Rome, Part I

 

In front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

 

I went to Rome this weekend.  It has a whole different feeling than Florence—it’s bigger, much older, with a sense of monumental ages resting upon the city.  It seems to have reached its zenith during the Roman times, and now rests in the glory of its past.  I say this because of the way that it seems the whole commerce there depends on tourists—and for good reason!  There is much to see, an overwhelming amount of architecture and art, and the ruins of a great civilization lay all around you.

I went with four of the girls taking summer courses who were just as curious as I was about Rome and all the sights to see there.  The train ride from Florence to Rome was immensely enjoyable; I think there is nothing so relaxing as watching the Tuscany landscape fly by while listening to good music. 

Italy's countryside from the train window

There is something so exciting about trains—the anticipation of arrival, the feeling of getting nearer and nearer to someplace exciting.  Below are a few of the sketches I did on the long ride there.

Debonaire sketch--copyright Jessica Libor 2009

Countryside sketches--copyright Jessica Libor 2009

After arriving and finding our hotel, we took a short walk to see the Trevi fountain right behind where we were staying.  It was bigger and more spectacular than the pictures do it justice—flowing, sculpturesque, with Neptune and his mermen looking like they really were moving through the water, so carefully are the clothing and hair sculpted.  They look so effortlessly real, their clothes in the right shape as if you were seeing them underwater.  The more I see and study art, the more convinced I am that the pieces that are truly effortless in their beauty are the ones that took the most time and diligence to create, in order to appear lifelike.

Trevi Fountain

      We had one awful moment–we arrived just a half an hour late to see the Sistine Chapel! I tried not to think about how disappointed I was—to fly all the way to Italy, and miss it by thirty minutes.  However, it’s of no use to ruin the day over it, and indeed we had an amazing rest of that day and night.  The Basilica of Saint Peter was truly awe-inspiring.  Words really cannot describe that building, and pictures cannot create the aura of peace and holiness you feel when you step inside.  The place is huge, and very quiet, except for the soft murmur of people marveling at the paintings, mosaics, sculptures and architecture, and of people praying to the right and left on the pews.  The most golden light streams through the stained glass at the very front, surrounded by beautifully twisting figures done over in gold all around it in a great cloud.  A choir’s voices sang soft and pure in the air as we walked through the sunlit passages.

Inside the Basilica of St. Peter

The guards outside of the Basilica of St. Peter have the most fantastic uniforms–more like costumes.  Check it out.

Guards at Basilica of St. Peter

Michelangelo’s Pieta was there, immediately to the right when you walk in.  Though it is beautifully done, it is smaller than I expected.  We did not get to see the Vatican City Museum because it was closed, though apparently it is the world’s largest storehouse of art.  If you were to stop and look at each piece of art for ten seconds, you would be there for seven and a half years. 

         On the way out, I was struck by some huge ads plastered on the sides of a huge building to the right of St. Peters.  I believe they are advertisements for an Italian wind-powered energy company, but I liked the artistry of the photography and the treatment of the kernels of wheat as glowing sources of energy.  Beauty is simply beauty, no matter it be a cheap ad on the side of a building, or the timeless sculptures of Michelangelo.

We also saw the Pantheon that day, and after a lovely alfresco dinner began our explorations of the city by night.  The ruins of Rome take on a magnificent, theatrical effect after nightfall, lit by golden and brilliant blue-violet lights.  Street musician’s voices carry plaintively over the broken temples and arches.  The whole experience of exploring the ruins by night felt very ageless and more than a bit eerie.  The arch of Constantine and the Colosseum were spectacular by night.

Ruins of Rome by night

Colosseum by night

 

 

    On the way back, picking our way through the ruins, we came across the well lit old theatre of Rome, where I believe Caesar was assassinated.  There was a play going on there that night, Julius Caesar.  We arrived just in time to see half a dozen passionate actors in togas stab Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar--in the old Roman theatre

We were thrilled to come upon so authentic a production—the acting seemed superb, though the entire play was in Italian.  All the same, were were glad to have found that gem of a theatre that night.  We watched among the columns underneath the bright stars, and heard far away choirs and an opera singer trilling into the night.

And tomorrow, part two of a report on Rome… a guided tour of the Colosseum and Forum, walk by the river, an update on the portrait…