I Am the Weekend Warrior

To borrow a phrase from Una, what didn't I do this weekend? Well, I got a second wind, that's one thing, and I decided to go a tourist-ing. Traveling through Italy is wonderful, but I love a nice, relaxing weekend in Rome, and with a semi-empty apartment and a little extra time on my hands, I rested up nicely for two different ends of the tourist spectrum in Rome.

On Saturday, I visited Terme di Caracalla (ancient public baths, people). I'd dare say these are the best ruins in Rome, and admission isn't all that expensive (six euro, please). The immensity of the walls of the baths can't quite be communicated in these photos, but I'm including them anyway, so just do me a favor and try to imagine it. One of the best characteristics of this site is that looking down has just as many benefits as looking up - there are remnants of the marble and mosaic floors of the ancient baths here and there, so it's best not to get distracted by everything above eye-level (not too difficult for those of us closer to the ground).

The next day, I finally got around to seeing two exhibits that have been on my radar for quite a few weeks now. At Palazzo delle Esposizioni, I indulged in jewelry and photography for over two hours. Although the air conditioning was a big draw (seriously. huge. it's 90 city degrees here.), I was primarily interested in the historic, kind-of-retrospective Bulgari exhibit, celebrating 125 years of the Italian jeweler. Especially exciting (for this nerd) were the items from Elizabeth Taylor's personal collection and the jeweler's connections with the most recognizable Italian actresses of the 20th century - Gena Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani, and Sophia Loren.

FotoGrafia, the other exhibit at Esposizioni, is a touch overwhelming at some points, but overall is a fantastic chance to see a whole heck of a lot of photography that covers a pretty wide range of subjects, objects, topics. A special treat for photo lovers is Nan Goldin's Heartbeat, where the exhibit begins. This slideshow is not for those easily offended, but it's quite cool to experience - I especially enjoyed the music sung by Bjork (composed by Sir Jon Tavener) that played as a soundtrack as the photos were projected onto a large screen in a dark, dark room. A hallway of simultaneous slideshows and soundtracks overstimulated my eyes and ears a little, but there are plenty of benches where you can rest your bones and take your time soaking it all in.

All in all, for my second to last weekend in Rome, I don't think I did so bad.

Elizabeth Taylor in Bulgari found here.