This is being posted a little late, but this blog is from Tuesday, August 2nd.
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I have heard over and over again what a beautiful place Italy is… and after spending the past five days there, I can only agree wholeheartedly with these rumors. Incredible food, abounding history, a beautiful language, and cheerful people: what more can you ask for? I am so overwhelmed by the artistic prowess that I witnessed in the last few days that I am still trying to absorb all of the gorgeous sights that we visited. Here is a brief itinerary of everything that we managed to cram in since Thursday:
Thursday: We flew into the airport in Pisa, checked into our hostel, and received our first taste of Italy. It was like walking into a photograph: musicians in the streets, tastefully designed balconies filled with flowers, gelato on every corner, and, of course, the scent of sweet, salty air. We instantly set out to find the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa, and had no trouble in doing so. After taking our cliché holding-up-the-tower pictures, we discovered that you could still climb the tower. A couple hours and several euros later, I found myself standing in the very location where Galileo performed his legendary gravitational experiments.
Friday: We arrived in Florence by train. I couldn’t remember why exactly Florence was important, but I did know that I had read its name in my history books a thousand times. Luckily, our very own personal “tour guide”, Soleil, conveniently had her guide-to-Italy book. I was quickly reminded that Florence was considered the birthplace of the Italian renaissance. For the next two days, I found myself absolutely inundated with art.
Saturday: We went to lots of art museums, including the one housing Donatello’s “David”, the one which contains Michelangelo’s “David”, and the Uffizi. We also visited the Medici Chapel and the Cathedral de San Lorenzo.
Sunday: After another train ride through the picturesque Italian countryside, the “Eternal City” suddenly loomed just beyond the window. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have heard reference to Rome, whether it be for historical, artistic, or religious purposes. But not until I arrived there did I fully comprehend what an incredible influence this one city has had on the entire world throughout the ages. From the Roman Empire to Pope John Paul II, I still cannot fathom the events that the city has witnessed. Because we had arrived after museums and sites had either closed or become too engulfed in lines of tourists, we elected to do our “scenic tour” for the rest of the day. We visited the Trevi Fountain (I even spared a coin, because Rome is definitely somewhere I hope to return to), the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps.
Monday: Around 6 a.m., we began our search for the Vatican. We were the second group in line once we arrived there at 7. Immediately after entering, I bee-lined for the Sistine Chapel. As I walked through the door, my jaw fell open, and remained that way until I exited. It was the most spectacular series of paintings I have ever seen. In all honesty, I expected Michelangelo’s “Genesis” to hold the spotlight. But as I stared at the scenes which covered every square inch of the lofty room, it stood out no more than any other scene; such was the level of extravagancy. Afterwards, we visited the Vatican museum, which contained several fascinating exhibits, my personal favorite of which consisted of donations from Australian aborigines to their “Papa” in Rome. After staring in awe at all of the wonders of the Vatican for a couple of hours, we briefly toured St. Peter’s Basilica, where we saw the original Pietà, as well as the final resting place of Pope John Paul II. Although I have seen dozens of cathedrals during my months in Spain, this one was different. Naturally, it was much more historically and artistically rich, but beyond that, this actually felt like a church, a connection to my own life. As our group roamed around the walls, I noticed a door to the side with a curtain and a guard. Naturally, everyone was curious until they found out that it was “only a room for prayer”. Hoping to atone for my lack of mass attendance the day before, I entered the room. It was filled with gold accents, and exquisitely decorated, but this seemed to go unnoticed by its inhabitants. Every head in there was bent, with eyes squeezed shut, hands clenched, and lips twitching in silent prayer. It was an overwhelming experience, to be here, surrounded by all of these other people who were deep in prayer, and feet away from the head of our church. I fell to my knees and joined them, and remained there for the rest of our visit. After the Vatican, we took the metro to the Coliseum. I only had time to see the outside of it before heading for the airport, and beginning the long journey back to Madrid and then Cadiz.
I generally have a very short attention span, and don’t usually appreciate art all that much. Cádiz was full of old things, but it always seemed like St. Augustine could beat it any day. And Madrid was just a little too urbanized for me. But for some reason, the history and art from Italy completely struck me, and I feel like I could spend weeks learning about it and never get bored. For some reason, I never grew jaded towards the beautiful Florentine and Roman art and architecture, the brainchildren of so many great names. I guess before Italy, I never really saw a point to art. It just seemed to me like a collection of a bunch of dead people’s talents. And of course, there was always that modern art piece that makes you think, “A two-year-old could do that!” As I wandered through room after room of priceless art in Florence, however, I stumbled upon a painting of yet another woman, this time accompanied by two grimacing little devil things, one of which poked its tongue through a contorted smile. I wanted to laugh at the absurd creature, but held it in, thinking this inappropriate for an art collection so extravagant. Moments later, however, another couple entered, and burst out laughing. It was then that I had my revelation.
Art is meant to make people feel. It is supposed to solicit an emotional response that does not have to be cultivated and first worked through the brain’s conscious regions. It should not be something that people are forced to “interpret” and write volumes about. And it most certainly was not intended to being confined to just painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. I can honestly say that I have felt so much more from driving down a dirt road listening to country music in a beat up truck than I will ever feel from looking at priceless modern art in La Reina Sofia museum, but I guess that’s ok. People are not the same, and obviously our responses to certain stimuli aren’t going to be the same. So whether you are a dancer, poet, blogger, or famous Italian Renaissance painter, I am sure that somewhere out there, there is someone who would like to thank you for your invaluable contributions to the artistic community, and thank you for making us feel.
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