After all the hustle and bustle of traveling to Florence last weekend, I decided that it would be nice to keep it local this week. It's also getting to that point in the semester where I've realized that there may be more studying to studying abroad than I thought there would be, so I've spent a lot of time taking notes, doing homework, and organizing myself. In truth, midterms are only two weeks away(!), and the only way for me to make sure I can recall all the amazing things that I've learned thus far is to start studying now. But having all this work to do doesn't mean I haven't been having fun, too!
Whether on one of our "field trips" into the city or wandering around on my own, I've seen some pretty fabulous things this week. I mean, one morning my class was canceled, so I took a bus to the Pantheon, wandered in, journaled a bit, did some reading while sitting in the sun on the wall outside, and then walked back and did some shopping. It was great.
Other than that, I've made travel plans to go to London for a weekend in April, found an apartment in Paris to stay in during the first week of spring break, and went to Tivoli for the day. So in case you haven't noticed by now, I am one busy bee.
For Art Conservation this week we got to go behind the scenes of the Vatican Mosaic lab, and honestly I couldn't have enjoyed it more! For those of you who have not had a similar privilege, this is what a mosaicist's work station looks like.
And here I am, standing in their main display room, and believe you me that smile is 110 percent genuine. Not only do I now understand the incredible technical skill required to make such works of art, but I sort of wish I could do that, too. So much time and such a beautiful outcome. I mean, look at that Monet behind me on the wall!
Then, on another day, Livio brought our Bernini class to the Church of St Theresa, where we saw this, "The Ecstasy of St Theresa," one of my favorite Bernini statues. Breathtaking, isn't it? And to think that cloud is made of stone...
So that brings us to my day trip to Tivoli, a beautiful province on the outskirts of Rome. Here we see one colonnade of the Villa D'Este, a gorgeous Renaissance palace equipped with picturesque grounds and a terribly impressive display of fountains.
One view from the top of the Fountain of Neptune, looking back toward the villa. My friend Courtney and I loved the way the vertical surge of the water was echoed in the shape of the cypress trees.
And here is Courtney being lovely, as always, alongside The Hundred Fountains. In the background you can just make out the Fontana di Tivoli.
This is probably my favorite shot of the entire day -- the stone figure struggling to free, the falling water, the lush foliage, the plays of light... I couldn't have planned this one had I tried.
And at last, here I am, triumphantly standing before the towering Fountain of Neptune. This is just a glimpse of the pure, unadulterated happiness I felt that day. Conclusion: If you ever come to Italy, make a point to explore. Go to places you've never heard of, try things that scare you (I had to ride the metro for 12 stops and then take an hour-long bus ride by myself before meeting up with Courtney in Tivoli), take little risks. Rome will not disappoint.