Principal among these was to visit the Campidoglio, the site of the Capitoline Museums, one of Romes' principal of the genre. This occupies a hill that kind of terminates the forums and thus is a short walk from the apartment. What I didn't know is that, from my angle coming up behind the Vittorio Emmanuele II monument, there was a road leading to a bluff pretty much in the middle of the forums; beautiful views.
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| The well known entry to the museums including the replacement statue of Marcus Aurelius. |
The first building includes quite a bit of monumental statuary including the real statue of Marcus Aurelius, protected from the elements.
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| A St. Bartholomew. I always include St. Bartholomews when available for my friends at St. Bart's in Atlanta. |
This building also included a large section of paintings, most masterworks.
The second building across the piazza, reached by underground passage, continued the classical statuary theme, added some renaissance era works, and offered a "top floor" view of the forums (again, I know).
And we bid a fond farewell to the Campidoglio.
While I had plenty of time for this I did keep my eye on my watch as Nancy and I had an appointment with a micromosaicist to whom Kelly had facilitated an introduction.
Megan Mahan is her name. We took the Metro to a station on the periphery of Rome and Megan picked us up there and took us far outside the perimeter highway to her studio. Like many artists she's deeply into the work and not socializing; we were the first persons that she had invited to her studio, a testament to the quality of Nancy's work. Anyhow the studio was amazing, the work was amazing, and her demo of some techniques was also amazing; a great hour or two.
Megan took us back to the Metro and we experienced the increasing crush that can mean.
Back to Monti for a cafe and home again.
Paul I have enjoyed it all especially Ravenna. Your dialog reminds me of Herman Melville's notes of his travels in Italy so I am attaching a poem he wrote looking back on those days. THE AGE OF THE ANTONINES
ReplyDeleteWhile faith forecasts millenial years
Spite Europe's embattled lines,
Back to the Past one glance be cast--
The Age of the Antonines !
O summit of fate, O zenith of time
When a pagan gentleman reigned,
And the olive was nailed to the inn of the world
Nor the peace of the just was feigned.
A halcyon Age, afar it shines,
Solstice of Man and the Antonines.
Hymns to the nations' friendly gods
Went up from the fellowly shrines,
No demagogue beat the pulpit-drum
In the Age of the Antonines !
The sting was not dreamed to be taken from death,
No Paradise pledged or sought,
But they reasoned of fate at the flowing feast,
Nor stifled the fluent thought.
We sham, we shuffle while faith declines--
They were frank in the Age of the Antonines.
Orders and ranks they kept degree,
Few felt how the parvenu pines,
No law-maker took the lawless one's fee
In the Age of the Antonines !
Under law made will the world reposed
And the ruler's right confessed,
For the heavens elected the Emperor then,
The foremost of men the best.
Ah, might we read in America's signs
The Age restored of the Antonines.
Thank you Paul! What a delight being on your Roman holiday via this great blog! Love. Happy
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