We've been to Rome once before, but here are a few things I came away with this time.
1. Now that we're seeing through more informed Egyptian eyes, we've noticed that there are ALOT of obelisks in Rome....thirteen in all. Apparently, the Romans felt no compunction about carting off the monuments from their newly conquered territory, proudly displaying them in their public squares, although some were created in Rome as well. Most of them have been "Christianized" by being topped with a cross or a statue of the pope.
Here's one in St. Peter's square, in front of St. Peter's basilica
This little beauty is a miniature Egyptian obelisk atop a baby elephant sculpted by Bernini....apparently, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Hannibal's war elephants which transported siege towers across the Alps to attack Rome in 2nd c. BC. That's the Pantheon in the background.
2. Speaking of Bernini, I finally saw Baroque in a new light. In Rome, we saw Greek statuary everywhere, a testament to the renewed interest and appreciation of classical ideas and art which we know as the Renaissance. This elegant statue was in the Vatican Museum and embodies the Renaissance focus on the beauty of the individual:
In the 17th c., artists took Renaissance art to a new level, focusing on movement and drama. Bernini's sculptures embodied this new style which became known as Baroque. I've never appreciated the flowery, overly decorated style of Baroque but in the Villa Borghese which we visited during our second day in Rome...I got it. Cardinal Borghese, the papal nephew, wanted to illustrate that present-day artists could compete with the classical greats. In each of the grand galleries, renaissance sculptures, stately and pensive, line the edges of the room...but the the sculpture in the center of each room is the main attraction. Each gallery features a sculpture by Bernini and, wow, talk about drama....take a look at this:
This is the same Apollo as the statue above. This time he's grabbed hold of the nymph Daphne just as she's being turned into a laurel tree. Instead of posing gracefully as portrayed in the Vatican, here he's running in mad pursuit and instead of the blank face above, here he's startled, realizing that something's happening to her. Bernini has been able to capture a dramatic moment in marble.Anyhow, I want to show more Bernini statues from the Galleria Borghese but I'll stop. :) It was a very impressive art collection and the juxtaposition of the Bernini sculptures with the Renaissance figures around it really illustrated how different the Baroque movement was. I came away with a new appreciation, at least. My apologies to those with a greater understanding of art history for any butchering I may have done! :)
3. David and I drank coffee the way the Italians do, ducking into coffee shops, stepping up to the bar and ordering an espresso, or in my case, a macchiato, which is an espresso "stained" with milk. Ten minutes later, we were on our way.
4. We took a tour of the Palatine hill which, according to legend, is the hill where Rome was founded. In Classical Rome, only the very wealthy lived here, including emperors of which Augustus was the first. You can see part of the hill rising up from the Arch of Constantine, erected in 312 AD to celebrate Constantine's triumph over the city (we're standing at the Colosseum).
Here are some of the remains from Augustus's palace on top of the hill. We saw some of the remains of Nero's palace too, including an excavation site where last year they believe they've unearthed his revolving dining room which had only been alluded to in the sources.
The Palatine hill looks down on the Colosseum and the Forum.
It was a lovely walk....one of many we did over our three days there. For souvenirs, we brought home olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and blistered feet!! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment