When in Rome.....

This weekend was like a Barnstone study tour on steroids...Imagine a week's worth of touring -- in the space of two days. INSANE. However! I had a great time, and came home happy, but exhausted.

Since Karen and I didn't have studio on Thursday because of this trip, we decided to go and do studio work in the sun at the Boboli Gardens. Bliss!!!! Afterwards we went shopping at H&M, and then had Family Dinner at the girls.

Friday we met at 8:30 am at the train station and were on our way to Rome!!! Straight off the train we visited S. Maria degli Angeli (a converted Roman Bath by Michelangelo) and Santa Maria Della Vittoria (with Bernini's Ecstasy) on the way to our Hotel. After dropping off our bags we were off and walking again to see Palazzo Barderini with an amazing piazza and oval staircase, and then to San Carlo alle Quattro Fountane (the church with the oval dome that Phil taught us about. :). It was amazing to see these places all firsthand and rather overwhelming to see them all within a few hours. Then we walked down the Spanish steps on the way to catch the metro to an area where the Olympic stadium was, and the Auditorium by Renzo Piano. After eating lunch, and soaking up a little sun, we had a tour of the Auditorium, and then walked by a new Zaha Hadid building to Richard Meir's Museum for the Ara Pacis. (Nothing like a little Architectural name dropping.....!) We got to go inside the museum and get upclose and personal with the Ara Pacis, and then were free to do as we wished so Laura, Karen and I headed back to the Spanish steps where we sketched a little and bought a small watercolor painting each, before heading off in search of the Colosseum! After getting sidetracked by various buildings out of our history books, we stood in awe of the Colosseum for a while, before settling down to sketch and watch the sun set. After the sun was thoroughly down, we took the metro back to our hotel, put on some more layers, and then headed off to Campo dei Fiori to meet Carlo and Stephano for drinks. I wasn't feeling well, and Laura didn't want to drink so we stayed and chatted for a while before heading back early to the hostel -- Not, however, before we watched Carlo take his first ever Absinthe shot! Quite amusing....

Saturday we were up and out around 10am to visit San Pietro (Saint Peter's Basilica). The swiss guards were really funny in their crazy uniforms, and the Basilica is HUUUUUGE. We had just enough time to go down into the tombs, but not enough to go up into the cupola, or see any of the Vatican city....After zooming around St. Peter's we went down the road to Castel Sant' Angelo and to Piazza Navona for lunch. We had ENORMOUS gelatos (seriously....the thing was the size of my head...and only 2 euro!) and then went to Sant Eustachio for "the best coffee in the world" according to Carlo. Then, we were off to the Pantheon (definitely a "I'M IN ROME!!!" moment) and then off speeding across Rome again to the Trevi Fountain. Once we had all thrown coins in to assure us we were coming back, we headed to Capitoline Hill via Parliment, where we happened to get caught in the middle of the parade for the changing of the guard. Then we walked down, past the Roman Forum and the Colosseum again to the metro to catch the train back to the Hotel, and then back home to Florence! We got in around 7pm, and I then spent the evening with Laura waiting for friends to arrive from the US. After taking them out to the bar for a beer, I headed home and collapsed....Pretty sure I didn't even move all night.

Sunday Laura and I met on Ponte Trinita to climb out onto the buttresses and sketch the Ponte Vecchio in the sunshine. We went to the Boboli Gardens, and then met Christine, Karen and their two friends at the Duomo for lunch. After eating we headed to Santa Croce to walk around the market, and then to Torre San Niccolo to sketch for AIC. There....I met some crazy, stoned Brit who was actually really funny, and relatively harmless. He told me all about his travel companion, Anna (his bike) and about his trips through Asia and Austrailia. I think he's been homeless and wandering since he was my age, and apparently this was his first time in Florence. He was very interested with why I was sketching the tower, and told me all about "seeing soldiers climbing the tower" while he was stoned, which he thought was hilarious...He even wrote me a poem. It reads: "Katia (...he couldn't spell my name): Thinks about buildings How the time came to make one only you will know." He actually looked a lot like Golleum from the LOTR movies?....Anyway after that action packed day Karen and I came home and i proceeded to laze around for the rest of the day - before calling it an early night to try and get better, and recover from the craziness!

Next weekend: Venice!!! With Carlo...oh help.