tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32466466162147869522024-03-14T00:23:39.700-04:00Leaping Without a Net"Leap, and the net will appear."
I'm hoping this is true, for I have taken an almighty leap by relocating to Rome from Canada.
Italy has long exerted an enormous pull, so let's see what this gigantic leap will bring!sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-88206800538165937612016-01-17T04:26:00.001-05:002016-01-17T12:04:25.657-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>The Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati and its re-discovered Gothic Hall</u></b></h2>
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Not far from Rome's Colosseum and the nearby Basilica of San Clemente, famous for its fascinating scavi, is the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati or Four Crowned Saints. From the outside, it looks remarkably like the fortress that was once one of its purposes, protecting popes from attack.<br />
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<i>Fresco of the four crowned, or matured, saints.</i></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The treasures inside the Basilica complex are wonderful and recently, thanks to my friend Laura, I was able to get a rare tour of recently opened Gotica Aula, or Gothic Hall. </span></div>
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But first, I'll back up a bit and begin with some history of the basilica itself. Legend tells us that the first church on this site was begun by Pope Miltiades, in the 4th century and built over a Roman villa. Renovations were much later made under Pope Leo IV (847-855) including the belltower and the chapels of Saints Barbara and Nicholas. He also expanded the church significantly.</div>
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Alas, this larger church was burned to the ground during the Norman Sack of Rome (1084) and Pope Paschal II decided to rebuild, but as a much smaller basilica. More changes were made: in the 13th century a Cosmatesque cloister was added (with the tiny Oratorio of St. Barbara).</div>
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<i>(Frescos in niche inside the Oratorio of St. Barbara)</i></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Then, the Cardinal Palace was enlarged by cardinal Stefano Conti, a nephew of Pope Innocent III. Conti also fortified the palace to become a fortress, to shelter popes during the conflict with the Hohenstaufen emperors. In 1247, the chapel of St Silvester, on the ground floor of the fortress, was consecrated; it contains frescoes depicting the stories of Pope Silvester I and Emperor Constantine I. Wonderful pieces of Church propaganda of the day, they suggest (likely incorrectly) that the sovereignty of the Church (Pope Silvester) was by mutual consent paramount over the Empire (Constantine).</span></div>
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These are wonderful sites to see but what is relatively new for visitors is the Gothic Hall which is on the first floor of the Torre Maggiore and was the showpiece of Cardinal Stefano Conti's palace. Here he held banquets, receptions and justice was administered</div>
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Decorating the great hall are vivid, multicoloured frescoes mixing Byzantine styles with then-recent discoveries of classical antiquity. They seemed to me a sort of stepping stone to the frescos of Giotto - almost, but not quite achieving natural figures.</div>
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The story of the re-discovery 20 years ago of the Gothic Hall by Rome Professor Andreina Draghi is fascinating. According to writer Alasdair Palmer, Prof. Draghi thought that the hall above, then completely covered in pale blue plaster, might have been a site where other frescoes had been painted. She theorized that the frescoes in the chapel of St. Silvester did not tell the complete story of what happens after the Church is acknowledged as supreme over the state (that is, the importance of obedience to the Church to salvation) writes Palmer.</div>
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It took several years to remove all the plaster without damaging the frescos, which proved to be in extremely good condition, likely because this plaster protected them from 500 years of light, damp - and clumsy restorers.</div>
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-41176421419592862952015-07-08T04:06:00.000-04:002015-07-08T04:06:45.048-04:00A book contest with a fabulous prize<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Bf9mJsONi0d5-b_zuM7Qah0TndBEndRDOog4NkEx5UCd9GckBxaAMYQYGsPPXbR4iryvLyiSq_ajhvvReIGhUi8VF9zo-5YEz1y4buQxdvPns2tOEL81XnNgYmioeNeM9baHdwrAC8I/s1600/pumpkin-sausage-lasagna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Bf9mJsONi0d5-b_zuM7Qah0TndBEndRDOog4NkEx5UCd9GckBxaAMYQYGsPPXbR4iryvLyiSq_ajhvvReIGhUi8VF9zo-5YEz1y4buQxdvPns2tOEL81XnNgYmioeNeM9baHdwrAC8I/s400/pumpkin-sausage-lasagna.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My friend Letizia is organizing a contest to be held next week - i.e. July 13 - to help promote her fabulous new cookbook that is now available on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Seasonal-recipes-Madonna-Cooking/dp/8895229304/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436341930&sr=1-1&keywords=letizia+mattiacci" target="_blank">Amazon</a>!<br />
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While I would love to win that pumpkin-sausage lasagna pictured above, I could actually make it quite easily from the recipe in Letizia's A Kitchen With A View. I am just lazy.<br />
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But the grand prize that Letizia is offering is a very lovely wine from a posh vineyard - Il Moro di Sangiovanni in Val d'Oricia - owned by friends of Letizia, making for the perfect food and wine paring.<br />
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Here are the contest rules (and as a teaser, a photo of Letizia's incredible Limoncello Profiterolls, from A Kitchen With A View.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6glCwX-N5-Az74YTCrC480ianSwbU1KgIh67G9pW5mOu6KHHmn6rAzBgARPzX1FzTtzF1drBg7zfJ3cKEkpCQG6wQQnnz0E0hWDiRfzuGBifus9zvoz74hgnRFWBtgubVg-brMXrArw/s1600/limoncello-profiteroles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6glCwX-N5-Az74YTCrC480ianSwbU1KgIh67G9pW5mOu6KHHmn6rAzBgARPzX1FzTtzF1drBg7zfJ3cKEkpCQG6wQQnnz0E0hWDiRfzuGBifus9zvoz74hgnRFWBtgubVg-brMXrArw/s400/limoncello-profiteroles2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Says Letizia: "The event will take place on my birthday, July 13 and to celebrate I am offering to a randomly chosen participant </i><i>one fabulous Magnum bottle of 2010 Il Moro di Sangiovanni award winning wine which will be shipped to your home (retail value about 100€)</i></b><br />
<i><b>Shipping is available to North America or Europe.</b></i><br />
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<i><b>"Here is how to enter:</b></i><br />
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<b>1. Please wait until July 13</b><br />
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<b>2. Review "A Kitchen With A View" on the above Amazon.com page, then on your blog or on another website if you can (e.g. Goodreads)</b><br />
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<b>3. If you were planning to buy more books for Christmas or other celebrations please buy them on July 13 if possible</b><br />
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<b>4. Please tell friends to participate to this event either with reviews (if they have the book) and/or with purchases</b><br />
