The Arch of Titus at the principle entrance to the forum from the Colosseum. |
WARNING - READ AT YOUR DISCREATION, THIS IS A LONG, LONG, LONG POST!
I think my three most favourite capital cities in the world are London, Paris and Rome, probably because of the wealth of stories each city has to tell of its history and the role of it's nation in world events, reflected in its buildings, food, and the very fabric of its streets.
Rome set the model for the Imperial Capital, that the other two in their own inimitable way copied, as seen in their own triumphal arches, Doric columned buildings, and statues adorning key squares and places.
All three have at times in their history been Imperial Capitals, but with Rome being the first, and it's decline from that position much earlier than the other two, it still seems to have maintained the much more compact layout of the original ancient footprint, than either of the other two northern cities, and both London and Paris seemed to have gathered around their outskirts more of an urban sprawl than seems the case with Rome.
That might be my imagination, but all the key historical landmarks in Rome are very much in short walking distance, with only the need to resort to the occasional taxi, when the fatigue of a hot day among the crowds and, with older family members (me included) starting to flag, seemed to compel the idea to resort to wheels rather than walking. Not only that but I love pasta!
This week's break had been postponed from its original date in June 2020 due to the pandemic, and was originally arranged for a family trip to join Will in Rome, who was set to complete his masters degree in Advanced European and International Studies, with his particular focus on Global Medicine, that after completing part of his studies in Berlin before moving to Nice and completing his course in Rome, before returning home to finish his medical studies in the UK.
Carolyn and I joined Will in Berlin in November 2019, before the normal progress of his course was curtailed in Nice because of the outbreak of Covid, forcing students to return home and complete their studies remotely with Will finishing in the top of his cohort with a distinction and receiving his honours via Zoom later in 2020.
I wrote two posts about the fascinating city of Berlin and my impressions during our visit which you can check out in the links below.
Of course, the 'Dunkirk Spirit' demanded that we weren't going to let a little global pandemic get in the way of celebrating Will's magnificent achievement, and so we simply postponed the date until vaccination programmes took effect and governments and national media finally came to their senses to allow a more normal resumption of life to begin and so this trip finally came to fruition, coming as it did hot on the heels of my weekend trip to Partizan, with me driving back to Devon on the Sunday night and flying out to Rome the next day - phew!
This was to be my fourth visit to the city, with the last time being back in 2014 for another family trip to celebrate Will turning 18. Perhaps you are noticing a pattern here, and all I can say is that Will is the classics scholar in the family and will gladly spend time in Rome, Italy or anywhere else in the world for that matter at the drop of a hat.
I also posted on our trip back in 2014, again in two parts, with my focus very much on the city's imperial past, given that I was well into my Augustan to Aurelian project. and particularly my Romano-Dacian collection of figures, and so Trajan's Column was front and centre of that particular visit among a few other fun things we did. Links below to that trip are attached.
The birthday-boy getting to know two of Rome's bad-boys, Augustus and Agrippa in the Ara Pacis in 2014 |
Not having indulged in any foreign travel for three years and certainly no air travel, meant that our trip this year was a mixture of excited anticipation to get back into enjoying foreign travel, sunshine and great food together with the cautious dread of the delights of getting through airports and enforced wearing of ridiculous face masks, not to mention likely queues for post Brexit passport inspections.
In the end the concerns in the main proved fairly painless with just flight and baggage handling delays to be coped with which frankly were no problem, given that the whole trip had been delayed three years, so the odd two hour flight delay was nothing in comparison, which just goes to show that the meditation sessions are paying off!
This tourists map of Rome illustrates where the the sites mentioned in the post are in relation to one another |
The plan for our week in Rome was to visit sites missed or not given sufficient time during our previous visits, whilst including some of the previous ones given that two of our party had not been to Rome before, whilst also including a surprise award ceremony for Will in the Colosseum to more appropriately celebrate his hard work and success.
1. The Mausoleum of Augustus
At the time of our last visit in 2014, the tomb of Augustus was boarded off, close by to the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) which we visited.
The guide book of the time described it thus
' Now just a weedy mound ringed with cypresses and sadly strewn with litter, this was once the most prestigious burial place in Rome.'
