Rome-ing

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Today is a day for wandering. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to roam the streets of Rome (clever, ya?). While I was in the middle of my early morning computer hording, I ran into Carri-Ann and Joel. We transferred some of my pics to their USB and I promised to upload all my pics as soon as I got home. We also found out we'd be in Barcelona at the same time, so we exchanged email addresses and made plans to meet up for drinks.

I took a shower and as I was getting ready to leave, I overheard my roommate talking about a cemetary she was going to visit that morning. My ears always perk at the mention of anything dark and spooky. I immediately asked her more about it. She explained it was actually an old Capuchin Church. The church is now more of a crypt after the bones of thousands of Monks had been transferred there and then arranged into different patterns. Fascinating! I asked if I could go too. She was thrilled with my interest and happy to have some company. Within half an hour my new friend Karlyn and I were on our way.

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Karlyn turned out to be a super sweet gal and excellent company for our mile walk to the church. She had just finished her first year of law school in Chicago and is currently doing a 2 month internship in Germany. Since it's a long weekend here in Europe (though I'm not quite sure why) she's taking advantage of the extra time off by exploring Rome. As we wandered through the streets we stumbled across the intersection of "The Four Fountains". This intersection is named for the fountains found at each corner of the crossroads. They also mark the highest point on Quirinal Hill, the highest of Rome's "seven hills". We ended our journey just down the road from the Four Fountains at Piazza Barberini. In the middle of this large square is another gorgeous fountain, The Fountain of the Triton, showing Triton as a split-fin merman sitting atop an open clamshell supported by three dolphins. Until the end of the 18th century, the remains of the unknown dead were left on show in front of this fountain. A town crier would then invite the townspeople to come and recognize the bodies.

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We soon met up with Karlyn's friend Mike, who is spending the semester in Rome. He led us just a few yards from the square to the front of the Church. The front of the church is incredibly simple. A set of stairs leads into a tall and narrow gray stone building and other than a nameplate identifying the location I would have had little idea I was entering a church. The crypt itself was quite the opposite. As we walked through the 6 rooms there was no ambiguity about what we were witnessing. As the final resting place to about 4,000 Capuchin Monks, and a few poor Romans, the skeletons were put to a very creative use. The bones of the deceased had been nailed to the walls and ceilings in intricate patterns, full skeletal structures, some even wearing brown monk robes (Quick fact: did you know "cappuccino" was named for its color, the same color of the robes of the Capuchin Monks? Well, now you do.), were propped on piles of skulls, even the light fixtures were composed of scapulas and collarbones. It was an incredible sight of funereal art. The room with the most impact however came at the end of the long damp hallway. A large oval, made from what we guessed was metacarpals (finally my anatomy classes come in handy), framed a small skeleton holding a scythe and scales. Underneath this child grim reaper was a simple plaque. In five languages it declares, "What you are now we used to be, what we are now you will be." Dark.

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After thanking Karlyn and Mike for letting me tag along with them, we parted ways and I headed towards the Trevi Fountain. I wove in and out of Rome's narrow streets, trying not to look at my map too often. Suddenly I could smell water, and hear splashes and crowds- I knew I was close. I turned a few corners and was soon faced with the largest fountain I had ever seen. At 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, the Trevi Fountain is nothing short of humongous. It marks the terminal point of an ancient aqueduct that brought water to Rome as early as 19 BC. In 1732 work began to reface the then "insufficiently dramatic" fountain, and 30 years later the theatrical facade we are familiar with today was completed. Legend has it that if you sit with your back towards the fountain and toss a coin in over your shoulder, you are guaranteed a return to Rome. I found a loose euro and tossed it in. Next on the agenda was the Pantheon.

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The Pantheon, meaning Temple of All Gods, was just a short stroll from the Trevi. Instead of referring to this one structure in particular as I had originally thought, the term "Pantheon" is actually used a general name for a place where illustrious people are buried. The Pantheon is tomb for renaissance painter Raphael, as well as a handful of other composers, painters and architects. As the oldest standing domed structure in Rome, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the entire world, it is revered for its precise architecture. Most impressive is that the interior diameter and height to the oculus is exactly the same, 142 feet. The open oculus at the top of the dome admits the only light into the building. Since this opening also leaves the Pantheon exposed to the elements a subtle drainage system is built into the marble floors. I milled around the Pantheon for awhile admiring the paintings, statues and altars before leaving for my next stop, Piazza Navona. As I exited the doors, I was met with a cloud of bubbles from the the many street vendors. What a fantastical farewell!