Rome

As a kid I was very fond of the comic books of Asterix. Then of course, Rome is thè city to long to go to. For a long time I wondered what today's Rome would be like and how much of the past could still be seen. Kurt Hielscher must have had the same interest in 1925, when he published not only his photoalbum of Italy but also another one solely on Rome. I have been in Rome three times: in March 2012, November 2016 and October 2023. In 2012 and 2016, I had not startet this photoproject yet, so all the similarities between the then&now photos from that dates are accidental. The third time in Rome, with the book under my arm, was a highly ambitious quest, but I managed to rephotograph quite some photos, but it simply was too much and I will gradually update this subpage with new duos. And, I am sure there will be a fourth time.

Forum Romanum

The differences between the impressive Temple of Saturn at the Forum Romanum in Rome in Italy between 1925 when Kurt Hielscher took his photo and 91 years later when I did are not as big as the changes in the 1500 years before. The original Temple of Saturn (497 BC) is one of the oldest temples in Rome and was rebuilt in 42 BC and again in the fourth century AD after a devastating fire, hence the inscription: "Senatus Populus Que Romanus Incendio Consumptum Restitvit," "Destroyed by fire, Restored by the Senate and the People of Rome." The temple housed the aerarium, where Romans' reserves of gold and silver were stored. It is truly an amazing place where history comes back to life, with only a small portion of imagination needed.

The Vestal Virgin or vestal was a priestess of the goddess Vesta. The college of Vestal Virgins consisted of six (in late antiquity seven) priestesses, who were appointed for a minimum of thirty years between the ages of six and ten. Their main task was to maintain the hearth fire in the temple of Vesta, which was never allowed to go out. The Vestals took it in turns to supervise Vesta's hearth so that at least one Vestal was stationed there at all times. During their service, the Vestals were required to maintain chastity. The loss of a Vestals virginity was considered an ominous omen for the Roman commonwealth. An unchaste Vestal was removed from the priesthood and could then be buried alive. Most vestals retired with a generous pension and universal respect. They were then free to marry, though few of them did. Some appear to have renewed their vows. In 382 AD, the Christian emperor Gratian confiscated the public revenues assigned to the cult of Vesta in Rome. The Vestals vanished from the historical record soon after. - Wikipedia

From a different angle

The Temple of Vesta was the central sanctuary of Rome in the Forum Romanum, located behind the Caesar and Castor temple. Here, the sacred fire was guarded by the six Vestal Virgins. The Temple of of Castor was originally built in gratitude for the victory at the Battle of Lake Regillus in 495 BC.

The remnants of the Temple of Caesar. Here he was cremated after he was murdered in 44 BC. 

At the other side of the street, the Via Fori dei Imperiali, one can find the remnants of the Forum Trajanum, here with both the Chiesa Santa Maria di Loreto in the back on the left and the Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano on the right, and ofcourse the Colonna Traiana.

Starting 107 AD it took 36 years to build the Forum Trajanum. Now, it seems like they're rebuilding it with all the scaffolding and the renewed columns. I am sure these works weren't there yet during my previous visit in 2016 and I don't know why they're doing it nor what they are actually doing. Will they rebuild the original as a whole or only a few columns? Are they using original remains?

If you look well, you'll see that Kurt Hielscher had a lower standpoint than I, and he stood a little to the right. I was standing on one of the pedestrian bridges that provide nice views on the Forum while Kurt Hielscher probably stood on the ground floor in front of it. Check the second front row column on the left with burst on it. Though the rest of both photos seem identical standpointwise, this is not the case with this this column and I don't think it was replaced.

The Forum Trajanum and the Via dei Fori Imperiali in the back.

Colosseum

Though not the exact same photo, I think it is still an awesome view to see the Colosseum in 1925 by Kurt Hielscher and mine 87 years later next to one another. In 72 AD Emperor Vespasianus initiated the building of the amphitheatre with a 527 meter circumference funding it with the revenues of the looting of Jerusalem two years earlier. The opening games in the 80 AD lasted a 100 days.

Inside the Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the world. Now I understand why. How impressive! With the possibility of hosting 55.000 visitors more than twice the size of the Amphitheatre in Pula in Croatia that I visited a few months earlier, in the summer 2023. Ofcourse time took its toll here, but rather in the 19 previous centuries than the last one. The stage reversed sides, which was quite funny to notice, but also made it harder to rephotograph.

View from the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II on the Forum Romanum and the Colosseum in the distance.

From the Colosseum and the Forum Romanum, the impressive Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II catches the eye. Here in 2023 from close by and in 2012 just after sunset in 2012.

View from the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II on the Via del Corso.

View on the Capitol from the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II.