The first citizen of Rome, Octavian, later Caesar Augustus, seized power in 27 BC, reigning until his death in 14 AD and founder of the Roman Principate in the wake of the Republic |
The circular building was 285 feet in diameter with two obelisks at the entrance and with the central ring of arches supporting the dome filled in with earth between the cavities to support the weight of the upper dome.
Inside were four concentric passageways linked by corridors where the urns of the Imperial family were placed.
The first to be buried here was Augustus's favourite nephew, Marcellus who married Julia, the emperor's daughter. He died in 23 BC, possibly poisoned by Livia, who felt her son, Tiberius, would make a more reliable emperor.
When Augustus died in 14 AD, his ashes were placed in the mausoleum, Tiberius duly became emperor, and dynastic poisonings continued to fill the family vault with urns.
The last emperor to be interred in the monument was Nerva who proceeded Trajan who was interred under his column commemorating his Dacian campaigns.
The monument fell into decline and was robbed of its valuable marble, with only a few original pieces remaining and on show, and the internal passageways collapsed and were also robbed out leaving a mound and walls that in later centuries became a medieval fortress, vineyard, private garden and later an 18th century auditorium and theatre.
The monument is still under restoration work, but visitors can access the remains of the internal galleries and see examples of the decorative marble and the large blocks designed to hold the imperial urns, and outside work is progressing to create a plaza on the original Roman ground level so future visitors will be able to see the scale of the building as it would have appeared to the Roman citizens of Augustus's time.
A shattered fragment of the outer decorative marble, discovered during the excavation |
The four concentric rings have collapsed leaving the outer wall (left) and the inner tomb (right). |
One of the stone blocks that would have held an imperial urn |
The new plaza under construction, seen from the upper passageway, will allow a much more impressive view of the monument than that seen above from the entrance we used on our visit. |
2. & 3. The Column on Marcus Aurelius & The Obelisk of the Piazza del Popolo
Composed of twenty eight drums of marble and one hundred feet high topped with a statue of St Paul, the Column of Marcus Aurelius in the Piazza Colonna seems at first glance like a direct imitation of its historic predecessor, Trajan's Column, constructed some eighty years prior to this monument which was erected after the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD.
Thus it was that I found myself standing before this particular column in search of further inspiration, but on inspection this column reveals the artistic change in the eighty year gap between it and the more heroic Trajanic pillar with its honouring of the noble barbarian in defeat, sculpted in crisp detail still discernible through the centuries of rain and air pollution, but here replaced by this display of a much more simplified representation of the warriors involved.
The twenty spirals of the low relief, chronicle the German War of 172-173 AD, and the Sarmatic War of 174-175 AD.
Somewhat disappointingly the column on our visit was cordoned off with barriers preventing a much closer inspection and access all round the relief but I certainly came away with ideas gestating to develop my figure collection to encompass these later conflicts as and when time permits.
The Piazza del Popolo as seen from the terrace of the Villa Borghese Gardens |
Egyptian obelisk in Rome from the period of Ramesses II, 13th or 12th century BC, from Heliopolis that once graced the Circus Maximus |
The younger members of our party enjoying the scenic gardens of the Villa Borghese that overlooks the Piazza del Popolo |
On March the 14th, 44 BC, Julius Caesar, "dictator for life", was murdered by his own senators at a meeting hall next to the Theatre of Pompey.
The City of Rome in 44 BC https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_city_of_Rome,_44_B.C.E.jpg |
Located just south of the Pantheon is the Largo di Torre Argentina or Area Sacra, and is a large open square containing the remains of four temples and the Theatre of Pompey which, since its uncovering in the 1920's when the medieval structures that covered the site were pulled down on the orders of Mussolini, has been left viewable by the public from street level only, as the site was given over to a non profit shelter for stray cats.
My picture taken in the British Museum in 2016 of the half bust of what is believed to be a rare depiction Julius Caesar |
Future plans for the site include elevated walkways, an elevator and covered exhibition area to better facilitate public access to this very important historical site.
Largo Torre Argentina or Area Sacra with the four temples highlighted in red. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Largo_torre_argentina_PIANTA.jpg |
The Curia of Pompey was a large rectangular building (closest to camera) that housed a statue of Pompey. It was here that the Senate met and where Julius Caesar was murdered on the 15th March 44 BC. |
Temple A, seen here and in the pictures below with its glorious wall paintings from the medieval church of San Nicola de Cesarini built over its podium, dates from the 3rd century BC |
5. & 6. Portico of Octavia, Theatre of Marcellus & Circus Maximus
The Porticus Octaviae was built by Augustus, some time after 27 BC and named after his sister Octavia, the abandoned wife of Mark Antony, with its colonnaded walkway enclosing the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina.
