Trevi and Trajan

The next day we got up very early, well before any self respecting Italian would think of setting his alarm, and headed down to visit the iconic Trevi Fountain. In Rome in September, in the hours after dawn, the air is pleasant and fresh, but still, neither very cool or warm. The city smells of the cobbled streets, and the only sounds are the cooing of doves, and the occasional car. The fountain lies about a mile north of the ancient and heavily trafficked sites of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, but the fountains manage to attract their fair share of the tourists anyway, despite being a relatively modern attraction. In a city whose history is best measured by millennia, the fountain was completed in 1762, less than 250 years ago.

The fountain draws the tourists for a few reasons, not least of which is that it is rather impressive. The large pool, and the sort of stone waterfall, ensconced with figures of Neptune, his horses and accompanying riders. All of this before a grand white roman styled palace. But there is also the various movies that have feature the fountain, perhaps most famously, La Dolce Vita. And on top of all that, there's the idea that throwing a coin in the fountain guarantees your return to the city, and who would want to miss out on that? But this early in the morning, there was no one else around. It was quiet and calm, and there was no one there but us to see us toss our coins in

From the fountain of Trevi, we traveled on to Trajan's Market. The site had just opened up for the day, and we were the first to get out and explore the streets and buildings of this former downtown Rome. The buildings are bare walled and empty floored. Unlike Pompeii, there are no relics to indicate whether this might have been a bakery, that a shop, here a tavern. But, there are discoveries to be made. This stairwell leads from a set of shops on a round plaza, up and behind, to a second level street, also lined with buildings. Here, a stone cover conceals the drainage below the street. Over it all are remnants of residences. Prime real estate then, as it would be now.

Now with the day in full progress, we turned from the business of Rome to it's governance, as we made the short walk to the forum.

The Stone Monsters of Bomarzo

Late in the evening we arrived in the town of Bomarzo, a town of so many brown buildings, huddled upon a bluff overlook the Tennessee like landscape of the Tiber River. While it's possible that this small town's history may go back to the Roman era, being named as it is for the god Mars, the town's primary claim to fame comes from the 1500's and a man named Pier Francesco Orsini, whose fiefdom, this once was.

Orsini oversaw the construction of a park, filled with unusual and large sculptures, carved into existing limestone on site. Now, 500 years later, these sculptures are marked with time and rain, and moss has found a foothold on many. Despite being relatively recent in the scope of Italy's long history, the structures seem a part of the forest setting, and timeless.

Known as Parco del Mostri, the Park of the Monsters, it is located somewhat off the beaten path. Through a small visitors center and cafe, a country lane leads down past chickens and cattle to the gated entrance. Beyond the gate lies a land of slightly grotesque fantasy.

Down a short trail to the left is the toothy head of Proteus.

Back down the main path, a giant Hercules is rending Cacus in two.

Just past these are the more beautiful Pegasus, and behind it, the tortoise, the woman, and the whale.

Nearby, there is a small courtyard, with several interesting carvings. At one end, an imposing Neptune presides over a mossy but empty font.

Also near here, a wide eyed dragon fights lion and dog.

But of all the interesting statues, by far the most striking is the ogre. This massive monster's mouth and eyes gape. The mouth forms a sizable doorway, and inside, in the dark, carved from the rock, are benches and a table, as cool and comfortable, and odd a place as you can have a picnic anywhere.

San Clemente: the church that runs deep

The Basilica San Clemente is a very good place to get a grip on just how deep Rome's roots run. Today stands a church built during the 12Th century. Marble and gold, this church gleams with the care it has been given. But travel into it's basement, and the change is immediate.

Beneath the present day church lies its former and grander self. Originally built during the 4Th century, this was once graced with colorful frescoes. Today, it is mostly bare, but many decorations are still detectable in a ruinous form. Destroyed by the Normans at the close of the 11Th century, it was filled in, and the new church built above it. Rediscovered in the 1800's, it has been excavated though not really restored.

But the roots here are deeper still, for both of these churches rest upon the ruins of still older roman constructions. Here, there once stood the house of a early Christian convert, who held prayer in secret when Christians were still persecuted in Rome, also excavated are an alleyway, and another building, that served as a mithraeum. Here, at the deepest level, the smell of earth and water pervade the dark atmosphere. The sound of water too, penetrates, as there is an underground water flow even further down, beyond a grate. Through the grate can even be seen bricks which may have been foundations of homes that burned with the rest of Rome, earlier still.

