San Carlino, San Bernardo alle Terme, Santa Susanna and Two Marias

San Carlino

These are all churches within a few blocks of the apartment on Via Napoli, and all are described in The Rome Guide by Mauro Lucentini.  San Carlino or San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is a very small church by Borromini.  Borromini was a 17th Century Italian Baroque architect and contemporary (and rival) of Bernini.  Lucentini apparently feels Borromini was a better architect than Bernini and pays a lot of attention to his works.  San Carlino is at the crossroads of the four fountains representing two rivers (Tiber and Arno) and two goddesses (Juno and Diana).  From the Quattro Fontane one can see 3 obelisks - those monumental structures that the Romans stole from the Egyptians.

San Bernardo alle Terme

San Bernardo alle Terme on Via XX Settembre (the day in 1870 that Garibaldi conquered Rome) is called that because it was built in the 16th century out of one of the halls at the corners of the Baths of Diocletian, which were enormous and covered much of this area.  Like the Pantheon, it has an oculus as its source of light.

Santa Susanna

Across the Piazza San Bernardo is Santa Susanna, a 9th century church totally rebuilt in the Renaissance that serves as the national church of the U.S. Catholic community in Rome.  Their website provides a history of Santa Susanna (also on Wikipedia) who was beheaded in her home for refusing to marry one of Emperor Diocletian's generals and for being a Christian - or rather for refusing to make an offering to Jupiter.  The church was built on the site.  The website also provides visitor information for the American Catholic coming to Rome (listing convents that you can stay at) and its website is in English with tips for the tourist.  It recommends where to dine and tells you how to dine: the Italians don't server butter or ice, coffee doesn't come with the meal, and always, always take your receipt.

Santa Teresa in Ecstasy

A more noteworthy church near the apartment is Santa Maria della Vittoria, famous for Bernini's controversial statue St. Theresa in Ecstasy, portraying Santa Teresa of Avila in the seemingly erotic ecstasy of a transcendental union with Christ.  Definitely a work we have to go see.  Nearby is the Piazza della Repubblica, where we go to catch buses and the Metro.  It is famous for the early 20th century fountain designed by a "fiery Sicilian sculptor" Mario Rutelli, famous for his amorous exploits.  The fountain features frolicking water nymphs (niads) in suggestive poses that shocked the city council.  The Piazza della Repubblica was originally an open space within the Baths of Diocletian dedicated to physical exercise and the modern buildings follow the curve of the great apse of the perimeter.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

The second Santa Maria church is the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the great hall  of the Baths that Michelangelo transformed into a church in 1561.  The entrance to the church was originally the Tepidarium or "lukewarm area" of the baths where people could adjust to the "Frigidarium" of the main hall.  The Calidarium was originally in front of the church.  The Lucentinis say that the main hall of the church "may be the best place to get an idea of the grandiosity of an Imperial Roman public interior."  The Frigidarium was the main meeting place, offering cold water dips, massaging, strolling and socializing.

Roma Termini

And did you know that the name of the nearby Termini Railway Station does not refer to a terminus but instead to the Thermae of Diocletian?  And that the Station is considered a masterpiece of modern Roman architecture and was celebrated in the 1954 Vittorio De Sica film, Stazione Termini (Indiscretion of an American Wife)?

I'm sure there are many other things to see within a few blocks of the apartment but this should keep us busy for one morning...