Lucci Hotel Rome Blog

The magic door.

If you take a walk to the Vittorio square (Piazza Vittorio) which is also well known for its morning market, it is possible to admire the remains of the magic door also called the “alchemic door”. Unfortunately nowadays only few pieces are preserved from what used to be a huge door, however the legend around the area is truly magic.

Vittorio square is situated in the heart of the Esquiline quarter, one of the oldest of the entire Rome close by the Termini station.

In ancient time it would be a rich area, one of the favourites from the well-to-do family of the imperial rome.

During the middle age the area degraded becoming a zone for common people. With the Renaissance and the Baroque époque the old aqueducts were been rediscover and the area had a new life.

It was during that period that marquee Palombara between 1655 and 1680 the alchemic door the only rest that we today have from the Palombara Villa.

The Esquiline Rione…then

Palombara marquee was an enigmatic and mysterious man. He was passionate in alchemy and it’s from this passion that the legend was born.

The legend says that one night he gave hospitality to a secret man friend of the ex queen of Sweden, Christine. This man was identified as Francesco Giustiniani Bono famous alchemist that was looking for a famous grace able to turn things into gold. He stayed in the overnight. The following morning he had disappeared, leaving behind some gold thread and some parchment with strange sentences and magic symbols.

Marquee Palombara built then the famous door with all the magical materials left by Boni.

On the front of the door is the Salomon seal and on the 2 sides there are 2 statues of Bes the god that preside the amusements .

All the writings take us back to older times and let us imagine all the trials and the studies that Massimiliano Palombara used to do in his “horti” (gardens). Palombara was also a member of the Rose Cross (not to mistake with the Red Cross !) which was a famous esoteric order.

Now put on your walking shoes and pack some fresh water, and just go see this very special door. Stand in front of the door and wait: If you want it hard enough you may disappear and find yourself in a parallel world.

The Door and the Esquiline Market of Piazza Vittorio Rome are absolutely central.

Directions:

On foot, it is only 5 minutes away from your Termini station  My Hotel Rome Hotel.

By public transport : Take metro Line A, from Termini and get off at the next stop Vittorio Emanuele.

Nero (year 54-68) was famous for  his self indulgence. The legends say he sang watching from a tower how Rome was burning down in flames.
It is not proved he had the fores set himself using the Christians to be accused and in this way putting them for centuries under persecution.
Nero  was  a malicious, cruel and even mad character.
He became an emperor after his mother poisoned his step father  Claudius. In turn Nero murdered his mother.
His self indulgence brought him to the extent that he built a  palace dedicated to himself. So he did and It used to occupy part of the Palatine Hill and most of the Celian and Esquiline Hills.
As a  comparison this area is 25 times bigger than the Colosseum.
The vestibule of the palace itself contained a huge gilded statue of Nero.
There even artificial lake with gardens and wood where wild beasts were let to live free.

The palace had collection of nymphaeums,bath houses ,banquet rooms and all surrounded by vast complex of fountains with water drained from the surrounded hills.
Inside the palace some of the walls and colons were covered with gold and mother-of-pearls.
The ceilings of the rooms were designed in a way that they showered the guests with flowers of perfumes.
The dining hall rotated according to the moving sunlight.
Big garden parties and banquets serviced by aristocratic women have been happening often.
After time Nero was forced into killing himself in year 68.
His successors wishing to distance from the emperor-monster made their best to destroy and erase all the traces of Nero and his ‘Golden House’.
Vespasian was the one who drained the lake and started building the Colosseum on its place.
Hadrian placed the Temple of Venus and Rome over the vestibule.
Recent excavations revealed large frescoes and mosaics.
How to reach the  Domus Aurea from My Hotel Rome :
Take line B of the metro and get off at stop ‘Colosseo’
Go out and start walking left around 200 meters.

I have been hearing that phrase quite a lot lately and I am really not surprised. The weather for the last few days has been absolutely fantastic but it has also been devilishly hot. The past few days have been around 31.5 degrees. Thats just a bit lower than the record for Rome a couple of years ago at 32 and a bit degrees.

