Random stuff

This stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus ( The Senate and the Roman people) - it was used during the Roman republic on all public works (sewers, roads, etc). It is still used today on draincovers and lightposts.

This is bicycle - meant for a family. This one shows two people, but there were larger ones for 4-6 people. You could rent them at the Borghese Gardens to get around. It reminded me a bit of the Flintstones though.

Here are the Pringles - the only American brand of chips you could find. In some places, the little container was 2 euro - which would be $2.50. A little pricey - I was glad you can get them cheaper in the US.

Here is a picture of a Gelateria. Gelato, I found out, is not as creamy as ice cream and it usually only has one flavor. There are no combinations like Moose Tracks or Snickers, just one that enhances the natural flavors - like lemon or pistachio. Doesn't it look good? They were fabulous, nearly one on every corner and a great treat in the heat - if you can eat it before it melted.

These pictures are dedicated to my Latin IV class. Actually, there were at least three clothes designers named Massimo, so there were signs all over for clothing. I didn't actually meet a man named Massimo. I did meet a Francesco and a Vincenso, will that count? Also, I met several Davids, but they were either statues or paintings. Also, one was our tour guide to the Vatican, but he was Canadian.

In Rome, I saw this poster for the Aeneid, which was being performed next month. I hope your reading is going well - see you Monday.

Pinocchio is an Italian story, so there were pinocchio's every where and in every size. T-shirts, toys, magnets, whistles, puppets, and pencils. It was somewhat fun.

Ferrari is an Italian company, and we saw several Ferrari showrooms. Also there were a lot of stores selling t-shirts and other memorabilia for Ferrari cars.

This bride and groom were taking pictures outside the Colosseum. There was another I saw there, but didn't get a picture of. I thought it was fascinating and a little odd that they'd get their wedding pictures done in front of the Colosseum.

This Roman soldier is a professional, but not really a soldier. His job is to stand around, dressed up, and get pictures with tourists. He gets paid for getting his picture taken with foreigners. I saw them at several places, even in Croatia by Diocletian's palace. I did not pose with any.

Most European cars are small, but the Smart cars can fit anywhere. It cracked me up how they would be parked perpendictular to the curb and still not get hit by on-coming traffic. This was miraculous because Rome's drivers are insane. They drive fast and do not usually follow regular driving rules. I thought we would be killed several times - sometimes as a pedestrian, sometimes as a passenger in a taxi.

Also, there weren't many public bathrooms in Italy. In most places you actually had to pay to use the bathroom - anywhere from $1-2.

Tivoli

I had the chance to see several famous statues that are in the Capitoline Museum. The first was the giant statue of the Emperor Constantine. The second was a great statue of Marcus Aurelius. Only pieces are left of it though. The last was a bronze statue of Romulus and Remus as children being fed by the she-wolf. As Roman legend goes, Romulus and Remus were twins, the sons of the God Mars and a Latin princess, Rhea. Rhea's uncle tried to have the twins killed, so he could rule the kingdom. The boys were taken to the Tiber to be drown, but a wolf found them near the river and fed them. A shepherd came and saw this event and took the children and raised them. Romulus eventually founded the city of Rome.

I traveled to the city of Tivoli to see two great Villas. The first was the Villa D'Este, which was built in the 1500's. It had beautiful gardens and fountains. Water from an aqueduct was used, and through gravity was taken to water gardens on the side of the mountain. The water even was used to power a musical organ -- so every half hour, music starts playing because water and air are pushed through pipes. It was intriguing.

The other was Hadrian's Villa. The Emperor Hadrian was a great scholar and a writer. He loved to learn about other countries- their architecture, art and philosophy. He traveled the Roman Empire and brought back the forms of architecture that he saw throughout the different regions. Many parts of his Villa were built in foreign stlyes. There is garden just for philosophy (for reflection and meditation), the palace, the baths, and several fountains. The palace was not built like the Roman houses, but had several floors and wings. The baths were large, and you could see how the water was brought in, and the underground rooms that heated the water. Overall it was peaceful - not as many tourists - and beautiful as well.

Nos morituri te salutamus!

I finally got to see the Colesseum. I cannot really say how astounding it was to see it in person - to experience it. It was bigger and better than I expected. It really was phenominal.

