Virtual 360 Tour: Gianicolo Hill

Video Transcription

“So you have some of the great monuments of the city below us, on the left side is Castel Sant’Angelo which once was a mausoleum which became a stronghold of the Popes, you have the Supreme Court of Rome, that massive building in the distance which the Italians don’t like so much – they call it the Palazzaccio which means ‘the ugly palace’. We have the Villa Medici, the white structure at the back of the Spanish Steps, and if you look really closely, straight ahead you can see a shallow dome, which is the oldest freestanding masonry dome in the world. And then over on the right, another bright white building, that’s the birthday cake of Rome in a way – it’s the Victor Emmanuel II monument which celebrates the unification of the country of Italy itself.

The statues on the top is the ancient Roman Quadriga, the triumphal symbol – the emperors used to ride at the back of the quadriga at the triumph. The winged figure at the top is the goddess of victory – can anyone guess who that is?

“Nike?”

“That’s Nike, and if you look at her wing, how it kind of swooshes out – that’s the inspiration for the Nike ‘swoosh’, probably the most famous brand logo of all time”