Tuesday, November 14
Yes, we already posted about this date but we forgot one of the best things we’ve done since we’ve been in Rome. We went to the Galleria Doria Pamphilj. The Pamphilj family came into prominence when Giovanni Battista Pamphilj ascended as Pope Innocent X in 1644. In those days the Pope was also King. This brought enormous wealth and prestige to the family. Since that time they have acquired numerous Villas and works of art. Some of their art collection is housed in the Doria Pamphilj Palazzo in Rome. The Palazzo itself it beautifully decorated with rare furniture, historical artifacts and frescos. They posses innumerable paintings spanning from the Byzantine era to the 19th century. The collection includes Bruegel, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Velazquez and much more. It is an impressive and overwhelming collection. We strongly recommend using the audio guide (it’s free). It was the best we’ve ever used.
We didn’t take any pictures; we were too overwhelmed.
Wednesday, November 15
First thing on Wednesday we went to the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. This is one of the National Museums. Most of the National Museums/Galleries are hosted in Palazzos that were formerly in private hands. One ticket is good for all four museums but it must be used within three days. So, we went to two museums that day!
The Palazzo Massimo alle Terme has a wonderful collection of mosaics and frescos salvaged from ancient homes.
(The atrium of this villa had garden scene frescos on all four walls)
We also went to Museo Nazionale Romano Terme Di Diocleziano. The museum contained a number of old sculptures that were in mediocre condition. We really enjoyed the garden in the courtyard which contained a number of animal statues.
(The Cardinal who owned the villa collected animal statues for the garden)
Our favorite visit that day was to Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (or as we call it, “The Church With a Hole In It”).
The church was built on the site of ruins of the Baths of Diocletian. The church actually uses the 2,000 year old baths as part of its structure. The initial design was done by Michaelangelo but has been modified many times over the years.
In the 18th century Pope Clement XI commissioned a meridian line to be built inside the church. It was actually a double meridian that would tell both the time of day and the positions of the constellations. The stated intention for the meridian line was to check the accuracy of the calendar. It was also to compete with Bologna, who had a similar meridian line in one of their churches.
According to the church museum there were supposed to be two holes in the church that would allow sunlight to illuminate the meridian at noon. We searched and searched and were only able to find one hole. No one we asked knew anything about the second hole. We’ve been loosing sleep over this one so I guess we’ll have to do some more research and go back and look again. We’re determined not to fail in this quest.
(The beginning of the meridian)
(The sunlight comes in from the hole in the wall)
Thursday, November 16
On Thursday we went to a private museum: Palazzo Corsini. We were looking forward to seeing their Caravaggios; they were on loan to an exhibit in Milan.
The rest of the collection held only moderate interest for us.