Rome February 16-21th 2000

On February 17th, in the Year of the Lord 1600, the reduced and suffering philosopher and former monk Giordano Bruno is escorted by guards to the square of Campo dei Fiori in Rome. A group of monks accompanying him are singing chants, advising the heretic to repent. Before the philosopher is tied to the stake, a monk offers him a crucifix to be kissed. He turns his head away, repulsed. While the cantors are singing their heavenly chants, the philosopher is stripped naked, tied to the stake, and burned alive.

400 years later, on February 17th, in the Year of the Lord 2000, the ''Jubilee'' year of the Christian Church, the reduced and broken philosopher is again escorted to Campo dei Fiori, the Field of Flowers. In the center of the square now stands a 10-meter statue of himself, looking accusingly towards the Vatican. This time, he arrives there as a spirit, in the minds of the representatives of the Age of Reason who honour him as a martyr of the free thought.

This time, instead of the scorching fire, a chilly morning rain flushes his iron shoulders. He stands there alone, in the Field of Flowers, his persecutors long gone. The christian fathers, with all their feeble prayers and the torturing flames, were unable to send his soul to their fictional Hell. Instead, it found an eternal life on earth, in the long memory of humanity.

In semi-chronological order:

All roads lead to Rome

Wednesday February 16th, the beginning of my journey.

Last supper

Gathering at the Antico Caffe della Pace and then dining at a nearby pizzeria.

Walking the Way of Pilgrims

The morning of thursday February 17th, the anniversary of Bruno's execution at the Campo dei Fiori.

On the streets of the ancient capital

Sightseeing Spanish Steps, John Keats and Shelley Museum, Pantheon, Piramide.

Facing the Body of the Nasaretian

Sightseeing the Vatican and the Saint Peter's Cathedral.

Greeting the Spirit of the Nolan

Commemoration of Giordano Bruno, ''the Nolan'', on the Campo dei Fiori.

Speaking of Bruno

Tor Myrvang speaks about Bruno. John Courtney about poet Robinson Jeffers. A play by Bill Bruehl.

A day amongst the emperors

Sightseeing Colosseum, Palatino, Forum.

From catacombs to volcan lakes

Visiting catacombs, a kind of a park near Rome, some volcanic lakes.

In the Halls of Fortune

Hadrian's Villa

The villa of the emperor Hadrianus.

Back to the darkness

You can click on ALL of the images on the pages to get a bigger image!

The pictures were taken with a Sony Hi8 video camera. Video shots are available on request.

NOTE: The film camera pictures are not yet here. They are mostly redundant in their themes, but they are very high quality (I used high-definition Kodak RealA ISO 100 film).

All the pictures, texts, audio files and video here are © Copyright 2000 Marko Grönroos. All rights reserved. Any copying is prohibited without an explicit permission. Exception is granted for personal viewing with a web browser.