Preparation and Anticipation

Whew! Part one is done! I just completed my oral exam/presentation with Julia and Tom for Italian. Tomorrow we will sit for the written part of the exam. I am not thrilled with my performance but I might be over critical. We (along with three other groups) chose to present on the grotesque and I talked about La Bocca della Verita and Baroque/Mannerist grotesque things. Since I have a passion for the art world I am disappointed I couldn't express my points as well as I can in English. Oh well. I have to continue studying for my test tomorrow. 

On top of my anxiety for my presentation today and exam tomorrow I also need to start prepping for my Florence trip tomorrow!!!!! We get out of our Italian exam at 6pm and then (after a kebab stop) head for the train station to catch our 7 o'clock train! Hooray!! Aven, Pepperoni, Mattly, Tom, Julia, Gatto ed io are all going to spend Friday and Saturday in Firenze.

Ok time to backtrack, I had a great morning! Wednesdays are simple because I have a field study at 9:30 but then nothing until Italian at 4:30. Today for Renaissance and It's Classical Heritage we visited Santa Maria Aracoeli in Piazza Venezia. These past two weeks I have become a pro at catching the 40 to Piazza Venezia in the mornings. First things first we had to get to the church which involved climbing a monstrous staircase (why didn't I have coffee this morning??).

Santa Maria in Aracoeli
Altar in the Sky

How normal people see it

How it appeared to us

I felt accomplished after the climb because I wasn't out of breath (though FYI my attempt at Butt and Gut last night definitely worked, ouch). Once at the top Pier Paolo help us orient ourselves in the city and described how having this church in the middle of the city life and how it opens out into the city are indicators that it is a Franciscan church. The Dominicans and Franciscans dedicated themselves to lives of poverty and helping in the community instead of isolating themselves in cloisters. Interesting distinction for me to learn about. Inside the church was really wide and open like the Roman basilica plan, also the church today is a revised and enlarged version of the original. There were many columns and marble blocks stolen from pagan sights around Rome, so yay for recycling! boo for stealing from priceless treasures! This church was built on a spot where, according to legend, Augustus had a vision of Mary and built her an altar. This was an attempt to Christianize the pagan emperor who ruled at the time of Jesus' birth. The altar is real (though whether he built or not is debatable) and looks like a baptistery. There is the original altar hidden underneath the superstructure of the altar to St. Helen (mother of Constantine).

Altar to St. Helen/Virgin Mary

Original Altar to St. Helen

Naive of Santa Maria in Aracoeli

 Another tourist/pilgrim attraction in this church is the floor. Many rich nobles paid to be buried inside the church under elegantly carved sarcophagi in the floor. So watch your step if you visit this church because besides the uneven marble these sarcophagi are really deeply carved into the marble. I might have almost tripped over one.

Rich dead lady
(They seem kind of short to me)

Rich dead dude

 The main attraction in this church is the Chapel of Bufalini whose frescoes are painted by Pinturicchio. Pier Paolo worked his magic and we were allowed to enter this chapel in small groups of six, while it is normally off limits to the public. Thank you Pier Paolo!!!! I enjoyed his lecture and descriptions while we were looking into the room but it was ten times more marvelous getting to examine the works up close! Also I learned two new saints today, Helen and Bernardino! What beautiful colors and linear perspective in this chapel. It was restored about a decade ago and is looking good for it's age. We also didn't rush around to multiple churches this morning so I could really get my fill of the frescoes and altars we looked at today.

Chapel of Bernardino

St. Louis, St. Bernardino, and St. Anthony

Death of St. Bernardino

After Renaissance I came home to eat lunch and work on my presentation. First I had to stop and grab some veggies because I was running low!! Oh no! I certainly miss the veggie overload I get at IC and at home when  the boys aren't home. That was most of my day. Now I am studying for the written test and packing for Florence! I'll be making some dinner soon. I'll update you all on my weekend after I return, stay well!