Are we having fun yet?
Net had caught some sort of Italian virus and wanted to stay at the hotel and rest but I can never rest so decided to go out exploring. I wanted to check out the Galleria Borghese, which, as the name implies, is in the Borghese Gardens; yesterday, it’d been a cunning plan of mine to have a look at the gallery while we were both exploring the gardens but I couldn’t find the damn thing. Turns out, we were very close but veered off to look at the lake with the Greek temple. I walked to Roma Termini and caught the Metro to Flaminio. That station comes out at the huge piazza, with fountains and a big obelisk, that we’d looked down at the day before from the gardens. I walked up to the lookout, which involved much sweat in the already intense heat. The first entry I could get was for Friday at 1700 hours; the ticket guy served me with the usual Italian charm and courtesy but I wasn’t too shocked about not getting in until tomorrow as I’d read on their website that entry was limited to about 300 people at a time. I had a look at the Gallery’s gardens, which are beautifully adorned with antique statues, handsome trees and pretty flowers.
This bloke laughed his head off!
Then I headed for San Clemente Church, which has an astounding history: originally it was a pre-Imperial Roman building; a Roman nobleman built his house on its foundations; in the 2nd century AD it had been a mithraeum (don’t ask); then converted, in the 4th century AD, into a Byzantine basilica; and in 1100 into the present church! As is often the case, there was a Gypsy beggar out the front who I gave some Euro to; he must have forgotten about me because when I left he implored me again. I walked past the Colosseum and caught the Metro at Colosseo, sitting next to a young woman who looked very like a Gypsy but was just sitting on the train, which is sort of unusual for a Gypsy. The train stopped at the next station and, as it started moving, the Gypsy girl stood up at the front of the carriage and began imploring all the passengers to give generously; I assumed that was what she was saying, as she was speaking in Italian of course, but I heard some “per favore"s and "bambino”s in a very plaintive and loud, almost shrieking, voice. She then moved through the carriage with her hand out. Gypsies employ different begging methods: there is usually one at the doorway of a church and some of the older women will spend all day crouching in the street with their heads touching the pavement and their arms stretched out and hands cupped, saying “grazie” “per favore” etc., over and over, but they hardly ever seem to get any money. On our last day in Rome two Gypsies, maybe a father and son, used a much more entrepreneurial technique of getting on the train and playing wonderful Gypsy music on guitar and accordion - fantastic sounding stuff!
Gypsy woman begging (photo from Google images)
I discovered that one of my favourite works of art, or at least one that has fascinated me since I was a child, was the main feature of a church quite near to our hotel. The church is Santa Maria della Vittoria and it has a modest exterior but the interior is gob-smacking! It’s the most elaborate Baroque extravaganza you could ever hope to see and Bernini’s stupendous “Ecstasy of Santa Teresa” is on the side near the front. Only Michelangelo surpasses Bernini in marble sculpture and Bernini was arguably more audacious.
Ecstasy of St Teresa by Bernini
And there weren't many people inside and everyone was awed into quietude; one tour group suddenly arrived but spent only about 30 seconds inside, snapping away and then off to the next sight in this amazing city of wonders. I decided to drop in on Santa Theresa whenever I had the chance in the time we had left in Rome.
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