Italian Trip Diary -- Day #19 -- Rome, Capitoline Museum

Sunday, July 1, 2001, Rome, Capitoline Museum:

I've broken down this day's diary into two parts -- Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Campidoglio, Roman Forum, and Colosseum was published last week; and Capitoline Museum will be published today.

The Capitoline Museum is spread among three buildings on the Piazza del Campidoglio.  It is best known for its collection of antiquities -- primarily sculptures.  But it also holds interesting Renaissance paintings, sculptures and tapestries and has some fabulous Renaissance interiors.  Since we visited in 2001, the museum has been upgraded and expanded -- but the collection remains pretty much as we saw it.

Among the antiquities, one obvious star is 'The Dying Gaul' which I posted about in March after seeing it again in a one-piece exhibition in the rotunda of the National Gallery in Washington last January.  Among the other sculptures that caught our eye in 2001 was a sarcophagus from the 3rd century AD where the coffin has incredibly detailed deep bas relief scenes from the life of Achilles, while the lid has rather primitive portrait renderings of the deceased patrons (looking almost like Grant Woods' 'American Gothic' minus the pitchfork).

'Sarcophagus', marble, Roman, 3rd century AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Displayed in a courtyard was a Satyr (half man-half goat) from the Theater of Pompey (dedicated in 55 BC) in the Campus Martius.   The statue is believed to be a copy of a Greek original.

'Satyr', marble, Roman (after Hellenistic original), circa 55 BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

In another courtyard we found the head, arms, hands and feet from the 'Colossus of Constantine' which was originally displayed in the apse of the Basilica of Maxentius.  While the head, hands and feet of the enormous statue are carved from white marble, the rest of the figure was composed of brick and wood, probably covered with gilded bronze.  In late antiquity the statue was looted for its bronze and destroyed.  Michelangelo moved the remaining pieces to the Capitoline while he was working on the Piazza del Campidoglio project. 

'Head and Hand' from the 'Colossus of Constantine', marble, Roman, 313-324 AD.
George (6'3") is included to provide some sense of scale.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Another giant statue is a bronze 'Hercules' that was discovered in Rome in the 15th century AD.  Scholars have dated it to the 2nd century BC in Greece and believe that it was brought to Rome as a cult figure for the Temple of Hercules Victor which was located in the Forum Boarium (livestock market) near the Tiber.  

'Hercules', bronze, Greek, 2nd century BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This room, the Hall of the Horatii and Curiatii has frescoes by Giuseppe Cesari, Cavalier d'Arpino, from 1636-38 AD.

The 'Capitoline Venus' is a Roman copy of a 4th century BC original by Praxiteles.  The copy is executed in fine Parian marble.  It was discovered between 1666 and 1670 AD in Rome.  Compared to the male figures, this Venus seems a bit shy.

'Capitoline Venus', Parian marble, Roman (copy of a Greek original from 4th century BC).
Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Discobolus as a Wounded Warrior' is a reconstruction utilizing the torso of Discobolus from the 1st century AD -- which itself is based on a Greek original by Mirone from 460 BC.  The figure that Pierre-Etienne Monnot created around the start of the 18th century is extraordinarily dynamic with the arms and shoulders torqued away from the hips and legs. 

'Torso of Discobolus' (copy of an original Greek statue by Mirone, 460 BC), marble, Roman, 1st century AD.
Reconstruction as a 'Wounded Warrior' by Pierre-Etienne Monnot, marble, circa 1700 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

One of the most beloved sculptures in the Capitoline Museum is a bronze from the 1st century BC of a young boy removing a splinter from his foot -- it's called 'Spinario' .  Less than 2.5 feet high it has a sweetness and simplicity which is direct and endearing.

'Spinario', bronze, Roman, 1st century BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This grouping of three busts includes 'Commodus as Hercules' (center) flanked by two 'Tritons' -- all from 180-193 AD.  The Emperor Commodus is shown with the symbols of Hercules -- the lion skin over his head and shoulders and the club used to slay the Hydra slung on his shoulder.

