Rome Day Three: Bernini and Charcuterie

My sophomore year of high school I took an art history class. As a theater major this course was strictly an elective but it fit in quite well with the 3 other history courses in my class schedule (World History, Theater History and Plays and Playwrights which was essentially literary history). Taking the courses concurrently meant that as we studied Roman history in my world history class we studied ancient roman art in art history, Roman theater in Theater History, and read the Roman version of Medea in Plays and playwrights. Knowing the courses synced together so perfectly, I took an entire year of Geometry over the summer to have the space open for art history. The sacrifice was well worth it as I fell in love. It was by far my favorite course and the course was so thorough that when I took a contemporary art history course later in college, it was all review. My art history teacher was David Bewley he was a sculptor who studied Byzantine art history for his PhD but ended up with only a Masters after someone scooped his dissertation. His love of teaching and enthusiasm for art history made his class a standout and I credit him with my lifelong love of Bernini.

Selected works by Bernini as photographed by Sean and Krystal in Rome 2017

I have always wanted to travel to Italy because it houses one of the two pieces of art that I felt like could only truly be experienced in person (The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa in Rome, Italy and the Grunewald Crucifixion Alter Piece in Colmer, France). While we planned a fabulous multi-city Italian extravaganza, in my mind, it was all about spending a few days in the center of the Bernini Universe.

Bernini was the favorite artist of three popes. While most well known for his lifelike and dynamic marble sculptures, he also worked as a painter and architect in the 1600s. On our third day we planned our whole day around Bernini. Starting from our apartment we would cross the Piazza Navona, we would then head up to the Chiesa Santa Maria della Vittoria, Stop by the Spanish Steps, Check out the Trevi Fountain and then finally end up at the Villa Borghese where we had a museum reservation at the Borghese Gallery.

The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa is a large life-size statue depicting the moment when Saint Theresa was struck by the arrow of an angel and experienced simultaneous pain and pleasure. As far as saints go Theresa is pretty fascinating. She is the patron saint of the entire country of Spain, laceworkers, chess, people in need of grace, sickness and bodily illness, among others. She was from a Jewish family that converted during the Spanish Inquisition and devoted her life to God through her own brand of transcendental meditation. 

Scenes from Chiesa Santa Maria della Vittora

Unlike many other attractions in Rome which are inundated with throngs of tourists and vendors, the church was surprisingly quiet. A small group of ten tourists huddled in front of this famous piece tucked in a small enclave at back of a working church with a modest exterior. The interior is almost entirely clad in exquisitely carved colored marble. A looming pipe organ towers over the doors at the rear of the church, held up on the backs of sculpted bronze soldiers. Like many Catholic churches, the rectangular center is lined with enclaves depicting different moments each commissioned by separate patrons. On the far side of the church in the back left corner is the enclave with the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa. A light switch on the wall demands half a Euro to illuminate the statue from above with a soft gold glow.

"I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it..."

What struck me as a teenager seeing images of this statue blown up on an overhead projector was her foot. The way it dangles outward cantilever. The gentle curve of the arch in pleasure. The delicate and realistic look of the foot chiseled with marble was something that not only impressed me but was forever burned into my mind. The piece is particularly famous not for the foot I love but for the draping of her outfit. The dynamic movement in the robes is not only dramatic but unique. Bernini was truly a gifted artist, a child prodigy and his talent unmatched in my opinion among stone sculptors.

Not quite a religious vision but a blinking sign in the corner of the church reading "Postcards" in five languages caught my attention. I felt compelled to pass through the marble doorway, walk along the narrow door-lined corridor to what had to be the world's strangest gift shop. The dusty backroom had a priest working at a desk, a trophy case of worn ceremonial clothes and a small gift shop selling postcards, books alongside limoncello and assorted medicinal/beauty supplies made by monks. Not wanting to walk around all day with a bottle of digestif, I settled on a matchbook sized foldout book of cards featuring glossy photos of Bernini sculptures for 1 Euro.

Spanish Steps in Rome 2017

From the church we headed to the Spanish steps. Recall that Rome was part of the Catholic church and did not join Italy until 1870. The desire to gain favor with God led to many Kingdoms investing in portions of the city as a means of being close to the seat of religious power. Much of the city was under the protection of the Kingdom of France and it is not surprising that Spain also had a delegation. Walking around Rome you see a lot of armed military guards at major monuments to protect tourists but also outside government buildings and embassies whose history dates back to before the unification. The Spanish Steps are an elegant series of terraced staircases leading to a large church in the Spanish quarter. At the base of the steps is yet another Bernini fountain. The steps are an impressive site although I found it difficult to take in their true beauty and cultural significance among the overwhelming crowds of tourists.

Above: Photo of the Trevi Fountain
Below: Obligatory selfie in front of said Fountain

Equally as busy was the nearby Trevi Fountain. This is fountain is massive almost 90 feet tall and 160 feet across. It was originally a portion of the city's aquaduct until the early 1600s when Bernini was commissioned to redesign the fountain. Bernini's plans were never completed and the current fountain was completed in the 1700s.