This artists impression shows how the area of the Circus Flaminus between the Portico of Octavia and the Theatre of Marcellus may have looked. |
Completed in 13 BC it was inaugurated by Augustus in 12 BC and named after his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus who died in 23 BC and during its time in use could accommodate from 11,000 to 20,000 spectators, being one of the largest open air theatres in Rome.
With its fall into disuse in the fourth century its remains were saved by its incorporation into a medieval and renaissance fortress with upper floor apartments added over time.
Making our way down to the River Tiber we crossed via the Tiber Island before finding a place for lunch prior to crossing back over the Tiber on the Ponte Palatine and passing the circular Temple of Hercules Victor on our way to the Circus Maximus.
Dining out for lunch and dinner was one of the great delights on a holiday like this |
Temple of Hercules Victor |
The 1959 Ben Hur movie starring Charlton Heston recreated the chariot races staged in the Circus Maximus, which was a stunning spectacle back in the day, despite the odd Roman sentry spotted still wearing his wrist watch.
Given the sparsity of any remaining structures on the actual site, the film clips help to bring the place to life.
The area of the Circus Maximus and Colosseum illustrated in a model of Rome by Paul Bigot https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_Rome_Caen_Circus_Maximus_Colis%C3%A9e.jpg |
The Colosseum has to be one of the most famous structures in the world and having been there on previous visits, we only included this iconic place this time round to accommodate those of us who had not been there before and for a very special ceremony, that should have happened here back in 2020 and was secretly rearranged to make sure the appropriate honours were bestowed.
The whole area was being arranged for a city function at the time along with celebrating the win by AS Roma on the 26th May in the European Conference football league which had the club parading in an open top bus through the city in recognition of their win against Feyenoord.
Part of these arrangements saw the Colosseum undergoing a run through of the placement of a rather large white screen as we walked towards it, which required a remarkable display of climbing choreography to first unroll the thing and then roll it back up.
None of these arrangements seemed to make any impression on the hooded crows that frequent this part of Southern Europe, content to scavenge for the occasional dropped ice cream cone whilst trying to cool themselves in the midday heat by seemingly panting through open beaks.
As you can see, Will differs from the clean cut Trajanic profile of his father, preferring the hirsute Hadrianic 'Greekling' look. Well done mate. |
Tom, equally enthused with the Greekling look, demonstrates to Will how to keep the Colosseum on your side. Nothing has changed in politics and it's still all about 'Bread and Circuses'. |
The Arch of Constantine commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Emperor Constantine the Great's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. |
The Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD confirmed Constantine's position as ruler of the Western Roman Empire and paved the way for the establishment of Christianity as the dominant religion for the Roman Empire and Europe with the Edict of Milan issued the following year officially recognising and tolerating Christianity in the Roman Empire.
Constantine's men crowd down to the bridge of boats on the Tiber over which Maxentius's men were trying to escape, with the broken Milvian Bridge in the background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Milvian_Bridge |
One arch of victory often leads to another in Rome with the success of its imperial project celebrated among the remains of its architecture, and so our progress turned towards the Forum and the Arch of Titus.
The Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD was the decisive event of the First Roman-Jewish War, 66-73 AD during which the brutal five month siege would see the Roman's sack the city and the Second Jewish Temple, culminating in the crushing of Jewish rebel resistance.
One of the first images that springs to my mind of the First Roman-Jewish War 66-73 AD, is Peter Dennis' portrayal of the future emperor Titus cutting his way out of an ambush before the walls of Jerusalem, the war and final siege commemorated by the Arch of Titus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(70_CE) |
Roman legionaries sack the temple during the Fall of Jerusalem 70 AD - Radu Oltean This scene captured in the relief below |
From Titus's arch, part of our group preferred to stay in the shade of the olives and cypress trees as they viewed the Forum from ground level, whilst a break away group headed for the higher ground of the Palatine Hill and the gardens of the Imperial Palace to get an emperor's view of the plebs making their way through the Forum below, and the reward of a glorious view.