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<b>5. So that I can add you to the draw, please write a comment in the timeline of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1420698714926688/" target="_blank">this </a>Facebook page set up for the book, and post here your reviews/blog articles, don't forget to also like the page please!"</b><br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-17156548092384550922015-05-03T08:18:00.002-04:002015-05-03T08:18:30.615-04:00A visit to Assisi and a cooking class in the Italian countryside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week, my friend Gwen from Edmonton came to visit me here in Rome. We stayed a week in the city and then went up to Assisi for a few days, to stay at<a href="http://incampagna.com/" target="_blank"> Letizia's B&B </a>and take a cooking class. (We also scored copies of Letizia's great new cookbook <a href="http://incampagna.com/?page_id=1704" target="_blank">A Kitchen with a View</a>.)<br />
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I also showed Gwen a few of my favourite spots, such as the tranquil and beautiful <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-eremo-delle-carceri" target="_blank">Eramo delle Carceri, </a>where St. Francis of Assisi used to flee what he described as the noise and chaos of 13th century Assisi.<br />
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There are a few bronze statues of the saint and his followers who studied the movements of the stars from the retreat where they slept on beds of stone with rocks for pillows.<br />
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I can never resist photos of some of the gorgeous trees that have stood here perhaps for centuries, given how old olive trees can grow to be. </div>
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Meanwhile, at Letizia's agriturismo we enjoyed seeing how beautiful, green and blossoming April can be in the mountains above Assisi. </div>
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During the cooking class, Gwen and I enjoying trying our hand at making pasta! I think Gwen, who is an excellent cook, enjoyed the process.<br />
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And we all definitely enjoyed the final results!</div>
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-16101103452604667682015-03-30T05:22:00.000-04:002015-03-30T05:22:22.440-04:00Quattro Fontane, the Forum, and other things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a bit of a flu bug on the weekend, so I used the time to sort through some recent photos, including this one of the Roman Forum, looking towards the Colosseo.<br />
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I also found a few random shots I took recently of Rome's Renaissance-era Quattro Fontane, which have had a good cleaning over the past winter. Decades of pollution from the traffic on the streets that meet at this extremely busy little intersection were removed and the four fountains look lovely.<br />
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I believe the photo above depicts the goddess Juno, who is very important to Rome; while directly below is a figure representing the river Aniene, which flows in Lazio province where Rome is located.<br />
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This fellow below represents Rome's great river Tiber, and near his feet is the legendary she-wolf who saved Remus and Romulus, founders of ancient Rome.<br />
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They can be a bit difficult to view as there is not a lot of space for pedestrians at this intersection of Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via del Quirinale. And for some reason, one did not turn out. So in fact, I have just Tre Fontane today.<br />
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Anyway, another day I was near the Celio Hill and took a photo of this great icon, representing a fraternity that used to pay ransoms for kidnapped Christians.<br />
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And heading back towards the Forum.<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-9983170862870891512015-03-23T05:54:00.000-04:002015-03-23T14:44:27.564-04:00A delicious taste of Italy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-WFBtIPtZKja-fcGEQFVn-RTre1GIIHFnYcF-wpENGjrUVZrLMz1XOf6X0LFWo9Dbp30EbnHWsGcp5Y_SEpLHxAf0KUDqlorbJN_7U7jmdfIolweF0TJvMMTkuPMbUtl_P6gLGkG9h0/s1600/castelluccio+per+SC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-WFBtIPtZKja-fcGEQFVn-RTre1GIIHFnYcF-wpENGjrUVZrLMz1XOf6X0LFWo9Dbp30EbnHWsGcp5Y_SEpLHxAf0KUDqlorbJN_7U7jmdfIolweF0TJvMMTkuPMbUtl_P6gLGkG9h0/s1600/castelluccio+per+SC.jpg" /></a></div>
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It seems that I have never had the time or the confidence to become a very good cook. But I have a few excellent go-to recipes, and I have learned a few important things about Italian cooking - particularly, the value of simplicity and finding a few, extremely good ingredients.<br />
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Most of what I know about food I have learned from my dear friend <a href="http://incampagna.com/" target="_blank">Letizia</a> and from many of her marvellous cooking classes at her home, which is also a wonderful bed and breakfast tucked into the side of a mountain among olive groves and fruit tress and overlooking beautiful Assisi.<br />
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And now, she has finally published a cookbook, although I think that simple categorization does not do justice to everything that Letizia has included in<a href="http://incampagna.com/?page_id=1704" target="_blank"> this </a>volume.<br />
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Recipes, of course; and very very good recipes, extremely well-explained, well-tested and deliciously illustrated. Also important information about judging ingredients such as good quality olive oil versus scary commercial crap.<br />
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But it is also something of a diary, of the seasons in Umbria and the value of living and eating according to the seasons; the recipes and ingredients that go naturally with the blustery winters or the hot, humid summers.<br />
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Her book will soon be available on Amazon, but in the meantime, she is taking orders (maybe even for autographed copies!) at the following email address (I am writing the address out to confound spammers):<br />
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madonnadp [at] gmail dot com<br />
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Letizia is a born teacher and story teller, and I find that this book, like her <a href="http://madonnadelpiatto.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> and like her cooking classes, are seasoned with anecdotes - from things she learned from her mother, to Letizia's tried-and-true recipes for making gluten-free pasta and bread, to interesting Italian women she knows and admires.<br />
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And of course, the incredible backdrop to her life in the Umbrian mountains provide images that are as beautiful as the meals she teaches us to prepare.<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-53524595921225628122015-03-01T10:29:00.003-05:002015-03-01T10:29:26.808-05:00Avoiding the sunny Sunday crowds in central Rome<br />
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Life in Rome is very hectic and when I have some free time, I often like to stroll over the Capitoline Hill and head to the peaceful Aventine. There are still visitors strolling about in that part of Rome, especially around Circus Maximus, but in general it is far more tranquil than on my side of the hill in Monti.<br />
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There are always some lovely views around the Aventine Hill. I headed out Sunday, thinking that while it was too early yet to see the rose gardens being planted there, it would at least be very green.<br />
