Oh! The absolute delight of rounding a corner by the Pantheon and seeing this confection!

Elephant and Obelisk was designed by the fabulously talented Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was unveiled in 1667 in the Piazza della Minerva in Rome, adjacent to the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where it stands today.

The red granite obelisk which is displayed as a part of this ensemble was originally erected by Pharaoh Apries of the 26th Dynasty of Egypt, about 580 BC, in his capital Sais. The obelisk was rediscovered in 1665 during excavations near the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and only 2 years later it was on display the way we see it today. The obelisk had probably been brought to Rome in the first century AD for the temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis. The obelisk is 5.47 meters tall and is the smallest of the 13 ancient obelisks present in Rome. Together with pedestal and elephant, the statue stands 12.69 meters tall.

The obelisk is considered to be one of a pair; the other is in Urbino.

When my son was 10, I brought him on his first trip to Italy and we were lucky enough to stay at the hotel Minerva, also seen in these pictures. It was an incredible trip that I will always remember!

Various preparatory drawings done by Bernini exist, and he was already thinking about how best to support an obelisk before this particular one was discovered. One Bernini drawing is in Windsor Castle, UK and was probably done in the 1630s when Cardinal Francesco Barberini wished to place an Egyptian obelisk in front of his family palace, the Palazzo Barberini. Nothing came of this specific project, but Bernini revived the idea in the 1660s, when Pope Alexander VII, Fabio Chigi, wished to build a similar monument after this particular Egyptian obelisk was discovered in Rome.

Various other concepts were explored for this later commission as attested by preparatory drawings. It is likely that the drawings were used so that the patron could make a decision about which design he wanted. This included a drawing (in Leipzig) of the figure of Time holding a scythe and simultaneously the obelisk. In the Vatican Library there are two pen and ink drawings with other figures holding up the obelisk, including one of Hercules, and another with various allegorical figures supporting the spire. A third version in the Vatican Library shows Bernini adapting on the concept he created in the 1630s, although he added in a larger base, changed the direction of the elephant’s orientation, and made its face appear more friendly than ferocious.

The marble elephant was probably carved by Bernini’s assistant Ercole Ferrata.

The Latin inscription at one side of the pedestal reads: “Let any beholder of the carved images of the wisdom of Egypt on the obelisk carried by the elephant, the strongest of beasts, realize that it takes a robust mind to carry solid wisdom.”

The statue turned out to be the last commission Pope Alexander VII would ask of Bernini, as the pope died in May 1667. He was succeeded by Pope Clement IX.

It almost looks as if the elephant is polychromed, but I think these must be rust stains.

Wow! What an eternal city!

I went to Rome on a mission recently. I planned to return to the incredible church of St. Ignazio of Loyola, which is one of my favorite places in the city.

I was happily traveling solo. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, for however long I wanted. No one to bother me. No compromises on what I wanted to see, think about, or study. It was as heavenly as the frescoed ceiling in the church!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Not all of the most beautiful artworks in Rome are hidden away in art galleries and museums.

One of the most startling and beautiful things you can do in the Eternal City costs absolutely nothing and takes about twenty minutes, is something a large proportion of the city’s visitors never encounter. Simply walk into the church of Sant’Ignazio in central Rome, stand at a small circular marble disc set into the floor of the nave, and look up.

What you will see is one of the greatest illusions ever painted: a ceiling that opens, apparently, directly into the heavens.

The dazzling frescoes celebrating the holiness and missionary vision of the Jesuit order’s founder Ignatius Loyola were the brainchild of Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit lay-brother and painter who dedicated 15 years of his career to the church in the late 17th century.

Perhaps you will recall my recent post on the church here: https://getbacklauretta.com/2026/08/15/the-outrageously-wonderful-baroque-frescoes-of-andrea-pozzo-in-the-church-of-st-ignatius-rome/. Those pictures were the result of a recent trip with a friend, when I didn’t have the opportunity to really take in the ceiling fresco the way I wanted to.

