Art tour by bike

Another gorgeous day in Rome. I planned a "giro" for Josh and I to explore some of Rome's lesser-known (or underappreciated) museums; and to take advantage of the free admissions afforded by the "culture week" event. Our first stop was to be Galleria Spada in the Piazza of the same name. But, since we were riding right by Palazzo Altemps, I suggested we make a quick visit to this stunning palazzo filled with marble antiquities. I had visited this palazzo once before (see Feb, 25th blog) and gave Josh a quick tour of what I thought were the highlights. He was so impressed, he returned later in the day to have more time with the sculptures and take the audio tour.

Palazzo Altemps - courtyard

Then we peddled on to Galleria Spada. This palazzo was purchased by Cardinal Spada in 1632, and he commissioned Francesco Borromini to modify it for him. Today, the palazzo houses a museum which is most well-known, not for the art on the inside, but for the architectural work by Borromini in the courtyard. In an effort to render a small place much larger and more dramatic. Borromini created a masterpiece of trompe-l'oeil by designing diminishing rows of columns and a rising floor to create the optical illusion of a gallery that is 37 meters long -- but it is really only 8. At the end of the gallery sits what looks like a lifesize sculpture, but it is only really 60 cm tall. It's referred to as Borromini's perspective.

We then crossed the Tiber to Trastevere and visited the Villa Farnesina (see Feb 22nd blog for details). Josh was most impressed with the Raphael fresco in the Galatea room, although he also noted the disconnected nature of the room's decoration.

We crossed the street and entered the impressive Palazzo Corsini. I had visited the library here -- home of the Accademia dei Lincei, but today we were going to see the art collection in the Galleria Corsini. By the time we finished at Palazzo Corsini, we were ready for lunch. I was so looking forward to eating those delicious looking mussels at La Tani de Noantri, and was disappointed to find the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. We settled, instead, for Taverna La Scala which was also pretty good.

After getting a coffee at the local bar, we rode back across the river to Piazza Farnese. There was definitely something going on. All kinds of people -- men of the cloth, nuns, and Swiss guards -- were milling about. Later we found out, everyone was in costume as they were filming a movie. We rode back through Piazza Navona to the Palazzo Altemps where I left Josh to browse some more. I continued the ride home. On the way, I bumped into the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Lucina under which the Ara Pacis was discovered. I popped in to have a look. Archaological tours are given the first saturday of the month at 5pm. I'll add that to my list. Meanwhile I took a look around at the various chapels -- some busts by Bernini, it's becoming commonplace to see his work all over Rome. In fact, entering almost any church in Rome virtually guarantees that you'll see some marvelous art.