Florence: The Home of Renaissance

Every age needs a city. The classical age had Athens, the Roman age had Rome, the enlightenment had Paris. Similarly if there was a city that represented the Renaissance it has to be Florence. Florence is where the Renaissance started and it was where it was nurtured. No trip to Italy is ever complete without a visit to this home of Renaissance. So it was Florence then where i headed next.

December 31, 2009, Thursday

As i look into my watch it reads 2.30 PM. It had been an hour and a half in what seemed to be a never ending queue. The board near the ticket counter read 'Minimum waiting time 2 hours, maximum 3 hours'. Not sure whether that reassured me at all. Of course i had been prepared for this queue, after all this was for one of the most celebrated art museums in the world - the Uffizi Gallery.


Uffizi simply means 'office' in Italian. It was indeed built to house the offices of the Florentine administration. As with most things in Florence it was constructed by the Medici family. After serving its time as an office it was converted to an art museum to house some of the most spectacular works of Renaissance art. Since Florence was home to many Renaissance masters it had a huge collection of art work and Uffizi was the unanimous choice to hold all that art.

The Uffizi is the third most famous art museum in the world behind the Louvre and the Vatican museum. I had seen the first two and the Uffizi would complete a trilogy of museums for me. I could scarcely believe that once i see the Uffizi i would have seen the three greatest museums in the world within a span of five weeks. Truly incredible. Unlike the other two , the Uffizi is not very extensive. However it makes up for the lack of size with sheer quality of the collection on offer. Some of the greatest Renaissance masters where from Florence thereby the collection is incredibly rich.

The slow moving queue gave me a chance to look around at the Uffizi building. The building is essentially a three sided rectangle with the missing fourth side opening into the Piazza della Signoria. The two parallel longer sides consist of most of the collections while the short third side connects them both. Remarkably there are niches all over the building's exterior which hold life sized statues of the many remarkable Florentines who graced the world stage. It includes Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Amerigo Vespucci, Machiavelli and many others. Each statue is well crafted and is a tribute to the person it represents.

After nearly two and a half hours in the queue i was finally inside the Ufizzi. Like the kid who has been given his long awaited toffee the people who entered the Ufizzi were overjoyed. Once inside i headed straight to the second floor and onto the famed hallway. The hallway similar to the Grand gallery at the Louvre was very long and seemed to disappear into a distance. The hallway was marked on both sides by spectacular statues of Greek and Roman antiquity. I wondered how numerous the statues of antiquity are as you always tend to bump into one of them wherever you go in Europe. The statues ranged from self portraits of Roman kings and their families to characters from Greek mythology.

As i walked through the hallway i could imagine why this place was an office.I could almost sense what it must have been four hundred years ago when this place would have been abuzz with all the activities of an office. The hallway opens into rooms which house individual collections. The collections are arranged in a chronological order with the starting rooms dedicated to low renaissance artwork and the later rooms to middle and high renaissance artwork. This was a very intelligent way of ordering as i could see two paintings of the same artist being completely different because one was painted during low renaissance and the other during the high renaissance period. The period in a way influenced the artwork more than the artist himself.

Once i went through the artworks of the low renaissance i headed next to the high renaissance section which as expected had all the master pieces. One of the rooms had a collection dedicated to great painter Botticelli who was the quintessential Renaissance painter who made use of techniques and themes of antiquity which was what the spirit of Renaissance was all about. There were two paintings that were the center of attraction here - the Birth of Venus and the La Primavera (or the Spring). Both involved the Roman Goddess Venus and were just amazing to watch. I wondered why Venus was such a hit with all the artists - classical as well as modern. Maybe being the Goddess of Love could have been the reason i thought to myself!

After the Botticelli collections i went through some more collections belonging to other masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo. Although its true that the Louvre has the best collection of Italian artwork owing to the French occupation of Italy, the Uffizi still manages to house some really excellent pieces of art by these Italian masters. This shows how prolific these artists were, so much so that three really huge museums fail to hold all their collections and hundreds of their collections are still scattered all over Europe.

After spending more than two hours inside the Uffizi it was time to leave as the staff started to close the doors. As i exited the doors i realized that another of my dreams - that of visiting the Uffizi was realized and that made me really happy and brought out a content smile.

January 01, 10, Friday

The new year had brought the rains with it. As i sat in my hotel i saw the rain pouring outside. I waited until it lessened in intensity and then began my travel for the day. As i walked through the narrow winding streets of Florence i began to think the way we in India percieve rain and how it is percieved here in Europe. In India we are lucky to have more or less rain free whether for most of the year, at least people like me in Bangalore. However here in Europe rain is like a part of everyday life, you have it more often than not and so learn to live with it. As i saw the people around me none of them seemed to be complaining about the downpour as if they had reached an agreement with the rain gods that they will not whine. Looking at these happy people cheered my sobre mood as i began to explore the city.

Like all Italian cities, the central city square is were the heart of Florence is. The central square in Florence is called the Piazza della Signoria. The Piazza abuts the Ufizzi Gallery and the art bug of the museum seemed to have bitten the Piazza too as it is filled with amazing pieces of art. The central attraction of the Piazza is the world renowned Michelangelo's statue of David. In fact the original statue is present in the Galleria Academia and the statue at the Piazza is just a replica. But i can assure you that this was no ordinary replica because this was no ordinary statue. The statue was chiseled by Michelangelo astonishingly when he was only in his early 20s. Its much bigger than a life sized statue and is 'the' benchmark Renaissance statue. The influence of classical art was very obvious and Michelangelo seemed to depict the perfect emotion in his David. The statue represents the famous biblical story when David slays the giant Goliath and Michelangelo captures the moment just after the actual event. As i witnessed the statue i was amazed by the talent of Michelangelo. Just a few days earlier i had seen his genius in the paintings of the Sistine chapel and here now i witnessed it again but this time in stone.

