An Ancient Rome Adventure
Gabriel Bedford West applied to take a trip to Rome’s cultural and historical sites that will bring to life the ideas and stories he’s studying at university while deepening his historical understanding of the city and its history. He was also keen to experience Italian culture and society more broadly. He recently returned to the Island and tells us all about his adventure in his own words.
I’m currently studying Ancient History at university and visiting the città eterna has been a dream of mine for over half a decade. In October 2023, the Rivington Fund made that dream come true!
My visit was an opportunity to take in all the city’s key historic sites. In an ancient city like Rome, which was once the center of the world, history confronts you around every corner; I only had five days, and so had to narrow it down a bit. I visited sites all over the city’s center; the Forum Romanum, the Colosseum, the Mamertine Prison, the Altare della Patria, the Pantheon, the Vatican museum, the Napoleonic museum, the Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, and, most impressive of all, the Papal Basilica.
I stayed in a small hotel on the appropriately named Via Gabrielli, very close to the Vatican City and the Piazza Navona in the western part of central Rome. This lovely location, only a few blocks from the River Tiber, provided an ideal experience for exploring the city centre. Perhaps closest of all was the Museo Napoleonico, a must-see (and completely free!) exhibit of Napoleonic memorabilia. The museum has swords, busts, and plenty of art, including two beautiful copies of Franz Winterhalter’s 1852 portraits of Louis-Napoleon and his empress, Eugenie. Close by was, of course, the Vatican City. The centerpiece of this micro-state, Saint Peter’s Basilica, is something every European simply must see; as the tallest dome in the world, replete with papal tombs and the artwork of the high Renaissance and flanked by truly enormous columns, the basilica is an awe-inspiring monument to Christian civilization.
I’m proud to say it moved me to tears. I’ll always be grateful to the Rivington fund for giving me the opportunity to witness this incredible building; it was easily the highlight of my trip.
That isn’t to diminish the other sites. Another stand-out was a rolled-into-one tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum Romanum, directed by an excellently informed art history graduate. As the very heart of the old Roman empire, the area is remarkably well-preserved; in particular, the triumphal arches of Constantine and Titus have been extremely well-maintained, and the artwork is very clear. In general, this was the area in which history most came to life; our group’s guide was quick to point out the site of Caesar’s funeral, and described in vivid detail the horrific conditions under which slaves working at the Colosseum labored – working underground, with highly dangerous exotic animals, with little ventilation or light and a beating all too readily administered to any troublemakers. However, perhaps the most impressive non-religious site was the Pantheon, a dome which has stood (with restoration works, of course) for nearly two thousand years. The building is a monument to Italian civilisation, less grandiose than the Altare but almost more powerful, containing within it the very striking tomb of Victor Emannuel II, whom a large inscription informs you is the Padre della Patria – the father of the Italian nation, as the spearhead of the unification campaign fought in the mid-19th century. You can also see the tombs of other members of the Savoyard dynasty, along with Raphael himself!
Overall, the experience was beautiful. The fund administrators are helpful, the process of application was not difficult, and the trip has, for me, brought new life to an area of study that can often seem far away from current concerns. I’m extremely grateful to the Rivington Fund for enabling me to explore such a beautiful city and spend quality time with my father. He was very impressed by the museums!
