Art History Overload

It has been ten days since we arrived in Italy and we are definitely on art history overload.  Since arriving in Italy on October 11th we have crammed in a short trip to Milan, three days in Rome, and five in Florence.  Right now we are on a train to Venice.  I have loved being back in Italy.  I studied abroad in Florence in 1999, and have really enjoyed discovering Italy again. 

Here are some of the highlights…

Milan:

• Lunch at Luini (fried dough sandwiches stuffed with ham and mozzarella) – Charles’ brother Paul recommended this place to us, it was delicious!
• Walk through the famous Galleria de Vittorio Emanuel II – we sat and watched the shoppers and tourists and enjoyed a cup of coffee in front of Gucci
• Spin on the Bull’s balls – there is a tradition in Milan to spin around on the balls of the bull inside the Galleria for good luck, so of course we had to take part. 
• Walk through the Milan Cathedral
• Climb to the top of the Milan Cathedral – we loved the views of the city from the roof of the cathedral
• Hanging out in Piazza Leonardo – a statue of Leonardo Da Vinci is in the center of the square, we enjoyed sitting and listening to the old men argue in Italian
• Drinks in a Milan Bar – we stopped in a small bar on a corner to have a glass of wine and a beer and enjoyed talking with a local, luckily he spoke pretty good English
• Primi Piatti – we had dinner at another place recommended to us by Charles’ brother Paul, the pasta was so delicious, but I think our waiter was disappointed we didn’t order more food.
• Cab to the train station – our cab driver explained there were some student protests going on, so we had to take a roundabout route to the airport, on our way we learned he lived in Venezuela for 14 years near where Charles lived as a child.
• Train to Rome – unfortunately this train ride is memorable because I got sick and nearly had to tackle a few other passengers in order to get to the bathroom in time. 

Galleria Milan

Spinning for luck

Roof of the Duomo in Milan

Rome: 

Day One:

• Rain and relaxing – our first afternoon in Rome I was still feeling a little sick (I caught a 12 hour stomach bug in Milan) and since it was raining, we just hung out in our room for a couple hours
• Walk to the Colosseum – since our hotel wasn’t far from the Colosseum we decided to go see it and find a place to have dinner.  The Colosseum is so pretty at night!

Rainy Rome

Colosseum

Day Two:

• Vatican Museum – we took the metro to the Vatican and went straight to the museum with hopes that the line would not be too long.  We were in luck!  We waited in line for about 20 minutes and we were in.  The museum was more crowded than I remember it being many years ago, but the contents are still just as incredible.  Highlights in the museum were the Raphael's Rooms, the Sistine Chapel, and the Transfiguration by Raphael. 
• Lunch in Vatican City – we had pizza and pasta for lunch at a café just outside the Vatican museum.  We needed to refuel before going into Saint Peter’s Cathedral.
• Saint Peter’s Cathedral – Michelangelo's Pieta and the Bernini's Baldacchino still invoke awe every time I see them.  Amazing.  It was really cool to spend the afternoon sitting in front of Saint Peter’s while Charles did a painting of the church. 
• Spanish Steps – we took the metro to the Spanish Steps and arrived just before sunset.  We fell into place with all of the other tourists to enjoy the beautiful view and the lively atmosphere of the piazza. 
• Pantheon – we made our way over to the Pantheon and were just in time to go inside before dark.  After walking through, we found a small trattoria with tables facing the Pantheon and sat for a while and enjoyed the street performances of a mime and accordion. 
• Trevi Fountain – we walked by the Trevi fountain before making our way to the metro station.
• San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane – a Baroque style church in Rome, we stumbled upon this building by chance while making our way to the metro station.  It was on our list of architecture to see we just got lucky and were able to fit it in on our way back to our hotel. 

Vatican Museum

Charles in St. Peter's with Baldacchino

Sunset at the Piazza di Spagna

Pantheon drinks

Day Three:

• South American Soccer Tournament – we were walking to the Colosseum and came across a soccer tournament that was just beginning.  The Bolivian team was about to play the Peruvian team, there were tents set up with food, dancers in traditional costume dancing in the park, fans gathering to watch the game.  We sat and took part in the morning activities for about 20 minutes before continuing on to tackle the art and architecture of Rome. 
• The Roman Forum – the line was shorter for the Forum than the Colosseum, so we decided to make that our first stop.  When we purchased our tickets we realized we lucked out, because they were good for the Colosseum too, and would allow us to skip the line – jackpot!  We found the Arch of Titus and walked through the ruins of the ancient Rome.  While Charles did a painting I spent the afternoon people watching and enjoying the beautiful view of Rome we had from within the Forum. 
• The Colosseum – as was the case with much of Rome, the Colosseum was much more crowded than I remembered it.  It was great to walk through it with Charles and experience the size and talk about the events that took place there. 
• Big Ugly White Thing – when I spent a semester in Florence my roommate Lex and I nicknamed the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuel II, the big ugly white thing.  I explained this to Charles and because at the time I couldn’t remember the real name, that is what we referred to it as the remainder of our time in Rome.
• Temple of Portunus – as art history dorks there were several things on our list that might not have made it on to most people’s list of things to do in Rome.  This is one of those things.  It was well worth seeking out, and the best part, we were the only tourists around. 
• The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio – we accidentally found this church on our way to Piazza Navona and were so happy we did.  The paintings by Caravaggio are incredible. 
• Piazza Navona – by the time we got here our feet were tired, so we sat and took in the activity, wandered and looked at art by local artists, and decided that the only thing left on our agenda was dinner.   

Waiting in Line for the Roman Forum

Charles in the Roman Forum

Colosseum

Temple of Portunus

BUWT (my own acronym) or Monument to Vittorio Emanuel II

Day Four:

• Ecstasy of SaintTeresa  - this statue by Bernini is located in Santa Maria della Vittoria, it’s not high on most people’s sightseeing list, but it was a must for us.  I remember going to see it 13 years ago during my first visit to Rome, and I was excited to see it again.  We walked over to the church on our last morning in Rome and spent a while enjoying and studying the statue and the church where it is placed. 
• Train to Florence – luckily this was an uneventful train ride where I worked on writing some long overdue blog posts.

Enough for now, next up Florence…