The mesmerizing David is just one of the many artworks strewn across the square and the nearby Loggia della Signoria which is a small enclosure that hosts many other statues of the Renaissance period. Chiefly among them is Donatello's bronze statue of David. As with Michelangelo's David here too the same biblical story is depicted. The David here seems boyish and holds high the head of Goliath. It was simply amazing to see two artworks on the same theme by two masters separated by a few feet of each other.

The Piazza opens into the uffizi and it being the new year the gallery was closed and i dint see much activity there. The uffizi opened onto the banks of the Arno river. The river seemed to be in a particularly bad mood as it violently transported mud and debry in its streams. From here i caught the glimpse of the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. This is the most legendary and oldest bridge in Florence, in fact its name means 'old bridge'. Florence i heard had quite a few other bridges across the Arno, however they were all destroyed during the allies bombing in WWII thankfully leaving the Ponte Vecchio more or less intact. The bridge was like a modern day mall with shops dotted on both sides selling everything from jewelry to pizza. The bridge seemed to be the commercial centre of the city and had a busy thoroughfare. As i looked above i saw the famous Vasari corridor. The corridor actually has a very interesting history.

Renaissance Italy for all its high art and sophistication was a very dangerous place. Italy did not exist as a united nation then, instead it consisted of a bunch of city states. These city states had their own distinct identities and often quarelled with one and other. Each of these city states was controlled by influential families. To understand the Italy of that time one has to look at the modern mafia. As with the mafia these powerful families acted as middlemen between the rulers and the citizens. Hence they were like the strong men to whom citizens went if they had any grievences and also the rulers relied on for muscular might.

Florence too was controlled by the very influential Medici family. Though originally merchants and not belonging to the aristocracy the Medicis by the sheer power of money and realpolitik attained control of the city. However the control of the city came with its price - that of constant threat from rival families who did not take a liking to the Medicis as they considered them as upstarts who had usurped their right. This rivalry in one instance led to sevaral assassinations too and this made the Medicis very conscious about their security. Hence when Cosimo de Medici assumed power he and his able advisor Georgio Vassari took security to a new level. Since the royal Pitti palce lied on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio the Medicis had to cross the bridge to enter their office at the Uffizi. This they percieved to be a grave threat and they devised an ingenious plan. They constructed a corridor that ran from inside the Pitti palace and then over the Ponte Vecchio and finally ended inside the uffizi. In this way the Medicis will be safe from any attack. It also helped that Vassari was an able architect and he realised this corridor which came to be named after him as the Vasari coridor. History seemed to play itself out before me as i stood on the Ponte Veccio and gazed at the vasari coridor as i imagined the bygone days. Interestingly Vasari was the man who coined the term Renaissance, so he was quite a talented man!

From the Ponte Vecchio i moved to the Pitti Palace which was the official residence of the Medici family. The palace was pretty big and looked more like a fortress than a palace. Considering the threats the Medicis always faced no wonder it had the look of a fortress. One could also see the start of the Vasari coridor as it shoots out from one of the walls of the palace.

Florence like other Italian cities is full of great churches and cathedrals. Hence i first went to the Santa Croce church. This is the second biggest church in Florence and is notable for the remarkable people buried inside. Famous Florentines of the Renaissance era like Michelangelo, Gallileo and also modern day greats like Marconi were buried here. Even their tombs were remarkable. While Michalangelo's tomb had beautiful paintings befitting the man Gallileo's tomb had a statue of him gazing towards the heavens which was quite apt again.


Lastly it was time for me to visit the biggest attraction of Florence - Il Duomo. Formally called the Santa Maria dell Fiore it is commonly refered to as the Il Duomo refering to the famous dome that adorns it. The Duomo is one of the biggest and oldest churches in the world and its dome is widely considered as the best example of Renaissance architecture. The story of the dome is really interesting. During the 12th century when an overly ambitous family was in control of Florence they decided to build a church to rival all churches in Italy. In their over confidence they planned the biggest ever dome in the world at that time. The dome of this scale had never been attempted after the building of the Pantheon in Rome and it was widely believed that the technology for building such huge domes had been lost with the fall of the Roman age. The sceptics were proved right and the dome never rose atop the church and it remained domeless for more than 200 years , a shameful reminder for all of Florence.

With the ushering of the Renaissance in the 15th century people started to regain the lost knowledge of the classical age and started to solve vexing problems. Incidentally the Medicis had assumed power round about the same time and they needed to make a bold political statement and what better way to do one by buiding the long awaited dome. Thus backed by the Medici money and the spirit of the Renaissance builders around Florence started to work on the problem. Among them a brilliant architect name Brunelleschi came up with the perfect plan. Brunelleschi through his ingenious planning and innovative thinking finally realised the dome which turned from a shame to the crowning glory of Florence.

The Duomo's exterior is a wonderfulful sight. It was a welcome break from all the Gothic churches which had a plain unicolor exteriors. The Duomo instead had a beautiful exterior made up of White, green and pink marble. Add to it the remarkable paintings and huge doors it was a sight to behold. As is customary in Italy the church was accompanied by a huge bell tower named after the famous painter and architect of the period,Giotto. Opposite to the church there was the baptistry which is world renowned for its doors. The doors made of bronze has 12 famous biblical stories emblazoned on its, 6 on each side and is a great sight to watch if you get through the crowds that is. Also near the church there is a statue of the man who built the dome , Brunelleschi who is seated and quite aptly gazes towards his great dome. As i entered the Duomo what struck me was the sheer size of the place. It was really huge. The dome too looked befittingly huge and was adorned my numerous paintings from the bible. Other than the dome it was like a typical Italian church which amazing chapels adorning each side with remarkable artwork.

After the Duomo it was time to leave Florence. The city had lived up to its billing and i was truly happy at having visited this home of Renaissance. With that my trip of Italy was over. It had been a long, tiring but fruitful trip, one i had always dreamed of.

