Get Ready for Rome

Pods in the Pipeline

December 03, 2020 17:00 - 12 minutes - 9.72 MB

I here preview four different podcasts I’m working on at the moment. The most pressing is on Garibaldi, and I hope to have it ready to go by December 8, but it is challenging, for his life was so full of action and his political views were so pleasing to the people but so annoying to the New Italian government. A second is simpler and is on the new statue in St. Peter’s Square, called Angels Unawares. A third asks how the Catholic Church raised the money to pay for St. Peter’s Basilica, whic...

A Second Visit to St. Peter’s Basilica: The Piazza and Colonnade

December 01, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 16.6 MB

After 1200 years, the first Roman basilica dedicated to St. Peter was torn down, and then began the slow process of building a new one on the same location. We discuss why it took so long to build the basilica, what the main features of its beautiful piazza are, and how it differed from that of the old one.

23. A Second Visit to St. Peter’s Basilica: The Piazza and Colonnade

December 01, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 16.6 MB

After 1200 years, the first Roman basilica dedicated to St. Peter was torn down, and then began the slow process of building a new one on the same location. We discuss why it took so long to build the basilica, what the main features of its beautiful piazza are, and how it differed from that of the old one.

22. Generosity and Violence Behind the Building of the Colosseum Mini Pod

November 26, 2020 17:00 - 12 minutes - 9.85 MB

Today we glance at why the Flavian Emperors may have built the Colosseum and how they put themselves in a position to do so. What did such vast public works projects have to do with the rise and fall of Roman Emperors?

Generosity and Violence Behind the Building of the Colosseum

November 26, 2020 17:00 - 12 minutes - 9.85 MB

Today we glance at why the Flavian Emperors may have built the Colosseum and how they put themselves in a position to do so. What did such vast public works projects have to do with the rise and fall of Roman Emperors?

A Second Look at the Colosseum: The Structure Itself

November 24, 2020 17:00 - 22 minutes - 18 MB

This podcast discusses the Colosseum as a building, including its overall shape, the huge awning that protected the spectators from the hot Roman sun, the foundations needed to support it, and its decorative elements. Our next episode will take up the kind of events that were staged in it.

21. A Second Look at the Colosseum: The Structure Itself

November 24, 2020 17:00 - 22 minutes - 18 MB

This podcast discusses the Colosseum as a building, including its overall shape, the huge awning that protected the spectators from the hot Roman sun, the foundations needed to support it, and its decorative elements. Our next episode will take up the kind of events that were staged in it.

A Secular Roman Monument Gets Religion

November 19, 2020 17:00 - 8 minutes - 6.32 MB

Although its exterior is utterly devoid of Christian symbols, the Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II has a Christian chapel deep within it. Why is it there, and how does its message relate to that of the monument’s neoclassical exterior?

20. A Secular Roman Monument Gets Religion Mini Pod

November 19, 2020 17:00 - 8 minutes - 6.32 MB

Although its exterior is utterly devoid of Christian symbols, the Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II has a Christian chapel deep within it. Why is it there, and how does its message relate to that of the monument’s neoclassical exterior?

19. Modern Italy’s Main Monument to Itself: the Vittoriano

November 17, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 16.9 MB

Modern Italy’s largest, most expensive, and most eye-catching monument goes most often by its nickname, the Wedding Cake. It is huge, bright white, and covered with a wide variety of allegorical statues. This podcast finds in these statues Italy’s intention to break away from the long traditions of Christian Rome, while at the same time reviving Italian pride, unity, and dedication by evoking the glories of Ancient Rome.

Modern Italy’s Main Monument to Itself: the Vittoriano

November 17, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 16.9 MB

Modern Italy’s largest, most expensive, and most eye-catching monument goes most often by its nickname, the Wedding Cake. It is huge, bright white, and covered with a wide variety of allegorical statues. This podcast finds in these statues Italy’s intention to break away from the long traditions of Christian Rome, while at the same time reviving Italian pride, unity, and dedication by evoking the glories of Ancient Rome.

18. Of Barns and Basilicas! Mini Pod

November 12, 2020 17:00 - 11 minutes - 7.97 MB

Ancient Rome had, and Christian Rome still has, lots of buildings called “basilicas.” But this important word is used in two senses. So just what is a basilica? This pod explains both the architectural and ecclesiastical senses of the term.

Of Barns and Basilicas!

