I found the trick to understanding the real Italy in its architecture
On a two-week road trip through the south of Italy, I discovered that its true essence lies in the most unexpected places.
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The trick to understanding the real Italy, so I’m learning, is not in Michelangelo’s frescoes or Neapolitan pizza. But in its bricks and mortar.
It dawns on me as I stroll through Rome’s Sant’Angelo neighbourhood, where giant fig trees bow gracefully towards the River Tiber and crumbling stone buildings bear the passage of time. As I round a corner onto a wide avenue, a familiar silhouette appears ahead – a towering circular theatre hemmed by oval arches, its circumference worn down through the ages. But it isn’t the gladiatorial stage I first imagined.
“This is a classic example of ancient Roman architecture, with its tiered design of Doric and Ionic columns,” says Christopher Allen, an art historian and tour guide, as he leads us towards the monumental travertine structure.
We’re looking at the Theatre of Marcellus, an open-air amphitheatre originally commissioned by Julius Caesar and completed by the emperor Augustus in 13BC. Since then, it has been adapted for use as a medieval fortress, a Renaissance palace and today part of its upper levels house modern apartments.
“When you travel through Italy, you must keep your imagination nimble, to leap across centuries and cultures,” Allen says, his hands slicing through the air in sharp, staccato-like motions. Effervescent, witty and a little eccentric, he approaches his role with the precision of an archaeologist, carefully wiping away the dust of centuries to reveal hidden deposits of gold.
“You see, Italy is like a palimpsest,” he continues. “Like a parchment that has been written and rewritten over time. Traces of its past are visible just beneath the surface.”
Allen is fluent in multiple languages, including Italian, Latin and Greek, so it’s hard to imagine a person better placed to lead a tour through the art and architecture of southern Italy. Starting in Rome, our two-week journey with Renaissance Tours traces a path down Italy’s boot to Puglia, circling back to the art mecca of Naples.
In the hot-headed Italian capital, we traipse through gilt cathedrals such as the Church of St Ignatius, with its astonishing fresco of robed figures swirling up towards the heavens. At the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, we have a serendipitous encounter with Pope Francis himself, who does a ceremonious lap in his wheelchair to greet the masses.
“Today, we’re travelling south and travelling through time,” Allen says as we motor along the highway the next morning. We pass the soft, emerald contours of hills, their slopes patterned with orderly rows of olive trees.
As the landscape unfolds, Allen sets the scene for the road ahead: recounting the tumultuous history of Italy’s south – from the thriving Greek colonies and Roman dominion to the patchwork of Byzantine, Bourbon, Norman and Spanish influences, traces of which can still be found today.
A shining example is the Royal Palace of Caserta, once the grand Baroque residence of the king of Naples, 40km north of the city centre. It was built in 1752 after the Bourbon King Charles VII ordered a palace to rival Versailles. At 1200 rooms, the palace is bigger than its French rival, and, in my opinion, more beautiful.
The soaring staircase, carved from a single block of white Carrara marble, is so lustrous it sparkles like a glazed wedding cake. Adding to the drama is a melancholy concerto bouncing off the walls in an ode to the orchestra who played on the mezzanine level daily.
Continuing down the boot, we arrive at Ruvo di Puglia, a town rich in archaeological treasures, 30km west of Bari. “Pottery is the oldest art form of civilisation,” says Allen as we pass through an arched stone courtyard, dotted with pot plants. “Because you can’t have agriculture without storage.”
We’ve arrived at the Jatta National Archaeological Museum, which displays several hundred Greek vases, hand-painted with mythological figures. Strikingly, most of the vases were unearthed in Puglian tombs dating back to the Magna Graecia period (eighth to third centuries BC).
“The Greeks buried their dead with offerings of wine or olive oil, so they could feast in the afterlife,” Allen explains as he moves from pot to pot, carefully decoding their messages as if they are precious family heirlooms.
Driving inland, we pass limestone cliffs glowing a luminous amber in the afternoon sun. Today’s journey requires a particularly nimble imagination as we venture even further back in time to one of the world’s oldest cities: the labyrinthine town of Matera, which flickers over the horizon like some forgotten holy land.
“Here, we can chart the rolling of the centuries,” says our guide Emilia, a Matera local, as we walk through its huddles of sassi (ancient cave dwellings), which date back to the Palaeolithic age. The Vicinato Cave House, a restored cave dwelling, displays how an impoverished family lived right up until the 1950s, when the government cleared out the area due to overcrowding and lack of sanitation. “My grandparents were among those who lived here,” Emilia tells us.
In Naples, we wander its chaotic streets where casual pizzerias and heaving traffic collide with lush gardens and art-filled palazzos. In Pio Monte della Misericordia church, Carravaggio’s painting The Seven Works of Mercy takes centre stage. Depicting a series of charitable acts, it captures the soul of Naples: a place where community and spirituality are a lifeblood, often necessary for survival.
Just around the corner is the Duomo di Napoli, the city’s largest and grandest church. A lavish local wedding is about to take place, and visitors scramble to see the bride, but it’s hard to tear my eyes away from the layer cake of frescoes, gilt sculptures and glittering fourth-century mosaics.
“This is just so typically Italian,” says Allen, craning his neck to take in the ornamental Baroque detailing over the nave. “There’s this rich blend of styles, all layered atop one another.”
The bride makes her grand entrance, and takes her place next to the groom on the “panca nuziale” (wedding bench). Above them, a canopy of Neapolitan saints, stories and legends watch over.
We leave them to their ceremony, and I exit the cathedral feeling strangely more connected to this ancient place. To its people, culture and traditions – ever-present in its bricks and mortar.
How to get to Italy from Australia
Qatar flies to Rome from most major Australian cities.
What is the best way to tour Italy?
Renaissance Tours offers art- and culture-focused adventures in Europe and beyond.
Where to stay in Rome
Kick off your tour with a stay at Palazzo Montemartini in Rome, conveniently located near Termini Station.
The writer was a guest of Renaissance Tours.
Originally published as I found the trick to understanding the real Italy in its architecture
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