Rome's museums: there's much more to the Vatican
Written: Apr 30 '05 (Updated May 02 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Stunning art in a stunning setting without the crowds
Cons: Funny opening hours, advance booking required
The Bottom Line: Five little known museums in the Eternal city which are a joy for the discerning art lover. Get a map, get on a cab and enjoy!
|
|
|
| federicom's Full Review: Rome |
I've finally come to the conclusion that in this age of mass consumption there is very little difference between a visit to the British Museum and one to your local shopping centre.
Also I'm fed up with queuing hours in order to join an army of camera-toting Japanese bank clerks taking pics of the Mona Lisa and I find it irritating that after paying a small fortune I'm told to keep my mouth shut by a recorded message in the Sistine Chapel.
I'm probably one of the few remaining people on earth who think that art should be contemplated in peace and silence and if you're one of these people too then read on, this review is for whoever is planning to visit that traffic-ridden, pollution plagued uniquely beautiful city and
trust me, every time I have visited one of the below museums and art galleries I have always found myself alone or in company or two/three quiet and civilized couples.
This is not to say these museums are not worth visiting: in other cities in the world they would be a must-see however in a city like Rome so rich with art they are often overlooked and I guess this is both a shame and a blessing.
And finally (and amazingly)in a city like Rome where all public employees are inevitably rude and unhelpful even the museum assistants in these museums are vaguely kind and corteous, even though I believe that might have something to do with them being bored to death doing nothing all day but watch paintings.
Villa Farnesina, Via della Lungara, 203 Trastevere
I’m pretty sure 99% of my cityfolks don’t even suspect the existence of this place as every time I visit it I’m surrounded by just a few quiet middle-aged European tourists. Most of them just drive opposite it and are unaware of what this building is.
Surrounded by high walls and open Monday to Saturday from 9 – 13 this is Renaissance Italy at its best. Agostino Chigi, the private banker of the Popes and the richest man in Italy in the 16th century commissioned the building of what was meant to be the most beautiful private residence in Rome. Did Agostino mean to impress his guests? Not only the building was stunning and contained some incredible works of art but after his dinner parties instead of helping the host with the washing up everybody simply threw the silver crockery on the nearby river. Of course what the guests didn’t know was that a net hanging below the water would prevent the stuff from sinking to the bottom. Agostino might have been crazy but he was first and foremost a good businessman. Unfortunately after his death the place fell into decadence and most of the sculptures and paintings were either sold off by his heirs or stolen during the sack of Rome in 1527. However the frescoes are still there in their full glory. It is worth spending some time in the loggia. The frescoes depict the legend of Eros and Psyche which is a variation on the theme ‘poor-but-beautiful-girl-marries-rich-and-handsome-guy-but-must-go-through-many-ordeals ’. The reference is to Agostino himself who ended up marrying a poor but apparently beautiful Venetian girl after a long engagement which lasted 15 years. As always in order to distinguish himself Agostino had some corn cobs and watermelons painted in the decoration of the ceiling. It is important to point out that these were unknown in Europe as they had only recently been discovered in America. On the ground floor do not miss the ‘Triumph of Galathea’ painted by Raphael and depicting a blonde naked goddess riding a chariot led by some dolphins and surrounded by frolicking nymphs and tritons. Entrance is 5 Euros. In other museums there would be a huge souvenir shop selling Psyche and Galatea puzzles and t-shirts but not here:only a small bookshop selling posters and serious-looking books.
Galleria Doria-Pamphilj Piazza del Collegio Romano, 2
Friday - Wednesday 10.00 - 17.00
This is the private residence of the Doria Pamphilj family who in 1996 opened their private apartments to the public.
However beautiful the apartments, the reason why people come here is to see the family's private art collection. The Gallery holds a large number of seventeenth-century masterpieces (works by Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino, Jan Bruegel, Jusepe Ribera, Velázquez, Claude Lorrain, Gaspard Dughet), and important Renaissance pieces (Titian, Raphael, Garofalo, Lorenzo Lotto, Pieter Bruegel, Correggio, Parmigianino).
The real draw of this gallery is however the portrait of Pope Innocent X which unlike the other paintings is displayed in isolation in a small separate wing.
The picture, which is one of the most important of the Doria Pamphilj collection and absolutely one of the masterpieces of portraiture of the whole seventeenth century, portrays one of the key figures of the family, Giovanni Battista Pamphilj, pope from 1644 to 1655 with the name of Innocent X.. The portrait does not conceal the ugliness of Innocent X, ‘that satirical, saturnine, coarse and hideous aspect’, which made his enemies, think of a ‘contumacious spirit’. The result is a masterpiece of fundamental importance, in which the artist has preserved over the centuries the unforgettably forbidding face, with its vivid and omnipresent look. The picture was painted by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez probably between the end of 1649 and January 1650.
The paintings that make up the collection are displayed on the walls exactly as they were in the 17th century which for some may give an impression of cluttering.
There are still a couple of masterpieces by Caravaggio, one is the Penitent Magdalen. The sitter was a well-known 17th century Roman prostitute and occasional model.
This painting belonging to Caravaggio’s first period of activity in Rome, portrays Magdalen weeping, abandoned on a chair. On the ground, in the corner to the left, are depicted a small pot of unguent, a string of pearls and some coins, symbols of the vanities of the world.
Another Caravaggio masterpiece is the Rest during the Flight into Egypt. Painted in his youth, it is an extremely touching representation of an Angel playing the violin while St. Joseph depicted as old and weary, holds the score and the Virgin is asleep with the Child in her arms.
