Designed by Francesco Borromini, the Baroque Chiesa di Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza was completed in 1660. Its spiral lantern is like no other church in Rome. Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza rises above the courtyard of Giacomo della Porta, which is only open to the public for a short time each day. I was fortunate to find the door to the courtyard open on a walk back from Campo di Fiori with the kids.
Just as I was finishing up, I was accosted by a white-haired man who did not appreciate my tripod. He emerged from one of the offices on the ground floor waving his arms. I expect anyone with a tripod is seen as a professional trying to make money from imagery of the church. I picked up my rig and walked out the gate, kids in tow, mumbling in English to show him I was a tourist, not a commercial photographer. That and the fact that I had the kids along defused the whole situation.
I understand the flat discs on the ground cover openings for what were once planters or fountains. I hope it’s a temporary removal.
No famous people in this shot. They were hiding in the shade in the lower gallery.
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