'Commodus as Hercules' with two 'Tritons', marble, Roman, 180-193 AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Bust of Medusa' by Gian Lorenzo Bernini depicts the most powerful of the Gorgons as a kind of 60's hippie chick with a snake Afro.  It makes wonderful use of the Baroque sense of motion and drama -- you feel the mass of snakes writhing and slithering as you move around it.

'Bust of Medusa'  by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, marble, 1644-48 AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Among the great paintings is Guercino's painting 'The Burial of Saint Petronilla'.  It was initially commissioned for an altar in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, then moved to the Quirinale, where it hung until Napoleon requisitioned it for the Louvre.  Antonio Canova brought it back to Italy in 1818 and installed it in the Capitoline Museum.

'The Burial of Saint Petronilla' by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), oil on canvas, 1621-23 AD.
George offers scale for this enormous painting.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The painting is divided into two spheres: earth and heaven.  The lower, darker half depicts the saint's body being lowered into her grave surrounded by mourners; the upper, brighter half depicts her soul arriving before Christ in heaven.  According to Christian mythology, Petronilla was the daughter of Saint Peter.  The body was buried in the Roman Catacombs until 1606 AD when the remains were moved to the Vatican.

Part of the Capitoline Museum collection displayed in the grounds outside, 'Lion Attacking a Horse' is a Greek sculpture that dates from 325 to 300 BC.

'Lion Attacking a Horse', white marble, Greek, circa 325-300 BC.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Since our visit in 2001, this work has been moved to a new enclosed courtyard along with the original of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius that once stood at the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio and several other works -- including this statue of 'Oceanus' from the 1st or 2nd century AD.

'Oceanus', marble, Roman, circa 1st of 2nd century AD.  It was probably originally part of the fountain.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

This sculptural fragment of one woman carrying another was discovered in the area of Horti Lamiani -- Lamiani Gardens -- created by the consul Aelius Lamia, friend of Tiberius, on the Esquiline Hill during the excavations for the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

'Fragment of One Woman Carrying Another', marble, unknown attribution.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There is a sense of urgency to the movement of the figures and the drapery which makes it very arresting.

Here are a few other works that we liked that I can't identify (I hadn't yet adopted the practice I use now of photographing the wall plaques as well as the art):

This is obviously a marble sculpture of Hercules (note the lion skin and the club), but it's less muscular and cocky than many pieces on the subject.  Also, I liked the cool tone of the background.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The subjects of these three paintings are familiar: 'The Baptism of Christ', 'The Resurrection of Christ', and 'The Mocking of Christ (with the Crown of Thorns)' -- but I cannot locate an attribution or date.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The lighting on this bust is extraordinary -- but I have no idea who its subject or creator were.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Finally, here's a coffered ceiling from one of the galleries centered on the papal seal of Innocent X -- three fleur de lys and a dove bearing an olive branch.  It testifies to the opulence of the galleries in the Capitoline Museum and the papal patronage that was bestowed on the project over many years.

Coffered ceiling in Capitoline Museum gallery.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Comments on 'The Theory of Everything'

We went to see 'The Theory of Everything', the movie directed by James Marsh and written by Anthony McCarten based on the book 'Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen' by Jane Wilde Hawking.  It is a pretty straightforward biopic about the theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking -- starring Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife, Jane Wilde Hawking.

The poster for 'The Theory of Everything'

Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with motor neuron disease which is related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly called Lou Gehrig's Disease) while he was still a student at Oxford.  At the time, he was given a life expectancy of less than two years.  He went on to marry Jane, father three children, divorce Jane and remarry -- his nurse, Elaine (played by Maxine Peake).  Following the divorce, Jane married Jonathan (played by Charlie Cox) the young choir master and music teacher who had assisted Jane in caring for Stephen and their family.  