Map of the Roman Forum from 1904 showing the Republican buildings in red and the later Imperial ones in black |
The Temple of Vesta and the long atrium can be seen below, but sadly not one virgin could be found to show us around when we came down to have a closer look. |
It was a very hot day and the opportunity to grab some shade when presented together with a drink and some family pictures was taken gleefully.
In the picture below is the Spring of Juturna, which dates to the archaic period of the 6th century BC.
According to legend, Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri), sons of Zeus and the divine twin horsemen who led Rome to victory over the Latins (499 BC) were seen here watering their horses and it was thus decided to build the nearby temple in their honour .
The fountain was rebuilt several times between 2nd and 1st century BC and again in the Imperial period; it was clad in white marble and a pedestal in the centre held the statues of the Dioscuri. In the basin an altar is preserved with depictions of the twins.
The remains of the Temple to Castor and Pollux |
Our party enjoying the delights of the Spring of Juturna, with crowds on the Palatine above. |
Progressing from the Spring of Juturna and Temple to Castor and Pollux we found ourselves in front of the impressive remains of the Temple of Vesta.
Partially reconstructed last century, the temple is linked to one of Rome's most ancient and important cults.
Here the Vestal Virgins tended the sacred fire which was to burn perpetually as a symbol of the city's life force; and men, with the exception of the Pontifex Maximus, were forbidden from entering.
The Temple of Vesta from an 1805 illustration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Vesta |
All that remains of the temple is the podium on which the columns stood; the circular monument was reconstructed several times, with the current remains dating to the period of Septimus Severus who restored the building after a fire in 191 AD.
The Vestals were bound to serve the goddess Vesta and to tend her sacred fire and were governed by strict rules and harsh punishments, whilst enjoying a life of privileges and social respect that came with their position as priestesses.
9. Vatican Museum
We were not able to include the Vatican Museum on our last visit to Rome, although I went there many years before on a corporate visit with my then employer.
So we were keen to include it and its amazing collection of antiquities together with a look at the history of this very important centre of power and influence in the world of Christendom throughout the centuries since the fall of the Roman Empire.
Entrance into the Vatican Museum is via a purpose built access through the city wall into the Belvedere Casino (top right) and along through the Vatican and English Gardens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vatican_City_map_EN.png |
The Vatican City is a state within a state, a fact highlighted to us on entry into the museum building via a purpose built access way, tunnelled through the thick medieval fortress walls to allow visitors in to a very specific part of the city complex.
The access into the Vatican complex leads out onto the plaza overlooking the square gardens, seen below. |
A large amount of the best of Roman art, in the form of classical statues and busts together with exquisite mosaics and wall paintings ended up by one means or another in the Vatican which has allowed these incredibly valuable antiquities to survive into the modern period.
The Vatican lends out to other major museums around the world and I well remember admiring several such busts of famous Emperors on loan from the Vatican to the Louvre on a visit to Paris a few years ago, and my anticipation was high when coming here to see the collection.
I could have spent hours in the Roman antiquity section of the museum given the chance, but the tours are guided and only a limited time seems to be allotted to get people in and out in a given time and so I grabbed pictures as I went.
One thing that immediately came to mind when viewing these marble busts of past emperors was the amazing art by Daniel Voshart who produced some fantastic life-like impressions based on these busts and I had a bit of fun afterwards comparing the original art to this more modern interpretation.
https://voshart.com/roman-emperor-project |
Emperor Antoninus Pius |
Emperor Tiberius |
The Emperor Hadrian |
In the post Roman world the Papacy played a key role in the politics of the former western empire, particularly in the struggles between the royal houses of Europe and the more local wars in Italy that came to define the renaissance period and the struggle between the city states, the Vatican and the growing power of France and Spain, whilst always with a wary eye on the threat of Islam and the Ottoman empire in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The old Vatican state buildings and apartments that compose this part of the museum make for a fascinating tour through this period in history from the absolutely stunning Gallery of Maps seen below, to the statement paintings that adorn the Papal Office designed to remind errant Prince's and their ambassadors who God's representative on earth was, to the dark but ostentatious apartments of perhaps the most infamous of Popes and his rather interesting family, Rodrigo de Borja, later known as Pope Alexander VI.
The Battle of Lepanto included on one of the wall panels. |
A part of Italy that Carolyn and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting back in 2015 made me stop and look more closely for the cities of Pisa and Florence. http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2015/11/italy-2015-pisa-and-florence.html |
The Battle of the Milvian Bridge painted by Giulio Romano (1520-1524) and highlighted above when looking at the Arch of Constantine, makes for a suitable adornment to the Papal waiting room, clearly designed to remind ambassadors of the unimpeachable heritage of the Vicar of Rome.
