We visited the Giulia museum in Rome, dedicated to the ancient Etruscans (indigenous Italians). The Etruscan culture is so fascinating. I particularly enjoyed learning about the hand gestures on a particular statue-couple, found on an ancient tomb. They may have been holding small vials, but the Professor indicated that they might also be gesticulating, as Italians do, when they speak. I like this theory.
In the evening, we visited St. Peter’s Basilica. Aside from being beautiful and impressive as I knew it would be, I felt something touch me the moment I crossed the threshold. It was surprising. I’m not a religious person, but I suppose all those years of an Italian-Catholic family environment have made a lasting impression. I was at our “Mecca.”
In the Vatican Museum, my feet hurt so much from walking, all I wanted was to find the Sistine Chapel before I ran out of steam. I was so lucky to get inside while it was nearly empty. To hop around the floor like an excited little kid, “reading” the story of each panel, enjoying all the little brush strokes, reverse-engineering with my eyes the work of this great master. And, laughing at the Renaissance style given to the Israelites.
What makes this work special is the sheer amount of work put into it. The room started to fill after half an hour or so. I was so lucky to have had that time in the Sistine Chapel.
Pacione is a native Hudson Valley fine artist and poet who has been writing poetry for nearly two decades, reading her impassioned work throughout New York since 1995, and oil painting since 2010. Her poetry and paintings center around the complexities of the human subconscious and how dreams manifest in life on the surface. She is currently pursuing a MFA in Painting at SUNY New Paltz.
Southern Italy, Part IV
We visited the Giulia museum in Rome, dedicated to the ancient Etruscans (indigenous Italians). The Etruscan culture is so fascinating. I particularly enjoyed learning about the hand gestures on a particular statue-couple, found on an ancient tomb. They may have been holding small vials, but the Professor indicated that they might also be gesticulating, as Italians do, when they speak. I like this theory.
In the evening, we visited St. Peter’s Basilica. Aside from being beautiful and impressive as I knew it would be, I felt something touch me the moment I crossed the threshold. It was surprising. I’m not a religious person, but I suppose all those years of an Italian-Catholic family environment have made a lasting impression. I was at our “Mecca.”
In the Vatican Museum, my feet hurt so much from walking, all I wanted was to find the Sistine Chapel before I ran out of steam. I was so lucky to get inside while it was nearly empty. To hop around the floor like an excited little kid, “reading” the story of each panel, enjoying all the little brush strokes, reverse-engineering with my eyes the work of this great master. And, laughing at the Renaissance style given to the Israelites.
What makes this work special is the sheer amount of work put into it. The room started to fill after half an hour or so. I was so lucky to have had that time in the Sistine Chapel.
Andrea Pacione
Pacione is a native Hudson Valley fine artist and poet who has been writing poetry for nearly two decades, reading her impassioned work throughout New York since 1995, and oil painting since 2010. Her poetry and paintings center around the complexities of the human subconscious and how dreams manifest in life on the surface. She is currently pursuing a MFA in Painting at SUNY New Paltz.
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