The Colesseum is actually just a nickname it was given during the Middle Ages, because it was next to a colossal statue of Nero. It is really named the Flavian Amphitheater - because it was built by Emperors of the Flavian Dynasty. Vespasian started it, but he died before its completion. His son Titus finished the Amphitheater in 80 AD and had 100 days of inagural games to celebrate its opening. Later additions and changes were made by other Emperors. Under Titus, the amphitheater could be flooded, so that mock sea battles could be shown. Later a series of rooms were created on the bottom floor, and a wood stage permanently set up. They couldn't do the sea battles any more, but they set up elevators underneath and could raise up animals and gladiators in the middle of the arena. Sand (harena) was spread on the flooring, which is how we got the word arena for our modern sports centers.
The Amphitheater was originally 5 stories high, nearly 150 ft tall and could hold 70,000 spectators. The three lower levels each have 80 arches going around the building. Each arch on the lowest level were numbered to correspond to the seating within the amphitheater. This is similar to how we have entrances in our arenas, so you can get to your seat quickly. Also, with so many entrances/exits, the whole arena could be emptied in 20 minutes. The columns on the lowest level are Doric columns, those on the 2nd level are Ionic, and the columns on the 3rd level are Corinthian. The fourth level, in addition to having standing room for sppectators, had beams which supported a huge canopy that could be unfurled like a sail to shade the spectators below from the hot sun.

Sadly, during the Christian period (when it was no longer used) all of its marble and much of its Travertine stones were taken to be used in other buildings around Rome. The holes you see in the stones are where the Romans had reinforced their buildings with lead and iron. During the Middle Ages, there was a shortage of metal, so the people used hammers and chisels to cut out the iron from the Colosseum and other Roman buildings. Despite it being in this poor condition, it is spectacular. The Romans had great skill in engineering.

I also got to see the Roman Forum (government/religious/commerce section) and the Palatine Hill. There is still part of the first aqueduct built by Augustus on the Palatine Hill. Although horribly hot (I thought we'd all just melt or dry up) - it was a wonderful day.
PS The quote above was said by the gladiators to the host of the games before they would fight. WE, WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE, SALUTE YOU!

A Coin in the Fountain

I got to see some of Rome's most famous fountains and piazzas. (A piazza is a city square, not related to pizza). It was a long walk in the heat, but well worth it. I started at the Piazza del Populo, where there is an Egyptian Obelisk, and a fountain with four lions. People and kids were climbing all over the lions. I walked along streets packed with shops and people to the Piazza di Spagna where the famous Spanish Steps are. There are always tons of people hanging out on and around the steps. Since it is supposed to be one of the romantic places in Rome, there were street vendors selling roses both day and night. There is a fountain there too, that the Romans call the ugly boat. It's water still comes from an original Roman aqueduct, and you can drink from it. There are actually lots of fountains - small and large that you can drink water from - the water is safe to drink, quite cool, and very refreshing on a hot day.

The aqueduct water is now diverted underground in pipes between the fountains. The water in the Ugly Boat (I don't know its real name) then flows to the Trevi Fountain. On the way though, it is still possible to see a portion of the old aqueduct and the old maintainance door, that was used to check the aqueduct is still in use today.

Next was the famous Trevi Fountain, designed by Bernini. It is spectacular. It was built in a small square, where three roads meet (Trevi - tres via). Neptune is riding in his chariot, which is being pulled by hippocampi (half horse/ half serpent). There are two Tritons (half man/half fish)leading the chariot. There are other figures around the fountain. Supposedly, this fountain or spring was shown to the early Romans by a young maiden. Tradition says that if you throw one coin in the fountain, you will come back to Rome someday. Two coins means you will get married within the year. And three coins means you will get married in Rome. This fountain is crowded at any time of day, everyone is wanting to throw in their coins.

The Pantheon was the next stop, but there was a wedding being held there, so I had to go back later. The Pantheon is over 2,000 years old - and still standing and in use today. It is an miraculous structure. Even today with our technology, we would have a hard time to reproduce a building like this. The outside looks like a normal rectangular temple, but inside it is a perfect sphere. There are no columns on the inside that are holding the temple up, it is a dome - its dimensions are exact. The height from floor to ceiling is exactly the same as from one wall to the other. The lower walls are 20 feet thick to support the weight of the roof - otherwise the roof would collapse. In the center of the ceiling there is a hole, called the oculus or the eye. It also helps to reduce the weight of the ceiling so it won't fall in. The Christians converted this temple into a church that is still used today. I had to wait for a wedding to go in, then as I was leaving - another couple was going in to be married.

I saw a little piazza named after Minerva - there is another obelisk on the back of a little elephant. The elephant looks fat, so the some call it the little pig, then it became the little chick of Minerva. I'm not sure how pig translates into chick in the Italian, but it is just a nickname for the elephant.

The last stop was the Piazza Navona, which is very long. In the center is the fountain of the 4 Rivers. Each figure represents different continents that were known (during the 1500's): Eurpoa, Asia, Africa, and America (South). There are two smaller fountains on either side of this one.

It was a beautiful and educational journey - there were so many things that I learned about Rome as I looked at its fountains and piazzas.