In the foreground leaning against a plinth at the foot of the steps is the philosopher Heraclitus of Epherus depicted in the guise of Michelangelo, with a nod to the other artists work in portraying the human body in great detail, by his particular attention paid to the detail on the musculature surrounding his right knee. Apparently Michelangelo was unimpressed!
Of course these portrayals of the greats in philosophical science could not foresee the clash between science and the church that the revelations of Nicholaus Copernicus would unleash with his new model of the universe that would force a new understanding between science and religion in a desperate attempt by the former to avoid too many scientist ending up being burnt at the stake.
Off to the right of Raphael's masterpiece is depicted Zoroaster in conversation with Ptolemy as the self portrait of the artist looks out at the casual viewer in the guise of Apelles |
As we passed through these former great state apartments we descended a series of stairs deep within the thick walls of the fortress and down into a much darker and older set of rooms that formed the state apartments of Pope Alexander VI, the Borgia Pope.
Rodrigo de Borgia, Pope Alexander VI |
Of course the finale to any visit to the Vatican is to see Michelangelo's masterpiece, the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel for which no photography is allowed and so you will have to refer elsewhere if you want to see what an incredibly beautiful building and piece of art that is.
Oh well, looks like another excuse to come back again!
The Appian Way
After a week spent with the family enjoying the delights of the city of Rome, Carolyn and I were by the end of it particularly keen on some time in the countryside, away from the bustle of traffic and the agonising, ear-bleeding, screech of sirens produced by every emergency vehicle in Rome and the opportunity to be a couple for just a few hours.
Appius Claudius Caecus, Magistrate of Rome and builder of the Appian Way https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Musei_vaticani,_braccio_chiaramonti,_busto_02.JPG |
On our last visit we grabbed some bikes with the intention of cycling the Appian Way, but ended up taking up most of our planned riding time viewing one of the many early Christian catacombs that are open to the public along it, which was fascinating but left us wanting to do the original plan namely to ride or walk along a road that has carried travellers along its length since 312 BC when it was constructed as a military road by Appius Claudius Caecus for Rome's Samnite Wars.
The roads leading out of key Roman towns and cities were commonly used for burials, given Roman law forbidding burial within the confines of a city or town wall, with exceptions of course to the Imperial family with their private mausoleums; and the Appian Way was no different to those key roads across the empire, with the exception that the Appian roadside had perhaps more than its share of noble families represented.
Closing scene in the 1960, four times Academy Award winning film, Spartacus, starring Kirk Douglas, with Lawrence Olivier, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov. |
As with my imagination being inspired by Hollywood when thinking about the Circus Maximus, the first image that popped into my mind when seeing the approaches to the Appian Way was the closing scene to the 1960 Kirk Douglas epic, Spartacus, as the view panned out along the road to show the scene of thousands of captured rebel slaves crucified along its length, amid the family tombs of Roman burials, to deter any future thoughts of rebellion among the slave population.
A great year 1960, and they certainly knew how to make a great epic film back in those days!
'I'm Spartacus!'
'No, I'm Spartacus!'
Oh well we'll just have to make an example of all of them!
The final day of holiday proved perfect for our walk as we were greeted with broken cloud cover that offered warm but not exceptionally hot weather and a pleasant breeze to moderate the sun when it was able to have the sky to itself.
We happily met our taxi in the centre of Rome as the others went off to wonder around the city at their leisure, as we headed across town to be dropped off at our start point, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella or as it became known in the Middle Ages, Capo di Bove in recognition of the ox head from the frieze of festoons still visible on the tomb today.
The Tomb of Cecilia Metella with the ox head securely in the wall above other items from the original frieze. |
The tomb was built in the first century BC to honour Cecilia Metella, the daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus, consul in 69 BC.
Cecilia or 'Caecilia' Metella was also married to Marcus Licinius Crassus who was the son of Marcus Crassus a member of the First Triumvirate (Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Popeius Magna (Pompey) and Marcus Crassus).
The link to Crassus also links perfectly with my reference to Spartacus as this was the general appointed by the Senate during the Third Servile War to hunt down and destroy the rebel army.