Pisa: Where Time Leans

History always tends to give a moment to every city or town to come to prominence. In the same vein a quaint little town in Italy came to the world's attention during the middle ages. This was the lovely town of Pisa in Italy. legend has it that at the time of the construction of the bell tower to the central cathedral the ground beneath gave way and the bell tower leaned at an angle to the ground. Pisa is where i headed next..

December 31, 2009, Thursday

It was six in the morning and save for a couple i seemed to be the only passenger in the compartment. The train started to chug along the brilliant Tuscan countryside. The view outside was stunning. There was greenery everywhere, dotted with country homes and churches. I started to wonder about the varied landscape of Italy. Italy is a bit like India when it comes to variations in landscape. And for a small country that's quite a surprise. In the north it is crowned by the beautiful Alps, then you have back water towns like Venice, further south the beautiful wine growing stunning landscape of Tuscany, further down you have the great cities of the empire like Rome and further still you get to the wonderful Mediterranean coastal towns . Italy has something to offer to everybody, no wonder emperors throughout history coveted it so badly.

Unlike the cities i had visited previously in Italy, Pisa is a pretty small town. The houses and buildings were small and cute and there were large swathes of greenery everywhere. The river Arno cuts through Pisa and divides it into two halves. The bridge across the river is one of the most beautiful scenes i have ever scene in my life. In the early morning sun the water gleamed and reflected the quaint little houses that bordered the banks. The sight was truly amazing. Pity that i had only half a day to explore this place i thought.

The Leaning tower is the central attraction in Pisa and is located in a complex called Piazza dei Miracoli or the Square of miracles. The name seemed quite appropriate as the leaning tower came into view. It looked like an absolute miracle and seemed as though time itself had leaned. There were three buildings in the Piazza. The leaning tower of course and in front of it was the Cathedral and in front of it was the Baptistery. All three buildings were white in color and contrasted well with the green pastures around them.

Bell towers are a typical Italian artifact. Most churches in Italy have a bell tower accompanying them Usually the churches tend to be the highlight. However here in Pisa the bell tower itself is the main draw. Wonder what the cathedral which in itself is beautiful must be feeling with all the adulation the bell tower gets. The lean of the leaning tower is very prominent as you can compare it with the straight wall of the cathedral. However when you approach it the size of the tower overpowers the lean and you feel as though the tower is in fact straight. One end of the base is weighted with lead bricks so as to prevent the tower from leaning further. Thankfully there were no wires attached to the tower as i had seen sometimes on TV and the tower was standing on its own.

Once near the tower i decided to climb it. In fact i was lucky to get the opportunity to climb the tower as until a couple of years back climbing was barred citing safety reasons. The spiraled staircase within moved me floor by floor to the top of the tower. The bell was there alright but few seemed to notice it. The view of the Piazza and that of the city around it was just stunning. The cathedral was right in front and looked pristine as the sunlight kissed its white exterior. The beautiful baptistery also peaked through from behind the cathedral.

The leaning tower is also famous for a unique experiment conducted by Galileo in the 15th century. The scientist wanted to prove that two objects took the same time to fall to the ground irrespective of their sizes. As the scientist looked around searching for a tall building to conduct his experiment he noticed the leaning tower. Finally one fine morning he made it to the top of the tower and conducted his experiment and proved his hypothesis. As i stood thinking this scene from history i was brought back to reality by the cries of the security guard who was telling everybody that our time was up. Due to safety reasons tourists are allowed only 20 minutes on top of the tower. I was a bit disappointed at such an early exit but felt happy that at least i made it to the top.

Once i got down from the tower i meandered into the cathedral. With all the hype about the tower the cathedral gets very little attention. The cathedral in fact is a gem of an artwork in its own right. It was one of the bigger churches i had seen in Italy especially for a little town like Pisa. The cathedral was in the shape of a Latin cross and the highlight was the roof which was made of actual gold and was simply amazing to look at. Galileo actually studied in this cathedral , just thinking of that gave me goosebumps.

The cathedral opened into the Baptistery. The Baptistery has an amazing exterior and is built in the shape of a bell. I wondered why they did not call this the bell tower! With such a superb exterior i had lot of expectations of the interior. However the interior was extremely disappointing. It did not have the saving grace of having some decent paintings which italy is full off. It was just an empty space with staircases leading to the upper floors. This was probably my only underwhelming experience in Italy or for that matter in Europe.

After wondering around the Piazza for some time and soaking up the place it was time for me to make a move. As i exited the Piazza dei Mirocili i saw all three wonderful monuments together and i muttered a genuine gratitude to my stars.

Venice: Where East meets West

There are exactly two places on earth where we can say the east meets west. The first and foremost is the great Byzantine city of Constantinople or modern day Istanbul. The other city is Venice. Venice is known for its lagoons and islands but a little known fact is that its also a great meeting ground for east and west. It is to this city that i go next carrying with me a bagful of excitement.

December 29, 2009, Tueday

The chilly air hugged me as soon as i exited the railway station at Venice much to my discomfort. I had mostly seen Venice to be this sunny haven in all the movies back home and its chilly welcome startled me. Venice is truly one of its kind. I realized this as soon as i came out. The usual rush of buses and cars were replaced by the rush of water boats that were speeding along the Grand canal. It almost looked like a highway. Only tourists like me seemed to have been startled as the locals seemed to hurry through their daily chores without noticing the surroundings.

As i went atop a very modern looking bridge across the canal the grand view of the Grand Canal hit my eyes. The Grand Canal snakes through Venice almost in the shape of the letter 'S' and is the principle water way in this city full of canals and bridges. As i looked over my shoulder i caught a glimpse of the Italian Alps. I knew they were close but dint expect them to be this close, now i understood where all that chill came from.