Pompeii/Vesuvius

I took a journey to Pompeii, about 2 hours to the south of Rome. Rome is hot, but Pompeii is stifling. It was very hazy, so Vesuvius is barely a shadow behind Pompeii. On the ride, I crossed over the ancient Roman road - Via Appia ( The Appian Way). It is lined with umbrella pines, which are all over Italy.
Pompeii was an ancient Oscan town. (The Oscans were an Italian tribe even older than the Latin tribes that founded Rome.) The name Pompeii in Oscan means to import or trade. Pompeii was a port town, and later became a vacation spot for wealthy Romans. Over 20,000 people lived there at any time. In August of 79AD, a large earthquake rocked Pompeii around lunchtime. Mt. Vesuvius started spewing smoke and ash. A man named Pliny the Elder saw the eruption and described it as an umbrella pine, with a tall trunck that spread out at the top like branches. (We would decribe it as a mushroom cloud). Most people did not know what a volcano was, and didn't understand the danger. The wind blew the enormous cloud south over Pompeii. A little while later, ash and pumice started raining down on Pompeii, blocking out the sun and polluting the air with toxic fumes. This lasted for two days. Most people fled, thinking this was a judgement of the gods. Others hid in their homes, and died because of the fumes and ash blocking them in their homes. Most of the town was buried in ash and pumice. It was rediscovered in the 1700's, when a canal was being dug. Archeologists have uncovered about 2/3rds of the city. They have found temples, markets, homes, fountains, roads with stepping stones, and all sorts of artifacts. When digging, they found hollow places in the pumice. So they poured plaster inside to find out what they were. They found that the hollows were people, in the position of how they died during the eruption. It makes the tragedy more realistic.

I didn't get to see the whole city, but I got to see some famous places in Pompeii. I saw the Forum (civic/market place), the House of the Fawn, the bakery and the bathes. Most of the artifacts have been taken to museums, except some of the orginal frescoes that are still there. It was really hot, and got more humid as a storm came in. It rained, and even the rain was hot. So everything was hot, and sticky. Altogether it was neat to be there and see Vesuvius looming in the background.

PS - This was the first Burger King I've seen in Italy. I've seen McDonalds in a few places, but I thought this was pretty funny. I didn't eat there though.

ROMA!

I am in the Eternal City at last. It is exciting and surreal. There is so many layers of classical, renaissance, and modern all compacted together.
I toured the Vatican yesterday. It is a country in and of itself, less than a mile square. There is so much to see, it would be impossible to really appreciate it all. The guide said that if you spent 1 minute in front of every item, you still be looking at things in 12 years - I did a 3 hour tour, so it was the drive-through version, which only caught the highlights.
By far my favorite thing was seeing Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica. This sculpture has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. A Pieta is a picture of Mary with Jesus. Sometimes Jesus is shown as child or it shows Mary holding the body of her son just after the crucifixtion. There have been many pietas painted and sculpted by various artists, but this one is (to me) the most moving. It captures an emotion that is so poignant - sorrow combined with accepting serenity in Mary's face, and the realistic slack body of Christ in her lap. This was one of Michelangelo's earlier pieces, yet he shows such an astounding ability to make marble breathe. The heaviness of Mary's clothing adds to the weight of her grief, her hand outstretched as if giving an offering or prayer.

The Sistine Chapel was amazing as well (also Michelangelo). No one is allowed to take pictures of it, but it truly was unbelievable what Michelangelo did to accomplish the ceiling as well as the scene of the Last Judgement. The ceiling took him 4 yrs; he worked 14 hr. days standing on scaffolding about 60 feet in the air, looking up to paint. The painting is a fresco, which is when you paint right onto wet plaster. The colors absorb into the cement and stay permanently. However, it is a difficult process and you can't make an error or you have to wait for the cement to dry, then chip it off, then start over. The Last Judgement (on the wall behind the priest) took him an additional 5 yrs. Plus, he didn't like painting, it took him away from sculpting.
The artist Raphael also did some frescos for private rooms, plus some designs for tapestries with hung in the Vatican. His work was bright and had many symbolic images in them. St. Peter's Basilica was full of enormous statues and huge vaults supported by tall columns. It was awe inspiring. I couldn't take pictures of all of what I saw - there was too much.
The last thing I'll mention is the statue of Laocoon. It is one of my favorite classical statues - again because of the emotion and movement that is shown. This was uncovered I think from Nero's Domus Aurea (Golden house) during the time of Michelangelo. Laocoon was a priest in ancient Troy. He warned the Trojans not to take the wooden horse into the city. (He called them crazy to even think about it.) He thought it was a Greek trick or a some machine of war. He thought it might have the enemy hidden within the belly or it might be able to spy on the people from the inside of the city. He struck his spear into the side of the horse's belly, and there was a groan heard. Soon two serpents came from the sea and killed Laocoon and his two sons. The Trojans thought this was a punishment from the gods because he had caused harm to the horse (which was supposed to be an offering for the Goddess Minerva/Athena). So the Trojans wheeled the horse into their city, and were then destroyed by the Greeks hiding within it.

