Rome Tourist Sites - The Esqualino And Trevi Fountain Districts

Rome's Esqualino district owes it name to Esquiline

, one of Rome's seven hills. Esquiline itself comes from the word "Esquilae", which means out of the city. As the city has grown; now this lovely area is just southeast of the center of Rome. The district's northern corner hosts a square of the same name. The Egyptian obelisk at the centre of the square comes from the Mausoleum of Augustus. On the top of the hill sits the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, in the days of antiquity this site of a private home that hosted Christian services. The present building dates back to the early Ninth Century. Make sure to its Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century frescoes and its upstart Nineteenth Century coffered ceiling. Note to the faithful: On Corpus Christi (Corpus Domini), the Thursday following the 8th Sunday after Easter, the Pope holds an early-evening service in the San Giovanni Church and then heads a procession along Via Merulana to Santa Maria.

Just southwest of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basicila is the Basilica di Santa Prassede all'Esquillino, commonly called Santa Prassede. This church was built in the late Eighth Century on the remains of an older structure. Be sure to enjoy its mosaics. Santa Prassede also houses a segment of the pillar upon which Jesus was allegedly flogged and tortured before being crucified in Jerusalem. Another historic church is Santa Bibiana, first consecrated in the mid-Fifth Century. While its facade was built more than a thousand years later, the columns lining the nave are from the original church. Its special features include frescoes and statue of the saint by Bernini. Did I mention that rebuilding this church was one of his early projects?

The Palazzo Brancaccio, built between 1886 and 1912, is the last palace to be built in Rome. It houses the Teatro Brancaccio Politeama and the National Museum of Oriental Art. The latter boasts one of the world's most important Tibetan art collections. From Monday to Saturday head to the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Rome's largest open-air food market. In fact this Piazza is said to be the largest in all Europe.

The Trevi Fountain district lies smack dab in central Rome. Of course its star attraction is the world famous Trevi Fountain, featured in the movies Three Coins in a Fountain and La Dolce Vita. According to legend you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into its wishing well. The fountain is 85 feet (almost 26 meters) high and 65 feet (almost 20 meters) wide, making it the largest Baroque fountain in the world. Trevi marks the terminal point of a aqueduct supplying central Rome with fresh water from a site about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away. This aqueduct served for some four hundred years until destroyed by the Goths in 537/538, pushing Rome into the doldrums for centuries. The next fountain was built about a thousand years later and, as often, the subsequent construction history had as many twists and turns as the aqueduct itself. The fountain was refurbished in 1998. By the way, the wishing well collects an estimated 3 thousand Euros (over 4 thousand dollars) a day.

Just to the left of the fountain is the Santa Maria in Trivio Church, according to tradition founded by a Byzantine general who conquered Rome twice in the Sixth Century and built the church to expiate his sins. In any case it is one of Rome's oldest churches and was almost entirely rebuilt for the Jubilee Year of 1575.

The Palazzo Poli forms the backdrop to the Trevi Fountain. Its central portion was torn down to make room for the fountain in 1730. This Palazzo is home to a major collection of copper engraving plates over the centuries. Other nearby palaces include the mostly Eighteenth Century Palazzo Colonna with a fine art collection, the Seventeenth Century Palazzo di Propaganda Fide (Palace of the Propagation of the Faith), and the Palazzo Odeschalchi, which also belonged to the Colonna family.

by: Levi Reiss

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