Saturday, June 27, 2009

Borghese and Northern Roma


I made it safely to Roma, despite a few dire moments, and we had a fabulous first day exploring the Borghese Gallery, gardens, and five churches (looking for artwork!). Wow, did it pay off and in my humble opinion, I earned my paycheck with all that walking!! Above, S. Maria del Popolo, just north of the Piazza del Popolo. This church had some very interesting depictions of women from the Bible and, tucked in a chapel...

was Caravaggio's Crucifixion of St. Peter! Holy Cow! If I had had my guidebook on me, this woulnd't have been a surprise but I was sans guidebook (long story!). It was amazing and just opposite was Caravaggio's Conversion of Saul. Just magnificent!


The two churches in the Piazza del Popolo that frame the Corso - called the twin churches though they are not identical. And, yes, the right one was a filming location in Angels and Demons.


On our walk from the Borghese Gallery to the Piazza del Popolo, a crazy street with crazy traffic!!


One of the beautiful streets in the Borghese gardens. It was just so cool to be amidst all the trees in Roma. I'd never been to this part of the city before and it was great!


The Borghese Gallery, tucked in the gardens, is difficult to get in to, allowing only 200 people in at a time. It was filled with art that really helped my boss. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed. A great two hours were spent here (you're only allowed two hours to go through it all!).


Our first church of the day, perched above the Spanish Steps: Trinita dei Monte. The boss found some great Judith and Holofernes/ David and Goliath paintings. It's amazing what's in this artwork if you really look at it! It's almost overwhelming!

Thus was spent our first day. I can't load enough pics in here to show you all the great stuff. I'm going to try to post pics of the unusual sights of Rome, not just the predictable ones. Stay tuned!

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