A Day with the Dead - Tomb Wanderings on Sunday 5/29

Leaving at nine once more this morning, the group headed down to the metro, taking the train all the way to the end of the city. Probably the farthest we’ve gone yet, we were faced with one of the old gates to the Aurelian wall when we walked out. Across the street was a huge pyramid, built for a man named Gaius Cestius during Rome’s Egyptian craze (and this was mostly a show of power).

After talking about the pyramid in the already baking morning sun, we headed into a large cemetery for another group presentation. Also known as the city’s cat sanctuary, we watched the felines roam around as we viewed a few of the site’s most important tombs, Keats and Shelly amongst them, as well as travel writer Caroline Carson, whom we read in class.

We a bit of time dedicated to picture taking, and then soon left the quiet sanctuary to travel past some graffiti covered walls into a lesser-known area of Rome, which used to be a giant landfill for the citizens of the old city. Here, pottery was excavated in abundant qualities. After a brisk walk around the hill, we were done for the day.

A group of us set back on the metro for home, dropping our things and getting a quick lunch nearby out bus stop. Soon, we headed out to Castel Sant’ Angelo, to spend two hours in the maze-like mausoleum. For more on our journey there, see my entry below, but here are a few of my favorite parts of that part of today (including more amazing views):

On tired feet, we journeyed through the markets outside Castel Sant’ Angelo, purchasing various pieces of jewelry and clothes, and bartering and bargaining our way through. I stayed the longest with Melissa and Shannon, many others wandering home earlier. At the end of our long day, the three of us walked home, with only one small bout of getting lost. Once again, a wrong turn will throw you, but my handy map came to the rescue (we weren’t that far off).

After editing more photos and blogging some, I was off to a quiet dinner with Dan, Alissa, Shannon, and Katie - eating a few blocks away at an affordable restaurant. Finally able to find a pink sauce, I was delighted to eat spinach and cheese Ravioli in a pink tomato and sour cream sauce, lapping up the rest of it with some bread afterwards. We headed for some good gelato before going back to campus, and though I was disappointed they had no cinnamon left for me to try, I had a delicious mix of coffee and chocolate (and forgot to snap a picture).

*Visit III - Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna

After days of seeing ancient and medieval art, many of us were itching to see something a little closer to recent. A small group of us decided to head up to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, or the national modern art gallery. Not far from the Borghese gallery, we stopped at the Piazza del Popolo before walking up a shaded road towards the museum. Well signed, we found it easily, and were able to get in for a cheaper price after claiming art students, showing ID, and paying to see only the collection. Since the exhibition was more, and the second floor seemed to be shut off, we managed most of the museum we paid for, and it was well worth it.

Wandering around the first room, we came across many Italian modern artists we did not know. I found a fond spot for Piero Manzoni, who did a few pieces I liked of large fingerprints, as well as a few typography pieces.

Another artist I was fond of was Gastone Novelli, who Shannon and I agreed did some cool work. What I like seeing is artists who work with mediums you don’t see every day, and mixed media. Novelli seems fond of textures, and though I wasn’t sure what he was using other than acrylics, his piece “I Vaggi di Brek,” of a brick wall with a sidewalk in front of it, was appropriately textures. Sadly I don’t have any snapshots of these two artists I favored, for this was before I started sneaking pictures (and we were still close to the front desk).

Moving on to other minimalist modern arts, I loved the dark works of Alberto Burri, who had one half of a large room. I snapped a shot of two of his works that I favored, “Nero” and “Ferro SP.” The melding of materials and dark colors really caught my eye.

It wasn’t long until we stumbled upon some more works however, which were famous. Strolling away from the white, stark rooms of modern art, we found ourselves in a more traditional scape, with wooden floors and gold-framed paintings. I was surprised to see famous artists in front of me, namely Degas, Cezanne, Courbet, Van Gogh, and even one of Monet’s lily pad works. I was unaware and did not consider that Italy would have any holdings of French artists. Later as well I stumbled upon a familiar work by Mondrian, and Dada artist Duchamp’s Fountain, as well as some of his other work, lined along a wall.

Though famous artists are always great to see, what really kept my attention were unique paintings and some of the neo-classical type marble sculptures. In a small series of room in the back, two of my favorite pieces were Guilio Aristide Sartorio’s La Gorgone e gli Eroi painting, as well as Raffaello Romanelli’s Iris Florentina sculpture.

There were so many other artists I wrote down to look up works for. There were many photographs I could not take, and no time to draw, but I favored other pieces by painter Salvatore Postigione, sculptor Emilio Franceshi, and artists in the Venetian painting room like Guglielmo Ciardi.

