Palazzo Farnese

Rome has had some very changeable weather over the last few days.

See yesterday's sunny blue skies, as I made my way back to Trastevere after school:

Along the Fori Imperiali, my daily school walk - yesterday

At the moment (Wednesday evening) the rain is pouring down, and looking from my window out to the Piazza Sant’Egidio I can see very little activity – everyone is indoors.  The bar downstairs, the Ombre Rosse, is deserted.  This is extremely unusual, as the bar is a favourite with the American students who attend the John Cabot Uni just down the road.  None of the street sellers have set up their stalls, and the tarot guy, who is usually just opposite my window, has disappeared.

Piazza Sant'Egidio, deserted

Tonight I’ve been out to see the Palazzo Farnese, the renaissance palace that sits in one of the (to me) most beautiful piazzas in Rome, the Piazza Farnese.   Built for the Farnese pope John III in 1517, and designed and modified by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Michelangelo and Vignola over the 16th century, the Palazzo is now occupied by the French Embassy and is not generally open to the public. But it is possible to book a tour through Rome Cultural Association at inventerrome.com.   Tours are in French, English and Italian.

Piazza Farnese, Palazzo Farnese to the left

At night, from the piazza, you can look up into the lighted rooms of the Palazzo and see the frecoes, but tonight, as part of a smallish group (25 of us) I got to see some of them firsthand.  The incredible Caracci Gallery was open for viewing, and this was lucky, as it's about to close for two years for restoration.  The frescoes, The Loves of the Gods, cover the arched ceiling with stories from Bacchus and Ariadne, Venus and Anchises, Pan and Diana, amongst others.

Carracci Gallery, Palazzo Farnese

Our tour of the Palazzo also included the courtyard and the gardens that front the Via Guilia, and some of the loggias and reception rooms of the renaissance building.  It was fantastic to look down on the piazza from the first floor of the Palace, and into the depths of the fountains that are usually above eye level. 

School continues well, with our class remaining stable over the last two weeks, which means we are able to progress faster, rather than having new students join us – which often calls for a recap.  There are six of us at the moment, and we headed out last night for Korean food, with our teacher Claudio and his sister, her very well-behaved smiley baby, and Claudio’s girlfriend.  The food was sublime – we tried just about everything, led by Chiara, one of our fellow students.  It seems usual to eat Korean food in Rome, but this restaurant has a great reputation, even amongst the Italians (who prefer their own food to other cultures).

Gainn Korean, Rome

Afterwards, I took quite a long walk back to Trastevere, after stopping off in Monti to see the fantastic apartment of another fellow student, Tamara, who is here for three years with her diplomat husband.  Their apartment overlooks the Forum of Nerva, and from their tiny balcony, you can look down the Fori Imperiali and see the Colosseum.  It was absolutely magical by night.