Entry 1
It is so incredible to be here in the pantheon. I don't think I'll ever get used to turning the corner to see it standing right there, almost as if to greet me. Walking through the massive doors is an amazing experience, though diminished somewhat by the sigh saying "beware of pickpockets". The domed roof is so impressive with its coffers that it almost doesn't look real. It somehow seems too perfect. I also love the spot of sun that shines through the oculus and onto the roof. The colors on the walls and floors are also very striking. The walls are covered in marble, but it isn't white. Some parts are black, others are green, and still others are a sandy color tinged with black. The floor is also marble. Here it is white, but also maroon and sand colored. It is so beautiful. Statues stand in apses along the round wall. The Christian altar at the front and the tombs of the Emanueles look very out of place, but I realize that if the space wasn't consecrated by the church, it probably wouldn't be here. The tomb of Raphael is ok though. He seems to fit here, in such an artistic achievement.
Entry 2
The Pantheon was only the beginning of what ended up being a pretty long day. After we left, we all went over a street to Tazza d'oro, a really good coffee bar. With everyone happily refueled, we set forth for the Piazza Navona, but first we stopped in a little church to see Caravaggio's St. Matthew paintings. These are treasures that one could easily miss, as there is no fanfare outside the church. We had to pay some money to turn on the lights in the back right corner of the church where the paintings hang, but it was worth it. These are my favorites of all the paintings we looked at over the semester and they did not disappoint. They are much bigger in person than I had imagined them. They all look amazing, though as they adorn the three walls in an alcove, they are hard to see if there is a crowd, but I got a good look at all of them. We then proceeded to the Piazza to hear about the Fountain of the Four Rivers and a talking statue before breaking for lunch. We went to a cute little restaurant that had some seating outside near the road. After getting some gelato, the whole gropu met up near the statue of Giordano Burno in the Campo de' Fiori. We heard a little about it before setting off to the metro. We got off at Termini and stepped outside to see some remains of the Servian wall. While it isn't too impressive today, it's still very cool to see such an incredible ancient expression of power. We kept walking into a seedier part of the city. As we approached Helen's site, a woman nearby had her purse snatched, though I missed it. This put me on edge for the entire time we stood listening to Helen talk about the Porta Maggiore. I felt as though some people were giving us too much attention, though I might have been overreacting. Regardless, I was happy when we moved on. I was looking forward to our next site, St. John Lateran, but I was honestly a bit disappointed by it. It didn't seem any more impressive than the church we saw on the Capitoline hill. If anything, I liked it less. The colors of the paintings that covered the walls seemed washed out and dull. The ceiling was covered with too much gold, to the point that it looked gaudy. The cheap, plastic chairs that stood in place of pews were also very underwhelming. However, the statues that stood along the sides of the center aisle were very impressive. I sat in the back for a while before heading home.
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