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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Nova Roma

Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul are the names of this magnificent city, built on seven hills like Rome which was also called Nova Roma, New Rome and second Rome.

Constantine built his new capital with the help of artisans from Rome, so Constantinople retained a lot of Roman classical art. This section deals with the remaining traces of the influence of Rome in the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, chiefly the imposing walls built by Theodosius II in the Vth century to protect Constantinople.

Constantine had built walls, but the development of the city outside of them and the growing threat of the Barbarians (Huns and Avars) and of the Persians forced Theodosius II to build new walls, not only on land but also on the seafront.
Initially the walls were made up of one line, but soon Theodosius added a second line and a moat. Both the inner and the outer wall were protected by towers. They served to protect the city against every assault until the Turks, supported by cannon, attacked with vastly superior odds in 1453.

Map of the walls


From the Golden Horn to Top Kapi
From Top Kapi to Yedikule Kapi
From Yedikule Kapi to Mermer Kule
The Maritime Walls
Roman memories
A glimpse of Baroque in Istanbul