Professionally, Stephen became a noted scientific thinker and author, traveling and speaking extensively, and eventually founding the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.  The movie is framed by his investiture as a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.  He is now 72, almost completely paralyzed, and uses a speech synthesizer to speak after a bout with pneumonia in 1985 required a tracheotomy.  At the time, the doctors asked Jane if she wanted Stephen removed from the ventilator that was sustaining him.  She refused.

While making the simplifications and elisions needed to develop the movie's romantic arc within a two-hour commercial format, the key elements of the Hawkings' remarkable story remain.  The science is not really dumbed-down so much as it is intelligently summarized -- much as Hawking's book, 'The History of Time', was written for smart laymen, not fellow academics.

Redmayne courageously tackles Stephen's physical afflictions, but more importantly portrays his sense of humour, his guileless brilliance and his sexual appetite.  Felicity Jones' blazing performance as Jane Hawking brings out Jane's strength as a wife and mother, without downplaying her frustration with Stephen's ingratitude and with the difficulties of maintaining a support system for a capricious genius.

With wonderful performances and gorgeous cinematography -- filmed on location in Oxford and Cambridge -- it's a fine, thoughtful movie that deserves to be seen and savored.

Publicity banner for 'The Theory of Everything'.

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #19 -- Rome

Sunday, July 1, 2001, Rome:

On Sunday morning we took a taxi to the Victor Emmanuel Monument on the Piazza Venezia.  The monument was erected in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first King of Italy.

The Victor Emmanuel Monument home of Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

 It was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885 and the sculptures adorning it were created by Italian sculptors of that era.  It houses the Tomb of Italy's Unknown Soldier who was buried there in 1921.  While it is an important site, the structure -- which can be seen from all over Rome -- is widely derided as 'the wedding cake', 'the typewriter' and even 'the urinal'.

Two of the domed churches near the Piazza Venezia -- Santa Maria di Loreto begun in 1507 by Anotnio da Sangallo and completed in 1582 by Jacobo del Duca and  Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano designed by Antoine Derizet around 1740.  Trajan's Column rises out of the Trajan Forum on the right.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

We went to the right of the monument, passed the ramp leading to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and climbed the ramp to the Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill.

Piazza del Campidoglio with statue of Marcus Aurelius.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This beautiful square is based on a design by Michelangelo.  An equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius at the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio.  This is a replica -- the original
is inside the Capitoline Museum.  Experts speculate that the emperor is granting clemency to an enemy
captive about to be trampled under the horse's right front hoof.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

is the central focus of the radiating pavement.  The Palazzo Senatorio

Palazzo Senatorio which was redesigned by Michelangelo by moving the campanile to the center and adding the imposing double staircase with fountains and statuary below.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

is at the back flanked by two buildings that form the Capitoline Museum (they’re connected by an underground passageway which has a spur that goes under the Senatorio to a gallery with splendid views of the Roman Forum).

Capitoline Museum in the Palazzo dei Conservatori is a medieval palace the was redesigned by Michelangelo in the 1530's as part of the Piazza del Campidoglio project.  On the opposite side of the Piazza, Michelangelo added the matching Palazzo Nuevo to his design -- although it was not finished until 1654. 

The galleries of the Capitoline Museum contain an abundance of wonderful paintings and sculptures including 'The Dying Gaul'.  You can see photos and comments about 'The Dying Gaul' in my post from last winter here: 

http://zylopho.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-dying-gaul-at-national-gallery-of.html

There is so much wonderful art in the Capitoline Museum that I'm creating a separate post on the museum following this one.

We had lunch on a roof terrace with views out over the city to the Vatican.

View from the roof terrace of the Capitoline Museum including the domes of the Vatican (between the trees)
 and the Basilica of Sant Andrea della Valle.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There was a wedding reception in progress, so access was restricted.

