Courtesy of Kelly Lonergan

This summer, I was able to travel in Italy for three weeks, an opportunity made possible through a Professional Development Grant. My agenda was based upon a number of sites that figure prominently in the study of Western art, sites which allowed me to experience a wide range of works central to an understanding of artistic achievement from antiquity through the Renaissance. I am grateful for Woodberry’s ongoing support of faculty incentive and professional growth.

I spent a week in Rome. The highlight of the week was a visit to the Vatican Galleries, a series of chambers that feature some of the great pieces in Western art, then culminates in the Raphael Rooms and the awe-inspiring frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. Other notable sites on the Rome agenda included the Capitoline Muesum, the Villa Borghese, Church of the Gesù, the Pantheon, Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, St. Maria Maggiore, Palazzo Barberini, and a quick peek inside Santa Maria della Vittoria to behold Bernini’s exquisite Ecstasy of St. Teresa. I also spent one day in Naples where I passed a very interesting afternoon wandering among the extensive ruins of Pompeii.

The next stop was Florence. While there, I took a day off to visit the cathedral in Siena and the small medieval town of San Gimignano. In Florence, I spent a lot of time studying the frescoes in Santa Croce, sat in Orsanmichele, and went on an early-morning hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo and beyond to the church of San Miniato. On my last afternoon, I decided to test

the line spilling down the street from the entrance to the Accademia, hoping it would move briskly and my wait to see the David would be a short one. After two hours in the broiling sun, I made it into the gallery. I am glad that I did not give up, however tempted I might have been during those two hours. Even for the third time, the experience of seeing this stunning work is profound.

From there, I traveled to Ravenna to study the vast treasure trove of Byzantine mosaics. I spent hours in San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Pacidia, Neonian Baptistry, the church of Sant’ Appolinare Nuovo, and Sant’ Apollinaire in Classe. I wrapped up my journey with a stop in Padua, where I visited the celebrated fresco cycle of Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel (commonly referred to as the Arena Chapel) before heading to Venice, my final destination. In Venice, I concluded my study with visits to San Giorgio Maggiore, St. Mark’s Basilica, Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paoli, and Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

Kelly Lonergan holds the Woodberry Forest School Fine Arts Department Chair