This educational film by Rainbow Pictures (:10) and produced by Walter Resce displays historical and religious sites in Rome, Italy. It begins with the St. Peter Basilica and it’s famed bells. St. Peters was constructed in Renaissance style and is situated within the Vatican City. The film opens with images of St. Angelo Bridge running over the Tiber River (:21). The bells which are ringing out are the bells of old St Peters (:48). There are six bells within and the largest is known as the Capanone. This bell was formed in 1785. The oldest of the bells dates back to 1288. They are mostly used to mark religious rituals such as Sunday Mass as well as to celebrate victories or other noteworthy events. Saint Peters Square follows (:52). A close shot follows of one of the bells ringing (1:10). A fountain streams out in the front of the square (1:11). There are two fountains in the square; one created by Carlo Maderno and the other by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Bernini colonnades are highlighted; these consist of three aisles between four rows of columns (1:19). The Stone of Destiny is a 500 ton obelisk (1:35). The engraving is read (1:44). A horse drags a buggy across the square (1:55). A tourist asks the Vatican guard for direction (2:27). The Swiss Guard is pictured (2:38) in colorful 16th century uniforms designed by Michelangelo. The basilica of St. Maria Maggiore is a major papal basilica founded in 1600 (2:58). It is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The Aurelian Walls were constructed between 271 AD and 275 AD (3:30). The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (4:08) was first envisioned in 1210. The statue out front is of St. Francis (4:31). The Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls (4:43) is another of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. St. Paul’s body was found near the basilica after his beheading. The film notes the painting atop the building is a mosaic of Christ, St. Peter and Paul (5:05). The gardens of Francisco Monastery follow (5:35). The Coliseum in it’s daunting grandeur appears (5:42). It had 80 entrances and was constructed using slave labor (6:23). Many of the slaves were thrown to the wild beasts on opening day. The underground tunnels were used for the animal’s dens (7:12). Rome is comprised of many fountains. Some of these are located in Tivoli (7:52) near the Villa d’Este. 1,100 fountains are located here (8:17). A modern shrine appears dedicated to Lourdes of Rome erected in 1947 (8:52). The grotto area presented (9:03) is where St. Paul was beheaded (9:03). Castle Sant’Angelo was once Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum (9:47)

The secluded Vatican gardens follow (10:03). The shrine noted is a replica of famed Lourdes of France (10:28). The statue of St. Peter appears (10:31). The Fountain of the Eagle springs up in the center of the gardens of the Vatican (11:01). St. Peters cupola can be seen (11:30). The Sistine Chapel (11:35) hosts biblical paintings by Michelangelo. Rome was once the capital of paganism though today it is the seat of Christianity. The Swiss flag waves (12:47) as visitors of Switzerland arrive. Boy scouts from Holland also have made pilgrimage to the sacred city (12:52). Alpine pilgrims arrive from the Highlands of Italy (12:56). Cardinal Francis Spellman appears (13:17). The rock of Gibraltar has become the symbol of British strength (13:37). The soldiers presented are in outfits which are the exact replica of those worn by Napoleon’s grenadiers (17:25). Swiss guards appear (14:33). Pope Pius XII rides in for the ceremony carrying the holy sacrament of Eucharist (14:43). One million are pictured in St. Peters Square (14:56). The Pope stands on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica (15:08). 60,000 fill the insides of St. Peters (16:20). The mass at the Papal alter over the tomb of St. Peter is considered the highlight of the pilgrimage (17:35). Conclusion (18:32). The dome of St. Peter’s (18:35). This film was produced by Rainbow Pictures, based in Miami Beach, Florida (19:19).

For almost two decades, we’ve worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies — including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you’d like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we’d love to hear from you.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com