This was another landscape painting outing with the Sketchcrawl Roma group. Again they had arranged free admission! A couple of us stayed the whole day and then were thrown out by surprised gaurds when they decided to close a little early. They thought everyone was gone ( it was a Saturday evening – I understood).
The Cloister was built in 1565 and is ascribed to Michelangelo. He actually probably just designed it and was not involved in the construction. The arcades are supported by 100 travertine columns. The full perimeter of cloister is 320m. The fountain in the garden dates from 1695 and is surrounded by four cypresses of which one is thought to be planted by Michelangelo, and seven colossal heads of animals. Those are the Cypruses in my oil painting. The Carthusian monastery to which the cloister belonged was closed in 1870.
The garden, characterized by an enormous marble fountain, and the large cloister, where a section of lesser statues and various archaeological materials are exhibited, are part of the complex of the Museo Nazionale Romano delle Terme di Diocleziano (National Roman Museum of Diocletian Bath).
Stephan Giannini 