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I tend to follow the same route, down Via Fori Imperiali, over the Capitoline Hill walking behind the Dioscuri, the twins Castor and Pollux (one twin born mortal, the other a god)….<br />
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with its views across the Roman Forum towards the Colosseo…….<br />
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...and down the other side towards Circus Maximus where I cross its base then climb up along the side of the Aventine facing the Palatine Hill and the remains of the once-splendid aristocrat homes that were there 2,000 years ago……<br />
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…..up the Aventine to the medieval Basilica of Santa Sabina and the garden where there are always so many oranges hanging just tantalizingly out of reach……<br />
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….and the stunning view across the Tiber River towards the Vatican, with the great dome of the Basilica of St. Peter's appearing to be relatively close…….<br />
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….. Even when standing further down the path near the entrance to the gardens of Santa Sabina, it seems that St. Peter's is deceptively close…..<br />
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….a drink at a gruesome, ferocious fountain……<br />
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….back down a different side of the Aventine to emerge near the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin and the lines of tourists waiting to insert their hands in the Bocca della Verita<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-32316807088144502482015-02-12T14:48:00.003-05:002015-02-12T14:48:37.074-05:00Temple of Peace to be unveiled for Rome's birthday in April <br />
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I pulled this story together at work today, thanks to copy from my Italian colleagues, and thought it was extremely interesting.<br />
We don't hear often enough but "discoveries" or maybe "recoveries" of ancient sites although I am sure they are happening all the time here in Rome.<br />
I hope to see this light show on Rome's birth April 21, when the city - born by some estimates in 753 BC - will turn 2768, give or take a few years….<br />
The Temple of Peace, one of the lesser known structures of Rome's Imperial Fora, is set to rise again in time for the city's birthday commemoration, a cultural heritage official said Thursday.<br />
With reconstruction work set to begin in early March, five columns missing from what remains of the temple built by Emperor Vespasian in about 75 AD will be reconstructed by April 21, Rome's birthday, said the municipal Superintendent of Cultural Heritage Claudio Parisi Presicce. "The goal is to replace the five marble columns of the Egyptian portico that surrounded the temple, where they were at the time of Vespasian," he said.<br />
What remains of the Temple of Peace, sometimes known as the Forum of Peace, now rests in the present Roman Forum near Largo Corrado Ricci.<br />
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One of its original walls has been incorporated into the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Roman Forum, where holes can stil be seen that were once used to affix a marble map of ancient Rome that dated from the third century AD.<br />
The restoration work will help to shed light on another element of Rome's history for visitors.<br />
"Of the five Imperial Fora...it is the least known because unfortunately, most of the remains are underground but...we plan to expand the excavations of the visible surface," said Parisi Presicce.<br />
"The goal is to resurrect this forum which is currently not known by citizens, reassembling the five Egyptian marble columns of the quadrangle surrounding the temple, where they were at the time of Vespasian," he added.<br />
The plan is to include the restored Temple of Peace in large-scale illuminations of the Imperial Fora on the night of April 21.<br />
According to tradition, that is the date when Rome was founded in 753 BC by some accounts.<br />
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Parisi Presicce said that large fragments of the Egyptian marble colonnade have been studied and recomposed for the restoration project using "very sophisticated technical work" that takes account of seismic issues.<br />
The danger of earthquake is ever present up and down the Italian peninsula.<br />
Two sections of the original quadrangle that surrounded the Temple of Peace are still in place, he said.<br />
Parisi Presicce said that excavation of the area dates back to the 1930s.<br />
That's when the Fascist administration of Mussolini constructed the modern Via Fori Imperiali that cut through the Imperial Fora, leaving the fora of Augustus, Nerva and Trajan on one side, with the Forum of Caesar and the Roman Forum on the other.<br />
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It is believed the Vespasian began work on the Temple of Peace after the capture of Jerusalem in AD 71.<br />
It may have included treasures looted from the Temple in Jerusalem.<br />
<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-59995771854017800202015-02-02T05:32:00.001-05:002015-02-02T06:39:05.244-05:00Digging deeper into underground Rome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere doesn't catch many eyes. Perhaps that's because it is so close to the Teatro di Marcello which really is very eye-catching and so not everyone pays much attention to the small church beside it on the bustling curve of Via del Teatro di Marcello.<br />
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But Saturday, during my afternoon walk, I saw the doors were open and a poster promoting underground visits, so I decided to pop inside for a look.<br />
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It's an interesting, small basilica but I was especially curious to explore the excavations underneath - and for only 3 euros with no other visitors in sight, how could I lose?<br />
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It is significant that the basilica was built over three temples from the Republican-era - thus, some of Rome's oldest - with some foundations intact as well as several massive pillars that over 1,000 years later were incorporated on the south wall of today's basilica (as you can see in the top photo).<br />
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The complex was part of the Forum Holitorium, or vegetable-sellers' market, near the banks of the Tiber. To the left, facing the basilica entrance, is the temple to the two-faced god Janus and dates from 260 BC according to the literature distributed by the church.<br />
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And when I say two-faced Janus, it is not a slur. The two faces were a symbol of transition, departure and return, and this temple was especially significant because its doors were opened in times of war, and sealed in times of peace.<br />
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Very symbolic. My friend Laura, the classics scholar, tells me that Augustus put great emphasis on this temple, closing the doors after hunting down Mark Antony and before that, conspirators against Julius Caesar, to signify an end to at least those wars.<br />
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The centre temple is that of Juno as Sospita (the saviour) to differentiate this temple to the important Roman goddess from other temples to Juno around town.<br />
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And the third, small temple is the Temple of Spes, for the goddess of Hope, and dates from the First Punic War. Curiously, given the name, this is where prison cells are thought to have been constructed - giving today's basilica the name "carcere" or prison - as well as some small shops including perhaps a moneychanger.<br />
