Sistine Chapel

One of the things that I have yet to see in the past five weeks that I have been in Rome is the large frescoed walls of the Sistine Chapel. It is the main chapel of the Vatican that contains paintings by Perugino, Botticelli, Signorelli, and of course Michelangelo. The artwork which covers the sides of the walls was finished between 1534 and 1541.

Mostly everyone who travels to Rome comes to see The Last Judgment, completed by Michelangelo in 1541. The fresco that took seven years to complete presents souls of the dead rising to heaven to face the wrath of God. Pope Paul III Farnese commissioned the painting as a warning to those practicing the Catholic Religion to remain faithful during the times of the reformation.

Although most of the crowd’s attention is captured by The Last Judgment, there are other fresco cycles that begin at the end of the chapel near the altar. Each fresco contains scenes which correspond to the central masterpiece of Michelangelo’s. These wall frescoes include the Punishment of the Rebels and the Temptation of Christ by Botticelli. Also covering the sides of the Sistine Chapel is Perugino’s Handing over the Keys to St. Peter, and the Crossing of the Red Sea by Rosselli.

Eyewitness Guide, pg. 244

The National Gallery of Ancient Art

The National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome, Italy contains legendary artwork in two different locations. The gallery is split into two sections including Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Corsini.

Palazzo Barberini was built for the Barberini family in Rione Trevi between the years 1625 and1633. Most of the art that is showcased in the gallery dates back to the 13^th and 16^th centuries. The Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power was decorated by Cortona to worship the family and their success. The fresco containing the bees and suns, which were the symbols of the Barberini family, is a site that many tourists would find worth their time.

Palazzo Corsini is located in Trastevere next to the Villa Farnesia and houses later masterpieces of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Most of the artwork found in the Corsini family gallery was given to the state. If you enjoy landscape, religious, and historical art this is probably a good place to visit. Both galleries include famous pieces from Bernini, Caravaggio, Tiziano and more.

Eyewitness Guide pg. 51

"Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica." Wikipedia. 19 may 2008. 16 Jun 2008 .

Reaction to Boys' Town

It seemed like the boys were very well-off living in the Boys' Town village. Once they live there for even a week they don’t want to leave. The community acted like one big family. The boys seemed genuinely happy and caring to each other. They acted like brothers, hugging and joking around with one another. Since most of the children have lost their parents due to war or poverty the Boys’ Town society is place where they are loved and cared about. The children enjoy the community so much that some even come back to the town church to get married or christen their children. The boys not only cared about each other, but they were extremely welcoming and excited to talk to the members of the CAS program.

They showed us the assembly room where meetings were held. The children met three times a following lunchtime to discuss their problems.The mayor of the community is elected after giving a speech about what they plan to do with the program. The mayor has the authority to decide what the consequences will be of a child that misbehaves or acts violently. Other leadership positions like monitoring the bank, sports, cleaning and restaurant service are also voted upon. The judicial system seems to work out well because this type of leadership has been going on for many years. I think it also really gives the children a chance to learn about responsibility, and decision making.

The classrooms were filled with computer programming arts and ceramics. They had large learning facilites and upto date technology. I was so impressed by their skills in both of these fields. In the downstairs Each of the pieces in the art studios looked like they had been done by professional artists. I wish that I could have bought one of the little ceramic people that a child had made to take home with me to put in my bedroom. The spacious and comfortable rooms were very tidy because the boys were expected to keep their areas clean as part of living in the community. Even though there are three people to a room, the living situation is a thousand times better than living on the streets.

The Boys’ Town field trip was definitely worth not having the Friday off. I’m so glad that I got to see the children and the way they live. Even though they may not have their parents or have come from traumatizing experiences, they have built a strong relationship with each other that they will have for the rest of their lives.

Kiosks in Venice

While I was in Venice I noticed how different the little vendors were than the ones that you would normally see in Rome. In the town, which is mostly consumed by water, had kiosks all over San Marco Square that had little objects that tourists would commonly purchase.