By this point we were ready for lunch. Eating in touristy areas are always dicey. Most restaurants serve over-priced mediocre food. Thankfully we managed to track down a charcuterie shop (La Proscutteria-Trevi there are two other locations another in Rome and one in Florence)  that isn't technically licensed as a restaurant but with a little self-service allowed for an impressive meal.

#Bestlunchever

Seated in the back using a bench as a table top Sean and I shared a bottle of wine and the medium sized platter for two. Starting from the left to the right we had fennel salami with a ripe semi-soft cheese, mortadella with watermelon (a delicious pairing I had not seen before), two types of brushcetta one with a creamy Gorgonzola spread and one with a classic tomato, speck with marinated vegetables, and finally prosciutto with melon. Not to mention a small bucket of bread. It felt like a feast and afterwards I was certainly ready for a nap but instead we had a hill to climb.

After lunch we made our way to the Villa Borghese. This large city park sits atop a hill and is vaguely reminiscent of Balboa Park in San Diego or El Retiro in Madrid.

Scenes from the Villa Borghese

Once the Estate of the Borghese family the 80 hectare park includes a zoo, a man-made lake, many walking paths, gardens, statues and a museum. The museum is only open with a reservation. Each reservation window is two-hours and ours was set for the last 2 of the day 5-7pm. We walked the gardens. We admired the small lake crowded with rowboats. We had our first few sips of the local cocktail of choice an Aperol Spritz (Aperol liqueur and Prosecco sparkling wine garnished with an orange slice). The drink is a floral aperitif intended to open the palate. We enjoyed them at the cafe beside the lake and despite being full from lunch we enjoyed them with tiny sandwiches served on the house. All in all it proved to be an idyllic afternoon.

Photographs of some of the Villa Borghese gallery pieces taken during our 2017 trip. Including Leda and the Swan by Leonardo da Vinci (Bottom Right) and Saint Jerome by Caravaggio (Bottom Center)

I have been to some of the top art museums in the world but the collection at the Villa Borghese is a show-stopper. The museum is only two floors one floor of painting and one floor of sculpture but it has to have one of the highest grand-master pieces per square foot ratio of any art museum I have been to. One whole room is all Caravaggio paintings. In addition to the impressive collection of framed paintings and sculptures, each room of the gallery is adorned with ornately painted walls and some of the most vibrant paintings I have seen on the ceiling. The largest gallery is easily 30 feet across and the whole ceiling is a comprised of vaulted vignettes with a large scene in the center all framed with exquisite paintings of marble statues that appear to be holding it up. Dynamically posed with different expressions and personality. Capturing these types of large scale works is difficult although I do have a decent panoramic photo I took that will look pretty awesome in a VR headset like our google daydream when we get home.

The collection features three of Bernini's most famous sculptures including my professor David Bewley's favorite piece Apollo and Daphne.  Many years ago when we first considered going to Italy I messaged Mr. Bewley on Facebook and asked him about recommendations (he has since deleted his profile but I kept the message). He mentioned the best way to view this statue is to start behind Apollo and walk counterclockwise around the statue to watch the story unfold. It was difficult to capture the majesty and movement of this piece but I attempted to photograph it in the same order suggested.

Collage showing Bernini's Apollo and Daphne from four angles tinted mono-chromatically for effect

Having the museum only open to 360 visitors per 2 hour window made it possible to find yourself alone with a masterpiece. It was a thrilling and intimate experience. In addition to Apollo and Daphne, the museum also houses the Rape of Prosperpina. This statue much like Apollo and Daphne was completed when Bernini was only 23. Bernini, the son of a prominent sculptor and child prodigy, already had his own workshop at age 23 allowing him to work simultaneously on all three pieces at the Borghese gallery. The Rape of Prosperpina is an amazing piece. It's also one of the most fun to watch other people observe. There is one detail of the piece that is so unusual even an untrained observer notices something different about the piece. Pluto's hand on grabbing her thigh creates an indent in her sculpted flesh. We are so use to seeing sculpted hands lay flat or on top of a surface the indent is surprising. It also creates a lifelike realness to the marble that is truly incredible.

Rape of Prosperpina by Bernini from multiple angels in both original color and stylized

Of everything we had seen in Rome the Gallery Borghese was by far my favorite. A standout collection that spawned many conversations about the importance of religion in art patronage, the challenges of curating public museum collections when such fine pieces are held by private collectors, and the history of wealth and corruption among prominent families in Italy with Vatican ties. After such an eventful day we headed back to our apartment and enjoyed a quiet casual pizza dinner. It was satisfying after a long day of walking and incredibly inexpensive but not worthy of description. 

Stay tuned for the next post featuring a course by course description of our 7 course tasting menu from a Michelin Star restaurant in Rome!