Vatican relief as Rome sizzles

Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome

It was 93 degrees Fahrenheit in Rome today. Everybody was complaining and the tourists looked like ripe tomatoes.

The average high in May is normally more like 71 degrees Fahrenheit. I knew it was going to be bad in July and August, but May? Looks like summer 2008 is going to be a sizzler.

And me without air conditioning.
I’ve already bought a fan and learned the Roman trick of keeping the shutters closed during the day, which helps hugely. But I wonder if I’ll break down and get an AC unit, as I did during one wretched hot spell in Paris a few years ago.

It was cooler in the Vatican Museums this afternoon. I’d been there before, but took a guided tour in English this time for a whopping $55.

I didn’t mind revisiting the Laocoon, Raphael’s “School of Athens” and Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel. But this time I found something new to love: the long Gallery of Maps connecting the Belvedere Palace with the papal residence.

Its walls are lined by large topographical maps of various regions of Italy painted by Ignazio Danti of Perugia from 1580 to 1583. They are extraordinarily detailed, marking mountains and villages as well as historical attractions. For instance, the Puglia map shows the site of the Battle of Cannae, where the Carthaginians delivered a stunning defeat to the Romans in 216 BC.

Pope Gregory XIII comissioned the gallery. A strong supporter of the arts and sciences, he also replaced the faulty Julian calendar with the Gregorian version in 1582.

I just wish he were around today to do something about the heat.

— Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Photos: Susan Spano]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 3:13 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.