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Later, in the seventh century, a Byzantine chapel was built and above it, today's basilica.<br />
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I knew a little about San Nicola, or St. Nicholas, since he is crucial to the underground church at San Clemente, near the Colosseum, where the sotterraneo is particularly well-organized and popular with tour groups.<br />
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The saint was a fourth-century bishop from what we know today to be Turkey but at that time, had Greek roots. This, the church suggests, was likely why Rome's Greek community chose St. Nicholas for the name of the present basilica.<br />
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I felt mildly shocked - being too literal-minded - to learn that St. Nicolas was not, in fact, held in prison here, despite the name including "carcere." Culpa mia, for misinterpreting what the name of church really means.<br />
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Perhaps in keeping with the prison, or carcere, theme, I saw lots of bones in the underground area, presumably human although not very robust so I am a bit skeptical as to their origins.<br />
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Back upstairs in the basilica, one of the bits I found especially interesting is a pillar in the right nave with extensive carving, more like medieval graffiti, really, from the ninth century. It was inscribed by the rector Anastasius, who apparently gave some animals, a vineyard, and other property to the Catholic Church as penance to save his soul. This is presumably his receipt, and I can't blame him for wanting credit.<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-33535683824556534032015-01-25T09:58:00.001-05:002015-01-25T09:58:19.714-05:00A Sunday stroll around Ancient Rome <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I must apologize for being such a lazy blogger but in my defence, working full time these days as a news editor and rewriter saps my writing energy. <div>
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However, I marked my third anniversary living in Rome several weeks ago, a milestone that made me even more reflective than usual, reminding me how much I enjoyed blogging.</div>
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So, today I remembered to carry my cellphone (with camera) as I took a Sunday walk on my usual route: over the Capitoline Hill, past the medieval San Giorgio in Velabro below the Palatine Hill, alongside Circus Maximus, over the Celio, and around the Colosseo.</div>
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I don't always swing by San Giorgio although it is very interesting. Built in the 7th century, the small medieval sits on very low ground not too far from the Tiber and the frantic church Santa Maria in Cosmedin which hosts the Mouth of Truth. I say frantic because there is not only a major traffic intersection there, but also loads of tourists queue up to jam their hands into the old manhole cover that Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck made so famous in the film " Roman Holiday".</div>
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Nearby is the fourth-century Arch of Janus, the only quadrifrons triumphal arch preserved in Rome, and apparently given that name during the Renaissance. (It dominates the landscape in the top photo of this post.)</div>
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From there, I walk below the Palatine Hill where there once stood what would have been the most beautiful palazzos of Ancient Rome.</div>
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And below, Circus Maximus as the ancient site looks today, used for rock concerts, political rallies and various other events. Also, a dog park.</div>
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sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-38074416796954444212014-08-16T11:32:00.000-04:002014-08-16T11:32:17.961-04:00Lions and Griffins and David…oh my!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the things I enjoy about Rome's Capitoline Museums is that they offer a very eclectic blend of different forms of art, from different ages, as well as Roman history and archaeology.<br />
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I popped in on Saturday for a few hours -- it is only a 10-minute walk from my house if I cut through Trajan's Forum.<br />
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As it happened, the Museums were hosting a small Michelangelo exhibition that included a decent copy of his famous and spectacular statue of David, generally associated with the beautiful Republic of Florence.<br />
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So, in keeping with the vivid mix of art to be found in the Capitoline Museums, here are a few shots from my visit there.<br />
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At the top is, of course, the fake David in the courtyard of the museum with the giant head of a felled statue of Constantine in the background.<br />
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I must always visit Marcus Aurelius on his bronze horse, the original statue protected indoors with a copy placed outside in the Campidoglio (a piazza designed, of course, by Michelangelo).<br />
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Nearby, a small funerary marker with some dogs that I like very much:<br />
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A random shot of the Republican Forum.<br />
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Inside the Palazzo Nuovo, I find my favourite mythical creatures including a satyr and a griffin.<br />
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And a real, marble lion!</div>
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On the second floor of the Palazzo Nuovo, I was also able to get a decent shot of the beautiful mosaics over a side door of the splendid Santa Maria in Ara Coeli church, also on the capital hill.<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-20297500720222178492014-07-11T11:41:00.003-04:002014-07-18T05:02:34.270-04:00Sansepolcro, The Resurrection, and the Agility Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Centuries ago, possibly during the lifetime of Renaissance master
painter Piero della Francesco, the Tuscan town of Sansepolcro was
actually a part of northern Umbria and today it is still quite
easy to visit from the Umbrian capital of Perugia.<br />
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I just spent a week in Perugia, presenting the Italian version of my novel The Virgin and
the Griffin at a couple of great events. And
while I spent some time visiting favourite spots from the novel in
the city of Perugia, I also took a day trip up to Sansepolcro for a
little research and inspiration for my new novel which is well
underway.<br />
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As you might guess, Piero della Francesco (let's call him PdF) and
Sansepolcro feature strongly in the new novel which I have not yet
named and since the first draft is more than half complete, I had
better find a title soon.<br />
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Although I have visited Sansepolcro several times, it was always
by car so this trip was a bit of a test of the Umbrian
railway, the F.C.U. (I think that is the most hilarious and aptly
named railway I have ever seen, although that may be just my
adolescent sense of humor).<br />
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For a mere 5 euros, I was able to have a very leisurely tour of tiny
towns through northern Umbria and into Tuscany on the slowest,
smallest railway – just two carriages – that I have ever used.
