Roma, Part 3 (Borghese, Bernini, Bones, and Bikes)

We spent our last day in Rome doing "random things" as mentioned in this blog's title.

We first visited the Galleria Borghese, a pretty exclusive gallery in the Villa Borghese Park, the former estate of the Borghese family, who commissioned the art found within. The gallery, which allows visitors to enter only in a two-hour time block, requires advance reservations; however, we used our Roma passes for free entry, and it was well worth the visit!



The gallery features many sculptures by Bernini (who, we found out, was also child prodigy, a painter, architect, and engineer!), other sculptures of marble of every shade of the rainbow, a recumbent hermaphrodite, as well as paintings by Caravaggio and many other pictures.

Our favorite items included two sculptures by Bernini: David which, in contrast to Michelangelo's David, bears a very serious, realistic pose (representing a movement away from the "pretty boy" look of the Renaissance period), and 2) Apollo and Daphne, which depicts Daphne's transformation into a tree as Apollo chases her.

Bernini's 'David'


Apollo and Daphne


After the gallery, we headed down Via Veneto to Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, which houses a very bizarre, macabre but artistic collection in the "Capuchin Crypt." The crypt includes the bones of 4000 monks who died in the 16-19th centuries, artistically arranged in various combinations. We walked through whispering things like, "Whoa! There's a scapula," or "Geez! Look at all those pelves!" It was one of the most bizarre (and horrifying) things I have ever seen, but certainly interesting and worth our visit. As we were not allowed to take photos inside, here are a couple of internet photos displaying the morbid "art."




We were still able to stomach lunch after the strange bony display; here is some more lunchtime evidence of "wine with every meal."


In the afternoon, we headed to Via Appia Antica (Ancient Appian Way), which was, in Roman times, the "Queen of Roads" and located just south of the current city center. As we enjoy taking bike rides in different countries (we've also biked in Malaysia and around Angkor Wat in Cambodia), we rented two and biked along the old stretch of road, passing funerary monuments, pretty green pastures, and Roman Walls.









Along the way, we stopped to visit the Catacombs of San Sebastian, which were Christian burial grounds for common people, as well as martyrs like St. Sebastian, a Christian who lived at the end of the third century (before Christianity was "legalized" by Emperor Constantine) and who was persecuted. He initially was tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead; however, he somehow survived, was nursed back to health, and continued preaching the gospel. He met his death while being clubbed to death a second time under Diocletian's orders, but is now revered as a patron saint of athletes and of healing.

Tomb of St. Sebastian




We preferred riding on the new, paved stretches to the old, bumpy cobblestone (ouch!), but had fun soaking in the history nonetheless. We had a quiet, comfortable end to our Rome visit, and were blessed with a trip with perfect weather, no major mishaps, no travelers' diarrhea (although only I braved the water!), and many fun sights and times. Can't wait for our next major vacation!

Roma, Part 2 (The Vatican to Trastevere)

We spent Friday in Vatican City, which tallied another country to Kelvin's list.

The Vatican's own postal system


We started out at the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museum), which is definitely one of the world's top museums (and to which advance reservations are a must!). We saw many ancient Greek and Roman statues, most of which were "collected" by Renaissance Popes, as well as Egyptian objects and a 3000-year-old mummy, paintings by Raphael (the favorite artist of Pope Julius II), and then, of course, the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's famous Last Judgment and ceiling. Kelvin was THRILLED that we were allowed to take photographs in the museum, and we took a ton!

Raphael's "Transfiguration," his last work, which was actually finished by his pupils when he died in 1520 at the young age of 37.






Mummy! (K now reaaaly wants to go to Egypt!)


Sala Rotunda (Round Room) with bronze Hercules and a large Roman tub


Laocoon, the High Priest of Troy


"Hall of Animals"


(raar!)


Hall of Statues


Michelangelo's Belvedere Torso (remains of Hercules on a lion skin)


Raphael's "The School of Athens," which celebrates Greek philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates) and includes contemporary artists (including himself, as well as Michelangelo) in the painting!


The last stop on the Vatican Museum tour is the Sistine Chapel, which is the Pope's personal chapel and where new popes are elected (with the black smoke [still deciding]/ white smoke [picked one!] signal system).

Michelangelo initially turned down the project to paint the chapel ceiling, claiming he was more of a sculptor, but was finally talked into it by the Pope. He spent four years (1508-1512), craning his neck, painting nine biblical Genesis stories onto the ceiling, including the most famous, "The Creation of Adam."

Twenty-three years later, he painted the altar scene, "The Last Judgment," a rather dark and complex picture of Judgment Day.



One really could spend all day in the Vatican Museum, but we wanted to move on. After lunch, we visited St. Peter's Square and Basilica.

St. Peter's Square, designed by Bernini, is actually an oval, and is very beautiful. It includes 284 columns topped with 140 saints, and a 90-foot obelisk which was in the original Circus (chariot-racing track). Although we didn't get a glimpse at the Pope (he usually comes by on Wednesdays in his pope-mobile [Laura and I saw him last time!]), we enjoyed the square and the sunshine nonetheless.





Swiss guards guide various checkpoints in their ridiculous costumes.


St. Peter's Basilica lies in the location of the previous Roman chariot racing track of Nero's Circus. When the emperor Constantine brought Christianity to the Roman empire in 312 AD, he built a church on the site of St. Peter's burial grounds, as Peter, Jesus' most revered disciple, was crucified (upside-down as he felt unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his master) on this site in around 65 AD. The "Old St. Peter's Church" was in ruins by the time of the Renaissance, 1200 years later, and construction on a new and larger church was started in 1506 on the same site.

