The Capitoline Museum and a New Place to Stay

Sunday, 7/25/10

 After packing my bags, checking out, and locking my bags up at the Casa la Salle, I headed over to the Capitoline Museum with Susan and Jim. We saw the famous bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, we saw the "Dying Gaul," and much more. It was fun.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

Diana the Huntress

The top floor had a special exhibit. Susan and I saw some bronze pieces, including a particularly striking statue, from the House of the same Julius Publius that we visited on our second trip to Pompeii-- the one where they found the corpses. The house in Pompeii had  Disney-like holographic projections. Publius was an art collector and the bronzes gave us just a little taste of his collection. Nice!

 For more pictures from the museum, visit this set on Flickr.

 This afternoon was spent loading up the bus and moving to the Hotel Villa Rosa in a part of town called Trastevere, which is from Latin “trans Tiberim,” which means, “across the Tiber.” It is more an extension of Rome, a very ancient one, rather than a part of Rome proper. But it is not far outside of town. There is good transportation by tram and by bus, so I think the group will adjust quickly. Jessica, my roommate, and I miss the electrical outlets and the internet connectivity at Casa la Salle, although there are some internet cafes close to the hotel. Not much is open on Sundays, so we took the Number 8 Tram back towards Rome to find a decent dinner. 

The hotel is up some stairs from the main street through this part of town, the Via Trastevere. It's on a tiny side street. We were were told if we get lost to ask for the Trastevere Train station, because the hotel is located across the Via Trastevere from there.
  
My boyfriend, Don, and I had a very nice, and probably final, Skype call last night. He told me my tomatoes are ripening faster and heavier than he can eat them. Did I mention I'm an avid gardener? 

 He plans to make salsa. I wish I could help him. 

I am looking forward to meeting my son, Matthew, on Saturday morning, though, and having a nice time in Rome when he gets here.

I would like to thank the National Endowment for the Humanities for funding this portion of my studies.

Two Teachers at the Vatican Museum

Saturday, 7/24/10

 My friend, Susan, and I spent most of the day at the Vatican Museum. Susan is an artist and art teacher from Chicago.What a fantastic day! We both like to move slowly through the galleries, taking in everything we can of the art. We both take time to read the placards and listen to the audio-guide, which we both rented. I got some great digital pictures of inscriptions and mythology-based art, particularly of statues from the Classical, Hellenistic, and Neo-Classical periods. I am sure these will make their way into the classroom. 

Laocoon

We were both pleasantly surprised to see what a fine collection the Vatican has of modern art. I only took a few photos of pictures I liked or found intriguing, but Susan could not get enough of the modern work, mostly paintings, once she noticed the quality of the collection. We had the contemporary art section and the lovely Etruscan section of the museum almost to ourselves toward the end of the day. We also enjoyed the gallery with the Greek vases, although I couldn't take many pictures due to problems with the reflections because the work was in cases. For more photographs, visit this set on Flickr.

"Crucifixion," by Salvador Dali, 1954

 The Sistine Chapel, once we got there in late afternoon, was crowded but not insufferably so. The audio-guides helped us remember important points about the paintings and focused our attention despite the crowds. I wish visitors were allowed to take pictures in the chapel, but sadly we were not. I had not been to the Sistine Chapel since Michelangelo's Last Judgment had been cleaned and restored, so I enjoyed getting a good look at these frescoes anew. Susan and I both said we much  preferred the audio-guides to paying for a guided tour. Seven Euros for the audio-guide vs. 45 Euros for a guided tour seems like a no-brainer, although we did have to stand in line for about an hour to get into the Vatican Museum. The guides do get you in faster. Susan and I said it was definitely worth the wait to take things at our own pace.

Since we enjoyed each others' company at the museum so much, we decided to head for the Capitoline Museum together tomorrow. But we will need to pack first. The group is moving to the Villa Rosa tomorrow afternoon, but we need to be checked out of our rooms by 10 AM. I think we will all miss the Casa la Salle. It has been a lovely stay here.

My enduring thanks go to the National Endowment for the Humanities for making this portion of our trip possible.

The Roman Mysteries

Friday, 7/23/10

 This was a quiet day. The morning was spent in lecture, discussion, and translation sessions. Nadine uses historical novels to teach her very diverse 6th-grade class. She shared selections from Caroline Lawrence's, The Thieves of Ostia, which were very good. Even though I teach high school students, I suspect I could get some of my own students hooked on these books. The series is called, “The Roman Mysteries.” After lunch I did my PT exercises, then wandered around this part of Rome a little. For tomorrow I want to visit the Vatican Museums. My friend Susan wants to go with me. We found a bus stop nearby where we can take a bus that will hopefully drop us off a little closer to the Vatican than we can get on the Metro system. I went to the Metro system and figured out how to purchase myself a week-long public transportation pass for 16 Euro. That will get me through the weekend and help out when we are at the Villa Rosa this coming week. My understanding is that it is not as conveniently located as this place, so we may want to take buses to find good restaurants, etc. I also took a picture of a sign near the ticket booth that said, in various languages, “Beware of pickpockets.” I had a nice Skype talk with Don this evening. It was pleasant; almost like sitting across from him at his kitchen table. We both miss each other and enjoyed the visit.

