Day 10 - Back to Catholicism

May 03, 2010

More churches today. We started with Sant'Andrea.

Sant'Ignazio

Across the street.

From the optimal viewpoint.

Where does the architecture end and the painting begin? So incredible.

What the dome actually looks like.

Off to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Michelangelo's Christ Resurrected.

Bernini!

What the...?

Back of the Pantheon.

San Luigi

Caravaggio!

Sant'Agostino

Madonna of the Pilgrims

Piazza Navona

Four Rivers Fountain (can be seen at the bottom of the obelisk): Danube for Europe, Nile for Africa, Rio Platt for South America (they didn't know about the Amazon), and Ganges for Asia.

Taking pictures through the inexplicable plastic they have surrounding it

Cute old italian man who came up and talked to Shamra and me

Next to Sant'Ivo Alla Sapienza.

We didn't go in because I don't think it is open to the public. Last stop: Gesu, the mother church of the Jesuites.

Cannot ever get sick of a view like this.

Looks like it is coming off the wall, right? Nope, just expert shadowing techniques. So cool.

That was the end of the school day. Shamra, Ali, Elisabeth, Tabitha, and I then headed out to find the Mouth of Truth (see Roman Holiday).

Capitoline Hill.

Church where the Mouth of Truth is.

I am so attractive.

Inside the church. After that, we set off to find the church which houses the marvelous Moses by Michelangelo.

Double parking. It is rampant in Rome.

We went the wrong way, but the detour was quite lovely.

The Tiber.

We went down into the metro. This is one of several trains that is completely covered in graffiti. I think it is kind of awesome.

Where IT happened

We thought we found the right church. But this wasn't it. We got gelato from a cute italian guy for a bit.

Then we thought we found it again. Nope.

Finally, finally, we found the right church. It is called San Pietro in Vincoli. So Moses was sculpted to be part of a huge monument that would go on top of the tomb of Pope Julius II, who wanted to be buried in St. Peter's. He died before it was completed. The next pope did not like him so not only did he not have the monument completed, he buried him in St. Peter's in chains. Not exactly what Julius meant. Anyway, on to the pictures.