November 12, 2020 17:00 - 11 minutes - 7.97 MB

Ancient Rome had, and Christian Rome still has, lots of buildings called “basilicas.” But this important word is used in two senses. So just what is a basilica? This pod explains both the architectural and ecclesiastical senses of the term.

A First Visit to Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica

November 10, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 12.6 MB

We here survey and introduce the main sites of Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica. These include the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and other parts of the Vatican Museums; the Vatican Necropolis, an ancient cemetery in which St. Peter may have been buried; the Vatican Gardens; the Apostolic Palace; and the Grottoes, main floor, and dome of St. Peters.

17. A First Visit to Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica

November 10, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 12.6 MB

We here survey and introduce the main sites of Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica. These include the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and other parts of the Vatican Museums; the Vatican Necropolis, an ancient cemetery in which St. Peter may have been buried; the Vatican Gardens; the Apostolic Palace; and the Grottoes, main floor, and dome of St. Peters.

16. The Colosseum and the Looting of Jerusalem Mini Pod

November 05, 2020 17:00 - 9 minutes - 5.78 MB

Where did the Flavian Dynasty get the resources needed to build the Colosseum? The sorry condition in which Nero had left Rome and epigraphical evidence suggests it had to have come from the looting of Jerusalem and its Jewish Temple. This event is celebrated on the Arch of Titus, just uphill from the Colosseum. The crucial but difficult question is how to judge the Romans for their imperialistic actions. Considering their possible motives takes a small first step toward the beginning of an ...

The Colosseum and the Looting of Jerusalem

November 05, 2020 17:00 - 9 minutes - 5.78 MB

Where did the Flavian Dynasty get the resources needed to build the Colosseum? The sorry condition in which Nero had left Rome and epigraphical evidence suggests it had to have come from the looting of Jerusalem and its Jewish Temple. This event is celebrated on the Arch of Titus, just uphill from the Colosseum. The crucial but difficult question is how to judge the Romans for their imperialistic actions. Considering their possible motives takes a small first step toward the beginning of an ...

15. A First Visit to the Colosseum

November 03, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 12.6 MB

This first of four pods on the Colosseum offers a general overview of the structure, including its architecture and the materials used to build it. We also consider why the Flavian Dynasty of Emperors chose to build it where they did, right where there had been a beautiful water feature of Nero’s sprawling “Golden House.” We raise but do not yet address the question of what to think about those who took such delight in the cruel events staged in the Colosseum.

A First Visit to the Colosseum

November 03, 2020 17:00 - 21 minutes - 12.6 MB

This first of four pods on the Colosseum offers a general overview of the structure, including its architecture and the materials used to build it. We also consider why the Flavian Dynasty of Emperors chose to build it where they did, right where there had been a beautiful water feature of Nero’s sprawling “Golden House.” We raise but do not yet address the question of what to think about those who took such delight in the cruel events staged in the Colosseum.

Fewer Halos, More Nudes

October 29, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.05 MB

The art in Rome’s churches and museums includes many characters with halos and many without clothes, but these two groups rarely overlap. This pod first encourages visitors to Rome to observe when and where we see halos on the one hand and nudes on the other. It then draws on examples from the Galleria Borghese and Sistine Chapel to suggest that in the Renaissance, we see many fewer halos and many more nudes. This raises a difficult and interesting question: “Why?”

14. Fewer Halos, More Nudes Mini Pod

October 29, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.05 MB

The art in Rome’s churches and museums includes many characters with halos and many without clothes, but these two groups rarely overlap. This pod first encourages visitors to Rome to observe when and where we see halos on the one hand and nudes on the other. It then draws on examples from the Galleria Borghese and Sistine Chapel to suggest that in the Renaissance, we see many fewer halos and many more nudes. This raises a difficult and interesting question: “Why?”

07 Modern Rome Intro

October 27, 2020 13:00 - 23 minutes - 13.7 MB

Italy was not unified until 1860, and even then it lacked Rome, which remained under papal rule until 20 September 1870. Why did the supporters of the Risorgimento want to change Rome, and how did they do so? We here prepare to visit the monuments of Modern Italy by learning a little more about the main failures and success of the Risorgimento and the contributions of Garibaldi and Cavour.

13. Introduction to Modern Rome

October 27, 2020 13:00 - 23 minutes - 13.7 MB

Italy was not unified until 1860, and even then it lacked Rome, which remained under papal rule until 20 September 1870. Why did the supporters of the Risorgimento want to change Rome, and how did they do so? We here prepare to visit the monuments of Modern Italy by learning a little more about the main failures and success of the Risorgimento and the contributions of Garibaldi and Cavour.