Overall, the trip was well worth our small amount of money. Spreading out our time periods past art of the middle ages and renaissance, our stroll through the almost empty modern museum was a success.

Steps and Street Performances - Saturday 5/28

Saturday started out early, Alissa and I stumbling out of bed to head over to the Villa Borghese at 9. Though it was the first opening, we were already there with a line of people waiting to check bags and flood in. The museum, strict of its rules as I remembered, did not let us bring in bags or cameras. After we started, many of us wandered to the top floor to work our way down. As Dan and I agreed, the rooms were overwhelming, presenting us with a wealth of paintings and decoration and gold. Oils of portraits, classical themes, and Christian stories plastered the walls and every inch of the ceiling. After exploring most of the rooms, I sat to sketch for a bit, choosing a small part of a ceiling piece in the first room while I waited for the first floor to open for entrance.

What I found most interesting on the painting floor was the way ceilings portrayed a fake sense of space and depth. The first room had a classical marble roof, painted of course, with paired men holding it up on many sides of the room. Allan and I both agreed it seemed a little homoerotic, but hey it was Rome – it’s pretty appropriate.

After a few minutes, I nearly finished a quick rendering of one of these pairs muscley pairs, and moved on with a few people downstairs. Bernini’s sculptures quickly sucked in my attention, becoming the main focus of most rooms. Though I had little time to sketch, I chose to write on the Rape of Prosperina, as seen in the entry below. Alissa and I wandered out into the gardens, which I had not seen last time, and we wrote before meeting up with the group to purchase gift shop items and leave for our next agenda.

Though our stomachs all rumbled, we first met with a guide at the Villa Medici, a young girl who led us around the French-Academy owned seven acres of amazing property once owned by the Medici. Housing many works by students as well as Medici originals, we saw a famous garden, their house with tapestries, and a small villa with lovely painting inside.

After this, we ate a quick lunch in the expensive cafeteria before setting out towards the nearby Spanish Steps. We briefly explored the church at the top of the steps, three of our class members giving their presentation by the church, on the steps on our way down, and at the crowded fountain on the bottom. We did not loiter long before moving on.

We walked around what had been the northern Campus Martius, seeing another church from the outside, and walking past Augustus’ Mausoleum, now closed to the public and looking quite in disrepair. Entering a fascist modern building, we discovered the housing of the Ara Pacis, which had many pieces still well preserved. Though moved from its original site, we were awed as we wandered around Agustus’ peaceful altar, allowed to get close and walk inside. The designs were amazing, especially the florals, and though we were very tired, many seemed to favor the building.

After a long day, we headed back to campus for a much needed rest before dinner. Hopping on the bus, we only moved a few feet before an unexpected event occurred – a long bike-a-thon that blocked off our route! After a while of standing, we hopped off the bus to walk, only to notice the stream of bikers slowly trickling to a stop. We hurried to get back on the bus before it left without us. My life is full of timing fail, alas. So once again, a group of us wandered to Trastevere, only to catch an interesting site in the square. Before sitting to satisfy our stomachs, we watched an amusing street performance consisting of fire juggling and unicycling, as well as holding men together without seats!

It was after this we discovered a few cute shops, bookmarking them in our minds for later. When we settled on a place for dinner, we were easily accommodated and quickly ordered various pizza and pasta dishes. I settled for pizza once more, having not had it in a few days.

On our way back, the bus seemed to neve arrive. Anxious to get back and tired of waiting, we settled for walking home once more, this time along the river. Once along Castel St. Angelo, we witnessed a married couple taking bridal photos, and still open market places, several of us making little purchases while others wandered home. It wasn’t long before we were back at St. Johns, many new shops in our minds for later in the week, and bags happily in hand.

The Church Visits - Friday 5/27

Friday was a definite church day. Set with appropriate dress, we went to the far other end of the city, across the river and diagonal from campus to St. John Lateran. This huge church was once a site important to pilgrims in the middle ages, serving as one of the early Christian sites.

Walking down the center of a huge driveway and courtyard, the building was much larger than I expected, even after seeing sketches. We were faced with neoclassical structures and large copper doors that had greened with years, and once inside, the grand structure just got even more incredible. The central nave was sided with statue after statue of marble saints, each incredible with their moving drapery and appropriate props. The ceiling held borders of gold and painted wood with various designs and emblems. The high altar, only allowed for the Pope to speak at, towered towards the ceiling, painted blue and gold. The central apse behind the nave showed off a traditional (but large) golden mosaic with many religious figures. To the right side of the nave sat the organ, and on the left, a pedimental structure with a few oil paintings.

