Tuesday 10 June: Shopping in the Centro Storico

Gary and I got up early today. It was Gary’s last day in Rome, and we wanted to go back to see some of our favorite sights together. We walked across Ponte Sisto to the Centro Storico, and once again visited the bustle of the Campo dei’ Fiore’s produce stands, flower vendors, and stall of gastronomic delicacies. I love seeing the fruits and vegetables laid out like jewelry or piled high in bins. Produce looks completely different in an outdoor stall than it does in a grocery store. We wandered the maze of medieval lanes that connect the major thoroughfares of the downtown district. This part of Rome is fascinating because of the way that a large, main avenue lined with modern shops and banks branches off on both sides into crooked, narrow alleys that are largely unchanged since medieval times.

In what is becoming a first and last day in Rome tradition, Gary and I stopped in Piazza Navona for lunch. It was bright and hot outside, and the sun shone on dozens of artists working in the piazza. Sketches, watercolors, pastels, and oils were all represented, and the artists were offering everything from caricature portraits done on the spot to landscapes and views of the city. We retreated to the shade of the umbrellas of one of the restaurants on the east side of the piazza and had our traditional meal of spaghetti alla carbonara, pasta with cheese, egg, and bacon. Salad and gelato completed the meal, and since it was Gary’s last day, we had a bottle of prosecco, the sparkling wine that is Italy’s answer to champagne.

We left Piazza Navona and stopped at La Sella, a nearby leather shop. They’ve been making and selling leather goods in Rome for generations, and their small shop is crowded with handbags, brief cases, wallets, portfolios, and other leather. We’ve shopped there in Rome before, and wanted to pick up a few items. Besides, the wallet I had bought there in Rome a few years earlier had become damaged, and Gary was going to by me a replacement. I found the identical wallet, which I had initialed DCM. They don’t even charge for personalizing! Leather shops are great just for the aroma. You can smell the leather from outside as you walk by.

After leaving the shop, we meandered toward the Trevi Fountain. As always, this is a great place for people watching (and pickpockets). Gary and I have thrown so many coins in this damn fountain that we’re pretty much guaranteed several return trips to the Eternal City! We both love this place, though; the most recent of Rome’s major tourist attractions. It’s not even three hundred years old, a baby compared to the Forum. The magnificent sculpture of Neptune riding an oyster shell is so cool; he looks sort of like he’s snowboarding from the way he’s standing, sort of leaning back a little with one foot forward. The tritons (mere-dudes) leading the water horses are almost worthy of Bernini (and if you’ve been reading this blog, you know how I feel about Bernini!). And I love how the horses’ hooves turn into webbed flippers. One horse is struggling against its triton, and the other is letting itself be led peacefully; this represents the sea in storm and calm.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped at the Gesù, or more formally, La Chiesa del Sacro Nome di Gesù, church of the holy name of Jesus, the mother church of the Jesuit order. Built in the second half of the sixteenth century by Vignola and della Porta, it is the model of late Renaissance Counter-Reformation architecture. A balanced, classical façade leads directly into the huge interior. There is no porch or vestibule, and no side aisles so characteristic of the ancient and medieval basilica model of many Roman churches. Instead, the interior is one vast space, with side chapels opening directly onto the nave. This was to allow for the largest possible congregation to hear the preaching for which the Jesuits were famed, and to allow everyone a view of the lofty pulpit. Most of the interior decoration is 17th century baroque, and there are several incredibly lavish chapels and side altars. Two works of art stand out, though. The first is the amazing perspective painting on the ceiling of the main nave, Gaulli’s “Triumph of the Name of Jesus.” This huge work overflows its frame, and figures spill out of the work and down the curve of the vault. There is a large mirror near the entrance, angled so you can get a view of the entire painting. The other that stands out is the altar-tomb of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. This is probably the richest altar in Rome outside of St. Peter’s. Huge columns of lapis lazuli and gilt bronze frame the urn and altar containing the saint’s body. Above is a larger-than-life bronze of Loyola, and the whole thing is topped by a large, opulent sculpture of the Trinity.

Gary and I eventually headed back to Trastevere and began to pack up Gary’s stuff. He is taking a bunch of my stuff back, since I won’t need some of it any more (like my jacket and ties), and is also carrying the Venetian glass and Sorrentine ceramics. As dinner time came, we were still full from lunch, so we had a simple meal of panini followed by gelato in the piazza. We tried to get to sleep early, since Gary had an early flight in the morning.