Cece's big day out {Palazzo Barberini}

with Greta in school five mornings (and two afternoons) a week, Cecilia and i have lots of quality time to spend together! i have to admit that most days after school drop-off, we just head back to the house and daily life continues until it's time to pick up Greta again. but every once in a while, we head out for an adventure! on this particular day in March, the Palazzo Barberini museum was free to the public. the palace was built for the Barberini family (from whose illustrious stock came Pope Urban VIII), and it now houses the National Gallery of Ancient Art. the palace itself is a gem, built by Bernini and Borromini in the seventeenth century. the two masters each added their own special touches, most notably their two external staircases vying for architectural prowess.

walking past the Spanish Steps to get to the Palazzo Barberini. i think the Spanish Steps are the most overrated
tourist site in Rome, but i still have to take a picture every time i go past!

La Colonna della Immacolata (the Column of the Immaculate Conception), near the Spanish Steps

the Tiber isn't very pretty, but the bridges and the domes sure are

walking up the hill to Palazzo Barberini, along Via Rasella. it was on this street that a group of Italian resistance fighters attacked a regiment of occupying German soldiers on March 23, 1944, killing thirty-two and wounding over a hundred others. in retaliation, the Germans rounded up 335 Italian civilians and prisoners and massacred them in the Ardeatine caves. Rebecca and i visited the Fosse Ardeatine memorial last fall -- you can read more about it here.

first glimpse of the Palazzo Barberini. not too shabby.

my dream house would definitely have dragon lamp-posts

National Gallery of Antique Art

the entrance to the palazzo with the Barberini family crest above the portico

the Barberini family symbol was the bee, and i took great delight in finding all the bees incorporated into the sculptures and design. apparently, their family symbol was originally the horsefly, but as the family rose to power, they decided to choose a more suitable symbol. you'll see bees all over Rome, a sure sign that the Barberinis were involved in both church and state.

Cecilia and i entered the museum, which was moderately busy for a Thursday, but not as swamped with freeloaders as i had feared. there were just enough people to camouflage the sounds of an excited two-year-old, but not so many that we couldn't enjoy the art.

Madonna di Tarquinia, by Filippo Lippi (the Sienese monk)

  

Annunication with Two Donors, by Filippo Lippi

Theseus Receiving the Ball of Wool from Ariadne, a ceiling fresco by Romanelli (c. 1645-1682)

  

Dio Padre e Serafini (God the Father and Seraphim), by Palmezzano

 

the Hall of the Columns, which was originally a dining hall for servants and then transformed into Cardinal Antonio Barberini's library

the Fountain of Bacchus

then it was time to go upstairs, via Bernini's square staircase. at each turn of the stairs, you are greeted by an ancient sculpture.

roaring like a lion

more bees!

Christ Healing a Man with Dropsy, by Gregorio and Mattia Preti (brothers). dropsy refers to edema (swelling),
commonly caused by congestive heart failure.

 

La Fornarina, by Raphael. this painting depicts Margarita Luti, thought to have been Raphael's lover.

Circe Transforms Picus into a Woodpecker, by Garofalo. a delightful find, since i just finished reading Madeline Miller's fascinating book Circe.

Judith Beheading Holofernes, by Caravaggio. this is a biblical story from the book of Judith (which
Protestants consider apocryphal). 

St. Francis in Meditation, by Caravaggio

Narcissus, by Caravaggio

 my pictures of the Caravaggio paintings didn't turn out as well as i'd hoped -- this was the one room where crowds (understandably) gathered. and Cece was getting a bit antsy. besides, the true power of a Caravaggio just doesn't translate via a mediocre iPhone photo. i finally tore myself away and we entered the vast grand salon. the ceiling here is famously decorated with a fresco called Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power, by Pietro da Cortona.

the biggest fireplace i've ever seen

i'm a sucker for unique door handles and knockers

the view from the salon window

then we descended Borromini's rival staircase. it's a unique elliptical spiral, with -- you guessed it -- lots of apian ornamentation.

there are bees around the tops of each column, and of course on the crest over the door

we exited the museum through the gardens, which were unfortunately under renovation. but Cecilia was certainly delighted to be outside once more!

Romans love these graded steps. why have a hill or a staircase when you could have both?!

a Liam look-alike was prowling around the grounds

"here kitty!"

the gardens were roped off but at least we could catch a glimpse

an Egyptian stela (stone slab) near the entrance to the gardens

the highlight for Cece? drawing with this stick in the gravel, of course

by this time we were both hungry, so we set off in the general direction of home, with the hopes of finding pizza along the way. of course, in Rome, this kind of hope could more accurately be called "certainty". pizza we certainly found, just around the corner from the Trevi Fountain (which breaks my rule of not eating within spitting distance of a major monument, but it's hard to go wrong with pizza al taglio -- pizza by the slice).

walking on the Via delle Quattro Fontane, the Road of Four Fountains. 

i mean really, Rome itself is a huge museum! 

Piazza del Quirinale, atop the highest of Rome's seven hills. the obelisk features statues of
Castor and Pollux, which used to guard the entrance to the Baths of Constantine. 

and there's the Trevi Fountain! if it wasn't so crowded, it would be much more delightful to visit... 

... but alas, this is what it typically looks like. you kind of have to see it if you come here, but the experience is not pleasant.

snapping a selfie from the side

pizza! 

very fitting for our day at the Palazzo Barberini -- this little truck is called an ape (a bee).
Cece absolutely loves them, as do i. whenever she sees one, she says, "look, it's a Cece-size truck!"

  

then of course, we had to get gelato. fragola (strawberry) for her, tiramisu for me!

the owner of the gelateria was thrilled when Cecilia told him her name. apparently his wife's name is also Cecilia, and he was very proud of this modified Nutella label he made. 

 as we continued on our journey home by way of Piazza Navona, we spotted the very same street performer who had made us laugh on our third day in Rome. here he is pulling the same shtick with another tourist as he did with me last August! somehow, recognizing him made me feel like we already belong.

March 2019

August 2018 (with a baby Cecilia!! i can't believe how much she's grown!)