Posts about Rome
Useful information about Rome from the staff of Context Travel.
The new train station in Rome
We’ve asked architect and Rome docent Liz Brewster to tell us more about the new, sleek looking station of Tiburtina that recently reopened to travelers in the East of the Italian Capital. After much controversy, and a large fire that delayed the opening, the new Stazione Tiburtina is finally here.
A sleek new glass-skinned steel bridge has recently emerged above the tangle of raised concrete viaducts that make up Rome’s busy east tangential highway. The Tiburtina station now arches over the 20+ train tracks that line up below, visually announcing its presence from afar. Gone is the low, placid
block of the old Tiburtina train station which sat politely alongside the tracks for decades. As the Italian rail system upgrades to high velocity trains, a series of major city train stations throughout Italy are undergoing major renovation.
The Tiburtina station has grown to become one of Rome’s principle public transportation interchange points, housing a B line metro stop beneath it and a major national and international bus terminal adjacent to it. If the controversial and expensive high velocity rail lines that are planned to connect the European countries are completed, the Tiburtina station could be the entry gate into Rome for passengers coming from outside of Italy like France and Spain.
I couldn’t wait to see the metamorphosis take place. Along with all the other residents of north and east Rome, it’s been several years of agonizing detour road traffic around the construction site and slaloming barriers in the station itself when I took the train. I’d crane my neck to watch the progress every time I dared to take the Tangenziale, which has become an enormous hemostat, squeezing cars down to a traffic standstill for kilometers.
Tiburtina station interior
I decided it was most appropriate to arrive by train for my first visit. Getting off the train, I rode up one of the new escalators that starts right on the arrival platform and penetrates directly into the underbelly of the the bridge station that looms above and across the tracks. It felt a little like being beamed up into a large, hovering spacecraft.
Once inside, the 10,000 square meter concourse was truly spectacular. Floor to ceiling glass walls allow visitors to see the horizon of the city line and watch the flow of the train activity below. By night the concourse is illuminated by rows of sparkling ceiling lights, creating a fishbowl display of people
moving through the bridge’s innards. In the several-story tall space, 8 suspended halls float about mid- height on either side of the concourse, piercing through the glass walls and forming protrusions or “interferences” on the building exterior.. Each suspended hall’s perimeters are soft and curved, defined by a solid plane bent over itself like a ribbon to form the ceiling, wall and floor. Matte green colored, it vaguely looks like a colossal stick of peppermint chewing gum has been folded over to form a space in its concavity. Floor to ceiling glass walls fill in the open end walls. The overall effect of walking through this space amplified the sense of fluid movement and transition.
The new station, commissioned by the Italian National Rail and designed by architect Paolo Desideri and partners of the roman studio ABDR, is being completed more or less on schedule; the station was inaugurated precociously in November 2011. The commercial spaces in the concourse were still empty when I visited and both interior and exterior finish work on the building was still being completed. The station’s new bridgehead entrances on either side of the tracks are dramatic multistory spaces, but the surrounding external public spaces are far from completion. On the east side, the concrete viaducts of the Tangential road, (which are planned to be removed) come within meters of the 4 story glass facade.
On the west side, a service road skirts a barren hillside as the parking lot and park areas have not yet been activated. Worried residents of the surrounding neighborhoods have organized regular protests to bring attention to lack of momentum the city of Rome seems to be taking to move ahead with the part of the plans that they are to complete. Locals are afraid the city of Rome will cut the budget and not follow through with the ambitious urban renewal for the external public spaces around the station, which include interconnected green parks, public piazzas, bike and pedestrian paths and parking as well as the removal of entire sections of the tangenziale viaducts and an eventual deviation of automobile transit. The Tiburtina station’s bridge form makes the building a natural connector between the two neighborhoods that flank the railroad, bringing new centrality to areas that have been separated since the railroad lines were originally put in.
If the entire Tiburtina project is completed as it was originally planned, the whole area, station and
surrounds, will be worthy of it’s role as an international gateway into Rome. Stay tuned!
