ROME – a little night photography
Sunday – after a wonderful rest we commence preparations for our night photography excursion with our mate Rick. He was more than helpful on our tour of the Roman Forum, so we have decided that we will take him along on this venture.
Rick does not have an audio tour for this one but he does have a wonderful tour plan ‘A Night Walk across Rome’ in his current Rome Tour Guide.
Making sure we have cameras, lenses and tripods we venture outside. The night is wonderful – the heat of the day has gone and we are greeted by starry skies and invigorating roman atmosphere. Our first stop on the tour is the Campo de Fiori (Field of Flowers) which is not far from our apartment. As with Roman nights all the piazzas are surrounded with al fresco restaurants, musical groups and the occasional busker – this one is no different.
Our arrival coincides with that of a wonderful italian tenor singing opera at the restaurants to make a few euro. He then moves on to the next spot. Now that is real busking for sure!
In the Campo dei Fiori there is a statue of Giordano Bruno and he gets our night photography off to a great start.
Born Filippo Bruno, he was a Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. His cosmological theories went beyond the Copernican model in proposing that the Sun was essentially a star, and moreover, that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited worlds populated by other intelligent beings.
After the Roman Inquisition found him guilty of heresy, he was burned at the stake. After his death he gained considerable fame, particularly among 19th- and early 20th-century commentators who, focusing on his astronomical beliefs, regarded him as a martyr for free thought and modern scientific ideas.
Next stop – Piazza Navona.
In this piazza is the Fontana del Moro or the Fountain of the Moor. This fountain is one of three in the piazza and an excellent start to the evening.
Designed by Giacomo della Porto and erected in 1575, the fountain has statues of four Tritons and the basin is made of special antique rose marble. In 1654, Bernini carved the central figure, a muscular Triton riding a dolphin, that resembles a “Moor”. Thus, the fountain is called the Fountain of the Moor.
During a restoration in 1874, the original sculptures were moved to the Villa Borghese and substitute copies were made and are still on the fountain.
This is a wonderful square, full of character and it definitely is a major meeting spot for people to enjoy the balmy Roman nights. Come to think of it I wouldn’t mind sitting and enjoying a balmy Roman night with a glass of vino myself, but I digress.
The next fountain of this trilogy is the Fontana dei Quattro Fumi or the Fountain of the Four Rivers. This fountain is one of the most famous fountains in Rome.
The central axis of the fountain is an ancient Egyptian obelisk that stands approximately 21 metres high.
The architect of the Four Rivers Fountain was the prolific sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, whose works also appear in the Museo Borghese, Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, and numerous other locations throughout Rome.
In this fountain Bernini sculpted representations of the four great rivers known in the world at the time: the Ganges in Asia, the Nile in Africa, the Rio de la Plata in America and the Danube in Europe. The extent of the Amazon River had yet to be discovered). Each location is further enhanced by animals and plants of that country.
The Ganges (above left) carries a long oar, representing the river’s navigability. The Nile’s head (centre) is draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one at that time knew exactly where the Nile’s source was. The Danube (above right) touches the Papal coat of arms, since it is the largest river closest to Rome.
The Río de la Plata is sitting on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America might offer to Europe (the word plata means silver in Spanish).
We are having a marvellous time in the piazza, there is always something going on somewhere. Orchestras playing, tourists eating gellato, local inhabitants out for a stroll and us, taking photos like we are working for NatGeo. Even after our l-o-n-g walk through the Forum earlier today, we are refreshed and rearing to go. This is the first major holiday with the Canon and learning how to use it is especially marvellous because I can play around with the settings and take as many photos as I want. Uh, oh I digress again!
Moving down the piazza we come across the Fontana del Nuttuno or in english the Fountain of Neptune. Originally called the “Fontana dei Calderari” because it was located close to a small alley with blacksmith’s workshops, makers of pots and pans and of other metal based businesses. All of them generating heat, it remained unfinished for a long time until a few marine deities were added along with the statue of the god of the sea battling an octopus.
As you can see I am using the star filter again which just adds a bit more to the photo don’t you think?
Following Rick’s tour we head off towards one of Rome’s most famous tourist attractions – the Trevi Fountain and on our way we come across the Pantheon.
Rome’s buildings at night are magical so of course out come the tripods and cameras to capture the moments. As we will be visiting the Pantheon later in our stay I will not go into the history here – I will just tantalize you with a photo.
Even at this time of evening the little alleyways are full of people walking and enjoying the night and we are no different. There are many signs to different destinations that all sound amazing but we keep to our tour and follow the Fontana di Trevi signs.
We decide that we would like something to eat before going further and of course, we spy one of the mainstays in our dietary needs – a Maccas. Definitely a come down to the little restaurants we spied earlier but our rumbly tummies do not complain and after some food and drink that gives us added energy we close in on our quarry.
We arrive and the fountain is lit up and truly magical. Of course the song of the moment is ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’ and how appropriate because there are three of us!
The Trevi Fountain is the most famous and arguably the most beautiful fountain in all of Rome. This impressive monument dominates the small Trevi square located in the Quirinale district. It is situated at the end of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC.
The aqueduct brings water all the way from the Salone Springs (approx 20km from Rome) and supplies the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water. It is of course safe to drink this water and there are many tourists who continually fill their water bottles from the many fountains, us included.
The central figure of the fountain in front of a large niche is Neptune, God of the sea.
He is riding a chariot in the shape of a shell which is being pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a Triton.
One of the horses is calm and obedient, the other one impatient and not wanting to be controlled. They symbolize the fluctuating moods of the sea.
On either side of Neptune are two female statues. The left hand statue represents Abundance, and the statue on the right represents Salubrity.
The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea. Legend has it that you will return to Rome if you toss a coin into the water, and not wanting to tempt fate and fly in the face of legend, we all take turns and as legend dictates, stand with our back to the fountain and toss a coin over our shoulder.
Whilst we are doing this there are many, shall we say to be politically correct – non Romans – that are annoying the tripe out of us and the other tourists telling them that they will take their photo. Are they blind? Can they not see that we have enough cameras to start our own business? Whilst we are telling them rather forcefully NO, the true locals abuse them and tell them to move on, which they do – – to some more tourists. Once the tourists take the bait and let him take their photo with his rather inadequate instant camera, this grub then tries to get money out of them.
We sit and enjoy the fountain for quite some time before hitting the trail once again. Next stop the Fontana della Barcaccia.
At the center of Piazza di Spagna and at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, this curious, half-sunken boat gently spills out water rather than cascading it dramatically as in other fountains.
Some insist that the Berninis (Pietro and his more famous son Gian Lorenzo) intended the fountain to be a reminder that this part of town was often flooded by the Tiber; others that it represents the Ship of the Church; and still others that it marks the presumed site of the emperor Domitian’s water stadium in which sea battles were reenacted in the glory days of the Roman Empire.
Above this fountain are the Spanish Steps.
Also known as the Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti, the Spanish Steps is a set of 138 stone steps in the center of Rome, leading from the Piazza di Spagna to the hill of the Pincio and the church of Trinita dei Monti at the top.
Located in a neighborhood full of important churches, museums and Baroque monuments, (not to mention many designer label shops) the steps have been a popular destination for tourists (many of whom are here enjoying the night air as you can see) since their original construction.
This is the last of our stops on Rick’s tour. Incredible how easy it is to walk of a night instead of blazing away in the sun. A glance at our watches tell us it is nearly midnight! Instead of retracing our steps back home we decide that a cab is a good idea.
Highlight of the night walk – the Trevi Fountain