After some time photographing the amazing ceilings and statues, I spent some time sketching one of the many saints. Classical statues make great references when I draw on my own, but most of my enjoyable visits consist of sketching statues, especially in museums.

After leaving St. John, we headed over to San Clemente, in a small section of Rome we had not been to. Not far from the Colosseum, the church was shaded by quaint buildings and green trees. This was the site that carried our true meaning of layering – beginning with a church dating from around the seventeenth century, the deepest layer being from the first century. Quietly filtering in, we observed the top layer first, a small gem itself with few faded paintings, a small altar, and rows of pews.

We quickly gathered to go downstairs, diving into the original fourth century church which San Clemente was built upon. This church had provided an important foundation, and we discovered burials as well as old frescos in its various rooms and isles.

Beneath that was a third century church, one of the earliest establishments of Christianity that had served as the later church’s foundation. Dark and dank, there was little to see, but odd nooks and crannies provided us with an interesting exploration.

Beneath that was a first century Roman house, believed to have been from a man who may have been involved in the religion’s beginning, when it was still mostly underground. Deep under and cold, the empty Roman rooms provided everyone with a creepy chill, and yet it was fantastic to see such a well-preserved house. Water still runs under it, probably from pipes coming from old Roman springs. I was not allowed to take pictures anywhere, though I doubt anything in the depths of San Clemente’s historical basements would have provided me with much.

After this point, we were free, and we headed back on the metro to campus. After changing and relaxing, we met in the courtyard to converse with an internet friend of Dan’s, a translator and poet who discussed languages and writing with us for a time before we headed to the Piazza Del Popolo for dinner. We loitered in the square for a bit, listening to musicians, watching people photograph friends on the fountain’s lion corner sculptures, and looking as amused children played and danced over the cobblestones.

When dinner time arrived, we promptly went into the restaurant after a short walk, sitting at three separate tables. While expensive, many ordered elaborate multi-course meals and dessert. We had been in the restaurant from 7:30 to 11:30, and had been falling asleep ready to leave long before. Though dinner was good, I must say I have found cheaper better food down in Trastevere. At any rate, I took pictures of my pesto, and my dessert – more tiramisu but this time with coffee ice cream and whipped cream on top!

Walking back to campus was almost exhausting, though none of us felt like waiting for the night bus, which as of late, has been a long wait. Home was not far, and we came home to write a bit before sleeping once more. A busy day indeed!

*Visit II - Castel Sant' Angelo

After a morning of touring with the afternoon off, many of us headed off to Castel Sant’ Angelo, in ancient terms, Hadrian’s Mausoleum. Luckily, the wait in the heat of the sun was not long, and we were ushered in, paying a steep price of 8.50 euros to enter. We gathered ourselves and headed in, hit with cold castle air as we headed up a dark swirl. I began to wonder if I’d paid to be wandering around in a dark tunnel, only greeted occasionally by rocky indents, a few holey arches, and some unlabeled pottery.

However, I was glad to discover I was wrong. Over the course of the next two hours, we would wander in and out of many museum rooms full of artwork (mostly medieval and later), a series of maze-like courtyards, and long circular paths that rounded the building.

Coming upon a series of connected outdoor spaces, we photographed a few large statues, took a break for our feet, and even stumbled upon some old war weaponry. We found a large catapult, piles of marble balls, something we suspected made in the middle ages when the building became an active fortress. Later we stumbled upon a round turret on our way out, where we peered through the gate to see cannons and other war storage in a dark room illuminated by our camera flash. The armory displayed in the museum was by far my favorite artifact room – I favored the plumed helmets and the shimmering plates, even the elaborately decorated pistols and spearheads.

Amongst other objects, gold of course caught my eye, and passing the various Christian paintings inside, I came upon a few golden reliquaries, and some abstract objects I photographed below which I do not know the purpose of. These were by far some of my favorite pieces in the museum sections.

Besides golden artifacts, one statue in particular piqued my interest. In its interesting placement across from a series of paintings of Mary, this slinky skeleton of death stood cloaked and blindfolded. I snuck a quick picture, favoring it over the other sculptures and paintings in the mausoleum.

Though the art was all amazing, my eyes were ever upwards as usual, watching the ceilings I was not allowed to photograph, and those I was. Even with decorated insides, the covered walkways did not lack in interest, offering painted ceilings and overlooking a far view of Rome. As we walked this small circumference, there were many opportunities to overlook the river, as well as other sites we have seen and will see soon, such as the wedding cake and St. Peter’s.