I climbed down from the bridge and took the Vaperatto - the water boat - used for travel within the city. The life on the Grand canal was one to be observed. Gondolas drifted in the waters with happy tourists aboard them with stylishly clad Gondoliers riding them through the serene surroundings. The thing i was surprised was the color of the water which was very green and was quite wonderful to look at and surprisingly very clean too. As the vaperatto meandered through the Grand canal i was instantly hooked by the city around me. Within few minutes i got down at the most famous address in Venice - Piazza San Marco.

Piazza San Marco or St. Mark's Square is one of the great squares of the world. It is the heart of Venice and one of its most famous landmarks and as usual was bustling with people. As much as it is formed by water Venice is also plagued by it. Every time there is high tide the city literally sinks. Thankfully for me the tides were not very high and i could take in the view of the square in all its glory.

The square is in the shape of a trapezium and is surrounded on three sides by the famous Procuratie buildings with their cafes and shops and their beautifully crafted symmetrical columns which give the square its distinct appearance. St.Mark's Basilica forms the fourth side and right adjacent to it there is the famous Doge's palace where the head of the city lived. The icing on the cake is the 100m tall Camponile or the bell tower which towers over the square.

St.Mark's Basilica is unlike any other church in Europe. The hallmarks of western churches like spiraling towers, distinct cross shape are completely absent. Instead the design is distinctly eastern with magnificent domes and wonderfully crafted pillars and golden tapestry. The influence of Byzantium is everywhere. The basilica is one of the most prestigious churches in the world as it contains the mortal remains of St.Mark. Although St.Mark died in modern day turkey his body was smuggled into Venice and buried in the basilica. A fact depicted in the golden tapestry at the entrance.The inside of the basilica too looked quite eastern with none of the patterns of western design like alters and chapels being present. It almost felt like the inside of a mosque given the elaborate design of the domes.

During the middle ages Venice was a great trading city where people from east and west mingled and did business. Great travelers like Marco Polo were citizens of this great city and the adventures they had carried out in the east fascinated the city and had a profound influence on its culture. This influence was seen in the building designs such as that of the St.mark's basilica and also in the apparels and behavior of the people. Thus Venice became a great place where east and west met.

Once i came out of the basilica it was time to climb the Camponile. Even by Italian standards this bell tower was very tall. Thankfully there was a lift to the top which eased my nerves. Once on the top the magnificent city came into view. The enormous piazza below seemed to have shrunk and people down below looked as small as the pigeons they were feeding. The nearby islands were also visible and so were the beautiful churches and bridges. People seemed to be busy peering outside and ignored the bell of the bell tower which was huge and must have been terrifying to stand near it when it rang. Height is a great friend in Italy. The magnificence of the surrounding is accentuated by hieght. Maybe thats why every town in italy has a bell tower or a dome of a church which people can climb and enjoy the spectacular surrounding. Even here in Venice standing on the shouldder of the Camponile one got a spectacular view of the city and i thanked those great venetians who built this great tower.


After getting down from the Camponile it was time to hop onto a nearby island called Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore. This is one of Venice's most beautiful islands and apart from the spectacular church it offered a great view of the waterfront including the Camponile and the Doge's palace. The church was really beautiful and like other Italian churches had some breathtaking works of art inside. After bidding adieu to the island it was time to while the time at the famous waterfront.

The waterfront reminded me of the bazaars back home with vendors selling you everything from masks to eatables to souveniers. As i walked along the waterfront the Doge's palace came into view. This is a quite magnificent palce built for the ruler of Venice called the Doge , hence its called the Doge's palace. Its unique pillar style and outer color distinguishes it from other buildings in Venice. As i moved along the wall of the Doge's palace i went past the bridge of sighs. This bridge connects the palace to a dungeon and during medieveal times prisoners who used to be sentenced at the palace used to cross over this bridge into the dungeon. Legend has it that for the prisoners the walk across this bridge was the last time they ever saw Venice hence they used to heave a big sigh as they crossed it and hence the bridge came to be known as the bridge of sighs. Very interesting.

As i navigated across the waterfront i took in some wonderful views of the city. As honeymooners whizzed past me sometimes asking me to take a picture of them i realized why Vencie is a honeymooners paradise. Its got such a unique and beautiful setting with the sea and the waterfront, add to it the historic churches and piazzzas you have a truly wonderful destination in front of you.


As the day was coming to an end it was time to head towards the beautiful Santa Maria del Salute church. There is something about Italian churches that truly sets them apart. For a start people really come here to pray compared to the rest of Europe where they have become tourists attractions in all but name. Of course the artwork adds to the aura what with some of the world's greatest artists contributing their skills to these churches. On a cursory look all italian churches look alike however if you observe closely each one has its own unique style and effect. As i entered the Santa Maria del Salute church i again realized that even though it was similar to other churches it was different too. I experienced a great sense of peace and tranquility which was much needed after a hectic day's travel.

On the way back to my hotel i also went to the Realto bridge. The Grand canal for all its grandness still has only three bridges across it. For such a long canal this came as a bit of a surprise to me. Among the three bridges the Realto bridge is the most famous with its unique architectureal style. Its fame was evident from the hoard of tourists on top of it who jostled with each other for a place on the bridge. Once i finally managed to get on the bridge, the view of the Grand canal was just amazing. The glimpse of venetian life passig underneath was so beautiful. The Gondolas, the water boats with tourists and the serene green waters was soothing to the eyes and the mind. What an end to an incredible day i thought to myself.


December 30, 2009, Wednesday

The water had embraced the city in its arms when i woke up in the morning. The rain was pouring and the resulting high tide had stealthily creeped into the city. In some places the water was a feet high and people had to walk on temporarily erected wooden platforms. Though a bit uncomfortable this was another aspect of the city. No one seemed to be bothered about the water even though it had entered inside some of the low lying shops. This was a part of everyday venetian life and the people of Venice were not too bothered.

