Pilgrimage to Saint Peter's Basilica

Our art history class trekked to the Vatican this morning, taking the route past Castel Sant'Angelo that pilgrims once used. During times of the jubilee, a holy year which takes place once every twenty five years, pilgrims would journey from all around the world to get to Saint Peter's for the atonement of sin. We learned about Bernini's genius designs in his elliptical and trapezoidal piazza; he implemented geometric illusions in the colonnade and synchronized sundial markings. Once we went inside the church, our art history professor informed us of its ancient relics and sculptures. One of my favorite parts of the church was Bernini's baldacchino, a canopy made entirely out of bronze that covered the altar.

Notice the upward spiral of the baldacchino columns.

The day proceeded with giving our final presentations in our migration class. My group consisted of Carmen, Yuting, and Melissa. Our project consisted of serving on a magazine's editorial board and writing articles that related to contemporary issues on Italian immigration. My piece focused on ethnographic research conducted from interviews with the Filipino migrant workers in Rome. Our presentation went smoothly as planned, and we received positive feedback from our professor and peer audience.