But this time, I did! I completed my enjoyable mission and these pictures are the results that are long visit.

May I just give a quick shout-out to the iPhone camera, which has revolutionized the way I travel and record. Thanks Steve Jobs.

I took a few overall videos and you know I love the personification of America especially. I’ve talked about that before!

The video above pays close attention to the altar end of the church which, while amazingly decorated, pales in comparison for me to the main fresco.

Now, sit back, and enjoy with me an orgy of photographic details of this amazing fresco!

First up we have the personification of Europe, shown as an older queen type.

Below, we have Africa.

Then, Asia!

Is it just my imagination of is a blue/white type of porcelain shown in these attributes of Asia? I try to talk myself out of it. It also looks like Italian polychromed ceramics, not porcelain. What do you think this bowl is?

That is one busy sky!

Words are not enough! You need hand gestures as well as torso, shoulders, neck, head and face (eyes, mouth, eyebrows, jaw) gestures as well!

As seen in Rome, but could be anywhere on the peninsula. I just love watching it!

Maybe you are lucky enough to have been to Rome. Maybe you have seen the Pantheon, either from its impressive facade or you have been in its marvelous interior. In the olden days, when I first started coming to Italy in 1979, entry was free. Any time the doors were open, you could enter. It was fantastic to have that ability

Now, post-Covid, in the days of mass tourism that continues to set records every year, entry will cost you and usually you must get in a very long line and wait your turn. To say that serendipity with visiting the Pantheon has been lost would be the understatement of the 21st century, so far anyway.

At any rate, on a day in Rome when I had all the time and energy I needed to do whatever I wanted, I did something I’ve NEVER done before. I encircled the Pantheon, taking it in in all its breadth and width and stopping to look at the foundations, so deep in the soil it is amazing to think how these ancient cities keep rising up physically.

I captured the views in videos and hope you enjoy having a look around this incredible monument with me.

This is a new one to me. I’ve walked along the Tiber many times but I have never seen a tour boat before. I saw this in late August, 2026

I’m usually up for any kind of adventure, but I’m not sure about this one. I suppose it would offer some interesting views of the city that you can only see from the river. Maybe I’ll do it; I’m not in a rush, though. The water is brackish and doesn’t seem to flow.

In my travels I’m constantly noticing people intent on taking selfies, no matter the context, sacred or profane.

And in this fabulous church I saw not a selfie being taken, although I would argue it really is, but a mate taking one’s picture.

The girl in the smaller polka dots posed and posed. She’s certainly in love with herself.

What are your thoughts about this practice?

This delightful Roman fresco of boats and fish now housed at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme dates to circa 125-150 AD and was discovered along the Via Portuense near the ancient San Paolo River Port in Rome. The fragment shows marine life swimming alongside a small boat (which is repeated) or gala vessel being rowed through the water, while one figure rides astride a dolphin.

But, the story of its discovery is also very interesting and I’ll discuss that below. It involves Mussolini.

The fresco is celebrated for its fluid artistic execution and vibrant, naturalistic depiction of maritime life. It offers a rare, casual glimpse into the decorative preferences of Rome’s bustling merchant and riverside districts during the Pax Romana.

We can see the artist’s fluid brushwork, in which he utilized quick, confident brushstrokes characteristic of later Roman wall-painting styles. This approach prioritized motion and atmosphere over rigid realism, capturing the shimmering quality of water and life beneath it.

The artwork borrows heavily from xenia (paintings of hospitality gifts like food) and traditional marine iconography. However, instead of framing the animals statically, it integrates them into a lively, continuous underwater narrative.

The composition relies heavily on empty space to simulate the openness of the Tiber or possibly the open sea, layering multiple fish and a rowboat across a light backdrop. The focal point is a gala boat or festive vessel, it was typically used for river transport, celebrations, or religious pageantry along the Tiber. Unlike practical Roman merchant ships used for heavy cargo or rowed warships designed for battle, gala vessels were built exclusively for public display, luxury transport, and celebrations along waterways like the Tiber River or deep volcanic lakes. 

