Basilio 55

09/04/2017

Villa Borghese not only has amazing attractions like the Galleria, the lake or the zoo. It also has tens of monuments, from a water clock to an Egyptian obelisk. One of our favourites is the one dedicated to Wolfgang Goethe, with his Faust being approached by the 'Diavoletto', Mephistopheles.

03/04/2017

At the Scuderie del Quirinale a fantastic opportunity to see masterpieces of the 1600s belonging to the Spanish royal collection. We will definitely be going!

Da Caravaggio a Bernini. Capolavori del Seicento italiano nelle collezioni reali di Spagna: dal 14 aprile alle Scuderie del Quirinale http://bit.ly/2nHPe4S

29/03/2017

Here at Basilio 55 we are always looking for new ways to improve what we are able to offer to you, our guests.

Starting from this spring, we are proud to announce the beginning of our collaboration with a new and innovative company, Manet Mobile.

Using new Samsung A3 smartphones, we can now offer our guests an even higher level of personalized service. Not only unlimited international phone calls and connectivity, but almost a portable personal travel assistant, with information on monuments, places to eat, maps, currency exchange and even a direct line to us here at the hotel!

27/03/2017

Not a bad view for a wrong turn 😉

23/03/2017

Yesterday would have been the birthday of one of the greats of Itailan and Roman cinema. Tanti auguri Nino!

L'unica è volesse bene. L'ideale sarebbe pure de volesse bene in due ma, siccome questo nun ze po' pretende', accontentamose: uno vo' bene e l'artro fa' compagnia.

Nell'anno del Signore - Luigi Magni 1969

15/03/2017

Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi!

On the Ides of March 44 B.C in the Sacred Area at Largo Argentina took place the most famous assassination in history.

The crumbling Area Sacra at Largo di Torre Argentina hides the ruins of the entrance to the Theatre of Pompeo (subsequently closed and walled up due to this infamous act) where Julius Caesar was killed under the blows of twenty-three stab wounds, most of which inflicted on him by his adopted son Brutus. Although the many wounds, only two were fatal, other strikes amounting to nothing, as many hands had trembled. Of the more than sixty conspirators, just three years after the fact, not one was still alive or died in his bed. Who in battle, who at sea, some who committed su***de using the same knife used against Caesar, all disappeared from history.

In the background you can see the façade of the Teatro Argentina.

09/03/2017

Buongiorno from Rome 😀

07/03/2017

On her birthday, and 1 day before International Women's day,
we remember Anna Magnani. An extraordinarily complicated woman that will be part of the Eternal City forever. Never afraid to show her weaknesses, yet a source of strength for many.

Buon Compleanno Anna :)

06/03/2017

Every first Sunday of the month it's free entry to Rome's museums, so we made the most of it with our friends at Hotel Marco Polo Roma (official) and visited Palazzo Corsini's art gallery!

04/03/2017

Spring has finally arrived in Rome!

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04/03/2017

Sunday 4th June after the Pentecost mass :)

Domenica 4 giugno 2017 pioggia di petali rossi al Pantheon dopo la messa della Pentecoste, la ricorrenza (nel 50simo giorno dalla Pasqua) che celebrava un un tempo la fine del raccolto e che nella tradizione cristiana commemora la discesa dello Spirito Santo sulla Madonna e sugli Apostoli raccolti n...

01/03/2017

CARACALLA, THE DAMNED EMPEROR

This story starts in 211 A.D. with the bloody ascension to the throne of Caracalla. On the death of the founder of the dynasty, the Senate and the Roman people recognize Caracalla and Geta, sons of Septimius Severus, equal powers. Dark clouds begin to obscure the sky of Rome.

The hatred of the two brothers explodes in a devious conspiracy concocted by Caracalla. He confides to his mother to be willing to reconcile with Geta. Julia Domna believes the words of her son and arranges a meeting between the two. Not even time to say hello and, in front of the woman's eyes, Caracalla slays his brother. The despotic prince is guilty of a heinous crime. Caracalla defends himself to the Senate: "It was a trap. I killed him in self-defense." No one believes him. Immediately following the act, he prohibits anyone grieving for Geta. Thousands of Romans were sentenced to death, all guilty of having had relations with his brother when he was alive, all innocent people. No mercy. This is the story of Caracalla and these are the facts.

The emperor, as recommended by his dying father, makes sure to increase his power by acquiring military backing. Far too many are the privileges granted to the military, and the Senate assists astonished at the evolution of events and is unable to react. The despotic Caracalla continues his rise and, parallel with his power, grows his madness.

To get the people on his side and celebrate himself as sovereign, he ordered the construction of the most majestic baths of Rome, exploiting the “Constitutio Antoniniana”, a law he enacted, according to which all free men of the empire may take the Roman citizenship and as such are obliged to pay heavy taxes. The Caracalla baths are built between 212 and 217 AD: the complex includes calidarium, frigidarium and tepidarium. And still the great basilica, the halls for oils and one for the sands, the turkish bath and outdoor swimming pool, the locker room and the gym, the library, columns and even a Mithras, one of the largest in Rome, all decorated with polychrome mosaics, impressive paintings and statues. Intended for popular use, it can accommodate nearly 2,000 people and remained operational until 537 A.D., when the Goths invade the City, and destroy many public works, including the Acqua Marcia aqueduct that fed the baths.

While the city is under construction, Caracalla is at war to face the barbarian invasions. In the future there will be an attack to the heart of the Empire, but for the moment Rome has the best and halts the descent of Alamanni, Quadi, Dacian, Free, Goths and Carpi. Among the various manias that afflict Caracalla is also the growing conviction that he was the reincarnation of Alexander the Great. Strenghthened by triumphs in the far north, he then decided to go and visit the grave of the Macedonian conqueror. His reputation precedes him and the citizens of Alexandria, cautious and ironic by nature, do not skimp on stories about him. The emperor ordered that they be killed by the thousands, another massacre of innocents. Now prey to total mental instability he then, just as the Macedonian king, decides to turn to the East his attentions. The Persian campaign is a faliure. Convinced he can emulate the deeds of his father, victorious in 198 A.D., Caracalla leaves for a second expedition against the Parthians but along the journey is stabbed to death by Marziale, an official seeking revenge.

Long ago, the Roman Senate had erected in honor of Septimius Severus and his children Caracalla and Geta a majestic triumphal arch to commemorate the victories over the Parthians, Arabs and Adiabeni and celebrate the first 10 years of the dynasty. The Arch of Septimius Severus, dated 202-203 A.D., is among the oldest in the ‘Urbe’ and tells of the emperor's deedsand you can see a retouched line to ‘damnatio memoriae’.

The traitors of Rome were denied the memory of their existence by removing names and faces from official monuments. Here Caracalla wanted to erase the memory of Geta but all that remains is the story of fratricide and a damned emperor.

Credit: Paolo Taffoni, Leggende Romane