Beware of Pickpockets--Whatever Your Language!

I would like to thank the National Endowment for the Humanities for making this portion of my trip possible.

A Forum, St. Peter's, and Gladiators--Oh, My!

Tuesday, 7/20/10

Enjoying St. Peter's Basilica

 Today we had a brilliant and lively lecture by Henry Bender, an expert on Augustan Rome. We looked at Augustus' forum. Susan and I had a nice lunch near the Colosseum. We were  supposed to go in, but we didn't want to brave the crowds at that time of day. We have both been there before, although it might have been nice to see the special exhibit on gladiators on the top floor. I heard it was good. Susan and I did a little shopping and took each others' pictures in St. Peter's Square. After our presentation and translation session tonight, our group had a little picnic on the grounds of our hotel. The day would have been almost perfect if the internet had been working at the hotel. I would love to Skype my mom and Matthew. For more pictures of the monuments of Rome, visit this set on Flickr.

My thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities for making this portion of my trip possible.

A Forum, St. Peter's, and Gladiators--Oh, My!

Tuesday, 7/20/10

Enjoying St. Peter's Basilica

 Today we had a brilliant and lively lecture by Henry Bender, an expert on Augustan Rome. We looked at Augustus' forum. Susan and I had a nice lunch near the Colosseum. We were  supposed to go in, but we didn't want to brave the crowds at that time of day. We have both been there before, although it might have been nice to see the special exhibit on gladiators on the top floor. I heard it was good. Susan and I did a little shopping and took each others' pictures in St. Peter's Square. After our presentation and translation session tonight, our group had a little picnic on the grounds of our hotel. The day would have been almost perfect if the internet had been working at the hotel. I would love to Skype my mom and Matthew. For more pictures of the monuments of Rome, visit this set on Flickr.

My thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities for making this portion of my trip possible.

Pompeii, First Visit 2010

One of the victims of Mt. Vesuvius' eruption in August of 79 A.D.

Monday 7/5/10

 

For readers who have just found this site, this is a travel-log of a Latin teacher's grant-funded summer study in Italy in 2010. Click here for more info.

Today our group took its first visit to Pompeii. The site is as hot and almost as crowded as I remember. One improvement is the fact that the ancient public water fountains have been fitted with spigots so we can refill our water bottles. Between that and the shade our group leaders tried to steer us toward, this was the most comfortable trip to Pompeii I've ever taken. It's my third or fourth trip over many years.

Ancient water fountain with modern spigot. The worn spot is from ancient pots being lifted up and rested on the lip.

 

There are two railway stations in Castellamare di Stabia. To get the site, we got to the proper train station and boarded the train  to get off at the third or fourth stop, Pompeii Scavi.

Exploring Pompeii's forum

The tour itself was excellent. Different members of the group had been assigned different houses, and they had done their research and were amazingly well prepared. We saw the House of the Faun, of Menander, of the Small Fountain, of the Ponza, of Sallust, and of the Tragic Poet. We also saw the Odeon, which is the smaller of the two theaters, the temple of Isis, and the Fullery where clothes were washed. Mid-day we met with Steve Ellis of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He is an archeologist in charge of a dig that is not open to tourists. He had invited our group to come to the site of his dig where he gave a fantastic presentation of the work his team is doing on the more “middle class” houses in Pompeii. I was excited to get pictures and video of archeologists at work for my students.

Steve Ellis comments on recent excavations

It was also interesting to learn that his team was excavating the drains of these houses, examining the food remains there to get a better idea of the diet of the residents. He said two houses looked the same, but the food remains in one showed that the inhabitants were probably much wealthier due to the wider variety of food and the fact it had been imported. Some was very exotic, like the knee of a giraffe, a unique find in Italy. A National Geographic special is coming out this year. It is a series and Steve's dig is in one part of the series. Its name will be “Rome Unwrapped” and this work will be featured in the Pompeii section.

 

I think I have walked around Castellamare di Stabia enough now that I can find my way during daylight into town and back. I have some errands to run while the stores are open, but now I need to find my own necessities around our group's schedule. Today on our way back the stores were still closed for the afternoon. They seem to reopen around 5 PM. To give you an idea of the intensity, the earliest we could get back into town was 4:30 PM, when we all desperately wanted a change of clothes and a shower to cool down. After taking care of our personal needs, our group will meet this evening at 6:30 for a discussion and Latin translation session before dinner at 8 PM. Tomorrow we go to visit the temple of Vedius Pollio, to Cuma (ancient Cumae) to visit the acropolis and the “Cave of the Sibyl” and then the site of the ancient remains at Baiae “with its luxurious accommodations for the very wealthy and its unusual baths along with the Museo di Castello di Baia to view artifacts taken from the sea and surrounding area,” according to our handout.

 Tonight's session is in less than 15 minutes and I still want to have a chance to upload pictures to my computer from today and yesterday, as well as the video clips I took. Wish me luck!

I wish to express my gratitude to the National Endowment for the Humanities for making this portion of my trip possible.