Nov 23 Day 51 Vatican City

How does one possibly describe the beauty of the Vatican Museum, especially the Sistine Chapel, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral? 

There is Apollo Belvedere, a truly beautiful example of man, despite the fact that it is a Roman copy (2^nd century) of the original Greek bronze. 

Seeing the Laocoon, probably commissioned by Caesar himself, was extraordinary because you can see the serpents killing Laocoon and his two sons as their punishment for warning the Trojans about the wooden horse.  There are beautiful Egyptian and Greek artifacts, sargophagi, and real mummies as well as gorgeously decorated chapels, ceilings, and walls. 

Seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, where he spent 4 years working on the Creation, Judgment, and other panels, was breathtaking and it was hard to pull myself away after craning my neck for at least an entire hour.  Raphael’s frescoes are amazing (especially since he was only 25 when asked to paint these rooms by Pope Julius II) , as well as the more modern art, including Van Gogh, Chagall, Dali, and others. 



 

St. Peter’s Basilica is extraordinary, very grand and imposing, and seeing Pope Paul II’s likeness in the tomb was very moving, along with the unequalled Pieta.  Naturally the dome had to be climbed, and the climb was well rewarded with beautiful views, rainbows, and sunsets.  There was even a service going on, and the choir sounded like true angels.  It is difficult to pack and leave this beautiful country, but my 51 days are up.  Arrivederci.  Sigh.

Nov 22 Day 50 Crypts and Ancient Themes

The morning was laid back, waiting for the rain and hail to dissipate, and then off for another day of Roman adventures.  First was to the Capuchin Crypt, where – and this is no joke – bones of thousands of dead monks are arranged in geometric and other patterns in about 6 rooms of a church crypt (Chiesa Immacolata Concezione), see picture to the left.  These bones are considered holy and this is how the monks show reverence for their deceased brothers.  This display of bones utilizes ALL bones such as skulls, femurs, scapula, etc., and there are also complete skeletons of the important monks wearing their cowled robes.  It was very strange and creepy.

This is one of several obelisks in this city, many thousands of years old and with Egyptian writing on the sides.

The Pantheon is an amazing example of Roman ingenuity, considering that they built it without the benefit of computers or modern equipment.  The  was designed by Emperor Hadrian in AD 118 and pieces of it have been stolen over the years, but it is still beautiful.

This hole in the top of the dome is open to the elements, but the interior artwork and chapels are left unharmed.  Inside, among other things, is Raphael's tomb (and he died at age 37). There is a lovely epitaph by Bembo posted there:  "Here lies Raphael, whom Nature feared would outdo her while alive, but now that he is gone fears she, too, will die."

I am here by the giant doors leading in to the Pantheon to give a sense of the scale of the building and to show off my lovely blue scarf.

The Tiber River was roaring and the bridges were fun to cross while the water was so high.

This is Constantine's Arch and marks the victory of the first Christian emperor over his enemy.

Although Gregory Peck wasn't here this time to scare Audrey Hepburn into thinking that the Mouth of Truth had bitten off his hand, this Bocca della Verita was still a sight to see.

Nov 21 Day 49 Roman Ruins

Today was a "Roman Ruins" kind of day, despite the late - developing rain, followed by a nice respite in the Musei Capitolini then a coffee correcto (with grappa or sambuco), followed by a half litre of wine - totally due to the rain- - then dinner where the lamb was tender and, again the wine was wonderful. Had a nice long conversation with a nice couple from Texas - good to find people with whom to speak English!

 These are rooms from some ruins that I will try to figure out later!

 Yes, my hair looks fabulous.

This not only shows the Italian flag but also the front of the monument to the unknown soldier.

From the Museo Capitolini, showing possibly one of the famous philosophers, this one with a special marble wig and scarf, which really is amazing, considering the fact that you would think that they used whatever marble was available.  The museum was gorgeous and more later on that.

Nov 20 Day 48 Rome in the Rain

Taking off for the Vatican Museum seemed to be the most logical first stop, considering the weather forecast predicted a day of rain.  However, getting there proved that the decision was not the best either for the Museum or the Cathedral, with both the Pope's special mass (thereby closing St Peter's Cathedral) as well as arriving without pre-reserved tickets (and thus requiring at least a 2 hour wait).

