While
in Rome, I am going to be blogging for my journalism class and about my other
adventures. There will occasionally be fashion posts, but the majority of posts
will be about travel for the rest of this month!
I am obsessed with art and not just ‘oh I think that’s
pretty and I like museums’, but obsessed, fall on the floor love art; many
would go so far as to say I’m an art fan girl. I know many people enjoy and
appreciate art, but there is really no other way to describe my reaction to
Caravaggio and Bernini’s than fan-girling. Today, my class experienced this
first hand when we visited San Luigi dei Francesi and the Piazza Navona.
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| Calling of St. Matthew- yes I know it's crooked, but you couldn't look at it straight on |
First, you’ve probably never heard of San Luigi di
Francesi and you are part of the majority so don’t feel bad. It is such an
underrated church smack dab between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Tourists
only visit if directed by their guidebooks, but they don’t understand the
significance of this amazing church. Enter Taylor, the obsessive art lover,
from stage left.
The church was completed in 1589 and holds three
Caravaggio’s. THREE! This might not be significant to you, but there are only
17, or some insanely small number, of Caravaggio’s works in the world and you
just saw three of them!!! Let that sink in for a second.
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| Piazza Navona with the Bernini Fountain in the foreground and the church behind it. |
Another under publicized church we visited today was
Sant’Agnese in Agone. It is in Piazza Navona hiding behind the exquisitely
awesome fountain by Bernini, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. I did mention I love
Bernini right? Anyways, the church you see now was built around the same time
as the Fountain, but it’s location is much more significant. It is supposedly
the sight where St. Agnes was forced to expose herself and renounce her faith.
Heavy stuff, I know. Sadly, no pictures are allowed inside, but it is a must
see when visiting Rome! More Roman adventures to come and comment if you have
any suggestions!