In the midst of the water i walked into the Jewish section of the city called the Ghetto. Ghetto is a much maligned term these days but its an innocent Italian word meaning 'borough'. This was a part of the city where the Jews lived as a segregated community. In fact this was the world's first Ghetto. After the crucifixion of Christ the Jews had become somewhat of a despised community and this explains their segregation. Even though they were segregated the Jews were a really talented bunch of people and by sheer dint of intellect, handwork and enterprise had entered into most respectable professions. They were doctors, lawyers, bankers etc. Hence despite being a segregated lot they played a crucial role in the society and had gained respect of the people around them.

As i soaked in the views of the jewish Ghetto my mind harked back to the most famous Venetian Jew - Shylock from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. I had read the play in school and my fascination with Venice was partly due to it. Surely the Ghetto would have been the place where Shylock would have lived i thought. Similarly the mind began imagining the scenes from the play. That must be the court room the mind thought and maybe that Antonio's house or maybe Bassanio's. The mind freely jumped around in its imaginary world before coming back to rain soaked Venice.

The narrow , winding streets of Venice seemed to be fantastic and puzzling at the same time. It was easy to get lost in their maze and i wondered just exactly how the locals managed to wonder about. After visiting couple of more beautiful churches it was time for me to bid adeiu to this wonderful city. It had been a truly unique city, the like of which i may never see in the future.

Vatican: The City of God

There are very few places on earth which could be said to belonging to God more than they do to us mortals. India has quite a lot of such cities cutting across religious lines. In case of Europe if ever there was a city which could be called thus then it must be Vatican City or as the Catholics call it the 'Holy See'. It was to this reverent city of God that i headed to next on my EuroTrip

December 28, 2009, Monday

Vatican City sits deep in the heart of Rome like a pearl resting within an oyster. Its as if the City of God lies inside the den of mortals who both protect as well as revere it. As i walk across the Chilly Roman streets early in the morning i am seized by the excitement of the impending day as well as the trepidation of the notorious queues at the Vatican Museum. So much is the notoriety of the queues that i start my march at 6 in the morning despite the fact that the museum doors open only at 8.

The Roman street stopped suddenly in front of the enormous Vatican wall as if it dreaded its holy premises. As i began to walk along the Vatican wall the first thing i notice is the enormous height it had. Also the signage on the wall was written in Latin and not Italian. Of course i thought, after all Latin - the great classical language of the west - was the official language of Vatican. It is the only place on earth where the grand old dead language is still kept alive albeit as part of tradition.

The wall led me to the entrance of the Vatican museum. Thankfully there was no queue yet as i was the first person to arrive on that day. Now, the problem with arriving first is that you don't know where the queue is! So i meandered my way around the entrance searching for any indications for a queue and found none. Finally i got to know where the queue started from a helpful security person and stood there. Because of my early arrival i had to wait for almost 2 hours for the museum doors to open. As i stood waiting patiently i could not help but notice the beautiful entrance door made of stone. It was pink in color which went well with the color of the Walls and had statues of Michelangelo and Raphael mounted on top. That was quite an intelligent selection i thought as no two individuals had done more for the artistic glory of the Vatican as these two and richly deserved to be ordained at the entrance welcoming guests.

Finally after two hours of wait the doors of the museum were thrown open. As i entered i was struck by the very modern lobby which had state of the art facilities. It reminded me of the Louvre which also had an old exterior but a very modern lobby. As i mumbled my broken Italian i got the ticket which was a work of art in itself. It had the figures of Aristotle and Plato taken from Raphael's famous painting - School of Athens- printed on its rear. A remarkable ticket indeed.

The Vatican Museum is one of the oldest and biggest art museums in the world matched only by the Louvre in Paris. If the French kings patronized the Louvre , the Vatican museum owes its collections to the Roman Catholic church and the 266 popes who have headed it for the last two thousand years. The popes were on par if not higher than the other kings in terms of power and wealth. The mortal kings reigned over a piece of earth whereas the popes claimed to rule the entire earth and even beyond.

On entering the Museum i first headed to the main courtyard with its beautifully kept garden which gleaned in the early morning sun. The best part of the courtyard was the sight of the dome of St. Peter's which peeked ever so slightly above the walls of the courtyard. It was a sight to behold even at such a far distance. Next i headed inside to some really magnificent corridors. Each corridor or sections of it was dedicated to a certain pope who had accumulated all the wonderful art work he could muster. The artworks ranged from statues from classical Greece to those of the Roman period and surprisingly were in pretty good shape considering how old they were. Also each of these corridors had exquisitly painted walls and cielings by renowned artists. The themes were mostly biblical and were clear and beautiful even though they were hundreds of years old.

As i moved from one corridor to another my eyes were having a tough time keeping pace with the magnificent views on offer. Suddenly i entered another corridor , however this one was filled with a beautiful array of Tapestries again dealing with biblical themes. I wondered what it must have been for these popes to live in such a wonderful atmosphere. One corridor led to another and this corridor was interestingly called the 'Room of Maps'. True to its name its walls were adorned with maps of various places. Rome to start with and then the various regions of Italy and then Italy and its various islands and so on. A Pope who was obsessed with maps must have commissioned this room i thought.

As i said earlier Raphael was one of the great artists who worked almost exclusively at the Vatican. His work is so much extensive that there are several rooms painted by him and are eponymously called as the 'Raphael rooms'. The Rooms were just brilliant and were supreme examples of high Renaissance art. The themes were much more wider here ranging from stories and characters of the classical age to the modern catholic period. What astounded me most was the level of detail that seemed to be present in each and every painting. Even though the paintings looked similar they were individually very different and unique.

One of the rooms contained Raphael's most famous work - the School of Athens, the painting reproduced on the ticket. This remarkable painting is set in an imaginary time and space and depicts a bunch of famous Greeks who were present at various times during the great Classical age in the city of Athens. The place though imaginary resembled the inside of St.Peter's. It had the who's who of the Classical age. In the center the philosophers Plato and Aristotle were depicted with Pythagoras standing alone drawing his triangles , Euclid too was present with his circles teaching geometry to his students, Socrates too was arguing with a fellow philosopher, Zoroaster was also present with a globe in his hand, Diogenes the cynic was lying on the ground as usual disappointed with the world around. The Entire painting was mesmerizing and transported me to the Athens of the great classical age. Next I went through a collection of ancient sculptures and artworks from ancient Rome and also a great Egyptian collection which included a 3000 year old mummy.

