My Monthly Archives: October 2017
Claudianus’s Coffin
This is the sarcophagus of Marcus Claudianus, dating from around 335 CE, very shortly after the Christianization of the Roman Empire by Constantine. It’s iconography is difficult for us to decipher today because it differs so much from how we usually see events in Christian art depicted. For example, just to the left of center you see a figure pointing a stick at some pots on the ground. That’s the Miracle at Cana, Christ’s turning water into wine. To the right of that you see Christ again, here pointing to baskets; the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. Moses appears at the far left, striking the rock with his staff and making the fountain of water come. On the far right is the Raising of Lazarus. On the lid, on the left, you might recognize the Nativity of Christ, with the Annunciation to the Shepherds to the right of that. It very strongly resembles a sarcophagus in Syracusa, Sicily, which has very similar depictions.
Torre Selce
In the 12th century the Astalli family used the sub-structure of a giant ancient Roman tomb as a base for a huge tower, today known as the Torre Selce or ‘Selce Tower’. It’s around mile marker 7 of the Via Appia Antica south of Rome. The middle ages were tough on the ancient monuments of Rome as they were used as quarries and provided people with convenient supplies of brick and stone. Later centuries, particularly the 18th and 19th, saw foreign travelers come and take away the sculptures and artifacts, leaving mostly sad detritus behind. The hundreds of Romans who built their tombs along the Via Appia had their sepulchers looted and dismembered. Still, today, it’s a very worthwhile walk, the best stretch being the 3 or so kilometers between the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella and the Torre Selce.
Handy Tomb
The huge cylinder of the ancient ‘Casal Rotondo’ on the Via Appia Antica (milestone 6) is one of the better preserved monumental tombs along the storied route out of Rome. Lots of sculptural details still survive. But the most fascinating thing is that someone, in the middle ages, thought they’d have a great view if they build their house on top of it. Plus, it added security. See those trees on top? They’re the garden of the stone house that’s still up there. It’s not known who the tomb was originally for, which is surprising since its one of the largest along the Via Appia, with the cylinder’s diameter measuring 35 meters.
More Appia Antica
I spent some more time today on the Via Appia Antica, the ancient Roman road that linked Rome with the Adriatic Port of Brindisi (see below). This was a long section where the old basalt paving stones were still visible, along with the wagon wheel and chariot ruts running through them. I went by mountain bike, a great way to see it. There are lots of picturesque umbrella pines all along the route.
Aqua Claudia
The Aqua Claudia is the ancient Roman aqueduct built by the Roman emperor Claudius in 52 CE (begun, however, by Caligula in the 30s). I borrowed a mountain bike from my AirBnB host and went there this morning to catch the early sun. The Parco degli Acquedotti is a vast green space which today, Saturday, was enjoyed by many joggers, cyclists, and hikers. Alas, a large section is reserved for just a few golfers, along the most scenic stretch of the arches.
Appia Antica
The Via Appia, or Appian Way, is one of the world’s most famous roads. Begun in the 300s BCE it stretched from ancient Rome to the port of Brindisi on the Adriatic. From Rome’s Aurelian walls, one can still walk, or bike, for several miles southeast of the city. Monuments can be found along its route for about 9 miles; they peter out about a kilometer past the Villa dei Quintili. Flanked by umbrella pines along most of the route, there are many sections of the huge Roman basalt paving stones still visible, with chariot tracks worn into them. Strewn alongside the road are myriad fragments of long ago dismembered tombs and their inscriptions. Today a herd of about 300 goats and sheep were being driven along it by a black dog who seemed to know exactly how to get them to their fields for grazing. It was a scene that one might have been able to see 2200 years ago. Today, however, you’re more likely to see a family on mountain bikes going on an outing. A pleasant scene, but in 71 BCE it might have been otherwise: it was then that Rome crucified 6000 slaves from Spartacus’ army after their leader was killed. The Romans lined the Via Appia from Rome to Capua, where the rebellion had begun.
Traffic Jam
I went walking today, a cloudy cool day, along the Via Appia outside of Rome. I was so far out, around the nine mile marker southeast from the walls of ancient Rome, that I was virtually in the countryside. There I saw a scene I could well have seen 2300 years ago when the road was built, a herd of goats and sheep running along the ancient path, near the nymphaeum of the Villa dei Quintili.
San Clemente
One of the most striking features of the medieval church of San Clemente in Rome is the semi-dome of its apse. Covered in golden mosaics from around 1200, a cloud of circular, swirling tendrils frame a unique crucifix adorned with doves. If the designs look familiar to you, they have interesting cousins, including 7th century precursors in the Byzantine-inspired mosaics on the interior of the Muslim Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as well as some later manifestations in the work of Gustav Klimt, especially in his painting The Tree of Life of 1905.
Swirly Seats
I think I’m entering a black and white phase. When taking photographs, one really thinks with a different mind, or mind’s eye, when approaching the world in colour, as it usually is, and when one considers it more as structure and form. It’s a great exercise to return to black and white every now and again. Outdoor cafe stools in Lucca, Italy.
Il Ladro della Bicicletta
As many of you know, I believe the bicycle to be humanity’s greatest mechanical invention, and it’s most beautiful. Therefore, I love stealing images of them. This one was in Lucca, Italy, a very good town indeed for finding photogenic two-wheeled transports as there are no hills and not much traffic.
Mosaic Matrons
This is a detail of the famous mosaic of the Portal Sant’Alipio on the church of San Marco in Venice. The group of ladies are witnessing the most important event in Venice’s history: the arrival of the body of the evangelist St Mark to the city, where he’s carried into the church. Of course, it’s not history, but it was certainly meant to have been. It’s the only surviving one of the 13th century mosaics that used to decorate all five of St Mark’s portals.
Venezia Venere
All right, it’s a bit of a cliche, but I still love it: the view across the Bacino towards Palladio’s San Giorgio Maggiore, with gondolas in foreground.
Rittner Rails
The 110-year-old Rittnerbahn railway line is one of the world’s nicest train routes, though it’s only about 5 kilometers long, connecting the mountain villages of Soprobolzano/Oberbozen and Klobenstein/Collalbo. It runs about five times a day, and the ride only lasts about half an hour. Still, it’s lovely, and any train enthusiast would be charmed by it. It’s as if someone took a toy train and expanded it to life size. I’ve ridden in it three times, and each time I’ve see 3-year-olds and 93-year-olds equally delighted by riding on it.
