Dylan and I had an easy train ride into Rome. It was nice arriving in a new city with someone who actually knew what they were doing/where we were going. We hopped on a bus and got to our apartment with ease. Dylan arranged a flat for us for 2 nights through Air B&B, a website that allows apartment owners to rent their flats out for a few nights at a time. We arrived outside of the building and waited for a little while. Dylan said that he expected the landlord to be a bit late because he was running on Italian time but when he didn't show up after 15 minutes, Dylan called. It turns out he was just upstairs in the flat watching TV. The apartment was an adorable studio with a pull out couch and half kitchen. We loved having such a charming place to call home for two days. It was definitely more pleasant than hostel hopping. We relaxed for a bit but I was anxious to get out and see the city so we headed to the neighborhood of Trastevere for dinner. Dylan researched some good gluten free places for me because he figured I'd want to try as much Italian fare as possible without getting sick. I so appreciated his research because I was able to try some amazing pizza and pasta without a stomach ache. And boy was it great (see photo below). After dinner, we wandered around the neighborhood and met up with one of Dylan's friends for drinks. We were both pretty exhausted from our full day in Florence so we passed out very quickly upon our return to the apartment.
Our adorable flat
Dinner!
We walked past the Fountain of the 4 Rivers
Monday, December 16
Dylan made a 9:30 appointment for us at the Vatican Museum, so we woke up early to get ready and have some coffee. The weather was absolutely gorgeous; cool and crisp with plenty of sun. My sunglasses felt neglected on account of the recent dreariness in Prague so they were happy to be used here in Italy. The line to the Vatican is always notoriously long, so Dylan's thought to get tickets in advance was a great one. We entered the museum without having to wait and spent the entire morning wandering about the impressive collections. Among the works we saw were: Raphael's Transfiguration and Assumption of the Virgin as well as his School of Athens, Perugino's Sacra Conversazione, Melozzo da Forli's papal library, and Caravaggio's Deposition and Entombment.
Replica of Michelangelo's Pieta, shown in its originally intended lighting.
One of Raphael's rooms
Tapestry of the Last Supper.
Raphael's School of Athens
Pieta replica
Hall of Romans
Dylan has been in a Classical Studies program all semester so his knowledge of everything we saw was incredibly vast. He was by far the best tour guide I've had in Europe and I learned so much about the art and history of Rome just by being with him for the trip. I am a big fan of Caravaggio because I love his use of light in his works. Dylan explained to me that in his Deposition/Entombment of Christ, Caravaggio looked to Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture for inspiration. The painting shows Christ's dead body, limp and pale, but also shows a strong vein in his right arm that is meant to subtly foreshadow His resurrection and immortal presence. I would've never noticed this symbolism and because Dylan pointed it out, I was able to realize key symbols in other works as well.
The Vatican houses another pretty famous site called The Sistine Chapel. Maybe you've heard of it? Many tourists skip the incredible art collection and head straight to the Chapel but Dylan and I, after soaking in the amazing works below, saw our entrance into the Sistine Chapel as the cherry on top of an art-filled morning.
The path to the Chapel is winding so when we finally entered it, I did a double take because I couldn't believe I was actually standing inside the Sistine Chapel. Calling it extraordinary is the understatement of the century and upon leaving, my neck ached from staring at the ceiling. I can't even imagine what Michelangelo's neck and back felt like after painting it for 4 years. The colors are brilliant and not an inch of the chapel is bare. Docents stand at the front of the chapel yelling "Shh! Silencio! No photo, no video!" I managed to sneak a photo of the ceiling, though. We just stood at the back of the chapel (where Michelangelo intended for people to stand) and admired the brilliance of the walls and ceiling.
After we left, the simple, white walls of the Vatican were refreshing and countered the overwhelming nature of the Sistine Chapel. We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed into St. Peter's Basilica to admire the beauty of the dome. Michelangelo was the original architect of the dome, but Bernini completed it and the church is filled with Bernini's brilliant and animated baroque sculptures. The complexity and brilliance of the church is difficult to convey through words so I've included some photos. I felt incredibly dwarfed while standing in the massive space. Bernini played with perspective so from the far end of the church, St. Peter's relics don't seem that far away, but as you walk, you realize how massive and long the church is and how overwhelming high the dome is. Truly a brilliant sight to see. Michelangelo's original Pieta is also housed in the basilica and it was very interesting to see the sculpture especially after what Dylan said about Caravaggio looking to Michelangelo for inspiration.
Delicious lunch
Photos from St. Peter's:
Michelangelo's original Pieta
Exterior of St. Peter's
Interior
These baby sculptures were HUGE! And I thought I was a big baby...
St. Peter's keys
View from outside of St. Peter's. The massive courtyard is meant to resemble arms hugging and engulfing everyone into the cathedral.
We then walked over to the Pantheon. Rome is a marvel because it is the epicenter of Catholicism but also Classicism. Not only could I see some of the most influential works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, but I was also able to see brilliant works from Antiquity and Ancient Roman times as well. The Pantheon is unassuming from the front, but once you walk inside, you are engulfed and overwhelmed by the massive concrete sphere. Raphael's tomb is also inside, so we paid our respects.
From here, we walked to the Vittorio Emanuele Monument (which I called "the big white monument" because I couldn't remember the name) and headed over to the forum and column of Trajan, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. I've studied the column of Trajan in my art history classes at Tulane so it was amazing seeing it in person. I never realized how truly massive it is and once again, my jaw dropped in amazement.
Vittorio Emanuele Monument
Trajan's Forum
Roman Forum
Column of Trajan
Dylan and I in front of the Colosseum
From these sights, we took a bus to the neighborhood where Dylan lived during his program and climbed to the top of Janiculum Hill where we had a small picnic of wine and cheese while we watched the sunset. The piazza on the hill overlooks all of Rome and Dylan pointed out everywhere we had gone today. I couldn't believe how much ground we had covered. We were both exhausted at this point so we decided it'd be a good idea to head back to our apartment and take a nap before embarking on any more adventures.
My feet dangling over Rome
Our selection of wine and cheese
After our much needed nap, we headed out for dinner in the Jewish Ghetto with some of Dylan's friends and then walked to Campidoglio, a piazza designed by Michelangelo. We were deliriously tired from the day and thrilled to finally go to bed.
Tuesday, December 17
After a great night's sleep, we woke up and headed to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain isn't powered by any pumps, but rather is the end point of an ancient Roman aqueduct. Supposedly if you throw a coin in the fountain, you'll be able to return to Rome at some point.
Drinking fresh water from the fountain
From here, we walked to Campo de' Fiori, an amazing outdoor market that sells fresh produce, flowers and other treats. Dylan and I sampled a lot of different truffles ranging from pure white truffle spread to an artichoke and truffle spread. So rich and delicious.
We then packed our bags and headed to the airport for the next leg of our adventure together: Istanbul! I'm incredibly excited for this part of our trip and will, of course, follow up with a post of our Turkish adventures.
Czeching out,
Grace
No comments:
Post a Comment