Key to my Heart

One of my best friends from home, Laura, keyed me in on a different kind of tourist site in Rome: the Milvian Bridge. Today we visited this bridge (a 4 mile walk from where we live!) to check out what it is about.

A little bit about the bridge. Lovers go to the Milvian bridge, place their names on a lock, and throw the key into the Tiber. A New York Times article from 2007 states that doing this is a way of "ensuring that the love lasts forever and cannot be broken." The ritual began after the book I Want You by Federico Moccia had his fictional character do the aforementioned at the bridge. Soon locks were popping up and being chained all over the bridge.

I must admit, it would have been a little more romantic to see if I had gone there with a lover. I did put a lock of my own on the bridge though, with my initials and my friend Laura's as well as PSU 2009 (because hey it's the Penn State thing to do right?) I hope to come back someday and see my lock still there!


Key to my Heart
NYT Article on Milvian Bridge
Create a Virtual Padlock here!

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

Last week we visited the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj on the Corso. This palace is the home of the Pamphilj family and houses portraits of many of the great names throughout the Renassiance (DK Publishing, 47). This palace is one of three palaces among the main stretch of Via del Corso. As a center road in the city, it is logical that the street houses palaces to display the wealth of the citizens in Rome for all to see.

The art is not extremely impressive, but the portrait of Pope Innocent X Pamphilj by Velazquez is the most significant piece in the collection as was explained by the audio guide during the tour. The furnishings of the palace are fancy in style but must have been better suited for the time period it was decorated. Unfortunately, the rules of the palace did not allow me to take any actual photographs or else I would have evidence of (in my humble opinion) that the better part of the palace is not quite so aesthetically pleasing, it's a bit much to look at all at once. There are two courtyards within the walls of the palace, and in Rome courtyards have been symbolic of which social class one is part of. With that and the location on the Corso, the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj insights on how royalty of the 17th century lived. Some of my classmates enjoyed the palace and thought it was beautiful, but it is a matter of taste and you can never know until you check it out yourself!

Image taken from: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/1422/11370956.JPG

Gladiators

Street Gladiators take advantage of the history of Rome by imitating the dress of the gladiators who fought within the Colosseum during the early 1st century. Directions for those trying to find these street performers are easy if you take a walk along Via del Fori Imperiali outside of the Colosseum or also walk through Piazza Venezia near the Victorio Emmanuel II Monument. These sometimes handsome men will flirtatiously approach you, and in an unimpressive manner flashing their swords and shields. One would think with such movement and distractions that a picture of these street gladiators (without paying a small fee) would be easy to take-- but it is quite the opposite. It's almost as if the only mental and physical abilities these men have is a sense for tourists attempting to grab a quick photo of them. I managed to sneakily snatch a photograph of one of their helmets early in the morning while the street gladiator was fixing his armor.