Church Day

Poor Julius, he commissions the greatest sculptor of his time-and perhaps all time-to create a tomb that will satisfy his ego and no one comes to see him-they only want to see Moses.  And this despite his sexy, Oh, baby, I'm ready for you pose.  I was also astonished that very few people stopped to look at St. Peter's chains.  I watched fifty of so people come into the church but only a small handful stepped down to see the chains and even fewer took more than a passing glance.

Today was a day for churches; in fact it was homework.  I was supposed to visit three important churches but San Clemente was closed so I'm going to have to go back to see that one.  

The first church I made it to today was the church of the Ara Coeli-the main Franciscan church in Rome.  I expected a subtle grandeur, it being Franciscan and all.  Sitting atop a long and very steep staircase the church's exterior  boasts a large yet plain and simple facade of brown brick.  The interior, on the other hand, is quite different.  The chandeliers are gaudy and entirely out of place.  Perhaps they were taken from the Roxy Theater in New York when it closed.  The rest of the interior is magnificent, sumptuous, breathtaking, covered with frescoes and marble columns and carved wood-the ceiling, oh my, the ceiling, coffered, carved, rosettes, paint, gilding-just not what I was expecting from this particular church.  Ah, well, just my take on things.

The other church I actually made it into was, of course, St. Pietro in Vincoli-St. Peter in Chains.  It is beautiful with a simple, white nave, elaborate baldacchino and, of course, the above mentioned tabernacle with St. Peter's chains and Pope Julius II's tomb.  How exactly does one describe one of Michelangelo's greatest and best known works?  I won't-save to say it is beautiful and I was lucky to have arrived between throngs of tourists so I was alone with it for fifteen minutes.






It is tomorrow now and I am sitting in a small ristorante having what is advertised ad " the best pizza in Trastevere."  It's not.  But it's fine and I was hungry.  Playing on the television is Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the Italian version.  Allora!

After the churches I finished yesterday with a light dinner and then a walk near the Coliseum.  It is so beautiful at night all lit up.  I got caught in the rain on my way home-a soft, gentle rain that make the city sparkle and reminded me of Seattle.  It was a lovely walk.




Today was a very long and full day of classes, first a visit to a museum filled with ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, then photography class-taking pictures of Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, and assorted streets shops, piazzas, and churches along the way.  My feet hurt, my mind is much and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Ciao a Roma!