Finally it was time to head to the crowning glory of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the private chapel of the Pope himself. Chapel's are an essential part of the layout of any Roman catholic church. Its like a church within a church dedicated to saints and patrons. However the Sistine chapel is unique in the way that it is more elaborate and famous than any individual church in the world. As i enter within what hits me first is the avalanche of frescoes that greet the eyes. The frescoes are everywhere, on the walls , cieling and also on the main alter. Each and every freesco is a work of supreme art. Michealangelo's genius drips from each and every fresco. It is interesting that all his life Michaelangelo thought of himself as a sculpture, in fact untill he painted the sistine chapel he was primarily a sculpture, however today most people in the world remember him as a great painter! When Michaelangelo was given the commision first he actually thought that it was a conspiracy by the church which wanted to prove him as a failure, however after years of sheer effort and genius Michaelangelo proved to the world what a gifted artist he was.

As i stared at the cieling above it was a feast to my eyes. The frescoes depicted scenes from the bible and except for a small patch in the middle were contigous. Each scene was so beautifully rendered and the richness of color was so appealing to the eyes. As the eyes shifted their gaze from the cieling to the main alter the view was even more spectacular. The alter had the painting of the Judgement day and the whole scene was breath taking. The Sistine chapel is where the popes pray and also the place where they are elected. This must be one buzzing place during the papal election - the famous Il Conclave - i thought to myself.


As i came out of the museum i felt a bit dazed after viewing all those impressive artworks. It was as if i had stepped out from another world. It was now time to go to the heart of the Vatican - St. Peter's Basilica. As i walked along the road towards St.Peter's the magnificent collonades of the St.Peter's square came into view. The collonodes and the Square were built by Bernini and the great artist wanted his enormous square to be sheilded in a ring of collonades so that the vistor emerges through the collonades and is surprised by the vast expanse of the square. The artist's surprise worked as i emerged through the collonades my breath was taken away by the magnificent Square of St.Peters. Its difficult to explain how big the square really is. The mass of humanity assembled there looked like honey bees in a honey comb. The square sloped ever so slightly towards the center and at the center stood a magnificent Obelisque. As i approached the obilisque the first of the two fountains came into view. The square actually is not a square its an ellipse and there are two fountains placed at the two focal points. These two fountains are designed by Bernini again and if you actually stand at one of the fountains and face the nearest section of the collonades the circular collonades actually seem to be in a straight line. The view of the square from the Obelisque was beautiful. The collonades encircled the square as if like a hand drawing the faithful to the bosom of Chirstendom. And at the head of the square was the great St.Peter's Basilica, the center of Christendom itself.


St.Peter's church is built on top of a mound where St.Peter was crucified and buried. It was the time of early Christendom in Rome which was still very much a pagan city and Christianity , a new religion of the slaves. St.Peter had come to Rome to spread the message of Christ, however he was captured , tortured and finally crucified much like Christ but head over heals and buried in this desolate mound. However times changed and Rome adopted Christianity and St.Peter was revered now and the new centre of Christianity demanded a befitting Church. Thus in the 1500s this magnificent church came into existance which was designed by Bramante. As i entered the Basilica the first thing i noticed was the sheer area of the interior. It almost looked as expansive as the square outside.

St.Peter's is really the most magnificent church in the world. You can imagine the way the Roman catholic church would have poured all its wealth and commissioned the greatest artists of that time to work on the church. And the result is there to see. As i enter, the main alter of the church came into view encased in Bernini's gigantic copper baldacchino. The Alter in fact refers the exact place under neath which St.Peter is buried. and the baldacchino encases it and Michaelangelo's great dome hover's almost mid air on top of the baldacchino. The effect was so overwhelming that its difficult to put it in words. The word 'small' did not exist within the basilica. Everything seemed so large and enormous. Even minor chapels were as big as some decent sized church. Each chapel was a magnificent work of art with superb sculptures and paintings.


Seeing the magnificence of the chappel i imagined what it must be during an actual mass. It must be some atmosphere as the Pope enters this magnificent basillica and stands over the alter and delivers his message. It must be one of the great places of the earth to deliver sermons. The most fascinating moment for me was standing underneath the great dome. The dome was constructed by Michealangelo and at that time was the largest domes in the world. A dome of its size had not been attempted after building the Pantheon. Still Michealangelo took up the challenge and built this magnificent doom.

After standing underneath the dome it was time to go to its top. After an hour in the queue and 350 steps i was on my way to the top of the dome. The climb was fascinating as with every rung of the spiraling staircase the space inside became narrower and narrower and finally after what seemed i was on top of the dome. The view from there was simply unreal. The enormous St.Peter's square was visible in all its glory and the thousands who had thronged it were also visible. The colonnades with there impeccably crafted statues were also visible. The exertion of the climb was replaced by sheer exhilaration. As i looked afar i could see other roman attractions. Straight from the square i could see the dreaded Castle Angelo papal fortress with the magnificent bridge of angels over the Tiber leading to it. Also visible was the Vatican Museum that i had traveled in the morning and the papal offices. The great Tiber river was also visible snaking through the city. The City of Rome looked truly beautiful from the dome and i was feeling so lucky that i had been here.

As i got down from the dome and exited the basilica into the square i felt a strange dizziness in my head. The like of which you experience after experiencing something so momentous. I had always dreamed of coming here and the dream had finally come true. The City of God had truly lived up to its Godly reputation.

Rome: Caput Mundi

All roads lead to it and it was not built in one day. Yes, i am talking about the eternal city - Rome. No city has got so much aura around it and so many nick names to call as Rome, such is the power the city has held over millennia. At its peak people even referred it as Caput Mundi - Capital of the World in Latin. It is to this city i lumber into as part of my Eurotrip.

