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.

The Walters Art Museum

Dionysus and friends

Our group spent one day of our summer study program before our flight to Italy at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD. It reminded me of our beloved Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, near our home.

The Walters is a small but surprisingly high-quality collection, the displays are well laid out, and the building is small enough to feel almost cozy. I highly recommend a visit. Highlights were a Roman lectus or dining-couch, a relief sculpture of a herdsman with his team of oxen, and a beautiful sarcophagus of Dionysus and Ariadne. This was just a little appetizer compared to what was coming in the following weeks, but a very palatable one.

The visit also gave me a chance to practice photography, especially indoors without a flash, before we visited the museums and monuments of Italy. My camera was a Nikon P60 digital camera, which was light enough to carry everywhere and inexpensive enough I didn't worry too much about it being stolen. It took some amazingly good pictures, too, especially as I got used to it.

Relief Sculpture of a Team of Oxen

Roman Dining-Couch

Upper-class Roman males generally reclined on their left elbows and ate with their right hands. Traditionally three diners reclined on a couch together, although they must have been much smaller than the average person today, because it's hard to imagine how they could all fit.

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