A Day at the Vatican

Since I am working

in the studio on a deadline

for Sew Somerset 

and 

 beginning work

on a new show 

St. Peter's Square.. stunning in the afternoon sun..

 as well as finishing my 

travel journal...

and my art journal..

I decided that it would be

a good time to catch up on the travelogue..

Hopefully you have seen my new YouTube

channel videos and our European video,
if not you can follow the link in my side bar and
subscribe..

but...

 I took a LOT of photos and wanted to give you more details

just in case you happen to go to Rome...

and if not, then perhaps it would solely be for your viewing pleasure..

so grab your libation and sit back,

this is a long post...

no floor was unadorned, everything was inlaid..

we were very glad we had purchased our tickets 

and arranged a private tour ahead of time..

the lines in Rome are as legendary as the attractions..

if you go to any museum or attraction,

you could literally spend most of the day in a line..

Our guide was very personable and kind, and extremely knowledgeable 

and I learned a lot about the museum..

let me say

this..

you probably know it is a country..

the Vatican..

but you have no idea how enormous, how spectacular it is

until you go..

to say I was exhausted is an understatement..

Defaced fresco, left from a Protestant invasion in 1527..

the rooms of art..

of statues..

tapestries..

and frescoes..

went on for miles..

not to mention the information

which was overwhelming for me..

stunning, but overwhelming...

The Map room was a long corridor with maps frescoed on the walls..

below is a small detail..

it was really incredible...

as you know,

for me it is all about the details.. 

fortunately the crowds were not too bad..

there were 40,000 people at the Vatican

the week before ...

the view from the windows of the museum were

just spectacular..

and I managed to capture..

a few for you..

yes what you see is Vatican City..

and then there were rooms of antiquities..

from every country..

statues..

from all over the world..

I tried to give you an idea of how many each and every room held..

it was mind boggling..

I loved the angel painted on the cove ceiling..

below, the way her wings stretched out of the panel..

talk about coloring outside of the lines...

and they have a huge art collection

of contemporary and modern artists..

I managed to get a shot of the Matisse..

but since we were on a tour, I could not 

linger..

We were not allowed to film in the Sistine Chapel..

but we did manage to film in St. Peter's and that was captured on

our video..

Here are my impressions of the Sistine Chapel..

first of all, I suffer from claustrophobia, and with so many tourists

crowed into such a tiny chapel, it was very challenging..

But..

it was breathtaking to see

Michaelangelo's work in person..

to see that the ceiling and the Last Judgement

look like two different people painted them, and indeed

since he was almost 30 years older when he painted the Last Judgement,

I would say that he probably was a different person by then.

The ceiling was painted under duress, he did not consider himself a painter

but a sculptor..

But, the Pope wanted him to paint,
and threatened to destroy Florence,
his home town and his family..

Can you imagine what he would have created
if he had been free to do what he
wanted..?

And...

contrary to popular belief,
he painted the ceiling standing on scaffolding

and not laying on his back..

The grounds are just as stunning 

as the museum and St. Peter's..

I was smitten with this fountain and the

giant pinecone..

so beautiful..

and the fresh air and the green lawn, revived me..

the potted trees were enormous..

below, the amazing expanse of landscape..

and leaving..

as if through a key hole..

...

we walked across the bridge..

The Ponte Sant'Angelo...

the Bernini sculptures were amazing, 

and it was such a lovely thought...

that we had angels to watch over us..

as we made our way back

to the hotel..

Thank you for stopping by, as always

I am so grateful for you kind readership..

ciao, ciao!

Roma, Part Two

I am..

as I am sure you understand, 

dear reader...

Ornamental stone cap at the Spanish Steps

wading through photos...

with so many deadlines

including holidays

fast approaching..

I wanted to get one more

travelogue in on the blog before

I start posting 

other news and events..

We visited a few magnificent sights..

and as always, I am captivated by cobblestones..

thinking about all the people that walked before me..

the Spanish Steps

is a famous spot 

to meet people..

artists used to look for models here..

and it has since become a meeting place for locals

and just a great place to hang out and people watch..

as well as an ancient 

tourist stop..

I found an open air book and paper market,

and then we continued our tour

with the 

Pantheon

which is stunning 

and it was packed with tourists.

once a beautiful pagan temple..

it is now of course a church..

looking up....

looking down....

Old and new stones live side by side..

and looking out...

looking through...

from the Pantheon...

yes the days were packed...

we headed off to the 

Colosseum.. 

which is as spectacular as you might imagine...

the size is unbelievable ...

and the age is mind boggling..

even more amazing are the water battles that took place

inside with ships fighting it out..

old and new, 

fragments of statues

incorporated in new works..

I was taken with the juxtaposition 

everywhere with the antique and modern..

we found a lovely restaurant..

across from the behemoth

and we

 enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine...

while we watched the sunset

through

the colosseum ...

not a bad way to spend a sunset

eh?

ciao, ciao!

Roma, Part One

Three weeks 

is a long time

gentle reader,

 to be gallivanting the globe..

we left at Halloween

and now I am making 

holiday plans..

Can you imagine...?

this was the view from our

room..

in Roma..

it came with charming old shutters to keep out the light and noise

so we opened the window for fresh air..

and leaned outside

to people watch and take in 

Vestal Virgin square..

 Hotel Alpi 

is a boutique hotel

that offers a full breakfast

each day included in the price,

and it was a lovely place..

I would highly recommend it..

with a roof top bar and in the center of town

within walking distance to Termini Station..

we had many things on our list to see

and one of the top sights

was the 

Trevi Fountain

so we left early and eager to go to the 

Trevi Quarter

which is charming...

one of the things I adore 

are the details..

it is my one weakness you know..

the bronze faces with no explanations ...

and frescoes on buildings...

plants left at doorways..

bikes sporting flowers

say welcome in any language..

and we ate lunch twice

in the quarter...

once at 

Locanda Giulietta E Romeo

which had the best gf pizza ever and outstanding 

chianti..

and

once at the hotel below..

Trevi Hotel

both of them are

 literally steps away from this...

which is one of the great treasures of the world

if you ask me, 

and just spectacular 

to view in person..

it took my breath away..

to shoot this photo, I was standing on the steps of the

church which is across from 

Trevi Fountain..

I was hoping to impress on you the scale and size..

the beauty is obvious,

but the scale of everything in Italy is

simply 

unbelievable.. 

and amazing..

at times

Overwhelming...

and then 

we turned inward from the crowds and visited

the church..

lighting a candle for our

dearly departed..

and whispering blessings to each other..

we left the quarter

and made plans for the next day..

to be continued..

see you next week..

I missed you all...

dearly...

C4N!