After losing a couple of people and finding them once more, we took a break for our tired feet at the café before heading out. Nearing three, many of us were ready to wander and shop in the shade of the markets close by before heading back to campus. Enamored with its size and many rooms, the sentiment was that it was worth the money, navigating through the maze-like structure to see its history in artwork and its amazing views of the city.

*Ekphrasis - Bernini's Rape of Prosperina

Bernini’s work is what astounded me most in the Borghese Galleries today. Last time I was there, I spent most of my time sketching Apollo and Daphne in a close by room. This time however, I chose a different work of his to focus on. Placed centrally in an elaborate room of the ground floor, is Hades and Prosperina, twisting up towards a painted ceiling. He lifts her from the ground with the ease that comes with a well muscled body, hands digging into her skin. The pads of his fingers create indents in her body, the effect rather fleshy and realistically rendered. Prosperina’s legs kick up in protest helplessly as she pushes Hades’ head back with a palm, twisting away from his body and reaching out for help. Her hair flies as she looks behind her, Cerberus’ open mouths lapping at her feet. Marble tears protrude from her cheek, and her distressed expression is clear. However Hades’ face seems almost pleased. His expression is an odd one of happiness, eyes upon her with a lecherous open-mouthed grin. He pulls her roughly towards him with greedy hands, body in a twisted lunge during an excited struggle. Behind them sits three-headed Cerberus, its mouths howling in victory for his master, Hades. In contrast to the underworld god’s and Prosperina’s smooth skin, the fur of the dog is carved with a fine texture, hair curling up the necks of the dogs. The attention to detail and realism is truly astounding.

Photographs from google - sadly, my camera was not allowed in the museum. : (

Size Matters - Large Structures on Thursday 5/26

Before I start with the day’s activities, I’m sharing some pictures of the awesome metro trains here. The tag artists on the street may not know what they’re doing, but whoever is working down here sure does!

Thursday morning, we started out with one of my favorite places – the Colosseum. Hopping on the metro once more, we got together and found our tour guide rather quickly, managing to avoid many sketchy gladiators. Once inside, we met our tour guide, who first led us to the understructure of the Colosseum. Though I had been here before, I did not get to see below and above the normal layer the public is open to. It was neat to see the cages and cells where gladiators would have stayed before their fight, and where the animals were, as well as the places slaves worked. A still present underground canal with water for sewage was there, and a few spots where a pulley system had been installed to raise up animals and gladiators for an element of surprise on the wooden stage that would have been above.

Soon, we traveled all the way up to the upper level, where we stood below construction workers on scaffolding, looking out at the site below us. After snapping many shots with friends and listening to the various fights and performances of the gladiators, we were pointed out to see the nearby gladiatorial school. A surprising fact was that gladiators only fought around three times a year, and many less were killed than many assume today.

After a steamy morning, we set off for lunch in a group together, in a restaurant just up the hill. With a set course menu of lasagna, gnocchi, and spinach and cheese ravioli with tomato sauce, it was a delicious sampling. After lunch I tried a sip of Italian coffee, though I found it too strong. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of this awesome lunch, but here was where we ate, taken as I was walking away:

After lunch, we wandered over to the Palatine Hill. Though we were going to visit the house of Livy, we shortly found it was closed. We were then let free to explore, and several of us wandered the hill’s various gardens and ruins, mostly emperors’ houses and property. Many of the ruins were not blocked off, and we could walk around in them, and even stand on some of the lower walls. It was quite fun, and I enjoyed climbing! The Palatine seemed like an amazing open space to hang. Though it was twelve Euros to enter, and I am not sure us cheapos would go back without being paid for, it has become one of my favorite spots thus far.

After wandering around with intentions to go to Hadrian’s Mausoleum (now Castel St. Angelo), we soon realized we had spent so much time in the gardens we were low on time. Instead, we headed down into the Forum on our way to the Temple of Venus and Rome, sitting at the ruins for a while to snap shots and write in our journals. At the signs of sprinkling and thunder, we headed back to campus to get ready for dinner and catch up on blogging.

That night, a group of us wandered down to Trastevere in search of cheap eats. Looking at menus down various side roads, we came upon a place with great prices, a big menu, and fast service. Happy, I had pesto gnocchi, which was very filling.

After dinner, before heading home, we checked out the piazza in the center that we had been in on Monday. At night it is very social, and we watched a spray paint street artists for a few minutes before heading home on the bus. We were very confident to be traveling around on our own without getting lost, and it was a good day indeed!