Esquilin and the route north towards Termini
Located on the other side of the main road from the Esquiline Coliseum, it is the highest and largest of the city's seven hills. In ancient Rome, this area was one of the most fashionable residential districts. After the fire in 64 r. n.e. Nero started the construction of a huge palace here, Domus Area, or "Golden House", which has not yet been seen in Rome. The facade is said to be covered with pure gold, there was hot and cold running water in the baths, one of the dining rooms has a device that showers flowers and fragrances on guests, and in the workaround - with an area 2.5 km2 — there were vineyards and wild animals. Nero, however, did not enjoy his new home for long, because he died a few years after completion of construction. His successor, Wespazjan, with disgust, he razed the mansion to the ground and erected the Colosseum on the site of one of the palace's lakes. Trajan later erected thermal baths at the top of the former Domus Aurea grounds, which has practically been forgotten. Only Renaissance artists, led by Raphael, discovered the murals adorning him, then used by Raphael as a model to decorate the Vatican Palace.
The ruins of Nero's Golden House are only partially excavated, and there's not much to see there; it's hard to imagine, what shape this building had. The rest of Esquilin has not been developed since then, a large community of cats still lives here and crowds of lazy tourists wander. At the northern end of the hill, however, is San Pietro in Vincoli (codz. 6.30-12.30 i 15.30-19.00), one of the simplest churches in rome, with its own quiet square. As the name suggests, the church was built to house an important relic, shackles, which chained St.. Peter in Jerusalem, and these, which he had in Rome. They can still be seen under the canopy in the apse. Most people come here, however, because of the tomb of Pope Julius II in the south aisle, which Michelangelo worked on and off for most of his career. This work caused numerous disputes with Julius and his successors. Michelangelo reluctantly stopped work on the tomb, to paint the Sistine Chapel, and then he found time only briefly, to come back to it. He was always at the disposal of successive popes, who were not interested in adding glamor to one of their predecessors. The artist never finished the tomb, but the figure of Moses coming down from Sinai and finding the Israelites idolatrous worship of the golden calf, flanked by the figures of Leah and Rachel, it is one of its most perfect achievements. The rest of the work by later artists is boring and static in comparison.
From the church of San Pietro, steps lead to Via Cavour, busy main street, from the Colosseum to Termini Station. You can eat cheap here, especially closer to the station, although the quality of the dishes is unremarkable. After about half a kilometer, the street widens and you can see the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (codz. 9.00-18.30), one of the four great basilicas in the city. Inside, it is one of the best-preserved monuments of Byzantine Rome, though the outer shell is 18th century. Unlike other major pilgrimage destinations in Rome, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was not built on any particular site commemorating the reign of Constantine; it was built in the 5th century. after the Council of Ephesus, on which the Marian cult was established. Churches dedicated to Our Lady began to spring up like mushrooms throughout the entire Christian world.
Inside, the basilica is fully preserved; astonishingly well-kept mosaics are found on either side of the wide nave, most of which date from the construction period of the church and present, in simplified form, events from the Old Testament. The Sistine Chapel on the right includes the sophisticated tomb of Sixtus V, while the equally elaborate Pauline chapel contains the miraculous painting of the Madonna from the 12th century. Above it is a carved plaque, depicting the legendary mapping out of the church plan after snowfall - it is celebrated in memory of this event 5 August pontifical mass.
There are two smaller churches in the area, which are also worth seeing. I will go to Santa Maria, near via Merulana, there is the 9th-century church of Santa Prassede, standing still, where in ancient times Santa Prassede sheltered Christians who were hiding from the persecution of the Romans. The saint was supposed to collect their blood, which she placed in the well, and she was later buried in it; this place is marked with a board embedded in the floor. At the southern aisle there is a chapel of St.. Zeno, built by Pope Paskal I as the mausoleum of his mother Theodora and decorated with magnificent 9th-century mosaics.
On the other side of via Cavour, at via Urbana, rises the Church of Santa Pudenziana of an equally ancient origin, dedicated to the sister of Saint Praxa, who also contributed greatly to the early Christian movement. For many years it was believed, that in this place lived and celebrated the services of St.. Piotr, but this view has been completely discredited. Formerly, there were two relics in the church: chair, whose St.. Peter used as a throne and table, at which he celebrated the mass, but both were transferred to the Vatican and St.. John in Lateran. The church, however, still has one ancient element, namely, beautiful mosaics from the 5th century. in the apse, probably the oldest in Rome.
Having visited a number of churches, you can either continue towards Termini station or turn left onto Via Carlo Alberto leading to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. It is the center of the district, which got the name "quartiere piemontese", because after reunification, the government located many of its most important ministries there. The arcades of the square undoubtedly resemble the center of Turin, as well as the surrounding palaces. Besides, it's hard to believe, that it could be the government district: the palaces are neglected and turned into cheap housing, and the sidewalks are full of stalls with cheap clothes, used furniture and food.