After completing our tour of the museum, we walked down the Capitoline Hill behind the Victor Emmanuel into the Forum, under the Arch of Septimius Severus

The Arch of Septimius Severus forms the entrance to the Roman Forum.  The arch was dedicated in 203 AD in honor of the victories of Septimius Severus over the Parthians in 194 thru 199 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Bas reliefs of Parthian captives on the Arch of Septimius Severus.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

and through the ruins of many magnificent temples

Temple of Vesta set against the ruins of the House of Tiberius in the Roman Forum.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The Temple of Antonino & Faustina which the Christians repurposed as the Basilica of  Saints Cosmo & Damiano.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

and buildings to the Arch of Titus.

The Arch of Titus was built by the Emperor Domitian in 82 AD to commemorate his older brother, Titus,
and his many  military victories including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

It was a hot, sunny day and the Forum was crowded with tourists.

From the Arch of Titus we walked to the Colosseum

Colonnade along the Via Sacra leading from the Roman Forum to the Colosseum.  Roman triumphal processions came along this route on their way to victory celebrations in the Colosseum.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

which is no longer in the center of a swirling sea of traffic and has been extensively repaired and buttressed. 

The Colosseum (aka the Flavian Amphitheatre) was built between 70 AD and 80 AD by the emperors Vespasian,
Titus and Domitian (the Flavian emperors).  It held between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

There was quite a wait for tickets to get inside, which is somewhat disappointing.  The area beneath the floor of the arena (what George refers to as “the backstage” area) has been partially covered by new floor (so the Pope can say one mass a year or something)

The interior of the Colosseum with the temporary floor used by the Pope to say mass.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

which allows visitors to walk out above the maze of cells and cages where the martyrs and lions and gladiators were kept before Nero’s spectacles. 

The maze of cells and passageways where the martyrs, beasts and gladiators were held below the floor of the
arena at the Colosseum (what George calls the 'backstage').  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Somehow this new structure interferes with the ancient sense of brutality which the place used to convey before the renovation.

The Arch of Constantine at the southwest corner of the Colosseum is the most recent of the Roman triumphal arches, built in 315 AD to commemorate Constantine's victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

We stopped for a drink at a café overlooking the arena and then taxied back to the hotel for a much deserved nap after an exhilarating day.  We opted for a restaurant near the hotel, Ristorante Il Giardino (now Giardino di Alvino,Via Zucchelli 29, Rome  www.ilgiardinodialbino.com/home.html).  We ate in a lovely vine-covered courtyard which had once been a handball court – a peaceful end to a long, hot day.

Thoughts on the movie 'Foxcatcher'

We went to see the movie 'Foxcatcher' on a recent afternoon.  The movie is directed by Bennett Miller (who won the Palm d'Or at Cannes for best direction) from a script written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman.  It stars Steve Carell as John Eleuthere du Pont, Channing Tatum as Mark Schultz, Mark Ruffalo as David Schultz, and Vanessa Redgrave as Jean Liseter Austin du Pont.

The poster for 'Foxcatcher'

This is a seriously weird movie.  John du Pont, a descendant of the du Pont Chemical family, is portrayed as an arrogant nut job who decides to devote his life and fortune to the U.S.A. wrestling team as it prepares for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.  He befriends Mark Schultz a wrestler who won a gold medal winner at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and convinces him to come to the du Pont family's Foxcatcher Farm to train.  John also tries to persuade Mark's older brother, David, also an Olympic medalist to come to Foxcatcher, but David initially rejects the offer.  David is married and has two children.  He has basically raised Mark after their parents divorced when Mark was just two years old.

John has issues with his mother.  He counters her love of thoroughbred horses with his devotion to wrestling, which she feels is 'low'.  John also has an unhealthy interest in law enforcement and weapons.

