I have been dreaming about going to Rome since I took art history in high school and fell in love with Bernini and Michelangelo. That love has only grown in subsequent art history classes and I was determined to get back there and see everything, companion or none. Plus, according to people who have previously studied abroad, traveling alone is a great experience.
I got in early on Thursday, and after a lovely lunch (I ate a million carbs during this trip!) I went to the Vatican. I had booked an absolutely fabulous small group tour, that lasted over three hours, and covered every inch of the Vatican possible. It was INCREDIBLE!!! Plus, I had just finished reading The Thorn Birds (which I highly recommend, BTW), so it was really cool to see where so much of the book is set (sadly I did not find Ralph de Bricassart).
Laocoön and His Sons. Backstory for this sculpture: the Pope wanted this old sculpture moved to the Vatican, but Laocoön's arm had been knocked off. So, the Pope called in all the artists who were working in the Vatican at the time, including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bellini, Titian, and a bunch of others (10 in total) and asked them to sketch how the arm should have been. 9 of the ten said the arm would have been extended out (as it is in many later reproductions). Michelangelo said it was bent back. Majority ruled, and a fake arm was put in, extended out. In the early twentieth century some guy went to a flea market in Rome and found this cool ruin that turns out to be Laocoön's arm- exactly the way Michelangelo said it would have been. So they hacked the old one off and put the original back on, and Michelangelo was vindicated some 400 years later.
Afterwards I went to the Trevi fountain, and ate dinner at a café overlooking the fountain at sunset (pretty darn awesome). My hotel room was quite nice, and since I had gotten about an hour of sleep the night before, I loved getting to crash early. Friday morning I was off to Galleria Borghese bright and early, to see the Bernini sculptures, which were even more magnificent than I could have imagined. It was absolutely breathtaking and such a dream come true to see David and Apollo and Daphne and his other works. The Caravaggio, Ruebens, and Titian works were also wonderful.
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
The Last Judgement
(there's tons more pictures, but blogger is being super slow, so I'm not uploading too many right now, but there are lots of facebook)
I took an “Open Tour” which went around Rome and stopped at all the major sites. I saw the Pantheon, the Coliseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, did a bit of shopping, and just explored the city. The people were all so friendly and nice, even if we could barely communicate (a nice change from the Parisians I encountered during my last excursion).
Pluto and Proserpina by Bernini
Inside the Pantheon
Largo di Torre Argentina, where it is believed that Caesar was killed
I had booked the trip back during my blissfully ignorant days when I thought this last exam would not be as much work, and I would not be crazy stressed. I only realized how horribly wrong I was when it was too late to change anything. But, in the end, I was really glad to have gone. It was so nice to get away and have some time away from the books and stress. I enjoyed traveling alone, and getting to think and reflect on everything and go at my own pace. In spite of the awful sunburn I returned with (OW OW OW!!) I am so glad I did this. It was a great couple of days, but now, sadly, I must hit the books one last time!
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