But it was on time and featured air conditioning, so no complaints
here!<br />
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Although Sansepolcro is the cherished hometown of PdF, who
returned there frequently, kept a large house and maintained the
family's leather businesses as well as involvement in local
government, the modern community doesn't boast many PdF sites for
visitors.<br />
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You can see the palazzo that was his home and today, hosts a PdF
foundation for researchers but is not open to the public. (Word of
warning, his home is not located on the street that bears the name of
Piero della Francesco as I learned after prowling up and down the
quiet strada trying to find my hero's historic house).<br />
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Along the way, I found this beautiful little shrine on the corner of a building, with intriguing twinkly electric lights, possibly for use at Christmas or another festive occasion.<br />
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The Duomo also boasts some pretty if faded frescos by other Tuscan masters of the day, this cycle focusing on San Benedict.<br />
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The Museo Civico, which was at one time Sansepolcro's town hall, owns a large and beautiful PdF altarpiece with numerous panels, and one of the artist's greatest masterpieces, The Resurrection (the top photo on this page).<br />
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This fresco of the Risen Christ, one foot planted on the edge of his tomb as sleeping guards snore through the entire historic event, is not only my favourite but is widely viewed as a masterpiece of the Renaissance for its dramatic perfection. And, happily for Sansepolcro, as a fresco painted into a wall of the town hall, it has stayed where Piero placed it – unlike so much of his work which is spread around the world.<br />
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That includes another very beautiful altarpiece in the spectacular
and under-rated National Gallery of Umbria in Perugia.<br />
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Speaking of Perugia, the presentation of my novel went extremely
well, I thought, because so many of the people who inspired me to
write The Virgin and the Griffin were there – and because I didn't
screw up my remarks made in Italian.<br />
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I used those same remarks at a community event a few days later in
a different area of Perugia. That event was enormous fun; in part,
because the opening act was a fantastic dog agility demonstration.
Border collies dominated, although a collie, a terrier mix, and I
think German shepherd also leapt in. They were all so excited,
wiggling and squirming as they waited their turn to show how they
could keep a herd of sheep in order, given a chance. (Dogs not exactly as shown above!)<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-89028134315611491142014-06-28T15:21:00.001-04:002014-06-28T15:21:57.050-04:00Presenting La Vergine e il Grifo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Saturday, July 5th my novel, The Virgin and the Griffin, is being presented in Italian in the city where it all started….Perugia.<br />
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Indeed, the city of Perugia, as it was in 1504 and as it is today, is a key figure in the story, one of the reasons the publisher Francesco Tozzuolo asked to translate and publish my novel in Italian as La Vergine e il Grifo.<br />
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Saturday's event will be a bit more complicated than the style of book readings I am used to, but I am looking forward to it (despite my intense nervousness at delivering a presentation in Italian, yikes!) So many people who have been important to the novel will be there and for that reason alone, I am very excited.<br />
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My dear friend <a href="http://madonnadelpiatto.com/" target="_blank">Letizia</a> Mattiacci, who was the inspiration for a key character in the novel, has promised to be there with her wonderful husband Ruurd and their beautiful daughter Tea. I am hoping that <a href="http://www.geniuslociumbria.it/blog/" target="_blank">Mary</a> Thomas Tacconi, another dear friend who first taught me to think about the unique heritage and great beauty of artisanal Umbrian textiles and ceramics, will be able to make it.<br />
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Marta Cucchia, who is continuing her family's tradition of hand-weaving at the Laboratorio Giuditta Brozzetti, and her mother Clara Baldelli Bombelli, a textiles historian who instructed me in the art, will also be there. When writing my novel, Marta taught me a few things about weaving while Clara gave me a wonderful overview of Umbrian textiles.<br />
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As the program at the top shows, the event begins, appropriately enough, at the Brozzetti laboratorio with a presentation on the history of Umbrian textiles.<br />
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A historian will then lead a one-hour walk through some the medieval city streets, touching on landmarks included in my novel, and we will end up at the chiostro of the great Cathedral of San Lorenzo which dominates the heart of Perugia's historic centre. An actor will read selections from the novel and I will talk (very briefly, believe me) about what inspired the novel.<br />
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As well, perhaps I'll drop a few hints about the novel I am working on now…..sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-44038546545241877972014-06-07T07:51:00.000-04:002014-06-07T07:51:05.091-04:00Rome street art - The Crucifixion of St. Peter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I believe French street artist C215 has recreated Caravaggio's Crucifixion of St. Peter on a quiet little corner in my Rome neighbourhood. C215, whose real name is Christian Guémy, has been described as France's answer to Banksy.<br />
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As you can see below, the 1 p.m. sun is casting shadows on the art from the vines growing from around the corner.<br />
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The original Caravaggio, painted in 1600, can be found in Santa Maria del Popolo.<br />
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This portion of the painting shows the martyrdom of St. Peter by crucifixion. It is believed that Peter asked that his cross be turned upside down because it is said he did not want to appear to be imitating Christ and His crucifixion.<br />
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Fans of Caravaggio, whose full name was Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, know that he painted this fresco for the Cerasi Chapel and in 1601 painted a second work on the opposite wall of the small chapel showing The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus.<br />
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This flowering bush is just around the corner and its vines cast shadows on the street art. Below is another look down my street to the Forum of Augustus.<br />
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I apologize for the long breaks between my blog posts. Besides work, I have been busy with my novel The Virgin and the Griffin, which is being published in Italian.<br />
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Over Christmas, I met a publisher in Perugia who has had my novel translated into Italian and at this point, it is being published. Very soon, the Italian edition will be launched in Perugia and while I am excited about the event itself, I dread my role which will likely involve a reading and maybe questions and answers in Italian. Yikes!!!!<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-66781304782668147602014-04-12T06:29:00.001-04:002014-04-12T06:29:43.540-04:00Ancient Rome, hidden in plain view <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have walked past the Terme di Diocleziano - the Baths of Diocletian - a hundred times and have never gone inside, even though these ruins are adjacent to Rome's main central Termini railway station and even gave Termini its name! (Some believe the name Termini was derived from terminus or end of the rail line, but in fact it was named for the terme or baths).<br />
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I likely would still not have noticed the baths even now, if it weren't for an interesting new exhibition of sculptures by France's Rodin.<br />
