Vatican City - December 27, 2011 - Vatican Museum

Sphere within a Sphere

Ancient bronze pinecone

The Vatican Museum is incredible. There is an overwhelming amount of stuff to see. One could easily spend a full day here and not actually “see” half of it.

Word of warning to anyone who wants to see the Sistine Chapel:  It is included in the ticket price to the Vatican Museums (15 euro I think? I may be wrong) unless there is severe restoration or my peeps are electing a new pope. I tried to write down how many times we were hit up for cash, asked to join a tour, told we could go to the head of the line with them or some other thing...oh I remember it was "It's a two hour wait in line for the museums, as a guide we can get you through the line". Perhaps in summer, however on the day after the day after Christmas we joined a line that was several blocks long and were in the museum in less than ten minutes.

Caveat: It did take an extra six or seven minutes to go through the metal detectors etc. No wukkas though, eh?

There are a few items that really did stand out in my memory.

Octagonal Courtyard

 First the we entered the Pine-Cone Courtyard, which contains, a pine cone...however it is from a 1st century fountain and is made of bronze. It also contains a enormous gilded sculpture called "Sphere Within a Sphere" by Arnaldo Pomodoro.

Gilt Statue Struck by lightning
and buried

Next off to the side is a little octagonal courtyard that holds some of the most famous classical sculptures including the Apollo Belvedere, the Laocoon group, and some incredible sarcophaguses.

Giant porphyry basin

Then rooms just filled with so many classical statues and busts that the mid boggleth...

Statues from Hadrian's Villa

Then there was the giant porphyry basin (which was just a masterpiece) and in the same room a gilded bronze statue that apparently was struck by lightning and then buried according to Roman custom. The huge sarcophaguses of St. Helena and St. Constantina.

Egyptian style statues from Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli flank the doors of one of the Greek Cross room, at least I believe that was the Greek Cross Room.

Ceiling in the Hall of Maps

The hall of maps was much more incredible than I had expected, and certainly much longer. Also very, very crowded, if one stops for a moment one really begins to feel like a salmon heading upstream.

Not surprisingly picture taking is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel. But it was marvelous to see, especially since the restoration. Again, hard to take in as there were so many people crammed into that room, but I got to see and point out my favorite bits of the last judgement.

Outside, it was a beautiful clear December afternoon, quite warm actually. And perfect to get a nice close up shot of the Dome of St. Peter's.

The double spiral ramp that leads to the street from the museum was built in the 1930's and all I can say is WOW!

Double Spiral ramp in bronze, exit from Vatican Museum

Dome of St. Peter's from Vatican Museum

Rome/Vatican - December 27, 2011 - Which Way to the Vatican Museum?

Obelisk on Ponte Sant'Angelo

After the embankment we opted for the Ponte Sant'Angelo which leads to the former tomb of the Emperor Hadrian (now the Castel Sant'Angelo). The baroque statues of angels are fantastic and double-plus it has obelisks at each end! Yay! Don't know why (and don't get all Freudian on me) I like obelisks...and octagons.

If I remember correctly the bridge was constructed at the same time as the tomb of Hadrian. Though the arches that reach the banks on each side are newer as are the flamboyant angels all wrapped in their billowing stone draperies.

I had checked earlier and found that the entrance to the Vatican Museums are a wee bit to the north (about ten minutes or so) from the entrance to St. Peter's so we walked towards the cathedral in hopes of seeing some sort of signage...oh we did, and it confused the dribble out of me.

Your task today is to find the Vatican Museum...This image
will self destruct in...

However at that point I realized we were outside of a hotel I inspected near a decade ago and had to do the happy dance. The 14th century Hotel Columbus, right on the street that leads to St. Peter's square. When I visited (and when I sold it as a destination for pilgrims to St. Peter's) they said that it was once an ambulatory monastery and "technically" still part of the Vatican city, though I have always doubted that unless it is part of the Lateran Treaty and still part of the Holy See (such as the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline hill). What I do remember is that it had delightful painted ceilings, old masters on the walls and a confusing but exciting floor plan. There were plain rooms (like monks cells) and fantastic rooms (like those for high ranking visiting clergy). I contemplated this hotel when booking but really didn't want to spend the extra money.

One thing I missed the last time I was here were the twin fountains on either side of the entrance to the hotel. Grotesque, for me undatable to a specific century, 15th? 16th? 17th?

Fountain outside Hotel Columbus

Finally after following one sign that I thought was in the right direction we were accosted by dozens of people trying to get us into the Vatican Museum on a tour, or a private tour, or a private tour with the Sistine Chapel.