The interior of the church is also strikingly beautiful, with grand sculptures, a mosaic stone floor, and gilded ceilings with large windows.





Michelangelo's Pieta (Mary cradling her son after his crucifixion), completed when he was just 24, sits near the entrance to the Basilica behind bullet-proof glass.


Kelvin kissed the toe of a statue of St. Peter


The Basilica dome is 430 feet high, and was only partially completed when Michelangelo died in 1564 (but was finished based on his designs).





The gold banner around the base contains quotes from the Bible, in Latin, with every instance of Jesus' words to Peter represented around the church's perimeter.


We decided we would climb the 500+ steps to the top of the cupola, where we could see both the inside of the dome (we stood just above the large lettering), as well as have the best views of Rome from anywhere within a many km radius. Apparently, there are no skyscrapers in Rome as it is prohibited to build anything higher than the Basilica!

Climbing to the top


(almost there!)


View of the altar from the cupola


View of St. Peter's Square from the top of the Basilica




After our spectacular views, we went on a Scavi Tour (underground tour, recommended by Tia), which brought us through the mausoleums of the old church, and to St. Peter's actual tomb and remains. It was really chilling. For some reason, I am slightly obsessed with tombs/cemeteries/[concentration camps] and really enjoyed this tour.

We enjoyed a quiet dinner and wandered the small back streets in the Trastevere area of Rome, south of the Tiber, and then headed back to the hotel.

Here are some fun things we saw on our way back:



Pretty Isola Tiberina, a former spot for a temple dedicated to Aesclepius, the god of medicine, and which now houses a public hospital with a large labor and delivery unit (which we did not tour, however!).


Designated "Dog Parking"-- we miss Pepper (and Elise!)


One more day in Italy!

Then and Now

In the quest to travel to as many places/countries as is possible (although I feel I have been getting "lapped" by my sister and am probably behind at this point), I have not really been one to "repeat" countries (or cities). Italy/Rome is about the first occurrence.

However, despite all that Laura and I did and saw back on our Euro tour in 2003, this trip is much different! Being here does bring back a lot of memories from that time in my life, and has reminded me think of differences between "then" and "now."

It has been really wonderful being here with Kelvin, who had never before been to Europe. Seeing him enjoy Rome, surely one of the most fabulous cities on earth, and the country of Italy as a whole, is well worth the "repeat" trip and, in a city this large, there are always new things to see and explore. Rome is definitely worth at least a trip a decade! And I am so thankful to have a husband to travel with!

Then: I was a single girl, just done with college, headed to med school in the fall
Now: I have finished residency, started my first "real job" as a doctor, and am married with a Catholic husband who loves visiting all the churches of Rome!



Then: Laura and I traveled by Eurorail passes including taking many overnight trains, hauling our stuff everywhere (my Godfather John joked, however, that, as we didn't have those real backpacks, we couldn't really say we backpacked, but rather "rolled" across Europe)
Now: We stay put and do side-trips, but still meet train challenges (see previous post on Pisa)

Then: We traveled for almost a month, I think, and hit Venice and Rome (along with Copenhagen (Denmark), Hamburg and Munich (Germany), Salzburg (Austria, and my #1 city on earth!), Prague (Czech Republic), Bergen and Oslo (Norway), and Stockholm (Sweden). (I can't remember if we did Amsterdam [Netherlands] and Belgium [Bruges, Brussels] together or if I was by myself later in the summer. Laura, do you recall?)

Now: We are here in Italy for a week and have been to Florence, Cinqueterre, Siena, Pisa, and Rome; I hope I always have a traveling companion now!

Then: We stayed in hostels
Now: Private baths and hot water are a must!

Then: We occasionally stopped in on internet cafes to communicate with family from home, and wrote in journals
Now: Wi-fi is everywhere (including hotels), which allows me to blog instead

Then: I mostly read guidebooks (and was partial to Lonely Planet);
Now: We have books for Kindle! (and I appreciate Rick Steves' guides for Europe... I found a 50c steal of a 2007 Rome guide [still fairly current] at the Eureka Friends of the Library book sale earlier this year!)

Then: We still used "regular" film and had to ration our photos (or risk paying $$$ for replacement film in Europe!)
Now: I can't even remember life without a digital camera

Then: We were aghast at paying for water in restaurants, and usually did not order drinks at all but drank our own water, in order to save $$ (prompting strange looks from the waiters/waitresses)
Now: We pretty much have wine with every meal (which is about the same price as water) but still refuse to order water

(lunch)


(dinner)- note the Asian "spaghetti" (chow mein or "noodles" is listed as spaghetti on menus here!) that we found in Florence


Then: I admit that I was a bit of an energizer bunny, wanting to explore every minute of the day, should it be my one "chance" to see the place

Now: Although I was tempted to try to do a 6-hour round-trip "day trip" to Naples/Pompeii (which Kelvin immediately vetoed and which I then agreed was a bit crazy), I am generally a more relaxed traveler, realizing that I forget about more than 50% of the things I see and do (so why rush around trying to squeeze in a million things) and appreciate sleep/naps/downtime (I have read 2 library books and am currently on book two of the Hunger Games trilogy).

However, some things never change...
- I still like to walk everywhere (or ride the trains/buses); glad that Kelvin is ok with this!
- I still hate to pay for bottled water and usually either drink tap water, or get it from the supermarket
- Gelato is still the best food in the world (we have tried flavors of pink grapefruit, lemon, pear, coconut, mint (MY FAVORITE, anywhere), mandarin, peach, yogurt, cream of caramel, coffee, and a few I'm probably forgetting)

2003 (then)


2012 (now)


Here's to the past, present, and future (which, I'm sure, will also include gelato!)!