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Rodin's particular style of leaving his sculptures at least partly unfinished, a work-in-progress effect, actually displays very well inside the ruins of the baths of Diocletian, given the somewhat unfinished appearance of the ruins.<br />
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According to the archaeological superintendent of Rome, the Terme di Diocleziano was the most imposing baths complex ever built in Rome, and was constructed between 298 AD and 306 AD, spanning 13 hectares and able to accommodate as many as 3,000 people.<br />
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The structure included gyms, libraries, a large swimming pool as well as hot and cold baths, and it was used by Michelangelo as a model when he restored parts of the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli which is right next door to the baths.<br />
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Today, the Terme di Diocleziano is part of the Museo Nazionale Romano (National Roman Museum) system, and has been renovated into an interesting complex, including a tranquil garden space with trees and flowers that is only steps from the central Termini railway station but truly feels very far from the chaos of that transportation hub.<br />
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sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-5383434863280556652014-02-16T09:50:00.000-05:002014-02-16T09:50:39.154-05:00A spring day in historic Rome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After what seemed like weeks of rain through January and well into February, causing major flooding, landslides and train derailments all over Italy, today was finally sunny and warm so I took a long Sunday walk around the Celian Hill near the Colosseum. The Celian was, of course, one of Rome's famous Seven Hills dating from the Republican era.<br />
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I was surprised to see these blossoms above on one lone bush…..<br />
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And at a religious house on the Celian, someone has planted happy, smiling daffodils!<br />
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Or course, I cannot resist a fruit tree photo as I never before lived in a place with so many lovely fruit trees that seem to produce year round!<br />
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Nice to see so much greenery on the Celian at the historic chiesa di Santi Giovanni and Paolo, which has its roots in a 2nd century house church and boasts a wonderful bell tower and monastery.<br />
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And across from the Celian are the ruins of the great houses on the Palatine Hill.<br />
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A close up of the Colosseo, which is partly clad these days in scaffolding as it receives a much-needed cleaning.<br />
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Back on the Celian, a lovely mosaic on a church near the entrance to the Villa Celimontana, which has wonderful gardens that were originally connected with the Baths of Caracalla which lie below.<br />
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And this fellow lounges just above the Baths of Caracalla</div>
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-4699637530858406542014-01-27T06:22:00.003-05:002014-01-27T06:22:42.619-05:00What lies beneath Piazza Navona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How many times have we all criss-crossed Piazza Navona, one of the most popular spots for visitors to Rome, without thinking about the layers of history that lie beneath its beautiful fountains, its cobblestones and concrete benches, buskers and vendors?<br />
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Well, it has now become easier to get a glimpse of its long history, as a small section of the original structure built there - the Stadium of Domiziano - has been opened to the public.<br />
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I visited it on Sunday with my friend and classics scholar Laura, who explained in great detail the origins of the site which was completed in about the year 86 by the mad emperor Domiziano for a great athletic event in honour of the god Jove.<br />
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(The photos below are from Bernini's great Fountain of the Four Rivers in the centre of today's Piazza Navona)<br />
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Laura explained that there are some misconceptions about the origins of the stadium that shaped today's Piazza Navona, including the fact it was, indeed, a stadium for athletic events and not a circus, like Circus Maximus, which was used for larger events such horse and chariot races. It was also interesting to learn that a stadium was originally a unit of measure that varied depending on where it was used. In Latin it often referred to 176 meters, the length of a particular foot race.<br />
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The Stadio di Domiziano was the first permanent athletic structure in Rome - previously, temporary venues were built, perhaps from wood - and this stadium was modelled on the style used in Greece. Looking at a modern reconstruction, it stuck me how similar it is to many sports stadiums I have seen in North America!<br />
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The stadium originally seated about 30,000 spectators and the shape of Piazza Navona almost exactly follows the sweep of the original oval structure, which included a beautiful marble viewing box for the emperor and other nobility on the spot where today's church of Sant'Agnese in Agone rests.<br />
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In fact, there is a connection here with the young Saint Agnes. Apparently, brothels had originally been established in certain arcades of this stadium structure, and it was in one of these where Agnes's martyrdom began, because she refused to marry as ordered by a later emperor, Diocletian. (Another small fact, the word "fornicate" is derived from the Latin name of the arch of an arcade, "fornix," according to Laura).<br />
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Still another fun fact, the word "Navona" as used in Piazza Navona, is derived from the term "agonalis" a combined Latin-Greek word for "struggles" describing the athletic competition in the original stadium….and over the years, was mispronounced until it became "Navona" (which, frankly, sounds better to me!)<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-86450591550754124402014-01-19T09:00:00.002-05:002014-01-19T09:00:34.939-05:00A January Sunday in Rome.As a girl from the Canadian Prairies, I am still gobsmacked by the sight of Rome in January, and just how very green everything is….even a few wild flowers are pushing their way through the hard soil of the Roman Forum.<div>
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How I love the sight of lemon tress and their bright fruit!</div>
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It was a bit cloudy as I made my way up the Capitoline Hill …</div>
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I felt sad to see that the gardeners of Rome's capitol hill have not been taking care of the delightful topiary figures of the iconic she-wolf, feeding babies Remus and Romulus (who now look like shaggy little shrubs)</div>
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Of course, I can never resist this shot of the Palatine Hill, from across Circus Maximus.</div>
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sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-37785442064659838852014-01-03T12:25:00.001-05:002014-01-03T12:25:08.965-05:00Return to Rome's Monti neighbourhood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">m happy to report that I am once again living in Rome's Monti area, where I lived for almost all of 2012. It's a great neighbourhood, snugged in beside the Imperial Forum which runs alongside the Roman Forum, divided only by the major Via dei Fori Imperial.</span></div>
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In fact, the western edge of Monti, known in ancient times as Subura, is formed by a high stone wall along Via Tor de’ Conti, which follows the contours of the forums of Augustus, Vespasian, Trajan, and Nerva.</div>
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The wall was built to protect Imperial Rome from the ancient slum, where Julius Caesar is said to have grown up.</div>
