Dying Gauls and Fried Artichokes

In the Nave of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

We returned to the Campidoglio today to visit the museums.  It was a cloudy, misty day and perfect for indoor activity.  The line was very short and the galleries practically empty.  February really is a good month to avoid the crowds.  The two museums are connected by an underground passage that holds many artifacts. We used the passage to visit both buildings. There are a few paintings here, but mostly sculptures from antiquity.  In fact, many sculptures are called The Capitoline ....." as in The Capitoline She-Wolf.

The Capitoline She-Wolf

My favorites were The Dying Gaul and Venus.  Also liked for the sheer magnitude was a very empty large room completely covered in frescos.  It seemed a life time's work.  

Next door to the Campidiglio is the Basilica Santa Maria Ara Coeli where we saw the tomb of Cecchino dei Bracci, Michelangelo's lover.  Michelangelo designed the tomb and wrote love poems to Bracci.  Some 20 years ago when we were here our plan was to attend Christmas Eve midnight Mass in this church.  Like the best laid plans, we failed to keep that date.  So, it was nice to be there at last.  Also here is the Santo Bambino, a wooden carving of a standing baby Jesus said to be miraculous.  He is associated with healing the sick, particularly children who write thank you notes that surround the icon.  I walked around the church twice and never found the little bambino.  

Courtesy Wikipedia

Thinking it was not too far, we headed off to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. 30 minutes and 2 major hills later we found her.  And she is major indeed!  It is truly Roman in design without a hint of the Baroque. This church displays 5th century mosaics in wonderful condition.  The arch and the nave have some of the oldest representations of Mary in Christian antiquity. St Jerome is buried here in a crypt beneath the high altar.  

We had dinner tonight at Nonna Betta's, recommended in many guides we've consulted.  They are praised for the Jewish artichoke.  Artichokes are in season now, and this was our 3rd try. The critics were correct; they are the best.  Nonna Betta's is a kosher restaurant located in the Jewish quarter.  In the quarter are cobblestones capped in bronze and installed outside the last residence of victims of the Holocaust. Each plaque is detailed with the victim's first/last name, birth date, date and place of deportation, and date of death in a Nazi extermination camp.

See our day at Flickr 

Observations of two visitors
    Speeding cars and motorcycles really will stop if you are in a crosswalk.  

Churches
    Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara Coeli al Campidoglio 
    Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore