Today is the first day of summer, although in southern Italy, the heat has been on for a while. It’s almost three months since I came to Rome. I remember walking along the Tiber my first day, when the tiny leaves on the sycamores were just a bright yellow-green smudge along the branches. Now the trees are heavy with dark green foliage that hides most of the limbs. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky today, and the sunlight is everywhere. In Rome, the light is not just something that shines on the city. It has a palpable presence like rain or snow, and sometimes I feel like I could almost swim through it.
When they restored and cleaned Michelangelo’s frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the 80s and 90s, some people were shocked (and even skeptical) at the bright, vivid colors that were hidden under a half millennium of incense and candle smoke. I’m not surprised, though. These are the colors of Italy in the sunlight. Greens and blues glow, yellows and reds shine, and even white burns with an almost incandescent brilliance. Michelangelo knew what he was doing, and I think he got his inspiration every day that he walked outside into the blazing Roman sun.
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1 comment:
Daniel ...
You are so right about the colors of the Sistine! When I visited there in January, I, too, was shocked by the vibrancy of the color. I expected them to be darker and muted. They were alive!
I look forward to your blog entries. We've all been on this delightful journey with you, thanks to your fantastic entries.
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