The movie is basically a love triangle between John and Mark and David.  The homoerotic undertones run throughout the story mostly in the form of men wrestling.  John tries to supplant David in Mark's life -- offering him money and cocaine as well as friendship and guidance.  When David finally comes to Foxcatcher, John and David vie for Mark's affection while Mark tries to sort out his confused feelings for them.

Steve Carell's bizarre performance, complete with prosthetic facial transformation, will surely net him an Oscar nomination (the Academy has a thing for fake noses).  For me, the more engaging performance is Mark Ruffalo's as David.  Although Vanessa Redgrave has very few scenes, she is vivid as John's mother.  Channing Tatum in the central role of the hapless Mark is a cipher -- probably intentionally malleable and unformed. 

Thoughts on the movie 'Rosewater'

One afternoon we went to see 'Rosewater', the movie written and directed by Jon Stewart based on Maziar Bahari's memoir 'Then They Came for Me'.

Movie poster for 'Rosewater'

Being a fan of 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' on Comedy Central, I had seen the interview that Jason Jones did with Maziar Bahari in Tehran in the days leading up to the Iranian presidential elections in 2009.  It is still amazing to me that the Iranian authorities allowed The Daily Show to film that segment inside Iran.

The movie, which stars Gael Garcia Bernal as Bahari, starts with Bahari bidding goodbye to his pregnant fiancee in London and heading to Tehran to cover the elections for Newsweek.  In Iran, Bahari is shown reporting on the fervor of the opposition 'green' movement, which felt that they would defeat the conservative incumbent, Ahmadinejad.  In what most felt was a rigged vote count, Ahmadinejad instead won over 64% of the vote.  The 'green' movement refused to accept the official vote tally and demonstrated against the government.  Bahari's film coverage of the demonstrations was aired on the BBC.

Using the pretext that the satirical Jason Jones interview portrayed Bahari as a spy, he was arrested and held in Evin prison for 118 days.  During his imprisonment, Bahari was held in solitary confinement and subjected to harsh interrogations about his connections to Newsweek, to the CIA, to MI6 and to Mossad.  Since he was usually kept blindfolded, he came to recognize his chief interrogator by the scent of rosewater that he used.

The best part of the movie is the heady days immediately before and after the Iranian election when Bahari is moving among members of the opposition with his 'driver' -- actually a guy on a motor scooter.  Once Bahari is imprisoned the movie tends to lose impetus and focus as he succumbs to the effects of solitary confinement and interrogation.  He has hallucinatory encounters with his father and sister, both of whom were imprisoned -- his father by the Shah and his sister by the Ayatollah.  It's never completely clear if he confesses to espionage or what leads to his release.

The performers are uniformly invested in their characters, but the writing and especially the editing could be better.  It's clear why Jon Stewart was drawn to this material, but it's less certain that he has done it full justice with this film.   

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #18 -- Rome

Saturday, June 29, 2001, Rome:

Still somewhat dazed from our botched-up arrival in Rome, we decided to tour the local area, starting with the Villa Borghese.  

The Villa Borghese from the side.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The building and the surrounding gardens were built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a nephew of Pope Paul V, beginning in 1613, based on designs by the architect Flaminio Ponzio.  

The symmetrical entrance facade of the Villa Borghese.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Cardinal Borghese used it as is 'party' villa -- just outside the walls of Rome.  The Cardinal continued to expand and improve the Villa until his death in 1633.

The upper section of the mail facade is covered with sculpture in the Baroque manner.
Inspiration for a wedding cake perhaps?  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Cardinal Borghese was a patron of both Bernini and Caravagio.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' captures the moment when the nymph, Daphne,
was transformed into a tree by her father to avoid being burned by the touch of the sun god, Apollo.
Photo from Expedia.

The core of the gallery's collection was assembled by Cardinal Borghese, although later occupants including Napoleon's brother-in-law, Prince Camillo Borghese, added (and subtracted) works.