The surrounding waters are densely populated with anatomically identifiable Mediterranean sea life. Varieties of fish, including sea bass, sea bream, and mollusks, swim alongside the boat, showing the Romans’ deep familiarity with marine ecosystems. While the fish depicted are saltwater varieties, pairing them with a river-style transport boat highlights a popular artistic trope. Roman painters often created stylized, blended aquatic landscapes meant to evoke general abundance rather than exact biological geography.

Discovered at the San Paolo River Port along the Via Portuense, the painting did not originate from an imperial villa. Instead, it likely adorned a corporate office, a public building, or the private residence of a wealthy shipping magnate (navicularius) who managed the flow of goods into Rome.

Like many paintings preserved at Palazzo Massimo, this fragment was part of a larger trompe-l’œil wall design. It was meant to visually dissolve structural walls, opening up cramped, sun-baked brick interiors into refreshing, water-themed vistas.

But, there is even more to be fascinated by than the fresco itself. By that I mean that this fresco was discovered under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, specifically during the 1939-40 excavation at the Pietra Papa archaeological site, which was part of a major public works project to widen and clean the floodplains (golene) of the Tiber River.  Mussolini was obsessed with ancient Rome, frequently using Roman history, symbols, and architecture to legitimize his fascist state. He funded massive excavation projects across Rome to unearth imperial relics and tie his regime to the glory of the Roman Empire.

The widening of the Tiber riverbanks where the villa was discovered served a dual purpose. It was a functional infrastructure project to control river flooding and, at the same time, an opportunity for state-backed archaeologists to search for ancient monuments. When workers stumbled upon the Roman villa and its nearby public bathhouses, the state’s archaeological authority (Soprintendenza) stepped in. They meticulously detached the fragile plaster frescoes to protect them from the river works, transferring them directly into the state museum system. 

There are so many delights housed within the collections of this incredible museum complex and I’m going to be highlighting some of them in the next few posts. One after another, they are all delightful and expand our understanding of the varied artistic world of ancient Rome as well as the subsequent history of this fascinating country!

I have a few favorite places in Rome. This is one of them. I was lucky enough to visit it this summer and felt the same pleasure as always when there.

Located on the banks of the Tiber River, it is currently situated approximately where it would have been when built by Augustus. It is also next to the as yet unexcavated Mausoleum of Augustus. The museum housing the altar was designed by Richard Meier and while some critics don’t like the building, I do. I like the size, the design, the use of glass, the whiteness of the whole including the altar itself.

The Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace) is an altar in Rome dedicated to the Pax Romana. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate on July 4, 13 BC to honor the return of Augustus to Rome after three years in Hispania and Gaul and consecrated on January 30, 9 BC.

When built, it was in the northern outskirts of Rome, a Roman mile from the boundary of the pomerium on the west side of the Via Flaminia, the Ara Pacis stood in the northeastern corner of the Campus Martius, the former flood plain of the Tiber River and gradually became buried under 4 metres (13 ft) of silt deposits.

It was reassembled in its current location, now the Museum of the Ara Pacis, in 1938, turned 90° counterclockwise from its original orientation so that the original western side now faces south.

Above and below, you can see the next door monument, which is the not completely excavated mausoleum of Augustus, which I do hope will be revealed to the public within my lifetime. I remember seeing it when it was buried under earth.

Peace.

I found this video very interesting: https://smarthistory.org/ara-pacis/?tl=ara-pacis&sidebar=europe-1000-b-c-e-1-c-e

A classic spot in Rome remains virtually unchanged from when I first visited it in 1980s. May it always be so!

Just steps away from the Pantheon, the Tazza d’Oro is THE best place for coffee in Rome. Starbucks, eat your heart ❤️ out!

With a great little view of the Pantheon, I settled in with my iced caffe latte and cream filled brioche. Ti amo, Roma!🫶

Alla prossima!