Both eerie and fascinating, San Clemente only serves as one example of many sites where ruins lie beneath. This city has been occupied for thousands of years, and over time, dirt has settled between Rome's seven hills and built up the ground. Eventually, the oldest of buildings, or what remains of them, have been covered over, and the city grew above them. The Eternal City has weathered the storms of time with such roots. What biblical depiction does the Basilica San Clemente bear in its apse? Christ on the Cross, and beneath him, the tree of life , spreading its branches into vines. The inscription beneath, in Latin reads:

"We have likened the Church of Christ to this vine; the Law made it wither but the Cross made it bloom"

Having deep roots certainly helps.

Il Colosseo

Not far from Circus Maximus is the Roman Coliseum, or Il Colosseo. Originally the name of a large statue that once stood in front, it now applies to the iconic largest of all Roman Amphitheatres. Designed much as modern sports arenas, the amphitheater had a wide outer wall, now mostly gone, which encircled inner hallways and stairways, which led to various levels of seating, all the way up to the long gone wooden nose bleed section.

What remains today, while still impressive in its own right, is but a ruinous shadow of the former structure. The marble, which once encased the structure was removed over the nearly 1500 years since it went into disuse. Earthquakes have reduced its height, and its outer wall.

The remaining structure is mostly the brick core. While the hypogeum below the Colosseum is not accessible, the upper levels can be explored. The original seating has been heavily eroded, and many areas are capped with concrete to prevent further damage. The white marble of the senators seating is still clearly visible among the red brick. They seemed to be reconstructing the arena floor during our visit, or possibly constructing a temporary stage.

This arena once saw not only gladiatorial fights, but plays, mock battles, and animal hunts. Like any public entertainment venue today, there were vendor stalls and public restrooms. It even had a retractable awning to protect the crowds from rain and bright sun.

Visible from the Colosseum's windows is the Arch of Constantine.

In conjunction with our visit was an exhibit of Eros and Venus related sculpture and artwork. Amongst the work were several Grecian style black and tan urns that depicted explicit acts, which were surprising and interesting to see. But the statues were the really beautiful things, the others were just odd and interesting.

The best laid plans, Not the Day in Rome We Expected

By the time we arrived in Rome, after debarking the ferry in Civitavecchia, we were running late. Late is not a good thing, when you are hoping to visit the Vatican Museum. This museum is extremely popular, and operates under very limited hours, resulting in impressively long lines and wait times, especially for those who are not with a tour group. We reached the walls of Vatican City, and saw the line stretching, far, far from the door. So we decided to visit other destinations on our itinerary instead, and hope to make it to the museum earlier when we returned to Rome for the last few days of our trip.

Instead, we headed over to Santa Maria Cosmedin. This church, while probably worth a visit in it's own right, wasn't our actual destination, just the center of a couple of things we did want to see. For starters, just near this church is the Circus Maximus. Normally, this isn't too much to look at. All that remains of the once impressive large arena is an oblong field with a mound running down the center. We passed by it a few times both on the first day we landed in Italy, and in the final few days before we left, but it was on this day, during the middle of our trip, that it was decorated with strange white globes, which weren't present before or after. Upon our return, we discovered that this was created by Giancarlo Neri, called Maximo Silencio. At night, the globes glowed and shifted colors. There are several nice videos that can be found through google. It really was interesting, and I wish I'd have been around at night to see the actual display. Here is a link to a good summary video.

Underneath a portico of the church is a large disk bearing a face. Some say it was a fountain, or perhaps a manhole cover. His eyes and mouth are simply holes, and it is known as Bocca Della Verita: the mouth of truth. It was featured prominently in Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday. So it goes that if you put your hand into it's mouth, and tell a lie, it will bite off your hand. I didn't test it.

Just across the street from the church are to remains of Forum Boarium, where in Roman times, cattle were sold. What remains today are two temples. One consisting of a circle of columns known as the Temple of Hercules Victor, the other, a rectangular structure is the Temple of Portunus.

The Nuraghes

The island of Sardenia shelters numerous ruins from a culture that existed 3000 years ago. These people built monolithic stone towers and cities, worked in bronze, and left behind little other evidence of their culture or history.

Cagliari is the capital of this island region of Italy. Within the city lies the local National Archaeological Museum, which has, among Roman and Phoenician finds, a curious collection of small Nuraghic bronze sculpted figurines.

Heading north across the island, through green forests and cork tree farms, we came across our first run in with the law. Two policemen were parked on the side of the road, waving traffic to the shoulder. Well, really, we were the only car around. They were dressed in almost comical uniforms, with buttoned up jackets, belt, and brimmed hat. One held a very small stop sign on a 2 foot long white stick. But we didn't dare laugh, since the other held an assault rifle. Neither spoke the others language, so we gave them our passports and wondered if we had been speeding. They checked our info, conferring on the hood of their car about it, returned it to us, and waved us on. This would be the first of 3 times we would be pulled over in such a random check. What they were looking for, I am not sure.

