Walkies on 4-22-15 - second blog post

Hello again from Roma,

This will be a briefer blog entry, about a walk I took five days ago in the mid-morning. As I was about to board the tram to take me across the Tiber, I remembered I forgot to bring along a small sandwich for my late morning snack. I realized it was a good excuse to buy myself for a couple of dollars two little pieces of delicious pizza at the Pizza Florida on the south end of the Largo Torre Argentina. I'm using that place as the starting point, with a green underline. (Warning, their Piccante pizza is indeed peppery! It may well be a cure for the common cold.)

My objective was the Galleria Spada, closer to the Tiber (red underline). I made a few stops along the way. 

At the bottom of this Google map, you will see the distance scale of 100 meters, which is a little more than 100 yards, the length of an American football field. 

For reference, the Pantheon is a couple of Chicago-sized city blocks north above the wide street near the photo's right, the Tiber is the green streak on the lower left corner.

I tend to be cautious about where and when I drag out my new camera, so I waited until I was out of the heavier street traffic and away from the crush of tourists heading for the Pantheon.

This is a little side street, via Santa Anna. I don't think that church (or chapel) has survived into modern times. At the left is the back end of a larger church, S. Carlo ai Catinari. It's undergoing some repairs and so I have not revisited it this trip. There are many lovely frescoes inside so I'm looking forward to next year to see what's been fixed.

  Here is another side street. The delivery trucks seem to be driven by choreographers, as they try to fit into the narrower back streets 

and to navigate around double or triple parked cars.

(Pink arrow on map.)
If Pizza Florida had been closed, or somehow not had on hand the non-cheese vegetarian pizzas I eat, I could have grabbed a snack at this Forno, or bakery.  It is large inside, bursting with breads, pizzas, and many types of sweets. You always know when you are near this one by the enticing aromas.     

If it is a Thursday, and you want delicious, uncooked potato gnocchi (tiny dumplings), THIS is a great source. Be prepared to come very early before they run out.

This forno is on the via del Monte della Farina, just north of the via Giubbonari. This street's name comes from the early medieval period, when there was a large church-run distribution center for flour for the hungry. 

Via Giubbonari is named after the vest makers who used to be all along it.

The streets zig and zag in this neighborhood, their narrow lanes often opening up to nice views of small piazzas and churches.

  I had enough time, and wanted to revisit this tiny church, dedicated to Saint Barbara.  The below page has information on the church, in Italian.

http://www.romasegreta.it/parione/s-barbara-ai-librari.html

The church dates back to the 10th century, and was built over an earlier chapel from the 6th century. It was built in the ruins of the Theatre of Pompey, a very large theatre built (around 60 BC) by that General who was competing with Julius Caesar for the domination of Rome. 

The short version is Caesar won.

(Blue arrow on map.)

The church of Santa Barbara was redone in 1306, in 1601 and in 1680. According to the website romasegreta, the church had the relics of many saints in a special rotating chamber under the main altar, so the various ones could be more honored at different times, a sign that this was an important place of worship in the medieval period. 

             

The church had been entrusted to various groups over the centuries, but was abandoned in 1878 (after the unification of Italy and the closing of many churches). In 1982 it reopened with an active (albeit small) congregation composed of many of the local people who helped bring this building back to life after nearly 100 years of use as a warehouse.

The painting above the main altar is St. Barbara 

being received into Heaven, after her martyrdom.

The church is built on the "Greek Cross" plan, meaning instead of the more usual T-shaped or cross-shaped floor plan, with one side shorter than the others, this one's arms are all of the same length. I've read that Michaelangelo had originally proposed a Greek Cross floor plan for Saint Peter's basilica, which was later much elongated. (A good thing, given the size of the crowds of pilgrims and visitors.)

The organ in a tiny loft over the entry door is from the 1600's. I was standing near the main altar, so you can see this is indeed a tiny church.

This floor tomb slab is probably from the 

1300's to 1400's.

This three-paneled altarpiece is from the 1400's, showing Mary and Jesus, with Michael the Archangel (stepping in triumph on a dragon/devil) and John the Baptist. A recent cleaning revealed on the steps of Mary's throne the date 1458 and the painter, identified only as Leonardo of Rome.

This fresco shows St. Francis in a state of heavenly blissful revelation, painted by Luigi Garzi, (1638-1721) who did many of the other frescoes here. A quick web check shows he was not a run-of-the-mill painter, 

as there are many other works of his in churches, and 

the collections of the Met Museum in New York

 have some preparatory drawings of his for other works. 

Here's part of the ceiling and another fresco over the main altar, showing poor St. Barbara being done in because she was a Christian.

The SHORT version of her tale is this:  In western Turkey, before the 300's, Barbara was the daughter of a wealthy man. For some reason, she was locked in a tower by her father, (the tower later became her symbol). He left on a long trip, and when he returned, found despite her being locked up, she had become a Christian, which was illegal. Infuriated, he dragged her before the local authorities. She would not renounce her faith. Variations of the tale abound; 

one is while her father was taking her home, he beheaded her. 

A bolt of lightening from above incinerated him immediately. 

Much later, the legend of the lightening bolt endeared her to artillerymen, who chose her for their patron saint. 

Next to one of the side altars is a photo of the new Saint, Padre Pio. I almost missed seeing the short column to the left of the altar. With a small devotional candle and a pot of flowers, I knew this was not for the living. She may have been wearing her bridal dress in the photo. 

Many people end up without even as much as this 1300's tombstone, eroded past recognition, in the threshold of this church. I realized I needed some fresh air and sunshine and proceeded to the museum.

Here is the little piazza in front of the church. Evidently, a small house burned down in the mid 1600's, creating this open space in an otherwise crowded neighborhood. It has been left unbuilt upon ever since. 

The large, former ecclesiastical building on the right is now a high school. An ambulance came careening around corners, and the medics rushed in. 

















A little further along, I had a glimpse of the corner of the church of the Holy Trinity, here barely visible past the arch. This street is the via dei Pettinari (presumably of comb and brush makers, or possibly hair dressers. It leads to the Ponte Sisto, a foot bridge over to Trastevere.

Below, the building on the right comes to a narrow point at this intersection. Yes, there is graffiti in Rome.

Next is another view down the center of the street on the left.

 
I always like walking by this building, which had some of the stucco removed to show the reused ancient columns.

There are several buildings throughout the area that show their ancient columns and fragments. One has to keep an eye peeled to spot some of these. 

 At last! 

The former palace that is now partly a government office 

and partly a museum.

 

The Palazzo Spada houses a very tiny museum, only four large rooms, with some nice paintings, good frescoes, several statues, an incredible decorated courtyard (construction going on now, I'll have to dig out some previous photos) and this great treasure, a false perspective scene created by Borromini, a great architect in the mid 1600's. 

I am going to stop here, because this was supposed to be a SHORTER posting, and, as usual, I've blithered on too long. 

Thanks for wading through to the end of this posting!