If this is what its like now in spring i dont know how its going to be in summer. Anyway a few tips on how to survive the heat in Rome for the time you are here. The first and most important thing to remember is to drink plenty of water. Thats no problem in [tag]Rome[/tag] because there are loads of fountains in the streets and the piazzas.

The second things you should do is try to stay out of the sun when it is the strongest.

That would be between 12 and 3 in the afternoon more or less.

Thats really easy to do because there are loads of parks and green areas with trees and lots of shade. The most notable and most famous of these being the [tag]Villa Borghese[/tag] of course.

 

As the city is so hot during the day the nights are also very warm. This is perfect for a nice walk during the evening. Rome is extremely beautiful when it is lit up at night. The bars also stay open quite late so you can also get a cup of coffee or something cold and have a seat and relax. The places to go in the evening are definetly the ones with the most lights. [tag]Fontana di Trevi[/tag] is definetly a must. So are most of the big piazzas like Venezia and Navona. The [tag]Colosseo[/tag] is also fantastic at night as are the other parts of the [tag]forum area[/tag].

Another way to beat the heat would be to do a lot of indoor activities. This would be really easy to do as Rome is full of loads of historical [tag]monuments and museums[/tag]. The churches are also a good place to stop and have a look at the art work inside. If you have children with you, especially if they are young, you can take them to a museum, Explora, especially for kids located in Via Flaminia 60. They also have a cafe there so you can relax and have something to eat while they are off doing what kids do.

There is also a water park located near Rome called [tag]Aquapiper[/tag].

It is open from 9:00 till 19:00 from Monday to Saturday and from 9:00 till 19:30 on Sundays and holidays.

The best thing is that entrance is free for children under 10 years of age.

 

 

 

All throughout [tag]Rome’s history[/tag] as a kingdom, a republic and finally an empire, many wars have been fought to quell revolts expand her borders and to seize power. There are numerous [tag]monuments[/tag] all glorifying these achievements and attributing them to the individuals responsible for the successes.

These monuments were most commonly constructed as arches or columns incorporating great amounts of material, lots of detail and decoration and are right in the city centre close by our hotel Yes Hotel Rome. They were literally open air books telling a story of a great battle or event most commonly in the form of  sculptures. Great deals of money were spent on these monuments and feasts and games were also held upon their completion.

 The arch of Constantine was built in 315 by the senate and people of Rome for his victory of Maxentius, in 312, a rival for the control of the empire. The arch is made up of a main larger arch and two smaller ones on either side and is located a short distance away from the Colosseum. However not all the statues or carvings are original to this arch. A lot of the carvings were taken from several other monuments belonging to [tag]Marcus Aurelias[/tag], [tag]Trajan and Hadrian[/tag]. This also explains the different styles and quality of carvings. The pieces that were carved for the arch tell the story of the life of Constantine. These reliefs run right around the arch in a band. The quality of these particular carvings are extremely poor, which can be attributed to the civil wars which occurred previously.

Another fantastic monument which is a few minutes walk away from the [tag]Coliseum[/tag] is Trajan’s Column.  This column was built because there was no more space in the [tag]Mausoleum of Augustus[/tag]. Trajan then decided to use the base of the monument as a burial place for him and his wife. The reliefs on this column tell of the two wars Trajan fought against the Dacians in what is now today Romania. The column which stands 30 metres tall is made up of eighteen  segments one and a half metres high. The column is also hollow and has 183 stairs inside.

This column also has 2500 figures carved on it. Trajan can also be seen in numerous scenes on the column. The column has also weathered extremely well for being built in 113. It is also extremely useful as a tool for historical reasons. It shows how the army operated and shows river crossings and numerous everyday scenes from Roman life.

The top of the column previously had a carving of the emperor but was replaced with the present statue of St Peter which now adorns it.

My Hotel Rome Blog is the guide for travellers that are planning a vacation trip to Rome.

If you love Rome or if you would like to visit the ethernal city this is the right place for you