This historical image is an 18th-century copperplate etching titled “Scalinata in Piazza di Spagna”, created by the famous Italian engraver and architect Giuseppe Vasi around 1740–1752. It was published as part of his monumental ten-volume work, Delle magnificenze di Roma antica e moderna. The Fontana della Barcaccia sits at the foot of the iconic Spanish Steps in the heart of
The Basilica of San Vitale (Basilica dei Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea) is a very ancient church located on the Via Nazionale. The ceiling is a modern, flat, coffered ceiling made of varnished wood. It was installed relatively recently in 1938 as part of a significant restoration of the basilica. The ceiling features painted and gilded decoration within
The Column of the Immaculate Conception (Colonna dell’Immacolata Concezione) is in the Piazza Mignanelli in Rome, Italy. The monument was erected in 1857 to commemorate the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX in 1854, which states that the Virgin Mary was conceived free from original sin. The monument was designed by architect Luigi Poletti.
The Baths of Diocletian were the largest imperial public baths in ancient Rome. Construction began in 298 AD under Emperor Maximian, appointed Augustus of the Western Roman Empire, as a tribute to co-emperor Diocletian. They were completed by Constantine’s father in 306 AD. The baths survived the first sack of Rome in 410 AD but were abandoned after their water
The Colosseum is an iconic ancient Roman amphitheater located in the center of Rome, Italy. Officially known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it is a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Colosseum was built between A.D. 70-80 under the emperors Vespasian and Titus of the Flavian dynasty. It was used for
St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square are located in Vatican City, a microstate enclaved within Rome, Italy. The monumental square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1656 and 1667. It features a large elliptical space framed by colossal Tuscan colonnades, which consist of 284 columns and 88 pilasters arranged in four rows. These colonnades are often
The building in the image is the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (Arcibasilica di San Giovanni in Laterano), located in Rome, Italy. It holds the title of the cathedral of Rome and is considered the “mother and head of all the Churches of the Urbe and Orbe” (the city of Rome and the world). It is the highest-ranking and oldest
At the end of the second century A.D. Tertullian informs us that at Rome St. John the evangelist underwent martyrdom by being immersed in boiling oil, from which he emerged unscathed. The place where this was said to have occurred is at the Latin Gate. He was later exiled to Patmos. The basilica was erected after Gelasius (492-496). Evidenced of
Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is a theater is located in Rome, Italy, and is known for its iconic 19th-century architecture and lavish productions. The interior features the traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium with vertically stacked private boxes, ornate gold decorations, and red seating, which creates an intimate atmosphere. Also known as the Teatro Costanzi after its builder Domenico Costanzi, the
The Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla), are an ancient Roman public bath complex in Rome, Italy. The baths are located near the ancient Appian Way, south of the Circus Maximus in Rome. Construction of the vast complex began around 212 AD under Emperor Septimius Severus and was completed by his son Caracalla in 216 AD. They were the second-largest