We set off to an early start, due to a 9 AM reservation at the Gallery Borghese. This was the highlight of the trip, at least for Rachel, because it contained Bernini’s David, the sculpture she loves and prefers even to Michelangelo’s, but had only seen in pictures. The gallery had a number of Bernini’s most famous sculptures, and I could easily see why Rachel (and everyone else) loves them so much. The marble took on these unbelievable textures. A man’s arm looked tough and sinewy, while a woman’s might be soft and fleshy. Leaves and feathers looked light and delicate, as if they were about to fly away. The figures were full of movement, and their faces full of expression. It was hard to believe they were all carved out of stone.
The gallery itself is housed in a huge, grand mansion. Every square inch of the place was decorated - the floors with mosaics, the walls covered with paintings and frescoes, and lined with statues and busts, and the largest sculptures in the center. We had bought an audio tour, and we listed to as many items as we could, but there was a lot there. There were only about ten rooms total, but there were so many things to see that it couldn’t be captured all in one trip.
Afterwards, we strolled a bit in the big public garden in which the gallery is located, and by the afternoon we hopped on the Metro to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The coolest thing about the Colosseum is that when you step out of the Metro and see it, you realize it’s the same size as a real, 20-21th century stadium, despite the fact that it was built 2,000 years ago. The lines to get into the Colosseum were pretty colossal in their own right, but with our Roma Passes we got to skip the line.
Walking around the Colosseum was fun in of itself. They have reproduced a section of the actual arena, and as we walked high above, we saw one of the staff members walk out onto it, giving a good perspective as to what the gladiators must have looked like from high above. The whole thing is just large and impressive. However, there is very little actual information to read as you go along. We had an audio tour, which was good, but the best way to go about it is to join an actual tour led by a guide. Guides give more information, and are more interesting.
The Roman Forum was a bust. We didn’t buy an audio tour, and once again there was nothing to read. We walked around, looking at ruins, but we had no idea what we were looking at. We made a point of finding the Arch of Titus, where we could see the famous relief depicting the looting of the Beit Hamikdash. It was weird to see the image, which I recognized from photos, in real life.
We thought maybe we’d seek out some nightlife after dinner, but when the time came, we found that all the day’s walking had caught up with us. With sore feet and full stomachs, we aborted our search, hopped on the bus, and retired for the evening.
The gallery itself is housed in a huge, grand mansion. Every square inch of the place was decorated - the floors with mosaics, the walls covered with paintings and frescoes, and lined with statues and busts, and the largest sculptures in the center. We had bought an audio tour, and we listed to as many items as we could, but there was a lot there. There were only about ten rooms total, but there were so many things to see that it couldn’t be captured all in one trip.
Afterwards, we strolled a bit in the big public garden in which the gallery is located, and by the afternoon we hopped on the Metro to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The coolest thing about the Colosseum is that when you step out of the Metro and see it, you realize it’s the same size as a real, 20-21th century stadium, despite the fact that it was built 2,000 years ago. The lines to get into the Colosseum were pretty colossal in their own right, but with our Roma Passes we got to skip the line.
Walking around the Colosseum was fun in of itself. They have reproduced a section of the actual arena, and as we walked high above, we saw one of the staff members walk out onto it, giving a good perspective as to what the gladiators must have looked like from high above. The whole thing is just large and impressive. However, there is very little actual information to read as you go along. We had an audio tour, which was good, but the best way to go about it is to join an actual tour led by a guide. Guides give more information, and are more interesting.
The Roman Forum was a bust. We didn’t buy an audio tour, and once again there was nothing to read. We walked around, looking at ruins, but we had no idea what we were looking at. We made a point of finding the Arch of Titus, where we could see the famous relief depicting the looting of the Beit Hamikdash. It was weird to see the image, which I recognized from photos, in real life.
We thought maybe we’d seek out some nightlife after dinner, but when the time came, we found that all the day’s walking had caught up with us. With sore feet and full stomachs, we aborted our search, hopped on the bus, and retired for the evening.
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