www.quondam.com/16/1569.htm

Campo Marzio - the triumphal way
1997.09.07

I have to do another reading of the Plattus text--the strongest thing to come out of the essay is the story about the entrance procession of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, in 1536 (nine years after his troops had sacked Rome in 1527). In this procession the route ended at the Vatican/St. Peter's. This very much brings to mind Piranesi's point of origin [of the Triumphal Way] at the (new) Temple of Mars, which is very close to the actual site of St. Peter's. Again, there may be a symbolic reversal in the route that Piranesi marks.

This story from the Renaissance also makes me mindful of the fact that Nero's garden was already the site of Constantine's Old St. Peter's basilica. It may not be all that far-fetched, therefore, to see Piranesi making symbolic reference to the ancient Roman reversal from paganism to Christianity. In this sence, the Porticus Neroniani is closer to Old St. Peter's that to the present basilica.

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