sono molto stanca

Si, I AM TIRED - we may have left our studio behind in Troy but the spirit of all-nighters lives on in Rome. We had our Italian midterm this morning and our studio project is due tomorrow (we have to be printed and pinned up by 2) so we're in the crucial hours here to get it all done. But I'm taking a fermata piccola (short break) right now for my sanity's sake and it was time for another update.

So Monday morning we had history and we went to St. Peter's Basilica which is across the Tiber River and is the pope's residence and ceremonial church (though interesting, it is not the OFFICIAL church of the Catholic church - that is St. John Lateran which we have not visited yet). St. Peter's Square (the piazza in front of the church) is actually a large ellipse/oval formed by 2 sets of colonnades that are supposed to appear as arms that embrace those who enter the space. It is a very simple idea and yet I found it to be an amazing space and the lighting on and within the colonnades is very dramatic throughout the day, so we want to go back to photograph the changing shadows.













I think St. Peter's is one of, if not the, largest Catholic or Christian church in the world. From the outside, it almost doesn't seem that large - probably because the piazza out front is also huge so they seem proportional to one another. But once we entered, I was blown away by how immense this structure is. We had learned about its history in BTA at school and all the architectural/structural changes it had undergone from its beginning as Constantinople's basilica through the Renaissance to today, but it was amazing to actually go from looking at images and plans and sections on paper to experiencing the continuous spaces and being aware of the scale. For example, in this is a plan of the church notice the piers that the support the dome - the "pier" in the church is probably bigger than our house.











And the interior spaces are so impressive with the columns, arches, vaults, domes, frescoes, sculptures - not to mention the layering and combination of all these colors, textures, and materials. Here's a brief representation but even the best panoramic pictures can only show so much - you really have to experience it for yourself! So I was surprisingly in awe of this space, both the church and the piazza.












Ok so... now back to work. Christine and I just had a productive afternoon working together but we have a ridiculous amount of work to get done, so ciao! Buona sera to all of you who will be sleeping tonight!