rome churches

today was our last day in rome. i'm sad to go, because it really is wonderful, and we only grazed the surface. Im holding off on more detailed summaries until i can post pictures, so expect those in late january, but for now i'll ramble about the churches.
they're basically amazing. church after church of marble columns, graceful arches, elaborate bronze gates, towering baldaccinos, mosaics, frescoes, relics, gilded coffered ceilings, statues, patterned floors, etc. Walking into a church with A white wall is strange. One of my favorites was the church of gesu, the first jesuit church. The ceiling has an elaborate painting of heaven, and the painting overflows its golden frame and merges with sculpted angels until 2D and 3D can't be told apart. Some "sculpted" walls are really paintings, but even at 2 feet away, you have to really work to convince yourself.
Moral of the story: when (not if) you go to rome, wander into loads of churches. you'll probably always be amazed.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5