Two weekends ago, Kristina and I took a trip to Rome. I was very happy that I had finally picked a weekend to go because I was getting nervous about running out of time. I couldn't possibly study in Italy for a semester and NOT go to Rome. We took a very early train out on Saturday morning that put us in Rome at about 9:30 in the morning. Normally, I wouldn't mind taking a train that early because it is easy to fall back asleep and nap, however, we managed to make a friend who talked and talked and talked. Her name was Romina and she was going to visit her friend for the day. Romina was from Albania and wanted to talk to us to practice her English. She spoke the language very well and normally, I would be thrilled to help her because she knew fluent Italian and could help me in return. But honestly, it was too darn early and she talked our ears off and then some. Finally we made it to Rome.
After checking in to our hostel, which was upgraded to the hotel section for free because they overbooked our room, (NICE!) we went and grabbed lunch at a little cafe. We had previously made a reservation for a tour of the Vatican at 1pm that afternoon so after lunch we made our way over to Vatican City.
The Vatican was beautiful and enormous!! I was so happy I had booked the tour. It was supposed to be 3 hours but since the guide hadn't finished, she continued for a whopping total of 5 hours. It was wonderful! She guided us through the entire museum, the Sistine Chapel, and eventually made our way over to St. Peters Basilica! She didn't tell us about every piece in the Vatican because there was so much to see, but she also gave us a little fun fact. If you tried to spend only one minute looking at every single object in the Vatican, it would take you 12 years to get through the entire museum. It is very hard to believe, but it's so large, that I do.
The Vatican was incredible! The courtyard, the sculptures, the artwork, and the building itself was entirely unreal to me. Each room was designed so differently from the one before. I think my favorite part was the variety of frescos on the ceilings. Pretty much every room and ceiling had it's own aura of sophistication and was decorated elaborately. My favorite was the room with the old tapestries. Each tapestry had it's own beauty to it and its own story, especially the tapestry of the Resurrection of Christ. Oddly, walking from one side of the tapestry to the other, the eyes of Jesus follow you across the room and the weaving makes it look like no matter where you are standing, his body is facing you. However, out of everything in that room, it was the ceiling that caught my eye. Using the shadowing effect, somehow with paint, the artist was able to create the idea of sculptures that were carved into different colored tiles of the ceiling. It looks mostly two dimensional, but really, its a completely flat painting that you could run your hand completely flat against. It was so weird and could only be noticed if you stand in a corner of the room and look at the arches of the ceilings. Gosh, I thought that was SO cool!
More great things:
School of Athens by Raphael
The Sculpture of Laocoon and His sons-Beautiful detail
Nero's Bathtub over the Roman Mosaic
Gallery of Maps near the Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel itself was absolutely, without a doubt, the most beautiful building and/or chapel I have ever seen. My breath was literally taken away. The Last Judgement was the most beautiful fresco I had ever, ever imagined. I had no idea anyone could produce such an amazing piece of art, and to think, Michelangelo was a sculptor! Also, another favorite, like everyone else's, The Creation of Adam fresco. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. I thought it was so beautiful, but then again, the entire ceiling was just as remarkable! I fell in love with Vatican City at that moment. Again, I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but...we all tend to break the rules here and there...
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| Laocoon and His sons |
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| Nero's Bathtub |
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| 2 Dimensional Ceiling |
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| School of Athens |
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| The Last Judgement |
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| Creation of Adam |
St. Peter's Basilica was also incredible. The line to get in was very long but it moved quickly! Once we were in, It was very beautiful. I liked the inside better then the inside of the Duomo in Florence and the Duomo is the prettiest church, at least on the outside, that I have seen. We did not get much time in St. Peter's because they were holding mass but I did get to look around at the smaller chapels and the sculptures. It really is amazing to me how much art and beauty is in the country of Italy. So much time and effort went into these churches and buildings and it's amazing how strongly they still stand. It is all so fascinating to me. St. Peter's was beautiful and my favorite part of the church was Michelangelo's Pieta. Michelangelo is just surreally talented it boggles my mind. The Pieta is almost as incredible as the David. His talent really lies in his ability to produce great detail in every piece of art. He is officially my favorite artist of all time I think.
After the entire tour, we left for the hotel and changed, had some dinner at a local restaurant, and then met some friends from Boston for drinks who were also in Rome for the night! In the middle of conversation about New England, some kids behind us tapped us on the shoulder and told us that they went to Emerson College. So well all joined tables. Small World!
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| November 13th! |
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| Michelangelo's Pieta |
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| The Wingspan of the Holy Spirit is 6ft, if you can imagine that! |
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