Going Up! Rome's Changing Ground Levels

October 22, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 5.77 MB

We here observe several places in Rome that offer dramatic evidence of how much ground level has changed over Rome’s long history. Doing so deepens our understanding of how much time has passed since antiquity, of how transient some human achievements are, of how depopulated Rome became during the Middle Ages, and of how much we need to use our mind’s eye if we are to going to see Ancient Rome well. The effect is especially noticeable at lower elevations and near the Tiber, whose flooding wa...

12. Going Up! Rome's Changing Ground Levels Mini Pod

October 22, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 5.77 MB

We here observe several places in Rome that offer dramatic evidence of how much ground level has changed over Rome’s long history. Doing so deepens our understanding of how much time has passed since antiquity, of how transient some human achievements are, of how depopulated Rome became during the Middle Ages, and of how much we need to use our mind’s eye if we are to going to see Ancient Rome well. The effect is especially noticeable at lower elevations and near the Tiber, whose flooding wa...

11. Introduction to Christian Rome

October 20, 2020 13:00 - 25 minutes - 19.4 MB

This pod presents a quick overview of how Rome changed after it became Christian, both in its prevailing art and architecture and in its soul. It notes that at the same time as official Christianity took over Rome in the fourth century, there was a precipitous decline in Rome’s prominence, wealth, population, security, and political order. Rome then became a city of churches and of fortifications within the city walls. The tough question concerns the relationship between these developments.

Introduction to Christian Rome

October 20, 2020 13:00 - 25 minutes - 19.4 MB

This pod presents a quick overview of how Rome changed after it became Christian, both in its prevailing art and architecture and in its soul. It notes that at the same time as official Christianity took over Rome in the fourth century, there was a precipitous decline in Rome’s prominence, wealth, population, security, and political order. Rome then became a city of churches and of fortifications within the city walls. The tough question concerns the relationship between these developments.

Rome's Talking Statues

October 15, 2020 16:00 - 7 minutes - 6.02 MB

Rome is home to Pasquino and five other “Talking Statues,” which are exceeding popular with tour guides. For the last three centuries of Papal Rule in Rome, the statues were used like social media bulletin boards, but with anonymous postings pinned up at night. They were often witty and irreverent toward the established authorities, and what is more delightful than irreverence toward authorities we don’t revere! We identify these statues and give samples of their messages, but I conclude b...

10. Rome's Talking Statues Mini Pod

October 15, 2020 16:00 - 7 minutes - 6.02 MB

Rome is home to Pasquino and five other “Talking Statues,” which are exceeding popular with tour guides. For the last three centuries of Papal Rule in Rome, the statues were used like social media bulletin boards, but with anonymous postings pinned up at night. They were often witty and irreverent toward the established authorities, and what is more delightful than irreverence toward authorities we don’t revere! We identify these statues and give samples of their messages, but I conclude b...

Introduction to Ancient Rome

October 13, 2020 13:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MB

This pod introduces the features that most identify Ancient Rome, especially in her differences from Christian and Modern Rome. These include the extent of her empire, her long-lasting rule, her ability to turn human beings into citizens, her reception and imitation of Greek culture, and her pagan intermixing of politics and religion.

9. Introduction to Ancient Rome

October 13, 2020 13:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MB

This pod introduces the features that most identify Ancient Rome, especially in her differences from Christian and Modern Rome. These include the extent of her empire, her long-lasting rule, her ability to turn human beings into citizens, her reception and imitation of Greek culture, and her pagan intermixing of politics and religion.

A First Trip to Castelgandolfo

October 08, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 10 MB

When you feel like a break from the hubbub of Rome, the Castelli Romani offer several good options. Today we make our first visit to Castelgandolfo, which is one of the dozen hill towns known collectively as the Castelli. Among its claims our attention are these: It sits on rim above a beautiful crater lake. It is the site of Alba Longa, and this is the very ancient town from which Rome descended, at least according to the legend of Romulus and Remus. Later, it was the site of summer villas ...

8. A First Trip to Castelgandolfo Mini Pod

October 08, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 10 MB

When you feel like a break from the hubbub of Rome, the Castelli Romani offer several good options. Today we make our first visit to Castelgandolfo, which is one of the dozen hill towns known collectively as the Castelli. Among its claims our attention are these: It sits on rim above a beautiful crater lake. It is the site of Alba Longa, and this is the very ancient town from which Rome descended, at least according to the legend of Romulus and Remus. Later, it was the site of summer villas ...