December 27, 2009, Sunday

Day 1 - The Eternal City

The train lunged into the station and came to a screeching halt that informed me that Rome had arrived. The weather outside seemed very soothing even though it was 10 degrees compared to the -15 i had experienced back in Sweden. The scene outside looked a bit chaotic with students screaming, police officers talking on their walkie-talkies and in a way reminded me of India. No wonder the Italians are called the Indians of Europe!

Rome lurks between two ages, the great classical age of the Roman empire and the Post-Renaissance age of Roman Catholicism. Its astonishing that these two ages are separated by over a thousand years and there is absolutely no trace of those intermediate thousand years around you now. Its almost as if history has erased those thousand years from the account book of time. I start my sojourn though from the center of the Roman Empire.


The Colosseum could be argued to be representing the cruelty of the Roman empire. What with thousands of people being murdered there in cold blood just for the pleasure of the masses. However it has to be looked in the context of those times which were anyway barbaric and violent and the games too reflected that. Also the architecture needs to be enjoyed nevertheless.

As i stepped onto the premises of the Colosseum the supreme edifice came into view. As it was still early morning i was able to easily get the ticket and jumped inside. The inside looked more like the skeleton of the once magnificent building. Cant blame it as its been exposed to elements and humanity for over two thousand years. I imagined what it must have looked during the glory days of the Roman empire with thousands of people cheering and jeering from the stands. It must have been quite an exhilarating experience for the people, both in the stands and in the middle.



A stones throw distance from the Colosseum is the Arc of Constantine which leads you into the Palentine hill. This was the hill where legend goes that Rome was founded by Romulus who was suckled by a she-wolf in one of its caves. The legend aside it was a center of power both during the Roman republic as well as the empire, more so probably during the days of the empire as the King stayed here. Most of the buildings are in ruin here and one can only imagine their magnificence in those bygone days.

The Palantine hill overlooks the Roman Forum. Again a center of power especially during the days of the Roman republic when Rome was ruled not by a king but by a group of people who upheld the republican tradition and took collective decisions. The contrast between the Palantine hill and the Forum is striking if you observe keenly. There was always a struggle for power between the Palantine hill and the Forum. Whenever the republican spirit was high the Forum held sway while when the empire ruled the Palantine hill was prominent. So the history of the Roman age can be followed from observing these two sites. Also striking is the kind of buildings gracing these two sites. The Palantine hill had buildings representing the empire - palaces, baths , Circuses for chariot races etc. and the Forum had more republican buildings for public purposes such as the Senate which was like a parliament, Temples, the Tabulary where accounts used to be kept etc. The contrast is simply fascinating.

As i walked through the ruins of the Forum i was transported back to the days of the Roman age especially when i saw the Senate. This was a building which is bettered preserved than the other buildings and was the place where the elders of the republic held their discourses about the running of the government. It was the same site where Julius Ceaser was assassinated two thousand years ago. Thinking about what must have happened during that day during the Ides of march sent a chill through my spine.

A small climb from the Forum transports you to the Capitoline hill which has the eponymous museum. This hill is like a border separating two Romes. Behind it you have the Rome of the Roman age and in front of it you have Post-Renaissance Rome. Abutting the Capitoline hill you have the Vittor Emmanuel monument which is both the most modern and most despised building in all of Rome. It was built as a monument to the King under whom Italy was reunified during the 19th century, but this 'new' building really looks out of place considering the plethora of old classical buildings around it! Heading from the Vittor Emmanuel monument i got onto the most famous street in Rome the Via del Corso which took me to the most famous fountain in Rome - the Trevi fountain.


Rome is a city of fountains. There are close to 200 fountains in this great city which is a great tribute to Roman engineering which made it possible. Drawing water from far off sources and providing for the citizens in some of the most well crafted fountains is a feat to be lauded. The most famous of all fountains is the Trevi fountain. Thus named because it stands at the apex of three converging roads it is a tribute to the roman God of the seas - Neptune. The sight of the fountain is one to behold. Neptune majestically arrives in his chariot drawn by sea horses which is announced by a couple of conch blowing Tritons as water gushes with an enormous sound and crashes into the floor of the fountain. The enormous noise of the fountain is partially drowned by the noise of hoards of people jostling to get near the fountain. As i got near the fountain i noticed that the water was so clear and creates a rumbling noise before coming into view. What a setting for a fountain, no wonder its the best fountain in the world.


From the best fountain in the world i moved to one of the oldest surviving buildings in all of Rome, the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built 2000 years ago as a monument to house the Gods of the Roman Pantheon, but in Christian Rome these statues were removed and the place was converted into a roman catholic church. It is a unique monument. An ancient obelisk from Egypt leads you to the magnificent cylindrical building. The enormous pillars welcome you to the inside.Once inside the eyes do not move ahead or sidewards but upwards to the magnificent dome. The dome is an engineering marvel which could not be replicated by humanity for 1500 years. The engineering design of the dome was so perfect and complicated that it was lost during the middle ages and since then it has been both a conundrum and an inspiration for dome builders around the world. The dome has a circular opening in the middle called the oculus which gives the place an out of the world feeling. As the suns rays enter the oculus the beams forms a limelight and follow through the interior of the Pantheon giving an ethereal effect. No wonder the ancients found this to be a deeply spiritual experience. The Pantheon must be a one of a kind Roman catholic church. For one it is spherical instead of the usual cross shape as the ancients believed the sphere to be the most divine and perfect shape ion the cosmos. There are various chapels dedicated to various famous people , however the one that caught my attention was the tomb of the great renaissance artist Raphael who is buried here. The walls are adorned with some magnificent paintings and sculptures which are a sheer joy to behold.