The Scalinata dell'Ara Coeli on the left and the 'Cordonata', the stairs leading to Capitol Hill with the statues of Castor and Pollux at the top and a busy traffic square at the bottom of both stairs. I really risked my life to make the photo, crossing the square a few times stopping in the middle of it till a new wave of scooters, taxi's and busses flooded the Piazza d'Aracoeli and I had to run again.  

Starting 1537 AD, the Piazza di Campidoglio  got its shape by Michelangelo like we know it today. Below the Palazzo Senatorio, the official City Town Hall of Rome, with its famous stairs on both sides flanked by two reclining statues of the river gods of the Nile and the Tigris transformed into the Tiber of which the last one we can see from this side. The photo is made from the stairs next to the Musei Capitolini. At the opposite side we see the Palazzo Nuovo.

The river Gods from close-by.

Palazzo Venezia

From the impressive Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II one looks directly down on the Palazzio Venezia and notice its two courtyards. For the museum of the Palazzo we received a free ticket when we paid the entrance fee for the elevator to the top of "il Vittoriano". Since Kurt Hielscher published a photo from a courtyard of the Palazzo, I had to visit it.

Palazzo Venezia. It wasn't easy to find the smaller courtyard on the left with, the one with only one tree. 

Once inside the building which first part initiated by Cardinal Pietro Barbo, the later Pope Paulus II (1464-1471), dates back to 1455 and is situated in between the entrance to the Piazza Venezia and the Basilica di San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio. Construction continued after his passing.

Within the larger courtyard. After a while I found out, Kurt Hielscher did not make his photo from here, though I initially thought it was the right place and only the columns might have changed. I remembered I saw another courtyard from the rooftop of the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II and kept searching through a series of rooms in the Palazzo.

Inside the Palazzo Venezia.

Starting 1797, Venice came under Austrian (later Austro-Hungarian) rule, and the Palazzo became the seat of the Austrian ambassador, which remained so until 1916, with the exception of a brief interruption during the French rule of Rome in between 1805-1815. In 1916, Italy expropriated and nationalized the palazzo in retaliation for the bombing of Venice by Austrian troops in World War I. The Palazzo was restored to its original state and became a museum. Mussolini, the fascist leader of Italy, established the seat of his government and his own office as head of government in the Palazzo Venezia in 1929. On several occasions, Mussolini addressed the assembled people from the balcony at Piazza Venezia.

In and around the smaller courtyard when I finally found it.

The 1929 built fountain in the center of the main courtyard dates from the time the embassy of the Venetian republic resided in the Palazzo. The statue in the fountain represents the marriage of Venice to the sea: Sposalizio di Venezia con il Mare. Venezia, represented as a lady and wearing the Doge's cap, throws a ring into the sea, in accordance with the ceremony performed in Venice for centuries. The courtyard really is worth a visit on itself and an oasis of tranquility and therefore quite a nice place to sit for a while.

Piazza Mattei with the Fontana delle Tartarughe

Well, this was a surprise to walk into for me. We just had some sandwiches around the corner when I grabbed Google Maps to check where we were after visiting the impressive Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. We were strolling around its neighboring streets on the way to the Palazzo Venezia where we received a free entrance for after vusing the elevator to th eroof of the  Sugar Cake". Then I realized we were very close to the Piazza Mattei with its Fontana delle Tartarughe, The Turtle Fountain.

It is said that Vergilio Mattei was not allowed to hang out with the girl he felt in love with because of his lower class status. He had lost all his possessions due to gambling. The father of the girl did not allow him to marry her. Then Vergilio came up with an idea. He said he should come back the morning after to see what Vergilio could accomplish in one night as proof for the love for his daughter. The morning after the newly built fountain convinced the father after all.

The statue shows four ephebes, seated in identical but mirrored positions on small dolphins. The four turtles were added during a restoration in 1658 by Gianlorenzo Bernini or Andrea Sacchi. It seems as if the ephebes push them up to drink. On a regularly basis the turtles were stolen. In 1581 the construction of the fountain according to a design by Giacomo della Porta was assigned to Tadeo Landini and ready in 1588. So it took a little longer than a night. 

The Pantheon

De diameter of the Pantheon is a little larger: just over 43 meter. The opening in the dome has a diameter of nine meters and is the only daylight that enters. The Pantheon is way older. It find its origins in 27 BC but destroyed in a major fire in 80 AD, but restored by Emperor Domitian. In 110 the Pantheon was struck by lightning. For a second time, the Pantheon had to be rebuilt. Emperor Hadrian had the Pantheon completely rebuilt between 119 and 125, giving it its current round shape.

The opening in the dome of the Panteon is 9 meters wide. Photo: Casper Molenaar, 16th of March 2012.