Up next...dum..de..dum..dum..dum...the Vatican Museum or at least in the places we were able to take pictures and a vivid description of where we were not.

Rome - December 27, 2011 - Tiber Embankment

Palazzo di Giustizia, edible architecture?

Just west of La Maddalena the Corso Rinascimento rears it's ugly head, though dashing across the street I was pleasantly surprised to see that part of the old stadium of Domitian (now the Piazza Navona) was still visible.

Here it was just a quick walk north a slight left (west) and boom goes the dynamite...or rather at the end of the street I saw a hideous white building of the confectionery school of architecture and knew just where we were. 

Within a few moments we were right across the river from the Palazzo di Giustizia. Which really looks like someone has left a wedding cake out in the rain. Impressive? Yes. Enormous? Yes. Tasteful? Well maybe...maybe not. Grandiose certainly. After I had time to appreciate it I used the word "delectable" which I think covers it nicely.

Ponte Umberto I

Creepy embankment

Instead of crossing here over the ponte Umberto I we went down the steps to the cobbled embankment just above the surface of the river. Personally I was not enthralled by the idea of wandering about under the Roman equivalent of a freeway pass, but besides a few empty bottles and used prophylactics it seemed relatively harmless. 

In fact down here not a single person tried to sell us a wooden train, cheap plastic camera tripod, or pope soap on a rope.

The views of both the former tomb of Hadrian (now the Castel Sant' Angelo), Ponte Sant' Angelo and the Dome of St. Peter's were uninterrupted and ours for the taking!

Postcard perfect picture from embankment

Rome - December 27, 2011 - Column of Marcus Aurelius and Environs

Piazza Colonna

Column of Marcus Aurelius close-up

Heading westish we arrived at the Via del Corso (yippee!). Darn near right across the street is the Piazza Colonna which contains the Chigi Palace (which is d@mned boring from the outside) and the Column of Marcus Aurelius.



Column of Marcus Aurelius: Built sometime between 176 and 180,it commemorates his victory over the barbarian tribes of the Danube while using barbarian mercenaries. It's just so zen! Lots of death, destruction, grim faced soldiers and dying peasants. You sort of need to picture each scene in slow motion and have Barber's "Adagio for Strings" running through your head. Or you can alternately laugh at the fact that the end of realism in art was nigh and everyone seems to have disproportionately large heads. Still it's an amazing work of engineering.

Chigi Palace: The official residence of the prime minister of Italy. The dining room here was the inspiration for the dining room in the Florida mansion of Marjorie Merriweather Post (Post Cereal and Birdseye Frozen foods, oh and Jell-O plus gosh knows what else). From the outside a wee bit boring, though the guards were rather pleasant.

Solare Obelisk

Angry Bishop-Saint

Solare Obelisk: originally brought to Rome by Augustus from Heliopolis in 10 BCE, probably something to do with gloating over beating Cleopatra some years earlier. Served as the gnomon of a giant sundial on Campus Martius. Long buried, Pope Pius VI (pius my foot...ok, whatever) erected it here in front of the Palazzo Monecitorio in the late 18th century. I don't know when but part of the sundial has been recreated on the ground of the piazza. Funnily I didn't notice this till two weeks later.

Palazzo Montecitorio:  this palace was built by some Pope, he was either Innocent or Pius, but probably neither. The reason for it being built is probably the same as the Quirinale palace. Apparently the Vatican was know for its malarial fevers. Which is horribly unpleasant to think about…I don’t like malaria. Spero Meliora Nunc est Malaria! (Actually Spero meloria non metus lacini! Ha! But the bad latin sounds better!)

La Maddalena

Santa Maria in Campo Marzio: Ran into this church and was just struck by the really angry looking Bishop-Saint-Zombie...just look at this picture....gaaar...he wants brains! Pagan brains!

La Maddalena, I knew nothing about this extravagant church until we ran into it. I say it's baroque but others seem to say it's rococo. Don't care, it was a bit of a shock as it sits on a rather tiny piazzeta. The only pictures I was able to get still sort of give me vertigo.

Palazzo Montecitorio and the Solare Obelisk

Rome - December 27, 2011 - Via del Tritone & Piazza Barberini

Alex in front of Triton Fountain

After a quick consultation of the Droid and the (thankfully laminated) map found our way to the Piazza Barberini and then the Via del Tritone which luckily (unless I have had one too many) I know fairly well.

