fought there, Kristy, The Bear, Izzy, Mark, Dena, Luke, Yana, Zhenya, and I found lunch across the street from the Ludus Magnus at Pizza Forum. I was vaguely concerned by the touristy name of the restaurant, but it came highly recommended and the food was excellent.

I took this picture explicitly for my "pizza-snob" friend Scott!

Some of us went for the obvious choices. I had pizza. When ordering something that is actually in the name of the establishment, it had better be good and it was.

Luke went with something...more aquatic. I think that he was expecting cuisine more akin to a Gorton's fish fillet rather than something sporting eyes that had been in use until quite recently. After some careful dissection, Luke indicated that it was quite good! (And good on him for managing the unexpected so well.)

The Bear, on the other hand, spent most of lunch pointedly not looking at Luke's plate. This might stand as the most unintentionally hilarious photo I took on the entire trip.

Photo by Dena.

But all three young musicians survived their lunches with smiles (mostly) and were ready for more exploration of Rome in the afternoon.

"No One Expects the Spanish ... Steps?"

Comprising thirty-five steps up a steep rise from the Piazza di Spagna (named for the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See) and the Piazza Trinità dei Monti (home to a late Renaissance church currently standing on French state property), the famous Spanish Steps were opened in 1725.

At the top of the steps, in the Piazza Trinità dei Monti, stands the Obelisco Sallustiano, a Roman-produced copy of an Egyptian obelisk. Evidently, when the Romans weren't stealing antiquities from Egypt, they expressed their admiration for Egyptian culture by making knock-offs.

Founded by Louis XII of France and consecrated in 1585, the Trinità dei Monti church towers over the Spanish Steps. Before the steps were built, a steep forested rise separated the Piazza di Spagna from the church.

Stepping Lightly

Photo by Dena.

Partway down the steps, Ben, Luke, Izzy, The Bear, me, and Kristy paused for a photo-op.

As we peered down the Spanish Steps, it was clear that the Piazza di Spagna was a popular gathering point.

The Bear exercised her extensive Latin knowledge (we are not making this up!) to translate the inscription for Izzy and Luke. Izzy and Luke rubbed their chins in a silent demonstration of awe.

The Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Longboat) at the base of the Spanish Steps dates back to the 17th century. Fountains were essential public works in ancient Rome because they were a source of clean water for the inhabitants.

Three Roads

No mere "bubbler", the world famous Trevi Fountain marks the end of the Acqua Vergine, the restored version of an ancient Roman aqueduct that brought fresh water to the city for over 400 years. The fountain is named for its placement at the intersection of three roads ("tre vie"). (This made me laugh out loud when I learned it. I had assumed for years that Trevi was a family name.) The ostentatious fountain features a tableau depicting the taming of the waters and undeniably stands as one of the most famous water-spewing structures ever conceived.

They say that tossing a coin into the fountain while turning away from it will guarantee one's return to the fountain. But I first visited the fountain in 2011 and needed no coin toss to bring me back, just a delightfully talented oboist in the house.

Who are you looking at?

To say that the Trevi Fountain is a popular tourist destination is something of an understatement. I had not experienced such a dense crush of humanity since I made the mistake visiting the Christmas tree in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza at the end of 2023, an unfortunate errand that almost made me late for a Broadway show.

Stolen Antiquities

From the Trevi Fountain, we proceeded to the Piazza della Rotonda, the site of the Roman Pantheon.

Unlike the copycat obelisk at the Trinità dei Monti church, the obelisk in the Piazza della Rotunda is a genuine Egyptian artifact first fashioned under the direction of Pharaoh Ramesses II who ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1213 BCE. This is probably the oldest artifact we saw in all of Rome.

During a 2011 walking tour of Rome, a snarky Canadian tour guide called our attention to this very obelisk, noting the inscribed name of Pope Clement XI whom he described as liking "to put his name on other people's shit." Originally constructed for the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis, the obelisk was Christianized by slapping a crucifix on its apex.

Putting aside coopted Egyptian artifacts, the most significant feature in the Piazza della Rotonda is the Pantheon. It dates approximately to the year 125 CE when it was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian (the guy associated with The Wall centuries before Roger Waters was born) to replace an older temple that burned down. The Roman Pantheon was a temple built in tribute to all gods. (Or at least those within a Roman view of acceptable deities; it was hardly your airport's non-denominational chapel.) It is a massive domed structure (hence the name of the plaza) with a large rectangular portico that is visible in the photo above. It is considered one of the best preserved buildings remaining from ancient Rome because it has been in continuous use throughout the centuries. A significant part of this longevity is due to its conversation to a Catholic church dedicated to Saint Mary and the Martyrs in the 7th century.

Grinning orchestra pals. Photo by Dena.

Piazza Navona

Our tour of drizzly Rome continued to the Piazza Navona that is arranged around the elliptical footprint of a stadium that once existed there.

Piazza Navona is home to the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers). Designed by Bernini in 1651, the fountain represents key rivers in the four continents into which the papacy had spread its influence: the Nile in Africa, the Danube in Europe, the Ganges in Asia, and the Rio de la Plata in the Americas. (For those wondering about the location of the latter, it's a confluence of several rivers at the Atlantic coast near Buenos Aires, Argentina.) It is topped by another one of those copycat obelisks.

Piazza Navona is also home to the Sant'Agnese in Agone, a 17th century baroque church. Here, we were turned loose to explore on our own for a limited time before dinner.

An International City

While walking from one piazza to another, Silvia (one of our tour guides) suggested to Kristy and I that we backtrack to the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (Church of St Louis of the French) when we had the chance. Completed in 1589, the church's gilded interior is absolutely stunning. Services here are still conducted in French. Mark, Dena, Kristy, and I navigated back to the church to investigate.

What most caught my eye about the church's exterior was the carving of a fire breathing dragon, but few in my party were interested in contemplating it. Instead, we ventured inside to escape the persistent rain. When we did, our jaws collectively dropped.

Silvia had given us a good suggestion. The interior was absolutely stunning.

Despite the church's splendor, we noticed that most activity was focused around an alcove to the left rear of the church.

The paintings in this alcove were strikingly realistic and I assumed that they had to be famous in some way. Indeed, they were painted by Caravaggio and titled (from left to right) The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew. Caravaggio was an artistic genius and a violent man with at least one murder on his balance sheet who lived portions of his life as a fugitive from justice. Quite the character it would seem, but the baroque artist's talent was undeniable. Even I could discern that.

Our final view of the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi was of the pipe organ as Dena, Mark, Kristy, and I filed back outside into the rain.

We reunited with Izzy, The Bear, and the rest of the HYSO at the Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) before heading off to dinner.

Saga of the Allergy Cards

Each HYSO musician with a food allergy was issued an allergy card to be displayed at mealtimes. This included both Izzy and The Bear, both for peanuts. Unfortunately, it became clear that this often resulted in the girls being served something that would satisfy all food restrictions represented by the group and was often something that they did not want to eat.

For dessert that night, while the majority enjoyed panna cotta, each musician with an allergy card was served...

Photo courtesy of The Bear.

An apple in a bowl. (They really pulled out all the stops here, what with the dish and all.)

The Bear and some of the other musicians had braces and could not eat the intact apples placed before them, which was made even more frustrating by the fact that The Bear could have eaten the panna cotta.

Photo courtesy of The Bear.

Fortunately, Izzy and The Bear appreciated the absurdity of the moment. But it did portend frustration during later meals to a point where some of us had to intervene to ensure that the girls were able to eat something on this trip.

From there, we bussed back to the Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Rome after a very busy first full day in Italy.