'Princess Pauline Borghese' (Napoleon's sister) by Antonio Canova.
Photo from Expedia

The galleries require reservations, which we made for noon from the hotel.  Upon arrival, we found that we could not even purchase tickets until noon.  Visits to the picture galleries on the top floor are supposed to be limited to 30 minutes, so we immediately climbed the stairs to find a dazzling array of Caravaggios,

'Saint Jerome Writing' by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, oil on canvas, circa 1606.  Photo from Expedia

Raphaels,

'The Deposition of Christ' by Raphael, circa 1507.  Photo from Expedia

Titians,

'Sacred Love and Proface Love' by Titian, circa 1514.  Photo from Expedia

and several other wonderful works.

'Madonna and Child with Saints Ignatius of Antioch and Onophrius' by Lorenzo Lotto, circa 1508.  Isn't this mischievous baby wonderful?  Photo from Expedia 

No one was keeping track of the half hour time limit, though, so we stayed longer and circled back to savor the dazzling array of Italian masters.

Coming back down stairs we found that to get to the sculpture and antiquities we had to leave the villa by one door and walk around to the other side to the main entrance in the hot mid-afternoon -- very strange and not worth the effort given what is available elsewhere in Rome.  After a lunch in the overcrowded cafeteria we took a look at the formal gardens (pretty meager, but nice)

Fountain in the formal garden of the Villa Borghese.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

and then walked through the park

Walk from the Villa Borghese through the gardens to the Il Pincio.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

to Il Pincio on the prow of the Pincian hill overlooking the Piazza del Popolo and the domes and turrets of Rome beyond.

Domes and turrets of Rome from the terrace of Il Pincio.  Photo by Blomme & McClure

The views from the top are breathtaking and they constantly changed as we descended to the square below.

The Piazza del Popolo is a large oval with an Egyptian obelisk surrounded by fountains at the center. 

The Piazza del Popolo from the terrace of Il Pincio with the Egyptian obelisk and fountains in the center.
The dome of St. Peter's basilica is on the horizon.  Ristorante Rosati is under the awnings on the left.
Photo by Blomme-McClure 

Three major streets, the Via di Ripetta, the Via del Corso (one of Rome’s chic shopping streets which runs to the Victor Emmanuel monument), and the Via di Babuino, radiate out from the south side.  Between these streets are two seemingly twin Baroque churches.

The 'twin' churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli (left) and Santa Maria in Montesanto were initially designed by Carlo Rainaldi and completed in 1681 and 1679 respectively by Bernini working with Carlo Fantana.

Except for two small corners, the square has been cleared of traffic. 

The Egyptian obelisk of Seti I was brought to Rome by the emperor Augustus in 10 BC.
It was originally erected in the Circus Maximus and moved to the Piazza Popolo in 1589.
The terrace of Il Pincio on the Pincian Hill is in the left background.
Photo by Blomme-McClure 

We stopped in the sidewalk café at Ristorante Rosati (Piazza del Popolo 4, Rome, 3225859) for a leisurely drink looking out on the square.

We opted for a taxi back to the hotel and a nap, while Carl went on to the Piazza di Spagna

The Spanish Steps with the church of Santa Trinita dei Monti at the top.
The steps are a favorite gathering place for tourists and shoppers taking a break from the
Via dei Condotti, which has become a pedestrian street, leading away from the steps.
Photo by Koiveneumi

and climbed the Spanish Steps back to the hotel.

That evening we dined at the charming Ristorante L’Eau Vive (Via Monterone 85/85a, Rome, 68801095) tucked away in a street behind the Pantheon.  It is run by an order of Carmelite nuns who come to Rome from all over the world.  They cook and serve the food and also perform religious songs and dances.  You haven’t lived until you’ve seen two nuns (one from the Philippines and one from Vietnam) en pointe performing a tribute to the Virgin.  The nuns who served us were very sweet and after dinner they showed us the upstairs dining room which has an arched and frescoed ceiling.  It is reserved for non-smokers.