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Day 26 (6/30/11):
School this morning went well. We did more review of the difference between direct and indirect object pronouns, then started going over the Cortesia form. It's basically the formal way of speaking to someone. I really like the people in this new class, too.
After class I met Liz at Piazza Venezia and we went to a small restaurant by the Pantheon for lunch. While we ate we started chatting with the people at the table next to us. We exchanged some suggestions for things to do/see. I love how everyone is so open to meeting each other here and exchanging travel stories!
We didn't have too much time to sit and linger because we had a reservation for a guided tour through the Borghese Gallery! The tour was amazing!! Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures, but we saw such amazing things there! I learned a lot about Caravaggio, an artist with an attitude and a knack for scandal. One of his famous paintings is that of Jesus, Mary, and St. Anne. St. Anne is old and sickly looking, which isn't usually how saints are depicted. Mary is young and beautiful, and Jesus is painted naked, although he is a little too old at that point to be painted that way. The painting had been hung in a church until someone (possibly a priest) walked by and told the church to take it down immediately. Apparently Caravaggio had used a well-known prostitute to pose as Mary! It was a scandal, indeed.
We also saw some truly amazing sculptures of Hades and Persephone, where the marble actually looks like flesh while Hades hand grips Persephone's side. Another sculpture of Apollo chasing a nymph was just amazing. It was as though the marble was actually transforming along with the nymph. Although that sculpture was beautiful, the story of unrequited love is so sad!
Of course there were several more items in the gallery, but those were my favorites. Outside, we took a short walking tour through the gardens and eventually stopped at a place overlooking Piazza del Popolo. What a great view!
Since we had done so much walking and touring the past two days, we decided to head back to the apartment, get a gelato from my favorite place down the street, and buy a bottle of wine to enjoy for the evening. :o)
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