St. Peter's Square was beautiful, despite the weather and the millions of tourists.

A detour to the Castel Sant' Angelo was a better choice - and it was well worth it, with fabulous views, an interesting walk through an ancient castle, artwork, weapons, and round meeting rooms.

The views from the top of the castle were just impossible to ignore and I probably took a million pictures.

The views of the Tiber River were also spectacular, not to mention the lovely old bridges that cross it.

The early 16th C Piazza Del Popolo, with its gorgeous church, Santa Maria del Popolo  - containing art and architecture of Caravaggio, Raphael, Pinturicchio, and others - its 3,200 year old obelisk as well as its Egyptian lions in the fountain was a special treat.

Yes, this is the famous Trevi Fountain!  The shots from the Spanish Steps were not so clear, and I will blame the poor light for that, but the throngs of people between these two tourist favorites were huge - and it is mid/late November!

The moon is almost full - I believe it has one more day to go - but it was a lovely sight outside of the Trevi Fountain and up the hill.

Needed a change from Italian food, so had Thai tonight, which was quite good.  Hopefully tomorrow will not be as rainy as they predict, and the old Roman ruins might not be a wash-out after all.

Nov 19 Day 47 All Roads Lead to Rome

Spent the morning talking with Norberto, owner of the hotel/restaurant in Tarquinia, who just HAPPENS to be an avvocato (Italian attorney) and he helped with faxing the accident report to the car rental company, asking the carbonari (police) to try to send the official report sooner than the usual 90 days (crazy), and help with getting us downtown for a little sightseeing, the back for lunch, then to the train station (being driven by the one guy in the hotel who was and "all in one expert," responsible for (and this is no exaggeration) cooking, cleaning, reception, computer systems, elevator repair, waiting tables, making cappuccino, and then driving a stick shift car for what appeared to be the first time in his life.  He said his name was "Gianni" and it was good to be delivered safely to the station.

The town is yet another walled medieval town and it had much more character than I ever realized, making it sad to leave it so soon.  It is on a hill and has beautiful views, an apparently world -class Etruscan museum, and friendly people.

Made it to Rome via the reliable train, and it was an easy and stress-free journey.  At least, until arriving at the "B and B" that was owned by the "friend of an uncle" that made it immediately clear that B&Bs are completely unregulated and anybody who wants to rent out his study as a bedroom and then serve a biscotte and orange juice can make a few extra euros.  So, on to the nice, modern hotel across the street and everything was molto bene.  Needed a bit of extra rest in order to feel a bit of healing after the accident, which was fine, then onto a recommended restaurant for a nice bowl of artichoke and shrimp risotto, which always makes everything better.

Nov 18 Day 46 Ouch

Driving along the Mediterranean Sea in the rain, but with spots of sunshine.  Some lovely areas and some not so pretty ports with booming industry.  Small towns have stuffed wild boars, churches, and trattorias.

These are pine trees that seem to function as umbrellas - quite lovely.

The little town, San Stefano, was perfectly perched on a hill with a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean.  Many places were closed for the "holiday" - which appears simply to be a month off before Christmas.

At around 5 we were turning left and a car, traveling way too fast, decided to pass us on the left, and sideswiped the driver's side, deploying the air bags and skidding us towards a culvert. The other car fell down into the culvert on the other side, but thankfully everyone is fine (but for some bruising and soreness), even though the cars are not.  Whew.  This is my view, out of the policeman's front seat, towards our car (whose rear tire is completely in the air).  What an ordeal, dealing with the Italian authorities.  Said a lot of thankful prayers. 

Tutto bene.

Nov 17 Day 45 Lucca, Pisa, and Arriving at the Mediterranean Coast

Heading away from Florence was sad, as it was a beautiful and fun city.  I had heard that Lucca was a nice walled city, so that was the first stop and here I am with my friend Puccini and we are sharing stories about writing operas.  He was most impressed with the songs that we wrote for Catholic University's annual Pie Day and he can't wait to see the videos that are posted, especially the Marilyn Monroe song.

Naturally this tower, along with all that are sighted, had to be climbed, and it was enjoyable, especially because of all the detailed drawings along the tower walls of knights killing one another.  Back in the 15th Century, building a tower was a sign of wealth, not a necessary security system.

Lucca also has beautiful churches, museums, shops, etc, and it is one of the few towns that is relatively flat.