Posted by Liz Brewster | This post has one comment
May 7th, 2012 under City Life, Docent Essays, Rome, Special Events, Transportation.
Context began in Rome nearly 10 years ago. Since then we’ve expanded to 18 cities, including several in North America and Asia. With more than 300 docents in the network and 300 walking seminars on offer, we’ve made transformative travel the norm for a whole group of savvy travelers. (Stay tuned for our opening in Prague, Budapest, and Vienna later this month.)
Still, Rome remains the heart and soul of Context. Not only do we run more walks here than anywhere else (with Paris a close second) the city embodies the kind of deep culture and heritage that make our hearts quicken. We’re most at home among the archaeologists, art historians, and other scholars who gravitate to a city like Rome.
Personally, Rome is my favorite city in the world. And, although I now live in Philadelphia and spend much of time visiting Context programs in Beijing, Istanbul, and other far flung places, returning to Rome is always a homecoming for me. My first two daughters were born here, and strolling down one of the city’s cobblestoned byways holds an inextricable, soul-touching power.
On my most recent visit, last week, I retraced my footsteps through the Monti and the Esquiline neighborhoods where Context began. As I crisscrossed this area up behind the Colosseum, I made some mental notes of favorite places where the spirit of this city, untrammeled by modern tourism, is alive and well, and where personal memories intersect with the past. Herewith, a selective, conceptual passeggiata through Rome.
A simple walk through Monti takes one through an incredibly beautiful but oddly quiet part of the city. Odd because it’s just a block or two off busy, bustling Via Cavour. And, yet, it’s quite common to find oneself strolling along a street with just a few Italians and no tourists in sight. One of my favorite routes is to climb the hill behind the Markets of Trajan and take a right on Sant’Agata dei Goti. Passing here last week I nearly tripped over the puggy, black and white dog that has been guarding the car park at the top of this street for a decade. Memories flooded over me, as our office used to be located at the far end of the street where it intersects with Via Baccina, and I once passed this dog daily, with my labrador retriever, Sadie, in tow. The two would do their ritual sniff and nod before moving on.
Via Baccina is worth a stroll. With bougainvillea draped over several facades and little traffic, you can be forgiven for thinking that you’ve stepped back in time here. Of course, this find tangible expression at the far end where Baccina runs into the large tufa wall erected by Augustus Casear to protect his new forum from fire—an awe-inspiring piece of engineering still standing after two millennia. My course takes me in the opposite direction towards Via Serpenti where a small detour to the north brings me to Vino al Vino, one of the best enoteche (wine bars) in the city and where we hold our Italian Language Workshop and numerous Context parties. Giacomo, the proprietor, can always be counted on for a great local wine and some of his mother’s homemade caponata.
Through Piazza Madonna ai Monti, next stop is for a gelato at the Sicilian Ciuri Ciuri: a double scoop of dark chocolate and more (black raspberry), which emboldens us for the walk uphill. Instead of taking the direct route on Via Giovanni Lanza, I opt for the detour up Via in Selci. Why? Because all along the right (south) side of the street you can see some great fourth or fifth century arches embedded into the side of the monastery of Santa Lucia in Selci—a kind of whisper from the late antique, winking through the ages, that one only gets in Rome. History speaks to us directly here, and a key ingredient to walking through the city is knowing when to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities.
At the top of the hill I arrive on the Esquiline Hill. Here, too, memories resound. Our second daughter, Cleo was born in an apartment at the top of Via Giovanni Lanza, and the first Context office was in our kitchen. Like Monti, the Esquiline is filled with all sorts of hidden pieces of old Rome, including a number of ancient fragments. For example, in the auto repair shop near our first apartment in Rome (on Via Angelo Poliziano) there were the remnants of the Servian Wall, one of the oldest structures in the city.
