6/10/09 Rome

For our last full day in Rome, we dedicated our time to the older side of things. Today was spent looking back into antiquity (for the most part.) This morning, after a brief breakfast of rolls and cappucinos (free with stay) we headed down towards the Colosseum. En route, we stopped at a beautiful church called Santa Maria Maggiori. At first it appeared closed because there were no tourists (or french people) but mostly it was because we approached from the back. I have to admit, the rear of the building would have given any contemporary a run for it's money but the front was a sight to behold. Collonades and sculptures, campaniles and obelisk. It was striking. Upon entering the church you are struck by the gilding in the ceiling coffers. Everywhere all you can see is gold. This church built somewhere in the mid 300s ad is coated in gold taken solely from Peru...some of the first gold to leave Peru in fact. It was an enormous and open interior space. The gold was nice however it is the mosaics that this building is known for. Just below the clerestory there isnt't a regimented square that doesn't play host to an image made of individual chips of stone to create a variety of biblical scenes. And not just the popular scenes, stories of minutia are dipicted in the multitude of images.

After leaving S. Maria Maggiore (one of only four churches in Rome to get the title of Maggiore) we headed to the Colosseum. This was an exciting outing. It is hard not to be excited about a building that you have known by sight since you were little. Through story, myth, legend and poem I have been inundated with the image of the Roman Colosseum as a construct of imense import. I aws not disappointed. While I could fit the stadium in my camera frame with a 28 mm lens the vastness of the space is ill represented by what we see in photo and drawing. Once inside, you begin to picture what it would be like to sit in these seats. You can see the layout of the building take form in front of your eyes and imagine where the seats would have been located. You can picture a ctrowd of people and hear their unified roar in appeasment. The experience would have been one of epic proportions. Seeing the building alone in its time must have been an intimidation of sorts. Structural excellence far surpassing the architects standard. Needless to say I loved being there.

The Colosseum also provided a number of views of surrounding areas which provide me with a segue into my next topic: triumphic arches.

The Arch of Constantine (Arco di Trionfo di Constantino) and the Arch of Titus (Arco di Trionfo di Tito) are both visible from the Colosseum. As far as self egrandizing pieces go, the triumpic arch is the thing to do. Emperors would build these to themselves in congratulation of their most epic victories (read current victories.) This does not, however, mean that the design of said arches are to be dismissed. They are beautiful and poetic. Every relief, every sculpture aids in telling the story of the emperor's victory. Many many pictures were taken of this as well.

In the more ruinous places, the Palatine hill, the Forum etc...it is hard to truly imagine what it may have been like. There is little left in some places save for the foundations of an ancient temple. But one can begin to walk through the place and think of themselves amidst betoga'd (its a word) people discussing philosophies and politics. The house of the vestal virgins, the forum, antiquity is everywhere...and accesible. It is not strange to see shattered columns sitting on the ground or the remains of some statue exposed to the elements. It brings to mind interesting questions: do we preserve antiquity or leave it as it stands? Do we rebuild on it as previous popes have done or is it our duty to maintane the status quo? Human nature has changed in relation to antiquity, I am curious to see where it goes.

After leaving the Palatine hill we made our last stop at San Pietro en Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains.) This is the church that holds the chains that were used in turn to bind St. Peter. Most importantly (for me at least) this church holds Michaelangelo's statue of Moses. While spectacular in its nature, this sculpture differs from the Pieta that we saw yesterday. The Pieta has a perfect human proportion while Michaelangelo has played with the scale of the hands and head in the statue of Moses, much like he did with David. This by no means depreciates the piece as the master's strokes are evident simply by comparing it to the surrounding sculpture.

I am sorry this has been a bit long winded...I ran out of time. Tomorrow we travel via ferry to Barcelona so it may be short but with any luck the hostel there will allow me to update photos which at this point number over 300.

Until then.