Today was a bright, cheerful, and jam-packed day! First, we went to the Ara Pacis Museum. Outside of the museum is  the Res Gestae (Things Done by Augustus) and Augustus’s mausoleum. We read some of the Res Gestae and discussed Ausgustus’s mentality, ego, and beliefs. The Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) was built during Augustus’s rule. People would come here to worship the Augustan peace, peace that occurred during his reign. The panels mainly depict the founding narratives of Rome, and the peace that they brought about. 

Next, we went to San Luigi dei Francesi, a French church in the Campus Martius (the field of Mars). This church is famous for its Caravaggio paintings, depicting the life of Saint Matthew in the Chiaroscuro style. The church’s baroque style is clearly demonstrated through the ornate gold decorations that adorn the ceilings and walls. 

Following our visit to the Church, we walked to the Piazza Navona, which used to be a stadium, to see the Fountain of the Four Rivers, designed by Bernini (who we will see more of later!) The fountain depicts the four gods of the four major continental rivers.

Next, we visited the obelisk of Monte Citorio, which is almost 5000 years old. Near this obelisk is the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a temple worshipping all of the gods. The temple reads “Marcus Agrippa, the son of Lucius, the third Consul, made this.” In fact, this version of the Pantheon was erected by Hadrian, after the original was destroyed, by a fire. The Pantheon is the best preserved temple from the Roman Empire, mainly because it was later converted to a church. The floors within the Pantheon are all original- the preservation is really striking. Inside the Pantheon, perhaps the most striking thing is the roof, made from one solid peace of cement, with an oculus in the middle. Inside, the tomb of the artist Rafael also remains. 

After a luxurious and gelato-filled lunch, we headed to our third church and obelisk of the day. The obelisk stands on an elephant base, sculpted by Bernini. The church behind the obelisk is called Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This church is gothic and was built above a temple to Minerva, essentially conveying superiority over Minerva. Along the outer walls of the church are Latin plaques that say how high the Tiber river flooded, which we read. Inside this church is a Michelangelo sculpture of Jesus.  

For our fourth church of the day, we went to the church of Sant’ Ignazio du Loyola, famed for its flat ceilings, painted to appear domed.

As we headed to the Borghese gardens, we stopped to see the Trevi Fountain. Many people took selfies, and one person decided to throw a coin in the fountain. This tradition means that the thrower will soon return to Rome. We also took a quick detour to the Spanish steps, a big tourist destination. During the romantic era, authors like Keats, Shelley, and Byron stayed near the Spanish Steps and hung out in a cafe across the street from the site. At the top of the steps is, if you can believe, another obelisk! When we finally arrived at the gallery, we sat in the gardens and read some Ovid. Specifically, we read a selection of Daphne and Apollo from Obie’s Metamorphoses. We also talked about the connotations of sexual assault, which are abundantly clear through a modern lens. Then we took a welcome nap! 

When we entered the Villa Borghese itself, we began by looking at many of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s and Caravaggio’s sculptures. One is the major pieces of artistic work we saw in the gallery was the Bernini sculpture depicting Apollo and Daphne. In this sculpture, Daphne is morphing into a laurel tree. We then continued to another Bernini statue, one entitled “David” from the story of David and Goliath, along with another Caravaggio painting depicting David and Goliath. Interestingly, in this painting, Caravaggio paints himself as the bloody, decapitated validated head of Goliath. We continued to see many more Bernini statues, including the famous one of the Rape of Persephone. Here we discussed how we can reconcile the artistry of many of these pieces with their suggestive, and perhaps problemstic, subtexts.

 

In essence, today was about how later Italian generations interpreted ancient  antiquities.  

Buona notte!

Moya and Nichole