More from the galleries

I took pictures of Barberini Bees all day. They were everywhere.








This is a tapestry that used to hang in the Barberini palace.


In these big Rome palazzos, the rule of thumb to remember is "always look up" the ceilings are often fantastic.




They had a few gorgeous pieces of Belle Epoch women's clothing.







In the Galleria Spada, there was a sign saying you weren't allowed to take pictures.


So I felt a bit like a spy in a movie when I slipped my camera into my jacket pocket, turned it on and carried it under my arm, covered with the guide booklet.


A 15th century triptych. Sorry about the fuzzy.


The portrait of the long-haired man in black next to the door is a Titian.

Of course, the thing everyone goes to the Spada to see is this weird math-thing. So I dutifully went in and had a look. It is a lot easier to see the illusion when you're in the courtyard, although it is almost perfect through the glass. But what really struck me about the courtyard was not the clever-clever math thing, but the fact that the orange trees were all in bloom and the fragrance was like walking into heaven.

Renaissance and Baroque Italians were big into these trompe-l'oeil things.


Look closely at the window on the right.

Like Han Solo, I am capable of imagining quite a bit of wealth, but faced with the absolutely amazing riches of these Italian Baroque and Renaissance princes, the mind staggers a little. And the fact that there are even now a few of these people running around...well...


The courtyard of the Barberini palace, a very small portion of which is used by the City as a gallery.


One of the things I wasn't allowed to take pictures of in the Barberini.



The thing about Rome is that you really have to like art. It's everywhere.




And much of it not wearing a stitch.