2012 at night, 2016 with sunshine and 2023 in the rain.

Close-up of the fountain in front of the Pantheon, 2023.

Fontana di Trevi

Fontana di Trevi, 11th of November 2016. Photo: Casper Molenaar.

Somewhere in between the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain it started to rain. We hid for a while at the Galleria Sciarra, bought a few umbrellas and moved on. On arrival I felt the magic of Bernini's design of the majestic 22 meters wide and 26 meters high Trevi fountain again. Maybe, due to the rain it was less crowded than the previous two times, but with all the umbrellas, it was still challenging to get to the place from where you'd lay your eyes upon this miracle. 50 years after Bernini finished his design, it took architect Nicola Salvi 30 years, from 1732 till 1762 to have it build. 

The theme of the fountain is the ocean with the majestic sea god Oceanus on a shell-shaped chariot that is pulled to the ocean by winged horses and young sea gods (tritons). One horse is calm, the other rears up. This symbolizes the two faces of the sea. In two niches there are representations of Abundance and Health on the left and right (I'll put a wider view of the fountain below in the comment section and on the website).

Today there's the rumor that if one stands with one's back to the fountain, closes one's eyes, thinks of Rome and throws a coin into the water with one's right hand over one's left shoulder, one will one day return to Rome. Tossing two coins would enable the thrower to meet his beloved in the 'Eternal City'. Tossing three coins would lead to marriage or divorce. Well, I don't believe it. I never threw money in it, and came back twice already. 

Within the crowds at the Trevi fountain, I found some fun in photographing tourists who were more busy with themselves than the fountain. Here a compilation of snapshots, mainly shot at the Trevi fountain. Nobody noticed I was photographing, some from really close by. Photos from 2016.

11th of November 2016. Photo: Casper Molenaar.

The Spanish Stairs

Let's go to the Piazza di Spagna where we find the Spanisch Steps, built in 1725 AD and named after the square and the impressive church Trinità dei Monti on top of it and the Obelisco Sallustiano in front of the church. The church is founded by the French King Louis XII and its construction began in 1502 and was completed in 1587. The French prefer to name the steps "l'escalier de la Trinité-des-Monts" so without referral to name of the square. Italians use both names. The Spanish Steps contain of 135 steps, interrupted by two wide terraces. The fountain dates back to 1629. Question: do you think it is the same palm tree on the right?

View on Rome from the top of the Spanish Steps in front of the Trinità dei Monti, 15th of March 2012. Photo: Casper Molenaar. 

Taking a rest somewhere in Rome, 15th of March 2012. Photo: Kim van Ierssel.

Park Borghese & the Terrazza del Pincio

With this photo on the Terrazza del Pincio, I wanted to catch the same atmosphere as Kurt Hielscher's. I did not have to cut the palmtree, but the mighty dome of the Basilica di San Pietro of Vatican City is way less impressive on my photo than on Kurt Hielscher's. I decided to step a little to the right resulting in the lamppost moving before the dome but not behind the bushes and Kurt Hielscher took his photo from a different height. 

Anyway, the Terrazza del Pincio is a beautiful place, also with stunning views on the Piazza del Poppolo, and the adjacent Park Borghese, where we could rent a family-bicycle and had great fun. Unfortunately, we did not visit the Galleria Borghese where Kurt Hielscher made some stunning photos from its interior and its art, but I could rephotograph some of his photos in the garden just before the Gallerie. More about that later.

View on Rome from the Terrazza del Pincio.

Palazzo Borghese

No, this is not Villa Borghese and it is not situated within the Park Borghese. The main entrance of Palazzo Borghese that dates back to 1560 AD is to be found on Piazza Borghese, a square with a lovely second hand bookmarket, but Kurt Hielscher's photo is made at the well secured side entrance at the Largo della Fontanella di Borghese around the corner. Security guards allowed me to pass them as long as I stayed behind the fence to make the photo after I showed them in the book. I am not sure, but I got the impression that the building is not open for public, unfortunately. On the internet I found mixed testimonials on this.

Tempio di Ercole Vincitore and the Fontana dei Tritoni on the Piazza della Bocca della Verita

The morning of Monday the 16th of October, we started our stroll at the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, about which later more, circling through the upcoming neighborhood Testaccio and found a nice view through a keyhole in a door at the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta on the San Pietro Basilica. Then we went down to the Piazza della Bocca della Verità. Beforehand I was really looking forward to rephotograph this photo expecting characteristic time differences, but now I know we need to zoom out a little bit to see the busy traffic, next to the 1717 AD laid foundation stone of the Fountain of Tritons in the front and the Temple of Hercules Victor in the back, which is the earliest surviving mostly intact marble building in Rome dating from the later 2nd century BC and the only surviving one made of Greek marble. Obviously, the roof has been renewed though. The layout of the temple caused it to be mistaken for a Temple of Vesta until it was correctly identified by Napoleon's Prefect of Rome, Camille de Tournon. Kurt Hielscher made the same mistake in his book, which made me first look out for the remnants of the Temple of Vesta at the Forum Romanum, but I found out that was not the right place just a few days of departure. 

