Rome via Brooklyn

359 words, 2 minute read.

The Capitoline was UNREAL to see in person! My soul just about left my body when I first got off the bus and saw that huge flight of stairs to the left. Luckily we didn’t have to climb those, just multiple flights of stairs inside the building, which I think adds up to the same amount of steps anyway. I was honestly a little overwhelmed at how much the Capitoline had to offer, every room was packed to the brim with statues and artifacts. I felt myself drawn to the statues of Athena on display (of course). It was also really cool to see statues that are basically stock photos, like the statue of Commodus.

After some wandering and retracing steps, my friends and I finally found ourselves at the Renaissance art wing. I’m very partial to this era of art, especially the Italian pieces, so I was having an out-of-body experience. I had caught wind online of a certain favorite painting of mine being held here, so my main mission was to find it. My soul left my body for the second time this day when I came face-to-face with my favorite depiction of Saint Sebastian EVER.

This exact Guido Reni painting was my profile picture on Tumblr for two whole years in high school! I’m unfortunately allergic to taking good photos of museum objects, so I couldn’t capture the painting in all its glory. Still, I’ve just been staring at this slightly blurry, off-center picture taken by my hands shaking from excitement, and I can’t do anything but smile at my luck that I was even able to see it in-person in the first place.

After the Capitoline, I decided to have a chill day at the apartment and work on my blog posts. On the way back, I came across this clothing vendor on the street, and picked up a loose linen shirt to wear at the beach the next day. I also had the realization I should have better breakfasts, as I’m getting really peckish in the evenings. I tried to go to bed earlier, with the excitement of a beach trip the next day.

–Nico Vila