Sistine Chapel, anyone? I think yes.
Indeed, that was the highlight of today...I finally got to see one of the most well-known, reproduced, and true masterpiece of art history.
But first things first:
We began the morning with breakfast and then packed up our lunches before heading off to morning class. We had to catch the bus to Vatican City very shortly after class, but turns out we had more time than we thought, so the four of us that actually brough packed lunches, ate and then wandered around near the bus stop for a bit - stopping at this awesome open-air market! They had so many spices, fruits, vegetables, candy, and other assorted items - we couldn't resist partaking!
So with some dried fruit and sweet treats in hand, we made it back to the bus and together with the group, hopped on for our trip to the Pope's city!
Today our goal was to visit the Vatican Museums - St. Peter's is for later on - but these museums are amazing in themselves as they house a massive collection of antiques, artwork, and artifacts that span thousands of years. We only saw a small part of the museum but the areas we did see were packed full not only of treasures, but of tourists as well. We literally were wall-to-wall, moving as slow as cattle, but despite the lack of oxygen on occasion, it was all totally worth it!
We saw artwork by Caravaggio, Perugino, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and many more...
...entrance to the Museums...
...one of the silk tapestries based on Leonardo's Last Supper
After the gorgeous paintings, we then moved into the Cortile della Pigna or 'Court of the Pinecone' - so named because of the 1st century, huge, Roman bronze pinecone that sits at one end!
This was fitting, though, because we next moved into a wing that showcased hundreds of Roman sculptures and busts...
...pinecone!
Statue of the Octavian/Augustus! Originally it was painted to look even more realistic - you can still see some of the reddish hues in his hair and eyebrows!
....loved some of these hair-do's.
Then, there was a small, open courtyard where more sculptures were placed - two in particular were of great art-historical importance:
Apollo Belvedere - considered one of the most perfect examples of an idealized male form
Lacoön and His Sons - the Trojan priest who tried to warn the city of Troy that the infamous horse was a ruse...but he and his sons were killed by serpents sent by Poseidon and the Trojans thus let the horse in, thinking it a sacred object. And we all know how that turned out...
Afterwards, we continued on through the museum where we saw the (also very famous) Belvedere Torso - a brilliant example of human form in sculpture, and one that greatly inspired Michelangelo.
...just look at those abs!!
And yet there was even more to see....
...hall of hand-painted maps!
...crazy long ceiling!!
...more tapestries!
Eventually we passed through the seemingly mile-long hallways to see the magnificent Stanze di Rapheallo or Raphael Rooms created for Pope Julius II. These four room were the private reception suites of the pope and were frescoed by Raphael and his workshop.
The Room of Constantine:
The Room of Heliodorus:
The Room of the Segnatura
...the famous School of Athens
...and this is probably a portrait of Michelangelo
The Room of the Fire in the Borgo:
After these amazing rooms, we also got to see the rooms of Julius II's predecessor, the Borgia Pope Alexander VI...
Then after those rooms we finally began to make the walk towards the pièce de résistance, but first we passed by some modern art pieces! Not gonna lie, they kind of threw me off guard, yet it was kind of cool to see something a little different!
They had some textile designs by Matisse, a work by Chagall, and even one by Dali!
And finally....the moment I had been waiting for all day....
It was very, very crowded and we kept all getting yelled at not to take pictures or speak, but I simply couldn't obey the first part....here's my sneaky photo of the beautiful, overwhelming, amazing masterpiece of the High Renaissance...
Even knowing all I did about the history and Michelangelo, it still was more stunning than I could've imagined. The colors were so brilliant - and they even had spots left uncleaned from the restoration that took place in the 1980s and it was soooooo dark in comparison! - but then just being in the space and seeing the other works by Botticelli, Perugino, and others that lined the walls too...well, you didn't need the guards yelling at you to be speechless.
But eventually we did have to move on...though I could've stayed there perhaps forever...we exited the museums to head back towards our neighborhood of Trastevere. After some gelato and a quick trip to the grocery store, Sabrina and I made dinner and then, like I mentioned before, relaxed and watched Ever After, which we had wanted to watch it ever since our class lectures on Leonardo.
Yet I will never forget my experience this day and I feel so blessed to have looked upon so many amazing works of art already. And my trip isn't even half-way over!
Can't wait to see what else is in store...
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