A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum…

September 8, 2017

Rome. The Vatican, Forum, Colosseum and Palantine Hill.

My first full day in Rome was a marathon. I showed up 7:30 am at the Vatican to ensure I could see all the amazing art, sculpture and architecture before it was packed with humanity. A little thinking ahead armed me with a pass that permits just a limited number of people in one hour before the public opening. During the early quiet moments in the Sistine Chapel the small number of us looking up and around in awe created a very unique spiritual vibe. There was a priest who said a quick prayer and offered blessings. This was in sharp contrast to the Disney-like grumpiness I witnessed as I made my way out around noon and was stunned at the entrance line wrapped all the way around Saint Peter’s Square. On a Thursday. In September.

Back to the Chapel. Once inside, I was truly amazed. Don’t get me wrong as I’m a big fan of God but when I saw up close the paintings, sculptures and architecture of Michelangelo, merely a mortal, it’s hard not to walk away with a different sense of awe and wonder.

At age 24, he finished the Pietà. He has been quoted saying “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it”. At age 33 he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in four years – by himself. Then he came back at age 61 and painted the The Last Judgment on the alter wall, again in exactly 4 years. At age 74 he designed the dome for the Basilica. What’s amazing about his art in the Sistine Chapel is it’s not just painting, but fresco paining which requires that you first apply fresh plaster, then paint on that before it dries. Imagine for over 5000 square feet looking up from a scaffolding:

Step 1: Trowel on some plaster

Step 2: Paint a masterpiece

Rinse & repeat for four straight years.

As Michelangelo was already quite busy designing a tomb for a former Pope and really didn’t have time (and as a sculptor, he truly detested painting) he struck a bargain with Pope Julius – pay me the equivalent of 1.2 million dollars (in today’s money) and give me complete artistic freedom, or in his own words, “to do as I liked”. The Pope conceded.

So as humble as he was about his sculptures, he also understood the Art of the Deal 😊

It should also be noted for the record no one has painted more naked bodies in a church before or since and there have been critics including Popes. But back in the day if you happened to be a vocal critic of Michelangelo’s work, he made sure to capture your likeness in the face of a demon of other unsavory character for all to see for hundreds of years. And we think today’s media is tough?

After the Chapel, the Vatican Museum and Saint Peter’s Basilica & Square, I was off for a traditional Roman lunch

and then on to the true Roman antiquities – the Colosseum, Palantine Hill and the Forum. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Romans were phenomenal architects, engineers and builders. But you have to see the immense size and scale of their buildings in person to truly appreciate their accomplishments. Can you see the little people under the massive free-standing arches top right? This was no McDonald’s!

I marvel how many of these structures have survived plundering, earthquakes, wars and the simple ravages of time. And again, I wonder about the course of human history if the Romans could have avoided The Fall?

Here’s the funny thing, actually on the way back from the Forum. While pondering all of this over dinner I was fortunate enough to meet a very fine barkeep/manager/energetic do-all at Le Bar in the old Colosseo district. Over conversation about our respective days, mine filled with museums, churches and antiquities, she suggested if I had the time I should get out of Rome for a day to do something different  – a true Roman holiday. I’m pretty sure she took note of my Hawaiian shirt and deftly recommended Isola di Ponza, a tiny volcanic island just off the coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Good barkeeps can make a good drink. Great barkeeps, like great sales people know their customers. I would bet within a year or so she could make a million dollars selling software in Silicon Valley. But perhaps she’s already enjoying il Buona Vita, the Good Life in Rome.

Enjoy a few snaps of my day out in Rome!

 

Next up: A fine day out

If you’re joining in progress and curious about my trip, start here.