Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza

 
where: Corso del Rinascimento
open: Mass 11:00 Sundays

The Baroque church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza was designed and built between 1642 and 1660 by architect Francesco Borromini.
It is connected to the 14th century courtyard of the Palace of the University of Rome and dedicated to Saint Yves, the patron saint of lawyers.
The entrance is through the courtyard from Corso dei Rinascimento.

The inside of the church is curved and painted white with stucco heralds of the symbols of the popes who contributed to the funds for the building of the church. In fact all over the interior and exterior are motifs of the papal families — the dragon of Gregory XIII (Buoncampagni), the lion, pears, three mountains and star of Sixtus V (Montalto), dragon and eagle of Paul V (Borghese), bees of Urban VIII (Barberini), the dove, olive branch, and three fleur-de-lys of Innocent X (Pamphilj), and the six mountains, star and acorn of Alexander VII (Chigi).

There are few paintings inside the church, although a gigantic altarpiece portraying St Yves by Pietro da Cortona is still in situ.
view from Via del Teatro Valle





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Getting Around

I found walking Rome was the best way to see everything.

The metro, trams and buses are also an easy and cheap option.

Buses and the metro can get crowded. Tickets must be bought before boarding and validated.

Beware of pickpockets.

Buses 40 (express) and 64 start at Termini and end near Saint Peter's, traveling past places of interest, returning the same way.


Some stops along the 64 route are:

Repubblica

Piazza Venezia

Via Nazionale

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II


Bus 75 takes you past the Colosseum to Trastevere

Bus 910 takes you to Villa Borghese


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These are a few of my favourite books about Rome

The Cardinal's Hat by Mary Hollingsworth
This book tells the story of one of the sons of Lucrezia Borgia who became a cardinal during the 16th century.

The Tigress of Forli by Elizabeth Lev
I love this book telling the story of Caterina Sforza who was fighting against the Borgia pope to retain the rights of her land and her freedom.

The Popes by John Julius Norwich
A detailed but easy and enjoyable book to read about the history of the papacy and the popes.

The Pope's Daughter by Caroline P Murphy
This book describes in beautiful detail, the life and times of Pope Julius II daughter, Felice della Rovere.

The Families Who Made Rome by Anthony Majanlahti
I love this Book! It explains the families who made Rome what it is as we see it today and also looks at their triumphs, scandals and failures.

Rome by Robert Hughes
This book explains Rome from its beginning and expands on the Renaissance and Baroque until present times.

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
Another of my favourite reads about a lost Caravaggio painting and the search for its provenance.





other sites I trust for information on Rome are:
Rome Art Lover
Churches of Rome wiki