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Indeed, Monti remained a rather rough, unpopular neighbourhood until Rome became the capital of a united Italy in 1871.</div>
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I moved back in to Monti just in time to see the Christmas tree still set up in front of the Colosseum, now undergoing some restoration work and partly hidden under scaffolding. </div>
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The holiday tree will likely be removed right after the January 6 Epiphany holiday.</div>
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After hearing of the terrible snowstorms that people in Canada and parts of the United States have been facing in these first few days of January 2014, I am doubly thrilled to see lots of green grass around here.</div>
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sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-28712761341226956842013-12-22T09:21:00.002-05:002013-12-22T09:21:56.154-05:00Christmas in Rome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This will be my third Christmas living in Rome, and I am developing a few favourites, especially the lovely Christmas lights, and the massive holiday tree in Piazza San Pietro at the Vatican.</div>
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For a chance of pace, a Christmas tree in the piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina seems to be decorated with movie film and is sitting on a giant film reel - perhaps in honour of the former Etoile cinema in the square that is now a very large and beautiful Louis Vuitton store (which runs old movies in the store in honour of its origins as a cinema.)</div>
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I really love Christmas lights!<br />
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On Rome's central Via del Corso, the lights this year are decorated in the colours of the Gay Pride flag (which caused some controversy on city council!) </div>
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Meanwhile, as I was walking around the Vatican today, to see how Christmas preparations were going, I took a few photos from outside the rear walls of Vatican City.</div>
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Buon Natale!</div>
<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-2148303889250182042013-12-03T14:33:00.000-05:002013-12-03T14:33:06.955-05:00A December evening in Rome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I heard this week that the cleaning of Bernini's Fontana del Tritone in Piazza Barberini had been completed, I strolled over there after work to see it for myself. It really looks lovely!<br />
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Triton was a minor sea god and here he is shown as a kind of merman, head thrown back as he drinks from a conch shell.<br />
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I especially enjoy the depictions of dolphins in Renaissance and Baroque-era sculpture, as some kind of vicious sea creature with sharp teeth and menacing expressions.<br />
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Interestingly, there was also a very large, metal Menorah in the Piazza celebrating Hanukkah.<br />
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And, as I walked home I noticed that more and more businesses on my street are putting up pretty little Christmas decorations and pine boughs around their doors.<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-62692116371089849222013-11-30T12:51:00.000-05:002013-11-30T12:51:01.788-05:00Marking my second anniversary of life in Rome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other day I was riding an escalator and became so engrossed in conversation with my friend Stefania, who was one step below me, that I forgot where I was and when the moving stairs reached the top, I pitched backwards, arms windmilling frantically before I fell flat on my back. My biggest concern was that my pant leg would get caught in the machinery and rip the fabric right off my backside - THAT would be mortifying.<br />
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So, I jumped right up and then I had to laugh at how clumsy I am.<br />
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Today as I mark the two-year anniversary of the day I moved from Canada to Rome, I really think that this has been the most important thing that I have learned, and re-learned, and re-learned again: how crucial it is to maintain a good sense of humour; and how crucial it is to be able to laugh at myself.<br />
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Life in Rome is full of complications and challenges - like life anywhere, I suppose. But living in a new culture and a new language adds a few extra layers in complexity and I devote a fair amount of effort to learning to navigate these. Happily, I have mostly done better in life than I did on that escalator.<br />
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I continue struggling to find a place to settle and perhaps it was fitting that today, on my anniversary, I marked the occasion by finding a new apartment - my 5th since arriving here! I am excited to be returning to the Monti area where my first two apartments were located and which is my favourite <i>quartiere </i>in Rome.<br />
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The apartment itself is extraordinarily small (above is the view if I lean way out the window) but since one of my goals in moving to Italy was to find a more simple, pared down life while enlarging my emotional and intellectual self, I suppose it fits. Plus, it has a full-sized fridge, no mean thing.<br />
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I have made some wonderful new friends in Rome, including Michele who owns a fantastic art gallery, <a href="http://www.rvbarts.com/en/" target="_blank">RvB Affordable Art</a> near Piazza Farnese. I popped in to snag her for a quick lunch at Zoc's which is charming. I had ravioli stuffed with pumpkin.<br />
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Then, time to run errands which I seem to do a lot in Rome. However, it is certainly more beautiful to do so here, when I can take shortcuts such as today's through the courtyard of the Museo di Roma in Palazzo Braschi where there was an interesting outdoor display of sculpture:<br />
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I emerged in Piazza Navona where booths are being set up for the Christmas mercato. This will be my third Christmas in Rome and unfortunately, I have seen that the market has become dominated by cheap imported trinkets that push out more authentic Italian goods and spoil the effect. Alas.<br />
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Still, no matter how tawdry some elements of life here can be, these cannot undermine the great and sometimes surprising magnificence of Rome!<br />
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sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-91948466952926146252013-11-25T14:34:00.000-05:002013-11-25T14:34:43.325-05:00Autumn in Umbria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Living in Rome is often an adventure and always interesting, but sometimes it is a great relief to get out of town to visit the region of Umbria, which I consider to be my sanctuary.<br />
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My dear friend <a href="http://www.geniuslociumbria.it/blog/" target="_blank">Mary</a> took me on some lovely roads recently to enjoy the fall colours and an incredible lunch in a fantastic, rustic restaurant called <a href="http://www.serpillo.it/" target="_blank">Serpillo</a> in the tiny bongo of Torre del Colle.<br />
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It sits atop a hill looking down on the delightful town of Bevagna.<br />
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Mary explained that the red vines blanketing some fields so beautifully are the remains of the noble Sagrantino, source of such great Umbrian wines.</div>
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Most of the olives have now been picked and pressed into wonderful oil - I especially love Umbrian olive oil. I am excited to try Mary's Genius Loci oil this year, only a few days old!</div>
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-37922246524417736212013-11-16T10:33:00.001-05:002013-11-16T10:33:18.667-05:00There is more than one way to visit the Vatican…...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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… or at least, to visit Vatican property in Rome outside of Vatican City itself. The Renaissance Palazzo Cancelleria, which lies between Piazza Navona and the Campo de'Fiori neighbourhood, is Vatican property, something the tour guide was quite clear on when I visited the palazzo recently.<br />