A few steps from the Pantheon takes you to the magnificent Piazza Navonna, the most famous square in Rome. The Piazza is in an oval shape as it used to be a Circus for chariot races during the Roman empire. It is adorned by three brilliant fountains , all of them build by Gialorenzo Bernini and a beautiful church completes the background. The church is interestingly named St.Agnes in Agony and was built by the famous Borromini. Bernini and Borrominiare are two artists whose creations you will see right around Rome. Most of what you see around modern Rome is owing to these two geniuses and together they effectively created Baroque Rome.


The Central fountain at Piazza Navona is the Fountain of the Four rivers. It is a tribute to the four great rivers of the ancient world - Nile, Amazon,River plate and the Ganges. Each river is represented by a classical allegorical figure who together hold up an obelisk. As roman fountains go its simply superb. There is an interesting urban legend concerning this fountain. As rivalries go, Bernini and Borromini were the fiercest of the lot and could not stand each other, hence legend goes that one of the river Gods facing the St.Agnes church twists his face away from the church in disgust - Bernini's way of putting down Borromini. Not sure how true this legend is though. The Piazza is rounded up by two more magnificent fountains, the fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the moor on either side of the central fountain, both being Bernini creations.

Next i crossed the Via del Corso and headed to the Piazza Barberini which has another fountain crafted by Bernini, this one is called the Tritone Fountain and depicts a minor sea God called Triton seated on a shell blowing a spring of water over his head through a conch shell. This is what i like about Rome, masterpieces are strewn all across the city almost casually and one keeps bumping into them routinely.


A few minutes walk from the Triton fountain i came to the famous Spanish Steps at Piazza Spagna. This is one of the main meeting points in Rome and i can understand why. At one end you have the elegant row of steps laid on the face of a hill marching upto an ancient obelisk with the church of Trinita del Monti hiding behind it. On the other side you have a busy shopping street with the magnificent Fountain of the old boat at its apex. Bernini is at it again and has crafted this beautiful fountain which depicts a drowning boat with water seeping through from various places. As it was the Christmas season the place was overcrowded with locals as well as tourists. It almost looked like a meeting of the United Nations with people of every nationality sitting on the famed steps!

A little walk from the Piazza Spagna leads you to the famous Piazza del Popolo. Its fascinating how the narrow street suddenly opened into this gigantic square. This is typical of not just Rome but of entire Italy. One winds through narrow streets loaded with pedestrians and shops and suddenly when you least expect it end up in a large piazza. Its like a pleasant surprise being given to the traveler.

The Piazza del Popolo is one of the biggest squares in Rome and has an enormous Obelisk in the Center. I am amazed how many obelisks are there in Rome. You find them everywhere. The reason lies in the mindset of the erstwhile Roman emperors. The Romans even though were the dominant political force at the start of the first century AD always had a sort of inferiority complex when it came to the Egyptians. They felt that how much ever power they wield they never had the cultural legacy of the Egyptians which even in those times was very old and culturally advanced. With this mindset in place when Rome eventually conquered Egypt they tried to not only benefit from Egypt financially but also culturally. Thus began the gradual transportation of obelisks from various parts of Egypt to Rome and that is the reason you see so many obelisks in Rome. I can in fact take a bet that there are far more obelisks standing in Rome than in any Egyptian city.

Th Piazza del Popollo apart from the square itself has numerous churches. There are a set of twin churches at one end and at the other end there is the famous Santa Maria del Popolo church. The church though not so magnificent on the outside is a treasure trove of art on the inside. Inside you have some great paintings from Carravagio and some mind blowing Baroque sculptures from Bernini. It was interesting to contrast the classical sculptures of the Roman age with those of the Baroque age of say Bernini's. The classical sculptures though magnificent themselves did not seem real, even when mortals were sculpted they looked 'God-like' and unreal with very rigid shapes and forms. Baroque was completely opposite, if there is one word that describes baroque then its - Movement. The baroque sculptures are not rigid, they are full of movement, like a picture they try to capture 'that' particular moment in time. Hence you see in the magnificent Bernini sculptures angels with flowing robes and people with very human facial expressions. Hence when i looked at a Bernini's sculpture i got a sense that stone never seemed so carnal before. Thats the beauty of Bernini's Bbaroque sculptures.

December 28,2009, Monday

Dat 2 : The Two Churches

As i said previously the two individuals who shaped Baroque Rome were Bernini and Borromini. Both Geniuses and great rivals. Bernini however was the more politically successful. He was a child prodigy and was a very charming man who had the ear of the Pope no less. He was the superstar of his day and so much was his aura that even popes felt awe in his presence. Borromini on the other hand was the better architect however an introverted man who seldom spoke. Hence Bernini got all the plum commissions and Borromini always lived under his shadow. On this last day in Rome i wanted to explore two churches built by these two great artists.


My first stop was to the Bernini Church called Santa Maria della Vittoria. It contained what is probably Bernini's greatest work, the Ecstasy of St. Theresa sculpture at the Connaro chappel there. Again it was a masterpiece of baroque sculpture with great attention to detail. The chapel is so famous that people simply ignored the main alter and were transfixed by the chapel and the sculpture within it. The setting was like the man himself,very flashy and full of charm, Great colors of red and yellow with elaborate settings full of Razzmatazz.


Next i headed to the Borromini church nearby called Chiesa di San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane or Quatro Fontane for short. Borromini was a genial architect. He did not just build straight walls. His walls bulged, curved into great geometrical shapes. This church was an excellent example of his style. He did not need the help of colors or pompous setting , he instead relied on elegant shapes and designs. The walls look almost fluid as they are bent in amazing geometrical shapes. It was as if a mathematician had designed the church , such was Borromini's control on the aesthetic geometric shapes. It was just an amazing experience to be inside this church.

After spending the last two days in Rome i got a feeling of being immersed into the past and suddenly being pulled out with me still gasping for breath. As the time comes to leave i can just consider myself lucky that i had the privilege of visiting the Caput Mundi.