During the empire the Esquiline hill was littered with villas of the artistocracy. At the time of Augustus, several key people lived here, including Maecenas, a friend of the emperor and informally in charge of the arts. The patron of Vergil, Maecenas’ villa attracted the major thinkers and creators of the day in a Symposium-like reverie on beauty. Lucky for us, a piece of that villa, Maecenas’ auditorium, still stands, adorned with frescoes, along the Via Merulana just down the street from Santa Maria Maggiore. Although closed to the public except irregularly, Context runs frequent special visits, including one coming up on April 20.
At this point it’s time for a pick me up. Where better than the exquisite bread shop, Panella, across the street. They serve a fastastic espresso with an authentic crema—espresso whipped with sugar. Or perhaps I opt for the shekerato, which is a cold, sweetened espresso shake, and lose a good hour watching the people go by on Via Merulana, far from the bustle of Rome. For me, these are the must-see sites and experiences of this magical city.
Posted by Paul Bennett | This post has 7 comments
April 2nd, 2012 under City Life, Rome.
We love Ostia Antica, the ancient port of Rome just 25 kilometers outside the city. Partly this is because it offers a sustainable alternative to Pompeii for people visiting Rome who may only have a few days to see the sights. Pompeii represents a loooong full-day investment (12 hrs) from Rome and involves lots of time on trains and/or cars. It’s much better visited from Naples. (And, we urge you to seriously consider a visit to Naples itself, staying in the city center. Check out our scholarship student’s take on this amazing city this year.)
Another reason we love Ostia is because it represents an outstanding example of a small, working-class Roman town, well preserved by millennia of river mud. (Pompeii was a little more artistocratic.)
I recently visited Ostia Antica on one of our tours there with my daughter Cleo and a friend and had a magical experience. With few crowds and plenty of warm, Roman sunshine, Cleo was transported back 2000 years. Here are several things that work well for kids at Ostia and make it the perfect place for the under 12 crowd to learn about ancient Rome:
Ruts in the Decumanus Maximus. The main road, or Decumanus Maximus, of Ostia is very well preserved. As we walked along it Livia, an archaeologist who was our guide, pointed out the ruts carved by wagon wheels over 500 years of use. This became a great game—Find the Rut—as we went along and got the kids thinking about traffic, commerce, and the kinds of things that would be coming in and out of this bustling port city.
Well in the Middle? At the end of the Decumanus Maximus there’s a well plopped down in the middle of the street. This was a curious site and led to all sorts of questions. Why would a well be dug in the middle of a street? How would wagons get around it. Turns out it was built in the medieval period when Ostia was in decline, as evidenced by the different stone work. This provided an excellent “play archaeologist” game for the girls.
When we stepped underground the girls gave a gasp.
Underground. The bath complexes at Ostia (there are several) offer a great opportunity to talk about hygiene and social interactions in ancient Roman cities. Since you can get into the under-floor hypocausts and walk in some of the furnace rooms, it’s also a great place to learn about Roman engineering and bath design. But, the best part was slipping underground into the subterranean drainage system. When Livia whipped out her flashlight to show us around a shiver went through the girls. Awesome!
Shop Mosaics. Personally, my favorite spot at Ostia is the Piazzale of the Corporations where shipping magnates set up their offices and traded everything from grain to marbles coming into Rome from the far reaches of the empire. Why? Because, instead of hanging neon signs outside of their shops the shipping companies created fantastic black and white mosaics showing their wares. The best? Hands down, the exotic animal importer who commissioned a large elephant mosaic for the threshold to his office.
Context runs our Ostia tour regularly as a group or private tour. Although, not a technically set up as a “family tour” in our Family Program, we had one of the docents from that program develop a customized walk just for kids that worked exceptionally well. If your kids like ancient Rome and are curious about how people lived 2000 years ago, I heartily recommend heading to Ostia and taking this route.
Posted by Paul Bennett | This post has one comment
March 31st, 2012 under Archaeology, Family Travel, Rome.