Some of the merchandise consisted of t-shirts that said Venice on them. Although it makes sense for it to say Venezia because it was the city that they were being sold in, it kind of made me do a double take since I am so used to seeing Roma printed on everything. Also, one of the city’s trademarks is the Venetian masks. The masks came in all different colors and designs. Some were porcelain and others were made out of a thick wood. The most expensive ones had the glitteriest detail and many feathers. I remember when I was little getting a knock-off Venetian mask when I was went to Epcot in Disney world.

Jewelry was another popular item that vendors using sold a lot of. The earring, bracelets and necklaces of all different colors were bought by tourists because Venice is known for its beautiful green, blue, purple, orange, and red glass. When I went to Murano to see the glass factory our tour guide informed us that in order to make such smooth and colorful glass the oven had to be set a 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. I made sure to buy my fair share of glass jewelry during my stay in Venice.

San Marco's Square in Venice

The first thing that we did after getting to the famous Saint Marc’s square in Venice was get something to eat. We walked down the tiny alleyways filled with designer shops. The road that couldn’t have been more than ten feet wide consisted of high-end stores like Versace, Gucci, Georgio Armani and Prada. Knowing that there was no way I could spend a lot of money, I passed the stores just staring in the windows at the fashionable clothes.

After lunch we purchased admission passes to the bell tower in San Marco square. When the doors from the elevator opened I walked to the edge of the confined area to get a good look at the view below. I stuck my camera through the square holes that have been formed by the cage of barbed wire that covered the window to insure that no one would tumble out of the tower. The whole city of Venice could be seen from the high rise. In the distance were the small the islands of Murano and Burano. The terra-cotta rooftop shingles looked as if they could go on for miles. Just as we were about to return to the bottom of the tower the gigantic bells began to swing back and forth piercing my ears with their loud chiming sounds.

The never ending Doge museum in the square was filled with large rooms for used for political debate and chambers fro prisoners. I walked up the Golden Staircase which had been elaborately decorated by Alessandro Vittorio. The Staircase led to the rooms of Doge’s apartment and others for governmental speeches. I found it sort of strange that at one time there were prisoners staying in the same building as the leader of the city. The chambers were empty concrete rooms with heavy wooden doors that would impossible to escape from. I finally saw the daylight again after spending nearly three hours in the museum.

My parents and I walked around the corner to San Marco’s Basilica. Inside the church were five large domes and chairs that replaced the usual pews. The inside of the church was definitely not as impressive compared to the beautiful frescoes on the domes of the outside.

Entertainers performing on the streets

Over the course of my time in Rome I have seen many different ways that people are making money off of tourists and local residents. One of the most popular things is acting as a statue or miming. It is so crazy how men stand in the same position for hours in the heat just to make some extra change.

There is one man that stands in Piazza Navona almost every day in a stance that looks like he is being blown over by the wind. His orange tie was meant to look like it was floating in the air. I guess he accomplishes this look by sticking a wire in the fabric. His long high lighted hair is gelled back to add to the effect.

Another really popular entertainer that performs in piazza Navona is the electrical guitarist. Almost everyone that attends the square on a regular basis recognizes this awesome musician. He must really enjoy doing it because his is there for hours and just sweating under the sun. He collects tons of euro a day in tips because the music that he plays is so gratifying. I could probably sit there and listen to him for as long as he would play that is how ridiculously great at guitar he is.

There are also entertainers who play instruments like the violin, the accordion and I even saw someone playing the recorded, which I learned how to play in second grade. Many of these people aren’t homeless or poor, they are just doing what they love and making a little extra cash while they are enjoying themselves.

Awaiting the trip to Boys' Town

Boys’ Town is a fraternal community where young children are given the chance to learn how to live together. They are taught to live in peace and feel the love of others who have come from similar backgrounds. The ultimate goal of the district according to the founder, John Patrick-Abbing, is to encourage the boys to find their true place in society as responsible, god-fearing citizens.

I have never actually seen an orphanage so I think it is going to be a complete shock for me. I am interested in seeing the way that they live and what their daily routines are. I am very curious to see their living situation including what their rooms look like and how many boys share one room, how they cook a meal for dinner, and what kind of things they do for fun. It will be exciting to learn the way things are run and if there is a leader who manages the community.