Art in Rome

The Pantheon!

Hey y’all!

Pantheon!

Here’s a recap of the last two days.  I’ve been pretty sick (or as I like to think, withering away on my death bed), so I haven’t been doing much except sleeping and going to class….and reading beach-reads on my kindle…I guess you know the quality of the book isn’t the same when it’s free…Even being sick, I have seen some pretty great stuff this week!

Thursday I went to my on-site art class.  I love this professor.  He knows so much about so much; I keep asking him for museum recommendations.  He’s on top of attendance, though.  This is not like any other class where you could sneak in late, or skip anonymously (not that I have ever missed a class in my college career…)  But the man is on top of things.  He gives a handout at the start of every class with our names already written on top, and you can’t leave class until you give back your headset and walkie-talkie, so you couldn’t ever skip out early.  He’s sneaky.

Dome in the Pantheon

We headed to the Pantheon (not to be confused with the Parthenon, in Greece) and the Ara
Pacis……

The Pantheon is awesome because historians are still amazed at how it was built--and how it has stayed standing for so long.  That's partly because it was turned into a church in the 7th century, and it is still a church today.  It's dome weighs something like 5,000 tons.  I was a little concerned standing under it, but I figure it's been standing for this long, so the likelihood of it falling onto me wasn't too great...

The Ara Pacis is an altar to peace, built in honor of Augustus.  I spent most of my time here being yelled at by security about sitting/leaning/standing on things that I wasn't supposed to, but that aside, the  Ara Pacis is really pretty.  The structure is half real/half recreated.  I love this class because I love art, but I love it because I use it as a personal tour of Rome; even though today he did say "class, this is not a tour group.  Put your cameras away."  Oops.  

Ara Pacis

Today, (Friday), we had the same class again.  We normally don’t have Friday classes, but since we have a papal audience on Wednesday, we had a makeup class today.  I was so glad I went! (Not that I would have ever considered missing, Mom).  We saw three churches and each one was better than the last. 

We had to get up at 7:30 to take the bus, to the metro, to walking, to find this first church.  The morning had a rough start when we got to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling away.  That was OK, because we were early and another would arrive soon.  The next bus came 10 minutes later and we got up and held out our hand so he would know to stop.  The little bus driver saw us, looked me in the eye, and kept driving.  The nerve.  The next bus was 20 minutes away—but we kept ourselves busy by watching how many parents had two or more children stuffed on a moped on the way to school.  We were appalled.  On another note, I don’t know a lot about car seats, but I am pretty sure you aren’t supposed to put one in the front seat facing forward; but they don’t seem to have rules about child car safety here.  Jenny and I are trying not to give ourselves anxiety by worrying about the children of Rome.   At least most of the kids on mopeds wear helmets…

We decided it had to be pretty great for a trek this early.  We were not disappointed. 

The first church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  I know that everyone is supposed to think that St. Peter’s is the most beautiful church; but this is my favorite in the city (that I’ve seen!)  Words can’t even begin to describe the inside, and the photos do not do it justice….at all.  It was just spectacular.  The ceilings are made of gold, the floors are patterned intricately, and the art is simply perfect. The story goes that Christopher Columbus brought the gold back from the New World and Spain then donated it to this build church.  The mosaics spread all throughout the church were so beautiful.  I decided this is the place where I will get married.  And Dad, the church is decorated so wonderfully inside that we won’t need to decorate, which saves you money.  You’re welcome.

Piazza outside the Pantheon

The only downside was that all the nuns kept smiling at me.  This wouldn’t be an issue except that Jenny told me they probably wanted to take me away to the convent.  How rude.  I would be kicked out faster than Maria in the Sound of Music.  And if I was a nun, I couldn't get married in the pretty church.  That would be a shame!

front of the church!

Jenny and I at the crack of dawn....

gold coffered ceilings!

The second church was beautiful, but at first glance it couldn’t compare with St. Maria Maggiore. However, there was entire chapel made of mosaics hidden away in the corner.  You could pay a euro and have lights illuminate the art.  I want to go back every single day.  Everything I see here is more magnificent than the last.  The whole city is a piece of art, but I love that the most beautiful things here are hidden in the most unlikely places.   Our professor had to practically drag me out of this church.  I was in the gift shop trying to find a postcard for my little collection…oops.  You’ll be happy to know that Jenny and I are still the caboose of any tour we take.    

Mosaics--the photos don't do it justice!

Mosaics!

The third church was one of the oldest churches in Rome.  It was hidden away (typical Rome) in a little courtyard down a small street.  There was an Orthodox mass going on, so we weren’t supposed to go in, but they let us sneak inside the back to peek at the mosaics.  The professor let us go early, so we headed out to grab some lunch before going back to school.  We walked until we found somewhere local and quiet to sit down for awhile.

We ordered pizza as per usual, and took in the view of the side street. 

This weekend I will be around Rome, so expect an update! J

buona notte!