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February 9, 2006

No crowds, no waiting at The Tempietto

Rome has a lot of famous sights…and a lot of tourists to see them. You can wait literally hours to get inside the Sistine Chapel, or get squished in the crowd flowing into Saint Peter’s Basilica. Luckily, there are some Roman sights at which -- although they make it to the guidebooks -- no waiting, admission fee or dealing with large crowds is necessary.

The Tempietto is one of them. This monument on the Gianicolo Hill not only offers a stairs workout, but you can catch some of the best panoramic views of the city. In the courtyard of the Church of San Pietro in Montorio sits the small temple that marks the spot where Saint Peter was believed to have been crucified upside-down by Emperor Nero in 64 A.D. Commissioned by Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1490 (the same pair who commissioned Columbus‘s voyage to the Americas), architect Bramante finished the structure in 1502.

The Tempietto (Italian for small temple) is perfectly proportioned. It was partially inspired by the Temple of Hercules near the Tiber River in downtown Rome. The use of 16 columns in the Tempietto is a direct response to the 16 there. It was believed that Hercules and St. Peter were alike in that both were humans dealing with many problems on earth but were in close touch with the God[s].

Upon entering the circular Tempietto, you are immediately confronted with a statue of Peter holding the keys to heaven. Walk around back and a small staircase will lead you down to the supposed spot of St. Peter’s crucifixion. The whole temple is centered around that point. Don’t worry about admission fees or lines -- there are none.

Posted by Kelsea  at 1:33 PM | Permalink

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