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It is one of those great buildings that one passes by all the time in Rome but rarely has the chance to enter and Cancelleria is especially interesting and just a bit off-beat. That is in part because of its crowded location along the centuries-old Via del Pellegrino meant that its architecture was actually adjusted to accommodate the street, once an important pilgrim (<i>pellegrino</i>) route to the Vatican itself.<br />
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The 15th century palazzo is also attached to the smaller church of San Lorenzo in Damaso, which has an entry only steps from the main door of the palazzo itself.<br />
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It was built, like so many Roman structures, over existing buildings and their foundations are still obvious - beneath waterways which are part of Rome's ancient springs and acqueduct system.<br />
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The building was constructed by Cardinal Raffaele Riario who held the post of Cardinal Camerlengo to his powerful uncle, Pope Sixtus IV and was reportedly financed by the cardinal's massive winnings in a single night of gambling. <br />
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Inside the palazzo are two large, public halls with some interesting murals - especially a series that was completed by Giorgio Vasari in only 100 days, a feat that gave the room its name: the Sala dei Cento Giorni.<br />
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Legend has it that Vasari boasted of this accomplishment to the Renaissance master Michelangelo who tartly responded "Si vede" ("It shows").<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-60285369735336075392013-11-09T04:58:00.002-05:002013-11-09T04:58:15.817-05:00A New View of Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The great basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was founded in the fourth century, is one of Rome's most stately churches and one of the four highest-ranking basilicas in the Catholic Church in Rome. It is packed with great art - truly fabulous Byzantine mosaics line the walls and apse - and has such a long history that it is worth many visits.<br />
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And I have made many visits - but recently, I had my first official tours that allowed me to climb up on to the loggia that looks down over the piazza of Santa Maria Maggiore (SMM) as well as down below into its museum and scavi, or archaeological excavation site.<br />
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Like so many churches in Rome, a city of multiple layers, SMM was originally founded over a temple to the goddess Cybele. It later became a "house" church and in the early 400s the first formal structure was completed under Pope Sixtus III, who held the papacy from 432 to 440.<br />
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The early church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which was a very popular theme at the time, likely because in 431 she was officially accepted as the "Theotokos" (Mother of God) at the Catholic Church's Council of Ephesus.<br />
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And this, my scholarly friend Laura tells me, likely came as a response to a heretical movement that had been attacking the idea that Mary was in fact the Mother of God.<br />
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That's all fine information, but as usual I like a healthy dose of legend with my facts, so I'll turn to the 13th legend that says the church was built in the 300s by Pope Liberius after he had a dream where Mary appeared to him, telling him to build a church in her honour on the Esquiline Hill (near today's Termini railway station).<br />
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On that very same night, legend holds, a wealthy Roman had precisely the same dream.<br />
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That amazing coincidence was sealed with a rare snowfall on August 5 (during the hottest period in Rome's summer) which fell in an outline of the floor plan for this new church. Because of that miracle, SMM is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of the Snows and a huge Mass is held each year on August 5 to mark the event, with white rose petals sprinkled to commemorate the snowfall.<br />
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All of this legend is celebrated in the loggia with mosaics that are beautifully lit in the evening so they can be seen from the piazza below – but at such a distance, it is harder to make out the details of the legend. Up close, the detail is lovely.<br />
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The loggia also contains several beautiful statues from the school of Bernini, which were carved for the high altar of the basilica. However, the bronze and marble creations were found to be too heavy for the foundations at that spot in the basilica and were moved upstairs to the loggia!<br />
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The tour guide assured me that the loggia over the main entrance to the basilica has a more sturdy foundation to support the weight of these statues....but I don't think I'll linger in the entryway below the next time I visit SMM.<br />
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On an unrelated note: I have been a very lazy blogger of late. I began a full-time (but not permanent) six-month contract with Italy's largest news agency one month ago, which is helpful as I am coming up on my two-year anniversary of living in Rome and desperately needed the work in order to live here longer.<br />
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However, the new gig (plus the intensive Italian language training I need) has meant less time and energy for other types of writing such as blogging. Still, I am beginning to find my footing at ANSA, so I hope I can get back into a blogging routine again!<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246646616214786952.post-19623952572120823382013-09-15T10:55:00.004-04:002013-09-15T10:55:42.867-04:00The birthplace of Rome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love the mythology wrapped around the history of Rome - a heady mix of the gods directing Aeneas after the fall of Troy to found a new nation, of kings rising and falling, of royal babies left in a basket to be later rescued and suckled by a she-wolf....<br />
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It's not always clear what is fact and what is myth, and I'm not actually all that fussy about finding the boundary between the two. In any event, the archaeology makes it pretty clear that a community of huts was established on one of Rome's seven great hills, the Palatine, at the point in time when Remus and Romulus reportedly fought over the foundations of one of the greatest of all cities.<br />
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As my friend Laura, the classics scholar, explains, the earliest Romans built their settlement on the Palatine - in fact, settlements there may date as far back as almost 1,000 BC.<br />
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Building upon, and borrowing from, the founding of Rome in 754 BC by Romulus, the wealthiest Republican-era families as well as great emperors built their homes on the Palatine (from about 500 BC to 44 BC.) Beside being prime real estate, putting down roots here helped to reinforce everyone's claim that they were descended from Romulus (and therefore, were blue-bloods, perhaps pure-bloods, surely royalty and perhaps even descended from gods!)<br />
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In fact, our English word "palace" has its roots in the term palazzo, which in turn comes from the word Palatine.<br />
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Along with ruins that still give a wonderful sense of what luxurious palazzos were once built here, there remain some remarkably intact frescos with that rich, royal red that I now associate with ancient Rome.<br />
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And modern Romans who enjoy reconstructing those ancient days.<br />
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<br />sandrachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00957358953411540844noreply@blogger.com5