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Our last day of structured museums was pure frosting. Our first stop was the bone rooms of the Capucin monks, from whose name we derive the name for cappucino due to their coffee-colored robes. Space is expensive in Rome, and at some point down the line the bones of 4000 of these monks had to be moved from their burial spot. The monk in charge of this operation felt that these monks deserved a better memorial than a bunch of crosses in the ground, so he used the remains to create 6 little enclaves decorated entirely with the bones of these monks. It's, well, a lot of damn bones. The smell isn't as bad as you'd expect, as these are dry bones, but we definitely had some group members get creeped out and stay outside. I thought it was pretty sweet, but had to run through it so I could accompany Vicki to the Borghese gallery so she could buy the group tickets.
I could stand to live here.
The Borghese gallery is an old Renaissance villa that has been converted into a museum, holding mostly works that the Borgheses commissioned and collected over the years. The real star of the show is Canova's masterpiece Pauline Borghese, and three incredible Berninis. Pauline was Napoleon's sister, and she got around. She had her statue done as Venus, which makes sense. It's actually titillating to behold, which is testament to the incredible life that was breathed into this marble.
The blazing star of the museum was Apollo and Daphne, an impossibly delicate sculpture. At the end of the leaves on Daphne's fingers, the marble is so thin you can see light through it. The mastery behind this work is peerless. I spent more time with it than any other work on the tour, with the possible exception of Michelangelo's David. You only get two hours in the Borghese, however, so it's not really a fair fight.
There was a Raphael tour visiting as well, which was cool as we didn't get to see much of his work on the tour. Titziano's Sacred and Profane Love was wonderful as well, and the Venetian was a good contrast in style to the stacks of Florentines we've been seeing. Michelangelo, for instance, couldn't draw women, while Titian couldn't draw an ugly one.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. It seems like an odd choice, but it was really eye-opening. If you, like me, have heard the term "culture shock" but never really formed an idea around it, I think I can provide it. Ordering a mushroom and swiss cheeseburger in italian at a Hard Rock Cafe pretty much felt like psychological whiplash. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but it was extremely surreal. We were surrounded by loud rock music, artifacts from Elton John and Flea, and all the waiters spoke italian and outside the door was Rome.
But that burger was so amazing. It's hard to fathom, as we are such food pluralists in America, but just try eating nothing but the same country's cuisine for 3 weeks. See how delicious and surprising another one tastes. It tasted like the first burger ever invented. And there was ice in the drinks! I saw more ice in our drinks than I have seen anywhere else for 3 weeks. Plus I got to sit with Vicki, who will talk about rock and roll any chance she gets, and hear how she went to Newport Folk every year, and how her first concert was folk Dylan and she had a horrible fever, living in my parent's backyard in Seattle, and listening to her hidden rock records while her mom was shopping, but having to watch the window for her to come down the street so she could hide everything.
A few of us met at 17:00 to tour the Capitoline Musem, which had an original gilded bronze Marcus Aurelius, along with Constantine's giant head and the original Etruscan she-wolf. Unfortunately for Vicki, they beefed up security in the last couple years, and you can't wander freely between the two museum buildings. Her tour is based on that principle, so she definitely was ANGEE VICKI when she discovered how much dicking around we had to do for her to simply find the pieces she wanted to lecture on. It being the last museum on a long and grueling tour didn't help.
But we persevered, and found that they'd moved Marcus to a lovely and enormous room, and added a large new wing to explore.
It was a funny shift from a guided to an unguided tour, as our guide wandered down blind corridors and read the descriptions of unfamiliar exhibits. In the end we found everything we were looking for and more. It was a pretty sweet museum, actually, and it was nice to tour one later in the day when the temperatures were nicer and the light was better. They also let you get right next to the exhibits, and didn't at all mind non-flash photography. Museum guards here can be really obnoxious about photos and touching things, or even just sitting on the floor. The running joke is that all the english most of them know is "NO FOTO!" Plus after seeing Michelangeo's most famous Pieta from 40 feet away behind bulletproof glass, it was great to get up and smell some art.
We retired to the roof for pizza and wine with a huge group of travellers, for much conversation and eventaully some rousing games of hearts. It's so great to have this beautiful common area on the top of the hotel. It's arguably one of the best parts of the tour, as the view is stupendous and the company is grand. Not to mention the cheap, good food! You can get a chunk of hot pizza and a bottle of wonderful red for like 7 euro, and be set for the night. It's an absolute delight.
We were really too tired for it, but it was our last chance so Justin and I went out afterwards for the Roman long-exposure madness. We hit the Pantheon, Piazza Nuvona, and Trevy Fountain. Rome is easily the most interesting city for nightlife. There's twentysomethings here! Holy crap! And the area is not full of shady gypsies and pickpockets! Whoa! Actually, it's the safest possible as we're right next to the parliament building and the president's offices. Walk out the door and there's usually 10 polizia between you and the street in any direction. The negotiations for the Israli hostage situation were (are?)taking place somewhere in the city this week as well, so security choppers and caribineri are common sights.
This is the piazza next to our hotel.
We were going to hit the Colloseo and Forum last night as well, but Justin had too much wine and wasn't going to make the several-block walk. Hopefully we'll go tonight, though of course it will mean sleeping for about 3 or 4 hours to make the 5:00 bus tomorrow. It'd be worth it though. You only get one shot!
