A LONG SHORT UPDATE
Going back to my 2004 journal, I read something I had completely forgotten about! I've seen Raphael's Lady with Unicorn three times, not twice.
At that time I lived in a city four hours from Oslo, and I went to Oslo solely to see the Unicorn portrait (which was in a collection called AMORROMA. Then I went to London in November 2004 (where I met siggesot for the first time, and that was so nice. We went to see POTO, as well as the movie POTO costumes which were on display. Cool stuff!). And in a special exhibition at National Gallery, the Unicorn portrait had travelled further and was on display there as well!
And then I saw it some weeks ago, in it's actual home, the Villa Borghese. This was the first time after having made the dress, so I stood there for quite some time, studying it.
My stay in Rome is coming to an end. I'm leaving on Sunday, and I can't believe how time has just past by like *that* (snaps fingers). It feels like I just came here. And the last couple of days I've been trying to do and see everything, knowing time is running out. Yesterday I went to see Domus Aurea, the golden house of Nero. Alas, most of it is closed again for renovations (the roof is collapsing), so we got to see a few rooms and that's it. Most of the amazing fresco work is gone too. But still wow.
I continued to the Baths of Caracalla (though I didn't enter), and down to the Via Appia Antica. It was... kind of... disappointing. This ancient road was packed with cars, the traffic was insane. They only limit the traffic in the weekends, I was told. I don't know what I excpected. Probably a quiet stone paved road with "ruin romantic" mausoleums at the sides, some trees, maybe a little fountain... Naïve? Probably. But... Ah well. It was still cool, but not the grand experience I expected it to be.
However, I joined guided tours at two of the catacombs along the road (one can only enter with a guide). And THAT was awesome! I never realized they could be so massive and impressive, both in size and execution. There were what felt like endless muddy, dark corridors with grave-covered walls on each side. Apparently there were several floors on them as well; one having four floors and being 20 meters under ground.. It was both spooky and beautiful. Some amazing fresco work survives too.
Not sure what I'm gonna do today. MUST-DO-SOMETHING! (<---- said in a hyperventilating, desperate voice)