Italy: Day Two

Today was the day of the Long March. I must have walked at least 10 miles. I started off early to the Borghese Gallery, advanced reservations required. The painting gallery was actually a bit of a let down. There was a nice Raphael and Titian's "Sacred and Profane Love." However, several of the collection's Caravaggio's were out on loan, which was disappointing. On the other hand, the Berninis in the sculpture collection were well worth the visit. "Apollo and Daphne" and "Pluto and Persephone" are remarkable sculptural tours de force. The "David" is a quintessential Baroque metaphor, although it does not hold a candle to Michelangelo's version in Florence. His "Pauline Borghese as Venus" serves as a monument to even a great artist's succeptibility to being co-opted by power and weath. From the Borghese I hiked a few more miles to the Etruscan museum at the Villa Guilia. They are a facinating people, seemingly great partiers. There is a very touching sarcophagus lid depicting a couple reclining in an eternal gesture of celebration. From there, an other long haul to the Piazza del Popolo where, at the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Caravaggio's great "Conversion of Saint Paul" resides.