Finally we arrived at Su Nuraxi. Of the 8,000 or so remnants of Nuraghes this is one of the best preserved and most complex examples, earning it a spot as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, thousands of years ago, the initial tower was built on a low hill, presumably to control passage through the area or for defensive purposes. Over the centuries, additional ringed fortifications were built, and the area developed into a small village or city.

A tour leads through the circular stone foundations of homes, shops, and some fortifications, before leading into the most central nuraghe. Here, large stones are stacked, without mortar, and doorways a capped with longer stones.

The walls are built in double layers, with the interior filled with dirt.

In the rooms and passageways, no light enters save through the primitive doors and windows, and sometimes holes left at the apex of conical roofs.

The interior is a open courtyard of sorts, though, being narrow amongst high walls, it is dim and cool. The rocks, as in the old wall above Arpino, are large. The structure seems incredibly primitive, but it has proven to last the centuries. Our tour, sadly, was in Italian. There are not many foreign tourists here. This place is secret. Quiet.

Phoenician Island

Not far north of Marsala on Sicily lies a shallow lagoon, protected by a crooked finger of land, the Isola Grande. Within this lagoon is a small island called Moxia. This island houses a museum of Phoenician artifacts, and is itself a former Phoenician city. Many areas here have been or are currently under excavation.

We pulled into a dusty parking lot, clearly marked with a sign that said there was no fee to park, and were promptly asked by the men at the booth for 2 Euro. We paid up, and headed over to the small boat that would ferry us to the island. There is a Phoenician bridge that connects to another part of the island, and you used to be able to walk or ride a carriage across, even though it was slightly under water. That's no longer possible, as it has become dangerous.

The first thing that greeted us on the island was this spiny aloe like bush.

Our first stop on the island was to view the museum. Here are displayed items from the island itself, and some from the surrounding areas. Particularly striking was the Phoenician smiling death mask. Phoenician work is distinct from it's Greek counterpart, more stylized and blockish, with the exception of Ephebus of Motya. This statue has a long flowing tunic, and is the foremost item on display.

After that, we headed on a path that took us to most of the numbered sites on the map.

Our first stop was the Casa Del Mosaici. These Mosaics are made from pebbles, placed so that only a narrow edge is shown, the body of the pebble thrust downward. This is unlike any Mosaics we saw elsewhere on our trip.

As we worked our way around the island, we noticed areas where there was almost no vegetation, and all the plant stalks were encrusted with empty snail shells of various sizes.

After that it was on to the cothon. This man made pool, connected to the ocean by a narrow path, may have been used to harbor small boats, or maybe something else. No one is sure. On the opposite side, we saw real live archaeologists at work.

Among other attractions on the island are the north and south gate, and the necropolis.

Finally, we caught a return boat to the mainland of Sicily, and headed north past the salt flats and old windmills in the lagoon.

Valli Dei Templi: How the Greeks know God

After leaving Syracusa, we headed west across Sicily towards Agrigento, and the Valle Dei Templi. As we headed across Sicily's newly improved highway's tunnels and bridges, the stone shifted from limestone to sandstone, and the land turned from green to golden.

When we arrived, it was late afternoon, and the sun was casting a golden glow over an already golden earth; the sky was a clear blue. Despite the name, the temples actually line the crests of small ridges That run almost in a line, rather than being in a valley. Across the road from the parking area lie 3 temples. The first, is the Temple of Herakles, later called Hercules by the Romans. This ruin is mostly toppled with only a few towers left amongst the rubble, and there are no barricades preventing us from exploring the climbing over the ancient carved rock. This temple is oldest of the 3 here, having been built around 510 BC, while the other two temples below were built during the 400's.

Further up the slope is the temple of Concordia, a Goddess of agreement whose name shares the same roots as concur and discord. Today, this temple is largely intact, though several columns are missing their capitals. However, still more complete is the temple of Hera, wife of Zeus. This Temple sits imposingly upon the hill and is the most noticeable temple from the road.

On the other side of the road, just beyond the car park, lay the remains of a very impressive temple. Compared to its neighbors, and many other Greek temples built, this temple of Zeus was massive. Its base was nearly the size of a soccer field, and it's height can best be understood by viewing the telamons, which formed partial columns set into the temples walls. There is one example of these laying on the top of the temples base, but don't miss the museum on the hill of the city, which houses, among other artifacts, a reconstructed erect telamon, made even more impressive by two things. A grand piano that sits near its feet, and models showing how it is believe the temple looked when whole, which reveals that these massive humanoid columns were mere decorations on the temple.