The Temple of Hercules Victor from a little closer.

The Piazza della Bocca della Verita is a very busy traffic intersection.

The Bocca della Verità, the Mouth of truth that gives the square its name, is situated in the pink building with the arches: the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It is said that when your a liar, you'll lose some fingers when you put your hand in its marble mouth. We didn't dare to try.

I rephotographed Kurt Hielscher's photo from the terrace of the white building on the left.

Tiber Island and Trastevere

Pons Fabricius or the Ponte Quattro Capi with the Torre Caetani: It was really hard to rephotograph Kurt Hielscher's photo from the exact place due to the trees that have been growing over the years. Because of the slightly different angle, it seems that there's been built another tower on another place, but it is the same one belonging to the Basilica di San Bartolomeo all'Isola Tiberina though its windows have changed.

Built in 62 BC, the Pons Fabricius is the oldest in original condition still existing bridge in Rome. With its 62 meters it connects the city center of Rome with Tiber island. From there the island is connected with Ponte Cestio to the Trastevere neighborhood where we went to have evening dinner a few times. The bridge is also called the Ponte dei Quattro Capi, the Bridge of the Four Heads, named after the two four-headed herms with Janus heads at the beginning of the bridge railings on the city side. Unfortunately I didn't take of photo of these characteristics. 

The bridge seen from the other side photographed in November 2016 when I visited Rome with my parents and sister not familiar with Kurt Hielscher's photoalbum of Italy yet. The Torre Caetani, the tower that is overlooking the bridge find its origins in the Middle Ages when important Roman families built their own towers to defend their belongings dominating the skyline of Rome at the time as did the Pierleoni in the 11th century here. Around 1300 the tower was renamed because it was taken over by the Caetani family.

Isola Tiberina as seen from Ponte Garibaldi with Ponte Cestio on the right. Pons Fabricius on the left is not visible.

Kim and me having diner in a restaurant in the Trastavere neighborhood, 2012. 

A truck in Trastevere, 2023.

Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere during daytime and at night, 2023.

Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere in 2023. 

The Pyramid of Cestius and the Protestant Cemetery 

Did you know there's a pyramid in Rome? It is situated near the Porta San Paolo and next to the Metrostation with the same name. The pyramid is halfway the street and on the other side to be found on the grounds of the Protestant Cemetery from where Kurt Hielscher also published a photo.

Built about 18–12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a period of time in which everything coming from Egypt was considered very fancy in Rome. It is situated on the crossing of two ancient roads. The pyramid is built in Nubian style, less steep than the ones we know from Giza. Part of the city's fortification, it is well preserved, though at the time of its construction, the pyramid stood in the open countryside (tombs being forbidden within the city walls).

The pyramid measures 100 Roman feet (29.6 m) square at the base and stands 125 Roman feet (37 m) high.

Unfortunately, we did not check the pyramid's interior, classic Roman fresco paintings, which is only possible since the end of restoration works in 2015 and only every second and fourth Saturday of each month when you arrange your visit in advance.

The Protestant Cemetery is accessible for a voluntary contribution, which made me jump in leaving my other familymembers outside, a mistake. Now they missed the cemetery as well as the view of the other side of the Pyramid, and I, in my hurry to get back to my family, the chance to get exactly in the footsteps of Kurt Hielscher on both photos. Nevertheless, I registered that both, the pyramid as well as the cemetery are very impressive. 

Castel Sant'Angelo 

Built between 123 and 139 AD, the Castel Sant'Angelo was originally the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian. When I walked there I did not realize the building is that old. The castle served as a hiding place for the popes since the Vatican was situated outside the city walls. When danger emerged they could escape behind its walls via a corridor. The bridge in front of the castle was built in the same era.

Ponte Sant'Angelo with view on Saint Peter's Basilica, 10th of November 2016. Photo: Casper Molenaar. 

The Vatican

Built between 1506 and 1626, the Saint Peter's Basilica was the largest church in the world until 1989, but still is in Europe. Its dome has a diameter of 42.60 meters.

In the Basilica di San Pietro in 2012 and 2016. In 2023, with the boys, we avoided the queus and decided to discover more of the city instead of waiting to get in.

Below: View on Rome and Vatican City, October 2023. Photo: Casper Molenaar.