The weekend began with a walking tour of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. At first I was very surprised by the immense size of the Forum and all that has been preserved. Though the building are all in ruins, you really get a sense of the grandiosity and enormity that was Rome. As you wind your way through what was once the world's capital, you walk upon cobblestones still grooved by chariot tracks from thousands of years ago. One can't help but imagine what it must have felt like to spend a day relaxing in the forum, playing cards, watching the chariots zoom by, listening to senators gripe about the Emperor's power, etc. The more memorable sites included the sight of Brutus' funeral oration, the spot where Caesar's body was burned, and August Caesar's Basilica. The weather could not have been more perfect for the tour- bright blue skies, high puffy clouds, and lots of sunshine. I couldn't have asked for better photographic conditions. Here are a few of my favorites:
(The picture of the large mound of dirt adorned by flowers is the funeral pyre of Caesar, fyi)
After the forum, we ascended to Palatine Hill, the location where the Roman Empire was supposedly founded. On top of the hill we had spectacular panoramic views of St. Peter's Basilica, the Circus Maximus, and the Roman skyline. Though Circus Maximus has decayed in to what is now a very popular dog park, it was easy to imagine the 300,000 spectator complex home to the most vicious of racing sports. I personally think that the world should bring back chariot racing- enough with NASCAR and Formula 1. They pollute the environment and have far too few fatalities!
From the Palatine Hill we descended to the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. The Forum is of course off limits to those without a ticket- so it's very non-touristy. However, the area around the Arch and the Colosseum is just packed with souvenir hawking merchants and tackily dressed Roman soldiers who will give you a photo op for five euros a piece. However, once you enter the Colosseum, you instantly feel transported back to the Empire. The stadium itself sat up to 60,000 fans, who would watch animal fights, naval reenactments, gladiatorial jousts, and the Italian national soccer team. Excavations beneath the Colosseums' floor reveal a series of winding cooridors, where Gladiators awaited fights in the arena. Contrary to popular myth, most fights were not to the death. Slave owners didn't want to see their investments fly out the window- they were very careful to give the gladiators a long run in the colosseum, letting the crow decide when to finish them off.
We completed our grand tour around the ancient part of the city with stops at the Pantheon, a pagan temple turned Christian shrine, at Piazza Navona, home to caffes, artists, and splendid baroque architecture. At this point, many of us were feeling quite exhausted. However, I decided to press on, to see the Trevi Fountain. The fountain is home to more gypsies and tacky-souvenir shops per capita than anywhere in the world- second only to Wall Drug, South Dakota. However, the fountain itself is so beautiful that one becomes lost in the clear cool water and marvelous stone horses. As was tradition, I threw two coins over my left shoulder, making a wish, and buying in to the legend that those who throw coins in to the fountain will return to Rome in their life. Conveniently, there are several gelaterias located just down the road. Nothing like a bowl of tiramisu gelato to cap off day number one!
Day number two began with a visit to the tiny nation of Vatican City. I wonder if any of the Vatican's 700 residents have ever tried to qualify for the Olympics... Anyway, though the Pope tried his best to keep me from getting in to his museums, I did manage to get through security (which is stricter than any airport I've ever seen). The complex is just enormous. It takes a good seven hours to get through all of the museums. The topics range from Roman and Etruscan art and archaeology to a Vatican car museum (of the Popemobiles). There's also a tapestry museum, a modern religious art museum, and an enormous Egyptian/Syrian collection. The biggest draws of Vatican City, however, await at the end of the complex, in the Borgia Apartments and the Sistine Chapel. The Borgia apartments are home to several frescoes by the painter Raphael, whose famous depictions of the coronation of Charlemagne, the ancient philosophers, and the Old Testament are standards in any art history text. Compared to the reserved style of medieval art, Raphael's frescoes are brilliant and enlightening, with intense emotion, thoroughly investigated perspective, and 3D looking characters. The Sistine Chapel is the most magnificant of the Vatican's art- if not of all the art in Italy. The chapel itself is far bigger than what I had imagined. And the panel of God touching Adam is only a small fragment in a intense network of masterpieces. Interestingly, one half of the chapel features rather small and less stylized figures- as you move across the ceiling, the figures get bigger and more exaggerated. You can really see the development of Michaelangelo's statue over the fresco, which took several years to complete. He nearly went blind painting the ceiling, since so much paint dripped in to his eyes. Also, he had a very bad neck at the end, from constantly craning it around his scaffolding. I was definitely impressed by his depictions of God- active, strong, intelligent, powerful, and interested.
After leaving the Sistine Chapel we explored the Basilica of St Peter's and St Peter's square before enjoying a pizza lunch and a seven mile stroll around the entire city, that included stops at the Spanish Steps and the famous Mouth of Truth (that will supposedly cut the hands off the dishonest clear off!) Though it was raining the entire day, and gypsies were selling umbrellas about every fifteen feet, it was a memorable day and an experience I'll never forget.
After an apertivo (appetizers and a drink) dinner, several of went on a night hike found in a Rick Steves guide book. The hike took us around the Pantheon, back to the Trevi Fountain, and to the Spanish Steps, the most relaxing and beautiful late night spot in all of Rome.
The final day included two art museums- the famous Villa Farnesia and the enromous Villa Borghese. Villa Farnesia was the party mansion of the Popes during the 15th century. They would literally come to the villa (often with their concubines) for a day of celebration, eating, and conversation. Villa Borghese is home to some of my newly found favorite sculptures by Bernini, the same guy who designed St. Peter's square. Though the art at Borghese was astounding, it couldn't keep me from succumbing to enormous fatigue (>20 miles walked over 3 days). That night, I slept sounder than I ever have before.
I see that the Badgers beat Michigan in 2 sports yesterday- basketball and hockey. Nice job RED!
Tonight, off to see AFC Fiorentina play Rome... followed by an epic super bowl party at a local bar. I'll be up until five, but it should make for an exciting and unforgettable night!
No comments:
Post a Comment