Churches

Amazing paintings in amazing settings was the fare for today.  We visited about 4 churches and viewed paintings by Caravaggio, Domenichino and others. The ceiling frescoes were just as amazing as the Sistine Chapel and we had them all to ourselves.  I don't know how good my pictures turned out but I'll post a couple just to give you a general idea.



Adoration of the Name of Jesus by Gaulli




Allegory of the Missionary Work of the Jesuits by Pozzo



The Inspiration of St. Matthew by Caravaggio

This was the day where we took our walking tour in the morning and had our lecture in the afternoon.  I had plenty of coffee in the morning but I was still struggling to stay awake during the lecture.  Forturnately for me the lecture was shortened because of scheduling conflicts in the student center. Yay! 

As we walk through the city, trying to follow our instructor, we are just one of many tours doing the same thing.  The streets are very narrow and I've already mentioned the congestion.  As we are crossing the street and cars or delivery vans have to wait for the long string of twenty students to pass I keep seeing the same look on everyone's face.  I finally identified it as patient impatience.  It must suck to be a native Roman and have your space overrun by tourists to such a degree. On top of that to realize that it is the tourist economy that keeps everything going and you can't afford not to put up with it!

We found another marvelous gelateria on our way home. Then took a good long rest before meeting with the class for an apertif.  It was at a bar called Fluid.  The floors were 2' tiles that had colored liquid sandwiched between a clear top layer and a white base.  As you walked on it the liquid squished this way and that making unusual patterns. It reminded me a little of a lava lamp.  The drinks were very expensive but after you bought a drink you were free to partake of the ample appetizer bar as many times as you wished.  It was a fun way to try many new types of food. Unfortunately I don't know the names of most of it.  There was different seasoned rice dishes, fruit like melon and pineapple, fried things that resembles tater tots, little slices of bread with some kind of spread I couldn't identify and different pasta.  It served as a light supper for us.

Now I'm ready for my evening bath.  At home I am usually a morning shower person.  But here it just feels so refreshing to sit in a tub of warm water at the end of a long day of walking and sweating.  I feel like I am sweating constantly from the time I leave the apartment to the time I get my bath.  I can feel the rivulets trickle down my back and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Everyone is pretty much in the same predicament so we don't worry about it too much!