I submitted my final screenplay adaptation on Sunday
morning, did my final review for painting on Tuesday, and took my final exam for
Italian on Wednesday. All I have left is a final on Monday for my Film Genres class! Since I don't have much to study for, I've been enjoying my last few days in Rome. In the afternoon after my Italian final, I went shopping for some leather
for gifts and visited the Villa Borghese for probably the last time.
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| The Spanish Steps in full bloom |
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| The view of Piazza di Popolo from the Borghese Gardens |
Today, I finally went to St. Peters Basilica with two
friends; we left at 7:30 to beat the crowds, and didn't leave until about 11:00. I had a
moment where I realized how much I actually did learn in my Italian class when
I had to ask where to buy tickets for the dome! The communication was still
shaky, but I was proud of myself!
After going through security, we bought tickets to go up to
the top of the dome. WARNING: If you get claustrophobic, this may not be the
best idea. And if you have asthma, bring your inhaler. There are 500 steps to
climb, although there’s a lift to climb, and the closer you get to the top, the
more narrow, cureved, tops-turvy, and spiraly the stairs become. Not to mention
the heavy smell of hundreds of sweaty people.
Nonetheless, there was a phenomenal view of the city from
all angles at the very top of the dome, and an awesome view of the inside of
the Basilica. It was actually kind of
nice to have waited until one of my last few days in Rome because I was
actually able to recognize landmarks from the top of the dome, and was
definitely able to appreciate the beauty and size of the Basilica more than I
would have three months ago.
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| The inside of the Basilica from behind the grate on our way up to the top of the dome. |
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| The amazing mosaic work that encompasses the entire inside of the dome. The "oil paintings" in the Basilica were also replaced with mosaics so they wouldn't get damaged in the humidity. |
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| The narrow stair case... |
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| View from the top... we made it! |
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| When the Pope comes out, this entire circle is PACKED with people... it's quite a site to see |
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| The outside of the Sistine Chapel. The chimney's are really hard to see, but they are there! |
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| A crest in the gardens |
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| The dome, which was designed by Michelangelo |
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| This is apparently the height of a 7-story building and was built centered over where the tomb of St. Peter's originally was found, which is two feet to the left (I believe) of where it lies today |
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| There are plaques on the floor marking where other churches end compared to this one. Yes, we get it, it's massive. |
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| The Pieta, which means Pity. This was done by Michelangelo, and is the only piece that he signed, supposedly because he overheard some people praising another sculptor for the work so he reacted by carving his name into the sash across Mary. This is the sculpture that some crazy guy ran into the Basilica and started chipping away at Mary's nose until someone finally stopped him, so there is now a layer of bullet proof glass protecting it! |
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| The ceiling of the dome. The red and blue blur in the very center is a portrayal of God. |
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| The Bernini dove stained glass window above the chair of St. Peter. If you don't know the story, Peter was supposedly the first Bishop of Rome, and having been sent by Jesus, he was crucified for his attempt to preach to the Pagan's in Rome, and was thought to have been killed at a spot marked by a mosaic of the scene on the left side of the Basilica, but now is believed to have been killed much closer to where my campus is! |
We walked around for a while after that and got some
pastry’s at a bakery in Camp dei Fiori. I definitely need to go back there to
pick up the rest of my gifts!
When I got back home to make lunch, I checked my email and
got really nervous when I saw one from my Screenwriting professor. Even though
I took the class for credit/no credit, I have probably learned more in class
than in most other classes I have taken, mostly because it directly affects my
career and is something I am passionate about. I ended up earning an A in the
class – woohoo!! – and an A on my final script! He had told us in class that
rarely does he give lower than a B- and rarely does he give higher than an A-,
so I am really proud of that!
These are the comments he left on my script:
EXCELLENT JOB, ELIZA, A PLEASURE TO READ. THE ONLY NOTE I
HAVE REALLY IS REGARDING THE NEED TO PUT IN THE TRANSLATOR’S DIALOGUE AND BE
CLEAR WITH WHO SPEAKS GREEK WHEN, AS I NOTED IN THE SCRIPT ALONG THE WAY. YOU
HANDLED HOLMES, WATSON, MYCROFT AND VICTORIAN LONDON VERY WELL, YOU BORROWED
FROM HOLMES’ STORIES TO INCLUDE ELEMENTS THAT ARE QUINTESSENTIAL HOLMES, YOUR
TIMING WAS VERY GOOD, FORMAT JUST RIGHT, NO GLARING ERRORS, AND THE STORY PLAYS
SMOOTHLY. A FUN READ, WELL DONE.
This is the best feedback I have gotten back all semester,
so that just shows how much I have improved!
And then I started packing... 5 days to go people.
Observation of the
Day: Don’t make me leave. I wonder what would happen if I just “missed my
flight”…