Between 1302 and 1303 the Caetani or Gaetani family aided by Pope Boniface VIII bought the estate of Capo di Bove, namely the land surrounding the tomb, and built a fortified camp with battlements added to the top of the drum shaped tomb.
The complex also included the church of St. Nicholas and it is thought included other buildings to accommodate the garrison that would have included stables and storehouses. Archaeological work to better understand this layout was going on when I took our pictures.
Castrum Caetani |
As we set out along the road, a quick glance down at the ancient stones revealed the ruts of much earlier traffic than that parked up along the verge.
With the weekend in full swing lots of modern day Romans were out enjoying the outdoor life that the warm weather encouraged and a crowd was already gathered around a mobile pizza oven as the purveyor was busy rolling out dough and smearing on the tomato base together with a generous scattering of fresh basil and cheese.
As you progress further along the route the road gradually narrows to its original ancient dimension and with the access to modern day traffic restricted to the occasional service vehicle, the route is left to walkers and cyclists to enjoy, as the urban clutter of Rome gives way to glorious countryside and the sound of birdsong.
As a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, the Appian Way illustrates so well his technique of story construction, with his 'ruins in the landscape' used to suggest a much richer story and history to the events being described, echoed on our walk as pieces of ancient tombs and monuments lay scattered along the route pointing to the rich body of history that surrounds this ancient road.
It wasn't long before we were in open country offering views towards the mountains that form the spine of Italy. |
Nature was in full bloom all along the road. |
The first of the identified tombs along our route came into site as we spotted the relief of a naked man clad in a short cape, known as the Tomb of the Heroic Relief, whilst close buy and opposite is the Tomb of Marcus Servilius Quartus showing fragments of reliefs excavated in 1808 by the Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova.
The tomb of Heroic Relief |
The tomb of Marcus Servilius Quartus |
A scene like this could easily be the backdrop to a swords and sandals epic with little addition, but unlike any film set this is real and you get a real sense of timelessness. |
The tomb of Hilarius Fuscus with five portrait busts in relief of members of his family - c.30 BC |
The tomb of Tiberius Claudius Secondinus of Philippi |
The tomb of the Rabirii freed slaves, 1st century BC |
The figure on the right is a priestess of Isis and behind her is the sistrum or metal rattle used in ceremonies of the cult. |
An example of sistrum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrum |
The tombs of the Festoons and Frontispiece |
The tomb of the Festoons with its frieze of festive putty |
The tomb of the Frontispiece with its relief of four figures, and the two in the centre holding hands. Possibly a married couple with their two children either side |
After crossing the Via Tor Carbone we reached our final viewing point before retracing our steps back to the crossroads to call a taxi to take us back into the city.
The Villa of the Quintilli was built by the wealthy and cultured Qunitilli brothers both consuls in 151 AD. However their good fortune and lives were brought to an abrupt end when the acquisitive Emperor Commodus took a fancy to their luxurious property and had both brothers put to death in order to confiscate the villa, becoming a residence for many following emperors and part of the imperial estate.
The site was first excavated by the neoclassical history painter Gavin Hamilton in 1776, revealing sculptures that soon underlined the importance of the site, with subsequent digs only emphasising that importance by the footprint size of the ruins that became known as Roma Vecchia or Old Rome.
The bath house of the Villa Quintilli |
Recent excavations have revealed the remains of luxurious decorations in addition to living quarters, baths, a large garden surrounded by porticoes and a spectacular nymphaeum visible from the Via Appia entrance that was converted into a fortress in the medieval period.
The nymphaeum of the Villa Qunitili |
It made for a great conclusion to our holiday and a perfect subject to conclude my travelogue of exploring Rome in 2022.
Needless to say among all the sightseeing and exploring much fun was had just enjoying family time together and the delights of Italian and Roman cuisine and I haven't enjoyed quite so much spaghetti-vongole since my trip to Venice a few years ago.
It's so nice to be able to travel again and explore the world, a freedom and privilege not to be taken for granted in the experience of recent times and a pleasure I am eagerly looking forward to a bit later this year, more anon.
Fantastic travelogue, JJ! Brings back wonderful memories of our visits to Rome.
ReplyDeleteHi Jonathan, thank you and great. Rome is such a special place and one I'll never grow tiered of visiting and it's a pleasure to share these experiences with others. Cheers JJ.
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