La Passeggiata

a mural on the ceiling at Palazzo Barberini

Another day of wandering, this time closer to home.

On the way to check in at Galleria Borghese I noticed the park is shaped like a heart. (Or a green whale turned on its side.)

Galleria Borghese was built to house the growing collection of Paulina Bonaparte Borghese (Napoleon's sister) and her husband Scipione Borghese, nephew to Pope Paul V.

Galleria Borghese has an exceptional collection of Bernini sculptures. Unfortunately they were having a special exhibit of Picasso sculptures (distractingly inserted in the Borghese galleries to compete with the marble giants) so we weren't allow to take photos, except on the front porch.

Several of the Bernini sculptures depict women being abducted or raped. In this one, Apollo is attacking Daphne, who responds by turning herself into a laurel tree. If you look closely, you'll see her fingers and feet growing into branches and roots. The artistry is uncanny, You really do expect these lifesize works to scream or move.

A lot of Italian Renaissance art speaks to the benefits and inequities of patronage. Unspeakably powerful and wealthy families like the Bonapartes and Borgheses could commission villas and artwork from Bernini or Caravaggio. Centuries later, the villa and its contents opened to the public as Italian state treasures.

I dropped by the newsstand to buy a few postcard stamps (2.50 euros each, in case you're wondering why you're not getting any). When I got back to the hotel I noticed they are not regular Italian mail. FriendPOST has its own mailboxes.

Later, I followed a man carrying what looked like a huge mesh laundry basket across the street; on closer inspection, it contained 8 or 9 Amazon boxes.

In the gift shop at the Borghese, I noticed that Hans Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII hangs in the Palazzo Barberini. You know the one. From Masterpiece Theater.

So I headed over. (It was that or the Capuchine Crypts.) Palazzo Barberini feels a bit neglected. The workers couldn't be less interested. 

You climb a staircase created by Bernini to get to the art on the first (sic) tour.

There's quite a lot of gorgeous painting from the 16th and 17th centuries. In pristine shape. I hadn't heard of many of the artists. I loved this portrait within a portrait. It made me think of Museum Hours, Jem Cohen's patient film.

Unlike the Borghese, there's hardly anyone there. Also not much information provided, unless you check out the audioguide. Some of the most stupendous paintings are on the ceilings. Lots of tromp l'oeil, where I wasn't sure if the art was three dimensional.

This woman struck me as skeptical.

Few of the rooms even had seating. I wanted to lie on the floor to get a better look. So many different shapes and styles. Did they paint it on the ceiling or on canvases that were transferred later?

Fascinating details in every corner.

Isn't she lovely?

The title of this is Mary Magdalene repents, but she just seems bored to me.

Did I mention that Holbein's Henry VIII was on loan, to Houston? At least I got to see this incredible masterpiece. Not even sure who painted it.

They have a few Caravaggio paintings, the best of them being Narcissus staring at his own reflection.  My phone crashed when I took that one. This Bernini is charming too because of the colorful drapery, a reminder than many marble statues were originally painted.

Not sure about the bees. They're in the giant ceiling mural too. (See Ruth's helpful note, linked below.)

Going down is as fun as going up. Even better, there's an oculus at the top.

I found time for a perfect standup cappuccino (1.50 euro) and the best gelato I've ever tasted. Dinner was a pinsere: Rome's inexpensive. delicate crust answer to pizza. One great thing about Romans: they are happy to recommend their favorite flavors.

Work of art.

I'm still wiped out by jet lag (flying east is the bad direction), wide awake at 3 am and wiped out by 7 pm. On the bright side, I've been watching Italian cooking shows on TV. Who knew how panettone was made? The accompanying music ranges from Christmas carols to the Flashdance soundtrack. And my Italian is improving.

Tomorrow I'm heading south on Italo, the private train. Everywhere, you can feel Christmas coming. People buying hundreds of ravioli. And panettone.