Context Travel is sensitive to the obstacles facing travelers with mobility limitations. Most of the cities we visit are very old, harking back centuries or even millennia, meaning one must grapple with layouts that can date back to Roman or Medieval times and are often dotted with potholes, cobblestones and various other pitfalls. Museums, churches, monuments and archaeological sites vary greatly in their degree of access, ranging from fully accessible to completely inaccessible. People who use wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, canes and crutches are likely to face a myriad of difficulties – ranging from uneven sidewalk surfaces, steep terrain and lack of curb ramps, to parked cars and motorcycles blocking the way, to tiny or malfunctioning museum elevators and inaccessible restrooms. Read more »
Posted by Jessica | This post has no comments
March 3rd, 2012 under City Life, Florence, Mobility Program, Naples, Rome, Transportation, Venice.
The cuisine one finds in Italy is as varied as the dialects spoken across the country. When pondering the different market walks we provide through our Italian cities, it struck us that their varied cuisine is a wonderful lens through which to view their unique cultures. A few quick exchanges with our culinary experts and voilà, some thoughts on market finds that exemplify the best of Florence, Rome, and Venice. Read more »
Posted by Jessica | This post has no comments
February 26th, 2012 under Florence, Food and Wine, Rome, Venice.
Last summer we had a client approach us with a new idea. She was spending nearly a month in Paris with her children and had heard about our Family Program of walks designed for kids and led by museum educators. We normally think of these as tours—one-off experiences that families enjoy during a visit. But what if, this client asked, she string together many of these—including a number of customized walks—into a kind of immersive, cultural summer camp. Wow, we thought, what a great idea. Read more »
Posted by Petulia | This post has 4 comments
February 14th, 2012 under Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Context Travel, Culture, Family Travel, Florence, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Naples, New York, Paris, Rome, Venice, Washington.
At Context, our philosophy has always been about promoting and protecting the cultural heritage in each of the cities in which we operate. This heritage most familiarly comes in the form of monumental sites such as the Colosseum or iconic topics such Gothic architecture in Paris. But it also exists in smaller, sometimes more interesting, off the beaten path sites such as the Croton Aqueduct in New York or topics such as Thomas Jefferson’s time in Paris. Very often, however, these less well known aspects of a city’s heritage can be overlooked by enthusiastic visitors and busy locals.
Read more »
Posted by Carolyn | This post has no comments
January 31st, 2012 under Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Context Foundation, Culture, Edinburgh, Florence, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Naples, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, Venice, Washington.
As an architect in Rome I work on remaking places so that they better serve peopleʼs needs–and stir their souls–while contributing as much as possible to the long-term, planetary ecological balance. Some Studio Rome projects are extremely local, such as our proposal to transform underused structures along the Tiber into a center for urban re-use. Others involve prototypes that might be inserted into various contexts: bike-racks, urban gardens, etc. or broader planning projects that traverse the city such as rail lines or bike paths. Read more »
Posted by Tom Rankin | This post has no comments
January 6th, 2012 under City Life, Docent Essays, Rome, Transportation.
The second part of our conversation with art historian Frank Dabell fast forwards to our modern age, the conditions that are now present inside the Sistine Chapel, and how one can get the most out of their visit in what can often be a chaotic environment. Read more »
Posted by Jessica | This post has one comment
December 20th, 2011 under Art, Culture, Museums and Monuments, Rome.
As 2012 approaches we have begun to think about what great anniversaries would be taking place and none jumped out more than the 500th anniversary of the completion of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Michelangelo’s masterpiece has captivated both scholars and travelers for centuries, so it seemed fitting to sit down and have a chat with art historian and long time Context docent Frank Dabell about the artist and his work. A conversation so rich we will need two posts to cover everything, we hope you enjoy the interview as much as we enjoyed discussing Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel with Frank. Our first portion of the chat brings insight into how Michelangelo’s legacy and life, how it was viewed in his own time and what he would think about his fame now. Read more »
Posted by Jessica | This post has 2 comments
December 15th, 2011 under Art, Culture, Museums and Monuments, Rome.