I also got to see several statues of Bernini that I like - Apollo and Daphne and his David. (Again pictures weren't allowed - sadly enough) Also his statue of Aeneas fleeing Troy with his father and son. I got to see a several Roman mosaics, hundreds of Roman statues, and a giant bath tub from Nero's Golden House. I haven't seen the Colesseum yet - not even a glimpse. Hopefully I will tomorrow.

Florence

Florence was a very fast paced city, at least compared to Venice. In Venice there were thousands of people, and a lot of boats. In Florence, there are people everywhere, plus cars, trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles - all going fast. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a pedestrian in Florence when our taxi driver got very close to hitting several people.

Florence is in a region called Tuscany, and it is very beautiful. There are green hills and the houses have red tile roofs. The big dome in Florence is the dome of the Duomo ( a Cathedral) and is the largest dome in the world. The entry (facade) of the Duomo was ornate with statues and designs in rare green and pink marble.

I saw Cellini's Perseus and Medusa - a personal favorite, yet also the first bronze statue that was cast in one piece. I also saw Michelangelo's David, but I don't have a picture since we couldn't take pitures in the Accademia.

Overall Florence went by very quickly - and I didn't get run over, which is a good thing. Also they took us to a fabulous gelateria, where I had pistachio and dark chocolate. And I got a taste of black cherry (which had a slight almond flavoring too).

Venice to Florence/ Random facts

I left Venice (Venezia) yesterday and traveled by train to Florence (Firenze). The Italian countryside was idyllic, the farms green and beautiful. We went through many long tunnels as we passed under the Appenine Mountains.

Here are some random facts that I haven't really shared with you yet.

In Greece and in Venice there are gelaterias all over. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream. I'm not really sure what the difference is. I will have to take a picture of one to include later. I have tried several flavors so far; hazelnut, chocolate, lemon, coconut, and nutella. I will let you know of any new ones I try:) There are also snack shops everywhere. So you can get a pizza or a panini anytime of day you want. They also have chips (in Greece they had Pringles in every shop), and cups of fresh fruit.

The hot and cold water labels are C for hot (calidaria) and F for cold (frigida).

In Croatia I learned that they invented the necktie. The women would wrap red scarves around the necks of the men coming back from war/travel. In Venice, on the island of Murano, they make glass. They make jewelry (beads or pendents), vases, picture frames, etc. It is all very colorful.

Italiam quaero patriam . . .

My quest is for Italy! (Aeneid 1. 308)

I returned to Venice. My hotel was not far from San Marco Square, which is the main entry to the city. Venice was once a bunch of little marshy islands. When people came to settle there, they had to bring in tall piles (wooden poles) and drive them deep into the mud. The mud preserved the wood so that it would not rot, and the wood eventually petrified. Then they were able to put planks down, and built their homes on those planks. All the little islands are connected by bridges. There are over 100 islands in Venice, and each bridge connects two separate islands.

Nearly all the islands have their own church, and you can find them in the smallest, strangest places. They were all beautiful though, and there are church bells that ring each hour, echoing each other across the city. San Marco cathedral is in the main square. It was beautiful inside, but we were not allowed to take pictures since the church is still used. There are mosaics all over the huge ceilings. They used small tiles to make pictures of the Old and New Testament stories. Most amazing is that all of the pictures were on a background of gold tiles, actually glass with a little gold leafing inside. You can see some of the gold in my picture, but imagine a huge tall ceiling with it all over. It was truly amazing to see.
There are no cars or roads, just canals and boats. They have motor boats, and gondolas. Even the police, ambulance, and fire-engines are boats. There were thousands of tourists in Venice, it was hard to imagine living there with so many visitors all the time. The city is actually sinking 4 cm each year, and it will cost millions to help correct the problems that Venice faces. I learned so many interesting things about the founding and history of Venice. Our tour guides were wonderful to explain the details, instead of just giving the basics. I could tell they love and are proud of their city.

Katakolon, Greece

Our last stop in Greece was to Katakolon and Olympia. These two cities are found on the western side of the Peloponese (just below mainland Greece). Katakolon was unlike the other Greek cities, it was a small port town. We had to drive through the countryside to reach Olympia. There were many beautiful farms, green fields, and olive orchards on the way. The land was hilly, but not mountainous like in the other cities we visited.

Olympia is the site of the ancient Olympics. Much of it was destroyed during the Christian period, when they tried to eliminate the pagan influence. The stadium, where the foot races were once held, has been restored. The marble starting blocks are still there, and the spectators would sit on the sides of the hill. (Only men were allowed in the stadium.) Over 200,000 spectators would come to watch the games. Several temples had been built outside the stadium. The temple of Jupiter must have been very large. You could tell by the great columns, which had fallen down. There was a museum there, where they have collected the artifacts that they have found at the location.