Friday morning, the day after Robert went home, the wifi went down in my section of Trastevere. I had to conserve my cellular data for Google maps, Google translate, and Uber. That’s how I fell so far behind on the blog. It was a couple of days before I could, for example, download photos. But the enforced break did me good. The internet doesn’t even chew before it swallows me. I did check in using WhatsApp. It’s been indispensable. Don’t leave home without it. And I hiked to a distant coffee bar that had free wifi, but I only did that once. The servers were gorgeous, brutally hip, and rude as hell.
I fled hipsterville and went to a spectacular exhibition at the Scuderia del Quirinale. Some of the best paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance were targeted by Napoleon and hijacked for the Louvre. Once the Corsican was defeated, Italy negotiated their return. They got them back in part by promising they would be exhibited to the public and not sold to the highest bidder. Interesting provision. This was a show of some of the treasures that were returned.
They were impressive works, but what has stuck with me was one of the first acquisitions of the school, the marble effigy of a military leader. Not the stoic knight one often sees, but a beautiful youth in armor, asleep.
It was said that if a maiden kissed this statue on the lips, she would be married within a year. One look at this marble face and you see how rumors like that get started.
Lunch again at the Valentino. It was slammed today – Fridays must be a thing. I think I am going to be a regular. They are nice, it’s all locals, and they are fine with me drawing postcards while I wait. The food is simple and good. It’s comforting to have a regular place. Speaking of postcards, I mailed the first batch today. Here’s the post box. I’m hoping they make it home.
Saturday evening, while the WiFi was still on the fritz, my intestines crashed and burned. I will spare you the nasty details. Let’s just say my innards decided to reenact Pompeii. Before that hit me, I did visit the for the Artemesia Gentileschi exhibition, in the Palazzo Braschi. Photos were not allowed, though before I realized that I took a couple. I loved this self-portrait sketch.
Drawing was permitted and I had a grand time sketching Judith Beheading Holofernes, and a small painting of woman’s face that was identified as a study for a saint, but oozed sexual allure. Patron Saint of Satisfaction, maybe. 
Later that evening, after I returned home, internal disaster struck. It was so debilitating, I bailed on my tour of Nero’s Golden House. 
Sunday I moved from my apartment in Trastevere to one a few blocks from the Vatican Museum. By Monday, I was back up to speed.
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