For Art History class, we took a bus up to the Galleria Borghese, where Ben gave an excellent presentation on the Borghese family. The gallery houses many paintings and sculptures of the Borghese collection, which was begun by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. Scipione Borghese was an avid collector of paintings by Carravagio, as evidenced by the prescence of many well-known paintings including Boy with a Basket of Fruit, St. Jerome, and Sick Bacchus. Borghese was also an early patron of Bernini, and we saw several amazing Bernini scultures, such as Rape of Persephone, Apollo and Daphne, and David. We walked around the sculptures several times in order to appreciate the direction, use of lights and darks, and movement that are defining aspects of Baroque art. We were all awestruck at Bernini's ability to transform marble into a variety of textures. Skin, bark, leaves, hair, and clothing were all rendered as if they were actual objects that had been frozen in stone.
Arriving at the museum (unfortunately, no cameras were allowed inside.)
Ben gets a round of applause after his presentation
After exploring the museum, about half the group took the bus back, while the rest of us decided to make the long trek home on foot. The Borghese gardens were beautiful, but it was a very hot day and we were all glad to get back to our apartments.
Overlooking the city of Rome, with the Piazza del Popolo directly below.
Later that evening, we had a 4th of July party! Doug, the CHID professor, offered to host the party at his spacious apartment above the Campo. This was very fortunate for us, as it included a terrace, a grill, and plenty of space for sitting, chatting, and eating! Also, we had a chance to meet some of the students in the CHID program and eat the tasty kebobs they brought.
Lisa was our grill master for the night, but some of us helped out as well! Here is Alex setting up the first round of burgers.
Each apartment brought a few food items to make a true American 4th of July feast: we had salad, hamburgers, two kinds of potato salad, and watermelon. It was delicious!
The terrace provided a great view of the Campo, which was particularly lively that night. We watched musicians, mimes, tap dancers (pictured below), and partygoers at one of the American bars, Sloppy Sam's, which was of course all decked out in American flags for the occasion.
As the night went on, a dance party got started and everyone busted out their favorite dance moves to such classics as Backstreet Boys, Michael Jackson, and Journey, as well as newer rap and pop songs.
And what would a 4th of July party be without fireworks? We actually set off a few small fireworks right from the terrace, and everyone lit some sparklers!
Afterward, we all went out to gelato at Giolitti's--which is becoming a daily fix for many of us! It was delicious as always. Then we went on a tour of the other girls' apartment, where some stayed for an impromptu dance competition, while others went home to sleep, study for the test on Monday, and get ready for the Sperlonga trip on Sunday. It was a fun and eventful weekend for everyone!
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