nyny

sunday in roma

Today has pretty much been a perfect day. I got up early to check out this church nearby with Benini's "St. Theresa in Ecstasy." It was awesome. This sculpture caused a HUGE outcry when Bernini completed it. St. Theresa has just been hit with God's flaming arrow, and a cherub with a sly knowing smile is pulling it out of her chest. The sculpture was extremely controversial because both St. Theresa's posture and facial expression are very erotic. Bernini was making a huge statement by portraying her spiritual experience in an orgasmic way.

After that I went down the road to the Cappuccin Crypt, or Church of Bones. This place is crazy. The crypt under the still-used church is literally full of and decorated with the bones of 4,000 monks who died from the 1500s-1800s. It's wild. There's literally rooms filled with piles of skulls, leg bones, other bones, and full skeletons laying there still dressed in monk robes. Even the wall decorations are made from human bones. The chandeliers are made from bones too. The last room has an inscription that says "We were what you are...you will become what we are now."

After that experience, I made my way up to the Villa Borghese. It's a huge park, sorta like Central Park. There were families out picnicing and all sorts of people. In the park is the Galleria Borghese, which is an unbelievable art museum. I really think it may be my favorite museum in Italy (so far). The Bernini sculptures are out of this world. I don't even know how to begin describing them. There's also several Carravagio paintings. They were fantastic. You kind of think these things are overhyped, but once you see them you understand that they are tottaallly not at all. It was an amazing experience. I'm so glad I'm learning more and more about art history and how to truly appreciate it. I honestly think it's really enriching my life. Also, I met this couple from Sydney and hung around with them while at the Borghese. They were really interesting, and just arrived here in Rome from a 3 week stay in Turkey. Man, the Borghese was incredible.

Another definite highlight of my day was going to the ballet at the Opera House. I've only been to 2 or 3 other ballets before, but this one was the best. Maybe I was just too young to appreciate it then, I don't know. There's just something so beautiful and affecting about movement. It's understated in a way, but still so powerful and very present. I figured out during the ballet that perphaps this is what I like about sculpture...it has the same sort of quality. Ballet or dance or whatever shows the beauty and emotion in movement, and a good artist can do the same with sculpture. It's like capturing all of that in one still, freeze-frame moment. I love how a sculpture's single pose can communicate so much about an entire set of circumstances.

Anyway, so it was a pretty full day today. Lots of other little things and interactions in between, but that was the major stuff. Tomorrow I've got a private tour at the Vatican to see the things usually off limits to tourists, thanks to a Swiss guard friend of a friend of a friend (thanks for the hook up on that one Linds). And maybe I'll hit the Pantheon or something. We'll see.

Ok. I'm going to bed now. Ciao.

posted by becka @ 8:31 AM