Quirinale

I must admit I was a bit tired this morning. How do all these Italians go out late and then get up for work the next morning? Okay, maybe that's a silly question. In any event, I was off to meet the Nancy group in front of the Palazzo Quirinale -- today's seat of the Italian government. On the first day of each month, just down the street from the Piazza, the Casino del Aurora, part of the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi is open to the public.

The Casino is a smallish structure, but elaborately decorated in the early Baroque style. The exterior is lavishly covered with many panels from 1st and 2nd century sarcophagi. Inside, the ceiling was frescoed by Guido Reni in 1614. The ceiling fresco L'Aurora (from which the casino takes its name) is a painting of Apollo in his chariot chasing Aurora who is bringing light to the world. All of the paintings inside were collected by Cardinal Lazzaro Pallavicini (1602 - 1680)

The villa itself was built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese (nephew of Pope Paul V, and famed art collector -- as in the Gallerie Borghese) when the Borghese family came to power in Rome. Construction began on the Palazzo near the Quirinale around 1610. Later, the property would be sold. If you are interested in the history of the family that stills owns the Palazzo you can read about them on this site:

http://www.casinoaurorapallavicini.it/eng/FamigliaPallavicini.html

Needless to say, it's complicated.

After visiting the Casino and its gardens, we walked down Via XX Settembre to visit two baroque churches: one designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and the other by Francesco Borromini (1599 - 1667). While both were built during the counter-reformation during the height of the baroque period, each had an extremely different feel. It was a lesson in contrasts between two brilliant artists and architects. I learned that they were, in fact, bitter rivals and Borromini ended his life by committing suicide.

The first church we visited, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale is one of the few churches Bernini designed and built from scratch. Bernini had the good fortune to have Scipione Borghese as his sponsor and he was the favored artist of Pope Urban VIII. As such, money was not an issue and this intimate, oval church built in 1661, is dripping in gold, and colored marble, and adornments. Bernini's trademark hidden light-source is evidenced in the cuppola of the church as well as in illuminating the painting of The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew which sits over the high altar. The church is symmetrical and no space -- not a square inch -- is left unadorned.

By way of contrast, the Church of San Carlo alla Quattre Fontane (San Carolino), just down the road is stark, yet still retains many nuanced architectural details. Borromini had a difficult task in constructing this church, cloister and monastery all on a very cramped, corner lot, and with unstable funding. Construction began in 1638, but the facade was not completed until the end of Borromini's life. The interior architecture is extremely complex, yet the color palate is neutral and primarily white.

The juxtaposition of styles from one church to the other was interesting and surprising at the same time. When Nancy's discussion was over, I continued to walk down Via XX Settembre in search of a quiet garden tucked away somewhere so I could eat the sandwich I'd made myself for lunch. No such luck. I ended up in Piazza Independenza which is nothing more than a bench next to the bus stop. Where are all those "hidden gem-of-a garden" places when you need them? I ate my sandwich nonetheless and then set out to find the location of my massage.

Six months in Rome, and Josh and I both miss our massage therapist from Chicago. Truth be told, he moved to Boston in January of 2009, so it has really been a year that we've been missing him. When I saw an ad for a NY-trained, licensed massage therapist in the Veneto Views, I took the opportunity to schedule an appointment. While I inquired about whether she makes house-calls (it's often worthwhile when there are two massages to give), I realized the absurdity of it all. How many massage therapists would have a vehicle large enough to transport a massage table (a scooter or a smart car is more likely). Furthermore, the traffic! would dissuade anyone from making a business of turning up at people's homes all over the city. In any case, it was time to venture out and get a massage.

The location of the studio was in the basement office of a funky hotel near the train station called The Beehive. Very nice people and a good vibe, but not very quiet and relaxing in the basement -- I thought someone must have been moving furniture just above me. The therapist was nice and very capable, but the massage was more relaxing than deep. Still, I liked her.

Back home, we went through our evening routine: homework, dinner, and swimming.