The Three Romes

October 05, 2020 16:00 - 26 minutes - 19 MB

Cities are distinguished by their geographical location, but I here use historical and cultural differences to divide Rome into three radically different cities. Doing so helps to organize Rome's many sites and the art we see at them and makes them participants in fascinating theological and ideological quarrels. This episode explains this approach and begins to identify the differences of opinion that divide Christian Romans from the ancient pagans, and modern Romans from the the popes who...

7. The Three Romes

October 05, 2020 16:00 - 26 minutes - 19 MB

Cities are distinguished by their geographical location, but I here use historical and cultural differences to divide Rome into three radically different cities. Doing so helps to organize Rome's many sites and the art we see at them and makes them participants in fascinating theological and ideological quarrels. This episode explains this approach and begins to identify the differences of opinion that divide Christian Romans from the ancient pagans, and modern Romans from the the popes who...

Rome's Street of Reconciliation and Urban Planning 101

September 30, 2020 16:00 - 11 minutes - 8.74 MB

The Street of Reconciliation, the Via della Conciliazione, honors an agreement that welcomed the Church back into Italian society and recognized it as a legitimate sovereign state. Along with the contrasting statue of Giovanni Bruno, it raises the questions of the relationship between Church and State, and Reason and Revelation. My reading of the statue of Bruno is influenced by the speech which inaugurated it, which was given by Giovanni Bovio. The Via della Conciliazione is also an exa...

6. Rome's Street of Reconciliation and Urban Planning 101 Mini Pod

September 30, 2020 16:00 - 11 minutes - 8.74 MB

The Street of Reconciliation, the Via della Conciliazione, honors an agreement that welcomed the Church back into Italian society and recognized it as a legitimate sovereign state. Along with the contrasting statue of Giovanni Bruno, it raises the questions of the relationship between Church and State, and Reason and Revelation. My reading of the statue of Bruno is influenced by the speech which inaugurated it, which was given by Giovanni Bovio. The Via della Conciliazione is also an exa...

Rome's "Street of Reconciliation"

September 28, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 16.7 MB

The Bruno statue in effect declared ongoing war against the Roman Catholic Church and thus represented the anticlerical sentiment that helped to fuel the revolution that created modern Italy; but the next sixty years brought new circumstances, interests, and ideas, and both Italy and the Church grew ready to settle their differences. They did so especially in the Lateran Pacts, which normalized relations. To celebrate this new state of affairs, Rome built a new boulevard the Via della Concil...

5. Rome's "Street of Reconciliation"

September 28, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 16.7 MB

The Bruno statue in effect declared ongoing war against the Roman Catholic Church and thus represented the anticlerical sentiment that helped to fuel the revolution that created modern Italy; but the next sixty years brought new circumstances, interests, and ideas, and both Italy and the Church grew ready to settle their differences. They did so especially in the Lateran Pacts, which normalized relations. To celebrate this new state of affairs, Rome built a new boulevard the Via della Concil...

Strife Among the Ruins Scavenger Hunt

September 23, 2020 16:00 - 10 minutes - 7.73 MB

To find, we must seek, but what should we be looking for in Rome? I here propose that you keep your eyes peeled for evidence of various kinds of strife as you walk the charming streets of the Eternal City. I offer a preliminary list to get you started.

4. Strife Among the Ruins Scavenger Hunt Mini Pod

September 23, 2020 16:00 - 10 minutes - 7.73 MB

To find, we must seek, but what should we be looking for in Rome? I here propose that you keep your eyes peeled for evidence of various kinds of strife as you walk the charming streets of the Eternal City. I offer a preliminary list to get you started.

The Statue of Giordano Bruno

September 21, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MB

The Statue of Giordano Bruno was erected not to add to the considerable charm of its surroundings in the Campo de’ Fiori but to accuse the popes of cruelty and injustice. The statue thus marked a deep change in the attitudes of the ever-changing Eternal City. But was this change permanent?

3. The Statue of Giordano Bruno

September 21, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MB

The Statue of Giordano Bruno was erected not to add to the considerable charm of its surroundings in the Campo de’ Fiori but to accuse the popes of cruelty and injustice. The statue thus marked a deep change in the attitudes of the ever-changing Eternal City. But was this change permanent?

Get Ready for Rome

Episodes