Yesterday and today were extremely active, but also extremely enjoyable. Our first stop on Thursday was the non-Catholic cemetery, where many important literary figures are buried or memorialized. There is a marker for Percy Shelley, as well as the graves of Keats, Goethe, Gramsci, and others. The cemetery is obviously not a delightful place, but it's a beautiful and meditative one.
The older part of the cemetery offers a great view of the Pyramid of Cestius, which was built in the first century B.C.E. in imitation of the great pyramids of Egypt. What a way to be buried! We got to go inside and everything, although the most interesting stuff is gone because a tomb robber burrowed into the pyramid during the middle ages.
Although the paintings inside of the tomb are damaged, what remains is understated but impressive. I guess if you've got to be buried somewhere, this place will do...
After the pyramid, we headed over to one of the coolest museums I've seen so far: the Centrale Montemartini. This building used to be a power plant, but was abandoned for several decades. Then they turned the power plant into a museum for classical sculpture, but kept all of the old machinery. The result is pure AWESOME.
That's Agrippina, with a warrior statue in the background, all set in front of some heavy machinery. I love it.
Today involved a lot more time out in the sun, which was brutal but worth it. We got a tour of the archaeological dig at Gabii, which made me long to once again pick up a trowel. After that, we went to Praeneste (now Palestrina) and checked out the museum that preserves what is left of the Temple of Fortuna. People used to ask questions there and cast lots to get Fortuna's answer—maybe we should have brought a Magic Eight-Ball? The museum also features a huge and amazing Nilotic mosaic, which contains gems such as this rhinoceros:
Today had its moments of terror, as well. Our bus started leaking oil and spewing white smoke, which was not fun. And our first outing of the morning involved crossing a busy intersection to see the tomb of Eurysaces, a bread baker who was both proud of his profession and rich enough from his labors to build himself a pretty sweet tomb. His wife's remains were also interred there, in a stone model of a bread basket. This led to many ridiculous bread puns, such as "The first thing he said to his wife was, 'Nice buns!'" and "Baby, I knead you!" It's so fun to hang out with a bunch of other dorky teachers. Our students would have been so deliciously ashamed. (Get it? Delicious? HAHA.)
The older part of the cemetery offers a great view of the Pyramid of Cestius, which was built in the first century B.C.E. in imitation of the great pyramids of Egypt. What a way to be buried! We got to go inside and everything, although the most interesting stuff is gone because a tomb robber burrowed into the pyramid during the middle ages.
Although the paintings inside of the tomb are damaged, what remains is understated but impressive. I guess if you've got to be buried somewhere, this place will do...
After the pyramid, we headed over to one of the coolest museums I've seen so far: the Centrale Montemartini. This building used to be a power plant, but was abandoned for several decades. Then they turned the power plant into a museum for classical sculpture, but kept all of the old machinery. The result is pure AWESOME.
That's Agrippina, with a warrior statue in the background, all set in front of some heavy machinery. I love it.
Today involved a lot more time out in the sun, which was brutal but worth it. We got a tour of the archaeological dig at Gabii, which made me long to once again pick up a trowel. After that, we went to Praeneste (now Palestrina) and checked out the museum that preserves what is left of the Temple of Fortuna. People used to ask questions there and cast lots to get Fortuna's answer—maybe we should have brought a Magic Eight-Ball? The museum also features a huge and amazing Nilotic mosaic, which contains gems such as this rhinoceros:
Today had its moments of terror, as well. Our bus started leaking oil and spewing white smoke, which was not fun. And our first outing of the morning involved crossing a busy intersection to see the tomb of Eurysaces, a bread baker who was both proud of his profession and rich enough from his labors to build himself a pretty sweet tomb. His wife's remains were also interred there, in a stone model of a bread basket. This led to many ridiculous bread puns, such as "The first thing he said to his wife was, 'Nice buns!'" and "Baby, I knead you!" It's so fun to hang out with a bunch of other dorky teachers. Our students would have been so deliciously ashamed. (Get it? Delicious? HAHA.)
1 comment:
What a great trip you are having! You'll will have tons of deep background for your students. Thanks for sharing. Many great tips for anyone considering a visit to Rome.
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