Museo e Galleria Borghese
Piazzale del Museo Borghese, 5 Tel. + 39 06 8413979
Ok, ok. This is not a small museum. As a matter of fact, after the Vatican it is the most important museum in Rome.
It is however a bit complicated to get in as it requires advance booking because the admission is strictly reduced to only 360 persons every 2 hours. In itself this is a bit of a pain but has quite a few advantages such as no queuing and most important of all the possibility to admire the paintings in peace and relative tranquillity.
This museum was closed in 1984 because it was basically falling apart. Given the typical efficiency of the Italian authorities it reopened only in 1996. However to be fair the restoration has been stunning and the building is now not only beautiful and well-kept but also well-maintained
and the glowing façade of the villa set in its green garden, has now been returned to its original 17th century splendour.
The Villa Pinciana (the old name of Villa Borghese) was built by the Borghese family as a museum to house fine examples of ancient and modern art, as a music centre, but also as a place for the contemplation of nature (in the form of rare plants and animals), of fossil specimens and of modern technology of the time, i.e. mirrors, bizarre lenses and special clocks.
The villa administered a large farm with vineyards, vegetable gardens, hunting grounds, stables, barns, dovecotes in the towers (whose entrance are still visible),a large aviary, an ice store, a wine cellar and even silkworms. Extremely rare plants imported from Holland and Indies and a zoological garden completed what was meant to be a "Theatre of the Universe".
The original sculptures and paintings in the Borghese Gallery date back to Cardinal Scipione's collection dating back to the 17th century though subsequent events over the next three centuries entailing both losses and acquisition have left their mark.
All of the works are masterpieces however my favourite is the Bernini statue of Apollo and Daphne. Based on the Latin poet Ovid's Metamorphosis it depicts the chaste nymph Daphne being slowly turned into a laurel tree, pursued in vain by Apollo god of light.
In an age of strict religious principles it may be a little disconcerting to see statues depicting naked human bodies however the presence of this marble group was (apparently) justified by a moral couplet composed in Latin by Cardinal Maffeo Barberini (later Pope Urban VIII) and engraved on the bottom on the base, which says: Those who love to pursue fleeting forms of pleasure, in the end find only leaves and bitter berries in their hands.
Another amazing Bernini statue is the marble group of Pluto and Proserpina showing Pluto, powerful god of the underworld, abducting Proserpina, daughter of Ceres goddess of the earth. It is truly surprising how in this group Bernini develops the twisting pose with an impression of vital energy. His absolute mastery of marble sculpting shows when pushing against Pluto's face Proserpina's hand creases his skin and his fingers sink into the flesh of his victim
Spada Gallery Piazza Capo di Ferro, 13
This beautiful renaissance palace houses the Palace head office of the “State Council. I'm not quite sure what it is and what its function is however there's always a lot of armed policemen guarding it which can be a little daunting.
However in spite of this heavy police presence the entrance to the courtyard is free and you can wander round to see one of Rome's lesser known curiosities, that is Borromini’s perspective. A small jewel of Baroque architecture this is a long arcade leading to a classical statue which looks huge from a distance but is in fact only 30 cms. tall!
The gallery itself is quite nice. No real masterpieces are displayed even though Orazio Gentileschi's David admiring Goliath's head is noteworthy and there's a Titian or two. However it provides a good insight of what a private collection of a Roman aristocratic family was like in the 17th century. It's open every day: 9 a.m.- 7 p.m except Monday.
Galleria Nazionale di Arte Moderna
Viale Delle Belle Arti 131
Let's face it: nobody comes to Rome to look at modern paintings. Italian art seems to have exhausted itself in the 18th century with Tiepolo and Canaletto and Modigliani lived and worked most of his life in France. To be blunt Italian art in the 19th and 20th century ranges from pleasantly mediocre to plain awful, with one notable exception: the so-called Futurist movement.
These were a bunch of artists who basically fought the conservative tendencies and the influence of the academy in Italian art in the early 20th century.
The Futurists loved speed, noise, machines, pollution, and cities; they embraced the exciting new world that was then upon them rather than hypocritically enjoying the modern world’s comforts while loudly denouncing the forces that made them possible. Their paintings depicted machines, planes, factories and trains and, yes, there are lots of their works hanging in the walls of this museum.
However this is not the only attraction of this little-visited gallery. If you like kitsch, camp paintings and political incorrectness some of the late 19th century Italian paintings displayed in this museum are hard to beat.
You can take your pick between heroic Italian soldiers resisting savage African warriors or Southern Italian peasant women worshipping some strange pagan idol, Greek goddesses (definitely an inspiration for some modern-day drag queens)not to mention sentimental portraits of pathetic looking shepherds, orphans, little match sellers and the likes.
Whatever your tastes you will find it art to disagree that Italian art in that age was simply so bad and camp that it's almost good and makes a visit to this museum definitely worthwhile, although in all fairness there are also a couple of Picassos, Cezanne and Klimts which are indeed outstanding. Oh I forgot to mention that there is a very nice art-nouveau restaurant/cafe' with courteous staff.
I do realise that there are so many must-see sights in Rome that it may be difficult to find time to see these museums however I do recommend that you make an effort, plan in advance and pay a visit to these little-known jewels in what can rightly be considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
federicom
|
|
Member: Federico Muscogiuri
Location: Erfurt, Germany
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
"Oh, freedom. So many crimes are committed in your name."
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.