- Sheila
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Editor Pick
A Stunning Way to Spend the Day
- March 24, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
morph! from Belfast, United Kingdom
Rome wet and rainy? While the Sistine Chapel is the reason most people come here, the museums actually stretch for miles, with valuables from all over the earth congregated in one building: the perfect way to spend a rainy day!
You pay in to the museums - I think it was around 14 euros for us -and once you're through the security you're guaranteed a brilliant day.
From Ancient Egyptian rooms to churches containing priceless works of art, this place has something for everyone to see. We opted for the tour that would take us to the Sistine Chapel, but on the way we were directed through corridors, salons and chapels, covered in embellishment and hours of artistic work.
What astounded me was the way every square centimetre was filled with art in these halls. From long narrow passageways with detailed maps painted on the walls and portraits on the ceilings to wide open 'parlours' with religious art everywhere, it would take a year to take all the sights in!
And that was before we arrived at the Sistine Chapel. This is astounding itself. There are benches arranged all around the walls for tourists to sit and stare in amazement. The sheer scale of the chapel is enough to take your breath away, Michaelangelo's painting jumping out from the wall, three dimensional and vast. Be prepared to be astounded!
This is somewhere you'll return to time and time again. There's no way you could take it all in in one visit!
From journal Rome - THE Cultural Capital
A Museum of Great Art
- January 20, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
This was one of the main attractions I wanted to visit but again this was difficult to navigate because of the crowd situation. Raphael's rooms or now known as the Stanza della Segnatura. It comprises of four rooms which were originally the residence of Pope Julius 11. They were named Raphael - after Raphael Sanzio (Raffaello in Italian) who was a painter and architect of the High Renaissance period. He was one of the great masters from this era along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Having worked for 10 years on the project he only completed three rooms before he died at the age of 37. The fourth room was left unfinished. It was known that although he did all the detailed drawings he actually left his large and experienced team of painters to actually paint the walls and ceilings.
What did I think of the work? I was overwhelmed with the colours used and how smooth the actual brush work was. Although I am not mad on the religious topics that he covers, I just find the technique he used amazing. Throughout the four rooms my husband didn't hear a peep out of me which is unusual as I usually have something to say. The work was fantastic! And yes, I am now running out of adjectives!
From journal A Tour of the Holy City and Museums
Not a Boring Museum
- January 20, 2009
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
This gallery has changed very little since it was first designed in the early 1800's. It is a large arched gallery which holds on both sides over a thousand pieces of sculpture of various kinds; status of gods, friezes, pagan altars and sarcophaguses. Unfortunately, not a lot of information is displayed in the gallery but it is still worth a visit as some of the statues are amazing and some of the works mix bronze and stone together.
Braccio Nuovo is another part of the Chiarmonti museum - the new wing. Over 3,000 stone tablets and inscriptions are on display being one of the largest collections in the world of its type. One of the most interesting statues is the Colossus of the Nile. A river God is represented as a giver of blessings. The 16 boy statues allude to the number of cubits the River Nile rises to during a flood thus fertilising the region. Carvings on the base of the statue depict life on the Nile River.
At first I thought this whole gallery might have been a bit boring but it proved me wrong and I actually enjoyed it immensely
From journal A Tour of the Holy City and Museums
A Gallery Adorned with Artifacts of One Shape or Form
- January 20, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
Every room in this gallery is adorned with artefacts of one shape or form. Whole walls are covered in reconstructions of the city in different times. As well as housing the largest collection of books, treaties and writings from the Middle Ages it has a very beautiful sculpture of St. Peter's. It is made from gold and platinum. Figures have been recreated from precious gems and stained glass windows are miniature but correct in every form of detail.
It is impossible to take all this knowledge in and you could at least spend a day in this gallery alone.
From journal A Tour of the Holy City and Museums
A Room Filled with Ancient Maps
- January 20, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
Moving on to the Gallery of Maps I found this room fascinating. Both my husband and I adore maps and still would rather use a map than any Sat Nav. This gallery is named after the top 40 topographical maps of Italy. Each map is important as it constitutes a record of 16th century geography and cartography.
The whole gallery excited me as the decorated walls were filled with exuberant colours. Altogether 40 panels were painted by Ignazio Danti, a friar from Perugia. He was commissioned by Pope Gregory X111, whose reign lasted from 1572 - 1585. (Dates taken from Wikipedia) To give you an idea of the size of the gallery, it was about 6 metres wide and 120 metres long. The superb frescoes on the ceiling were painted by a group of Mannerist artists called Cesare Nebbia and Girolamo Muziano. Mannerist art was a period in European art which began in Italy in 1520 and lasted for round 60 years. It was a style influenced by Da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo (and I don't mean the Turtles in a half shell).
From journal A Tour of the Holy City and Museums