Thursday, December 1, 2011


Day Three

The Villa Gulia was beautiful.  The manicured gardens were home to not only beautiful sculptures and fountains, but also to small lizards, giant slugs, and a friendly kitty. Outside was extremely peaceful, and I was able to get some sketching done.  My inspiration was the flora and fauna, and some of the patterns I saw on the Etruscan artifacts inside.  The garden was the closest thing to my stereotypical image of Italy I have seen thus far.






The first church we saw was quintessentially Baroque.  If the goal was to incite emotion, mission accomplished, although I’m not sure if I found it to be the most spiritually fulfilling.  While I can appreciate Bernini’s Saint Theresa and the vast number of paintings, sculptures, and metalwork, it does not incite a spirit of worship for me.












The second church seemed very mismatched. The gold mosaic semi-dome in the front of the church adorned with animals was stylistically very different than the paintings that lined the walls. The floors beneath the church were intense.  You could almost smell the age of the dimly lit rooms filled with ancient artifacts.  While it was hard to want to spend time in the dreary rooms, the tiled floors, beautiful arches, and elaborate sculpting were impressive.



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