The Piazza Barberini contains Triton fountain, yay! Upon arrival in the Piazza Barbenini one will remember that I hate the Triton fountain, it’s sick and wrong and should be replaced with a Benson bubbler or a cell phone kiosk for all I care. The Triton fountain is yet another sculpture by the prolific baroque stone whittler and bronze fondler Bernini. Though I am a fan of much of his work; it seems as though he was under the weather or on some sort of hallucinogenic mushrooms when he carved this sculptural water spouting abortion. Okay maybe the Elk in Portland, Oregon is worse, but it's a close race for ugliest fountain in the world.
 

Via Traforo from Via del Tritone

However there was a big menorah for the holidays and a place that had a decent take away salad (and expensive Coca-Cola light...three euros). 

The Via del Tritone is lined with lots of happy 19th century buildings, some happier than others. One we stopped outside of because the architecture was so heavy handed it seemed unreal. It was as if someone had a book of architectural elements and decoration (arches, columns, balconies, key stones, corbels, cornices, urns, statues...) but had no idea how it all fit together. I suppose the common phrase "They had read the music but never heard it played"...

There is a lovely little intersection (though the traffic is crazy!) at the Via del Tritone, Vie Due Macelli and the Via Traforo (which holds the Albert, my favorite pub in Rome, which I ended up not going to this time round).

Most magnificently there is this marvelous traffic tunnel under the Palazzo Quirinale (at least I think that is what it runs under). After the dull and utilitarian tunnels in Oregon, this was a delight. Though again the traffic was craxy...(the X is for extreme).

Marvelous traffic tunnel

Rome - December 27, 2011 - Accidental Aurelian Walls

Un-exciting bit of the Aurelian Walls

Leaving the Piazza della Republica we got a wee bit lost after my traveling companion saw something shiny. Not that it wasn't a cool something shiny, we ended way up north on the Corso d'Italia. Which did mean our first encounter with the Aurelian Walls. 

Though this definitely meant map time.

Rome - December 27, 2011 - Around Piazza della Repubblica

Interior showing area of calendar

Santa Maria degli Angeli e di Martiri

Day two: it was up and early, the first stop was the Piazza della Repubblica to have a gander at this controversial fountain and then over to the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e di Martiri. The last was delightfully once the tepidarium of the baths of Diocletian. 

Just a quick walk down the Via Torino (heading north west) to the Via Nazionale then right (north east) until the street opens up into the Vittorio splendor of Piazza della Repubblica.

First Santa Maria degli Angeli e di Martiri (formerly the tepidarium of the Baths of Diocletian). There are some ruins of the baths around the side and even another church in one of the old round rooms (possibly a caldarium?) of the Baths. Sadly the little church is not open to the public and the ruins were locked up as well. The entrance is well marked with a big baroque door inserted right into the brickwork of the ancient baths. I would have taken a picture but there was a sign that warned of pick-pockets and I thought better of it.

Santa Maria degli Angeli e di Martiri looks like nothing special from the outside. In fact the ruinous nature makes it look like it is somewhere half way to demolition. Like many italian churches the really exciting part is the interior. Remodeled by Michelangelo from the 4th (or was it the 3rd? Diocletian spanned the turn of the century) century remains of the tepidarium of the baths of Diocletian. Michelangelo  raised the floor which actually truncated the original columns, it's barely noticeable but if you know you are looking for it...

Calendar - Brass line

Calendar - Astrological

The ancient roots of the columns leads one back to the shocker that in its bones under the layer of baroque and rococo candyfloss fluffy decoration (added in the 1740’s, no Michelangelo did not do that to this place) this is a Roman building of the Imperial Period. Freaking fantastic!


There is also a brass median line that was used to calculate Easter. The floor is inlaid with the signs of the zodiac and the planets etc. From the center of teh church you can see a tiny point of light that on a certain day of the year travels along the brass line in the floor. Very Dan Brown…

Fountain of the Naiads: A round fountain in a half round piazza. The figures round the fountain represent the Naiads, which are sort of water nymph things. There's one of the rivers, one of the lakes, one of the underground waters and one of the oceans. In a city full of nekkid statues these nekkid statues caused quite a stir when they were unveiled in 1901. I read (many years ago in a book on the Beaux Arts movement) that these particular nekkid ladies were too “contemporary”. For example: the hairstyles too modern and un-classical and the bodies we not stylized. So apparently it is fine to ogle statues of nekkid ladies on the street as long as they are classical ideals and don't look like your wife's sisters friend Gertrude with her corsets off. To tell the truth they do look a little more “corner pub” than mount Olympus, I’ll grant you that much.

The central bronze here was not placed until 1911; it’s a representation of mans triumph over some cr@p, I really don’t care.  Oh it's Glaucus, very nice, slightly obscure.

Fountain of the Naiads, Piazza della Repubblica

 

Piazza della Repubblica