Today is our free day, though I wish it wasn't the only one. Time to spend the rest of my Euros, pack up my luggage, and start to wean myself from truly great italian food, cause it's pretty much impossible to find in Seattle. I am very sad to see this trip conclude. There has been so much magic, so much beauty, such constant adventure. I know there is much good in both traveling and coming home, but there is also much fear and sadness. There is death of a life, however brief it was, and the responsibility to return the boon from that life as fully as possible.
One last breath of the free air, and I must find the freedom at home. "As long as there is the West..."
I could stand to live here.
The Borghese gallery is an old Renaissance villa that has been converted into a museum, holding mostly works that the Borgheses commissioned and collected over the years. The real star of the show is Canova's masterpiece Pauline Borghese, and three incredible Berninis. Pauline was Napoleon's sister, and she got around. She had her statue done as Venus, which makes sense. It's actually titillating to behold, which is testament to the incredible life that was breathed into this marble.
The blazing star of the museum was Apollo and Daphne, an impossibly delicate sculpture. At the end of the leaves on Daphne's fingers, the marble is so thin you can see light through it. The mastery behind this work is peerless. I spent more time with it than any other work on the tour, with the possible exception of Michelangelo's David. You only get two hours in the Borghese, however, so it's not really a fair fight.
There was a Raphael tour visiting as well, which was cool as we didn't get to see much of his work on the tour. Titziano's Sacred and Profane Love was wonderful as well, and the Venetian was a good contrast in style to the stacks of Florentines we've been seeing. Michelangelo, for instance, couldn't draw women, while Titian couldn't draw an ugly one.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. It seems like an odd choice, but it was really eye-opening. If you, like me, have heard the term "culture shock" but never really formed an idea around it, I think I can provide it. Ordering a mushroom and swiss cheeseburger in italian at a Hard Rock Cafe pretty much felt like psychological whiplash. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but it was extremely surreal. We were surrounded by loud rock music, artifacts from Elton John and Flea, and all the waiters spoke italian and outside the door was Rome.
But that burger was so amazing. It's hard to fathom, as we are such food pluralists in America, but just try eating nothing but the same country's cuisine for 3 weeks. See how delicious and surprising another one tastes. It tasted like the first burger ever invented. And there was ice in the drinks! I saw more ice in our drinks than I have seen anywhere else for 3 weeks. Plus I got to sit with Vicki, who will talk about rock and roll any chance she gets, and hear how she went to Newport Folk every year, and how her first concert was folk Dylan and she had a horrible fever, living in my parent's backyard in Seattle, and listening to her hidden rock records while her mom was shopping, but having to watch the window for her to come down the street so she could hide everything.
A few of us met at 17:00 to tour the Capitoline Musem, which had an original gilded bronze Marcus Aurelius, along with Constantine's giant head and the original Etruscan she-wolf. Unfortunately for Vicki, they beefed up security in the last couple years, and you can't wander freely between the two museum buildings. Her tour is based on that principle, so she definitely was ANGEE VICKI when she discovered how much dicking around we had to do for her to simply find the pieces she wanted to lecture on. It being the last museum on a long and grueling tour didn't help.
But we persevered, and found that they'd moved Marcus to a lovely and enormous room, and added a large new wing to explore.
It was a funny shift from a guided to an unguided tour, as our guide wandered down blind corridors and read the descriptions of unfamiliar exhibits. In the end we found everything we were looking for and more. It was a pretty sweet museum, actually, and it was nice to tour one later in the day when the temperatures were nicer and the light was better. They also let you get right next to the exhibits, and didn't at all mind non-flash photography. Museum guards here can be really obnoxious about photos and touching things, or even just sitting on the floor. The running joke is that all the english most of them know is "NO FOTO!" Plus after seeing Michelangeo's most famous Pieta from 40 feet away behind bulletproof glass, it was great to get up and smell some art.
We retired to the roof for pizza and wine with a huge group of travellers, for much conversation and eventaully some rousing games of hearts. It's so great to have this beautiful common area on the top of the hotel. It's arguably one of the best parts of the tour, as the view is stupendous and the company is grand. Not to mention the cheap, good food! You can get a chunk of hot pizza and a bottle of wonderful red for like 7 euro, and be set for the night. It's an absolute delight.
We were really too tired for it, but it was our last chance so Justin and I went out afterwards for the Roman long-exposure madness. We hit the Pantheon, Piazza Nuvona, and Trevy Fountain. Rome is easily the most interesting city for nightlife. There's twentysomethings here! Holy crap! And the area is not full of shady gypsies and pickpockets! Whoa! Actually, it's the safest possible as we're right next to the parliament building and the president's offices. Walk out the door and there's usually 10 polizia between you and the street in any direction. The negotiations for the Israli hostage situation were (are?)taking place somewhere in the city this week as well, so security choppers and caribineri are common sights.
This is the piazza next to our hotel.
We were going to hit the Colloseo and Forum last night as well, but Justin had too much wine and wasn't going to make the several-block walk. Hopefully we'll go tonight, though of course it will mean sleeping for about 3 or 4 hours to make the 5:00 bus tomorrow. It'd be worth it though. You only get one shot!
Today is our free day, though I wish it wasn't the only one. Time to spend the rest of my Euros, pack up my luggage, and start to wean myself from truly great italian food, cause it's pretty much impossible to find in Seattle. I am very sad to see this trip conclude. There has been so much magic, so much beauty, such constant adventure. I know there is much good in both traveling and coming home, but there is also much fear and sadness. There is death of a life, however brief it was, and the responsibility to return the boon from that life as fully as possible.
One last breath of the free air, and I must find the freedom at home. "As long as there is the West..."
