This morning I thought, 'where do I want to spend my day, before heading back to the US tomorrow?' I decided on the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, a museum I have visited many times and is so splendid that it never gets old. This museum is unique in that it is actually a home, still inhabited by members of the family. The Doria Pamphilj line goes way back. A princely Roman family that can date their pedigree (and general fabulousness) back to the 11th century. When you visit this gallery, you enter halls and areas that have been designated for visits, and you see areas that are off limits, which is where the family is living. And oh what a life. Their home/villa is full to the brim of the family's art collection. Endless, glorious halls of superb beauty.
One room houses the family's collection of ancient Roman goodness:
The ultimate prize, though, is this family portrait of Pope Innocent X (who was Giovanni Battista Pamphilj) by Velasquez. Molto famoso!
Two marvelous renderings of Mary Magdalene. One by Caravaggio, the other by Titian.
Take a quick look at the internal courtyard.....
And the family's private chapel......
Mmmmm..... Looking a bit dehydrated but v v happy!
"Modern art amidst the ancients" ~ that is the title of this blog. I have always been curious about this museum and so finally took the morning to visit. It is in a glorious neo-classical building on the northern border of the Borghese gardens.
And just keep in mind that modern art is art of the 19th and 20th centuries, so there are many glorious goodies here to feast your eyes on. Lots of fabulous Italian greats, like:
Giorgio de Chirico
Alberto Giacometti's hauntingly beautiful sculptures:
Vittorio Corcos:
And plenty of European greats, like Gustav Klimt, Van Gogh, and Monet:
And there was some crap, to be sure. There was this blob of clay:
There was this beat up garbage bag hanging on a canvas:
There was this dumb red container... oh wait, that's a fire extinguisher:
Mostly there were gorgeous, inspiring and beautiful works. I was quite taken by this sculpture of Saint Francis by Adolfo Wildt:
And Cezanne is always lovely:
And then there was this piece, which was a huge mirror that invites the viewer into the work. So why not?
Yesterday I took a day trip to Viterbo, just to check in and see what has changed if anything. The answer is, nothing has changed. It's the same cute little medieval hobbit village.
Getting there included an unexpected change, though. I took the train to Orte where I was supposed to catch the train to Viterbo. When I got there, there was a notice that the train had been canceled. So, now what? Am I stuck in schlubuttkaville? I went to the ticket office and was told that I was going to have to take a bus, which was parked right outside and about to leave so run! I ran to the bus and took a seat.... and then I thought, oh.... this is going to be rough. Busses here tend to lurch and lurch and lurch as they are wending their way through tiny streets, etc. In then end, after one hour, it really wasn't that bad. I didn't have to conjugate the Italian verb vomitare, so all was well.
If you have followed the previous years on my blog, you've had your fill of scenes from Viterbo. But here are some more:
Yes, it's true. Rome has more than 900 churches. They are everywhere. Some have been repurposed, but in a respectful way. I am always discovering a new church. Always. Today was an impressive walk around Rome. Of course, I didn't plan it that way. I just got lost quite a few times. Hey ho. And in a heat wave, Rome has you covered. All around Rome are these darling old fountains.... and they work.... AND it's potable water. I am always filling up my water bottle!
I stumbled upon the Basilica of San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio. This is very near to the Victor Emanuele II monument on the Piazza Venezia so I have passed it many times. This time it was open. It dates back to 336 when a Pope Mark (weird), who was the bishop of Rome, decided to have a church built to honor his patron saint. A restoration was done in 792 which included the design for a series of mosaics in the apses. These are, of course, wonderfully Byzantine:
Here is the full experience: sound on for some monk chants:
The front of the basilica has marble that was 'borrowed' (re: never to be returned) from the Colosseum during the 15th century when Pope Paul II ordered the church to be updated to the Renaissance style:
The two lions are from the earlier centuries and they are so cute. Look at this guy:
I went to the Vatican, St. Peter's Square, and there was no Pope. Poop! Usually he does a wee speech on Wednesdays. It was lovely nonetheless:
On the way home, I ran into this lovely church, the Basilica Parrocchiale of San Giovani Battista dei Fiorentini:
And it's gorgeous.
But, the fascinating thing was that they had a side chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene, who is very important because she was the first to go into the tomb looking for Christ AND she was the first to encounter him, the resurrected Christ.
And then they even have a relic, a foot bone, of Mary Magdalene. This is a big deal because of the idea of her foot entering the tomb.
A morning stroll through Rome with a quick visit to the many sites that inspire me. The Pantheon... I mean, look at this handsome guy:
There was NO LINE (!!) so I walked in to this most extraordinary space, God's little Orb of Brilliance, the Bubble of Love, to just enjoy it. The hoards had not arrived so I got some quality time at the tomb of Raphael.
It says: "Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared that she herself would die."
Then I meandered over to the Trevi Fountain, a place so marvelous but I usually avoid because it's such a tourist scene. But today I lucked out! They were cleaning it, vacuuming out the zillions of coins people throw in. Fabulous! Watch:
Then I strolled up and down Via dei Coronari, a lovely pedestrian street with interesting antique shops. Just off the Via is a church dedicated to Padre Pio. He was a Franciscan friar, a Capuchin, who raised some eyebrows in the church when he received the stigmata! He had visions, performed miracles, and was believed to have the wounds of Christ (the stigmata) appear on his hands and feet through most of his life. Here is a photo of him in 1919:
He was canonized by JPII in 2002 and is much loved and venerated throughout Italy. There is a side chapel dedicated to him and it has many of his personal items, included some with blood on them:
The church itself is exquisite and includes this awesome altar decoration of a pelican. The pelican was a very early 'symbol' of and for Christianity. A secret symbol, of sorts. The pelican is commonly associated with sacrifice because of the commonly held belief that, in a pinch, a pelican will pierce its own breast to feed its young. Flesh and blood. The sacrifice of JC.
And then I just had to have lunch. Cacio e pepe, a chilled Rose, a bowl of strawberries. Yes, la vita E bella!
