and as we get to the end; The Sistine Chapel, Tivoli, The Borghese Gallery and more
- charlie06064
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The 2025 edition of the John Hall Venice Course came to a glorious conclusion in Rome. It has been a formidable experience and I have to take my hat off to all of this year's group for keeping up the energy levels after nine weeks almost consistently on the go.
The final few days took in the usual excellence of The Borghese Gallery; such a superbly organised museum, only allowing a limited amount of visitors in at any one time, so we had the place more or less to ourselves. Myrtle got to indicate her namesake in Titian's 'Sacred & Profane Love', we marvelled at Bernini's brilliance...and also went to the Keats/Shelley House where Gregory Dowling read the group through the poet's last days, always very moving.
The last two days included the much-awaited Private visit to The Vatican Collection that culminated in our usual stunning experience in the Sistine Chapel. Papa Francesco has survived, and still survives, although only he and God knows what happens next. But after much anxiety on my behalf the visit was confirmed. This year we were accompanied by Charles Hope, whose forthright views on the restoration of the ceiling were absolutely fascinating to hear.
We walked to St Peter's and as usual, I dropped us into a little courtyard that's off Via del Pellegrino (fitting, for our walk to the centre of Roman Catholicism). It sums up what Medieval Rome would have looked like, a jumble of little cottages, a vine, a fig all tumbled together, when the population of The Eternal City was down to around 10,000.
Off to and into The Basilica, and then up to the museum.
Our final day saw us head up to a (rather damp) Tivoli, but the fountains are so spectacular and the visit to Villa d'Este was superb and memorable, and then our final lunch at the marvellous Ristorante Sibilla for a final talk/speech and a toast, and then back to Rome for a Last Supper etc...then home!
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