Next came the ultimate tourist trap - the leaning tower of Pisa.  It was cool, though, and climbing to the top was a bit scary with the well-worn marble steps and the very apparent lean of the tower.

Apparently, the builders noticed early on that the bell tower foundation was not level, so they started trying to remedy the problem by aligning the columns in the opposite direction of the lean, in order to make it appear that the tower was not leaning quite so much.  They also changed materials, enlisted different engineers, and only recently, used steel cables to improve safety.

I am doing my part to help the Tower just get over its misery.

It was fun at the top of the Tower, except for the screams of the terrified little boy whose parents were forcing him to "enjoy" the view.

After Pisa, the drive to the west coast of Italy along Mediterranean was fine, even though a bit challenging with the different road signs, kilometers, and tiny cars to figure out.

Nov 16 Day 43 Last Full Day in Florence

 A long walk to an outdoor fair, where most of the items were not what we would consider "valuable antiques" so a return to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens seemed like the best plan before heading to my last Italian cooking lesson.   In the picture, above, we are holding the pig fat that I had to cut in order to wrap it around the pig liver for our dinner.  Yummy.

Now to explore the countryside, perhaps going to Pisa and Lucca.  I will miss lovely Florence!

Nov 15 Day 42 Florence and Back to the Bell Tower

Enjoyed walking back towards the Duomo and stopping into the Medici Palazzo to view the gorgeous courtyard with its ornate columns and ceilings.

The panels on the Baptistry doors are not original, but they are beautiful, nevertheless, and tell many stories.

The contrast would be improved with blue skies, but it is still a striking building in the rain.

Climbed back up the campanile to enjoy the sights without the previously fierce thunderstorm.

Back to cooking school, where I had the distinct pleasure of dissecting a cuttlefish and learning how to extract ink from the ink sack and put it into spaghetti.

I will NOT be cooking this at home.  It was also a challenge to deal with black teeth and lips after eating the black spaghetti.

We also made Baccala alla Vicentina(cod), and dessert was torta sabbiosa. Where is gelato when I need it?

During the walk back, I happened upon a mosaics workshop and got a half hour private tour of the the actual methods used in creating these masterpieces! 
It is hard to believe the detail that the artists can get with these mosaics.
Look at www.imosaicidilastrucci.it and see for yourself!

Nov 14 Day 41 Florence and New Digs

Saying arriverderci to the nuns and housekeepers was a bit sad (except for the mean one who surprisingly gave me a warm hug) and I gave them little thank you gifts.  It was time to move to a new place and it is nice because it saves me at least 15 minutes walking each day.

It was a good day for strolling and looking around, considering the fact that it was yet another rainy day. I continue to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and differences of this country.

Enjoying Piazza Signoria, there appeared to be something big about to happen because people started lining up on the steps towards the square.

An incredibly lucky coincidence - I just happened to be in the Piazza when a big parade came through, wheeling along a David look alike, complete with trumpets, flag waving, drums, marching, and all the cheering and excitement that accompanies such an event!

Everyone was cheering for David and the flag throwers were in fine form.

They never too David off of his perch and apparently the statue just went into storage after the celebration and nobody seems to know when / if ever / he will come back out!

Nov 13 Day 40 Back to Sansepolcro

A full day of travel - to Sansepolcro and back to Florence - in order to pick up a painting that Mario Baragli created for me!

Taxi - train - bus - walking, then in reverse without the taxi, which was about 7 hours round trip.

I made it back to the convent with 2 minutes to spare (What would happen if I returned after 11 pm?).

Here he is, working on the painting (this is a secret, so don't spill the beans!), which is such a treasure to me.

I will list Mario's website and youtube video below, for he is truly a talented artist, even at 92.  One of his granddaughters is in medical school, and it was a treat to meet her and have her serve as our translator.

It was a warm and special visit, and he asked that I send him a half dozen of my photographs (that he chose) and perhaps he will paint one or two of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KluXyNuelI

http://www.mariobaragli.it/

Luckily, I was also able to have a visit with Betty and John in the palazzo and say hello to the students.  They had just returned from a day trip to Gubbio.

Tomorrow I will say arrivederci to the nuns, move a bit closer to the city, have my last two cooking classes, and then head out for the driving adventure through southern Italy!