Terry and Ernst had no trouble getting our bus through customs into Italy. However, some cars were searched thoroughly. While our bus was parked most of us went to the exchange office and bought some Italian money -- something like a thousand lire for one dollar.
As we drove through the scenic Italian Alps of northern Italy, we saw many old castles of rival barons in secure isolation. We spent the night in Venice. See map.
June 27th, Saturday
We all boarded the bus and headed toward the dock for a ferry boat ride to the main island of Venice. Our boat entered the Canale di San Marco (lower right on the map).
The city is protected from the forces of the Adriatic Sea by the natural breakwater of the Lido, a long narrow sandbar.
As our boat approach Venice one building really stood out -- the Doge’s Palace. The Palazzo Ducale, or Doge’s Palace, was the seat of the government of Venice for centuries. As well as being the home of the Doge (the elected ruler of Venice) it was the venue for its law courts, its civil administration and bureaucracy and — until its relocation across the Bridge of Sighs — the city jail.
Here is where we docked.
We were escorted from the dock to the Murano Artistic Glassware Company for a glass-making demonstration. The process of making Murano glass is rather complex. Most Murano glass art is made using the lamp-working technique. The glass is made from silica which becomes liquid at high temperatures. As the glass passes from a liquid to a solid state, there is an interval when the glass is soft before it hardens completely. This is when the glass-master can shape the material. We watched as the glassblower made a fancy glass bowl and a decorative glass horse.
Murano's glassmakers were soon the island’s most prominent citizens. By the 14th century, glassmakers were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state and many of their daughters married into Venice’s most affluent families.
Murano Glass was produced in great quantities in the 1950s and 1960s for export and for tourists. We were herded into the showroom with massive displays of glass products from beads and table ware to elaborate chandeliers. Shelly purchased a set of dishes.
Annette and I brought a decorative wine set and platter. Unfortunately, we had it sent to our home address and the packers substituted junk. Because it had been paid on VISA we later successfully voided the payment. Shown here is an expensive plate that we purchased. The emblem on the top was slopped over with too much paint. Moving counterclockwise the “artist” was a little better, but still too much paint. Next one he was running out of paint. The last one had no paint.
They resent the order. Our wine set is at right. Too bad they couldn’t get it right the first time. I’ve heard many horror stories from people who made purchased in Italy and were mailed junk -- like leather jackets many sizes too small for adults to wear.
Just outside the glass company, was San Marco’s Square with pigeons everywhere. We they took off as a grou there was a loud fluttering sound.
Restaurants had tables and chairs set out for customers, but if you wanted to sit down to eat you had to pay extra. You also have to purchase a glass of water, or go without.
Our required local guide took us across the square to St. Marco’s (St. Mark’s) Basilica for a tour.
Onion shaped domes on the east end. Mark Twain called the Cathedral “a warty bug taking a walk.”
The first thing the guide pointed out as we entered was the beautiful mosaics. The upper order of the interior is completely covered with bright mosaics containing gold, bronze, and the greatest variety of stones
St. Mark’s is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. For its opulent design, gilded Byzantine mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, from the 11th century on the building was known by the nickname Chiesa d'Oro (Church of gold).
The church was built in 830 to shelter the tomb of St. Mark, whose bones had been smuggled out of Alexandria. The high altar contains St Mark’s relics.
Our next touring spot was conveniently located right next door.
As we stepped outside, we noticed the ceremony on St. Mark’s Square with marching soldiers.
After a little commotion because of the crowd, we managed to enter the Doge Palace as a group.
Because this was the residence of the Doge, the walls and ceilings were richly decorated with tremendous artwork. The Senate right.
We were looking at artwork of Tintoretto and Veronese. On the right is" Bacchus and Ariadne" of Tintoretto’. Perhaps the noblest among the allegorical paintings is Bacchus and Ariadne (1578). The god walks through the sea to offer Ariadne the ring that will unite them in marriage. Above the couple a personification of the air (or Venus) with one hand holds Ariadne's hand and with the other holds aloft Bacchus's gift to his beloved, a starry crown. On the allegorical level this painting may be interpreted as the loving homage of the mainland, represented by Bacchus, to the beauty, grace, and merit of Venice.
Veronese did many large ceiling paintings in the Palace. Among those is The Triumph of Venice (right). He was one of the greatest of all decorative artists, delighting in painting enormous pageant-like scenes that bear witness to the material splendor of Venice in its Golden Age. Henry III (one of the worthless sons of Catherine de Medici) remarked that had he not been king of France, he would have wished to be a Venetian.
The palace is connected to the old prison by the famous Bridge of Sighs (Pone dei Sospiri) The name "Bridge of Sighs" was invented in the 19th Century, when Lord Byron helped to popularize the belief that the bridge's name was inspired by the sighs of condemned prisoners as they were led through it to the executioner. (In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals.) We had a nice view of the canal below the bridge.
Now we were to embark on a gondola ride through the canals. We met up with Terry who had arranged our gondolas. Each gondola held six passengers and a boatman who stood up and maneuvered the boat with a long pole. Our gondolier was talkative but he wouldn’t sing romantic songs for us.
We passed the historic home of Marco Polo. Marco Polo (1254-1324) was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China, visiting the Kublai Khan in Beijing.
He left in 1271 (he was a teenager at the time) with his father (Nicolo Polo) and uncle (Maffeo Polo); they spent about 24 years traveling. Through his writings, Marco Polo helped connect the East with the West. He lived to be 70 tears old.
We also passed by the house of Casanova (house on right). Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt (April 2, 1725 – June 4, 1798) was a Venetian adventurer and author. His main book Story of My Life, part autobiography and part memoir, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. He was so famous as a womanizer that his name remains synonymous with the art of seduction. He associated with European royalty, popes and cardinals, along with luminaries such as Voltaire, Goethe and Mozart.
An old man helped us out of the boat and held out his open palm. Nothing is complimentary in Italy.
Annette and Fred took a “water bus” over to Galleria dell Accademia -- Gallery of Fine Arts. We wanted to see the works of Veronese, especially his “Supper in the House of Levi.” Our luck, the museum was closed at 2 pm and it was just 2 pm.
Just as well because we had a nice walk back to St, Mark’s Square. We crossed over the Accademia Bridge and took a narrow shop lined street that was extremely interesting.
Back in St. Mark’s Square we decided to ride the elevator of the Bell Tower (campanile),
What a view! You could see just about everything in Venice. Especially, interesting was the bird’s eye view of St. Mark's. One could understand why Mark Twain said it looked like “a warty bug taking a walk.”
While we were up there, we met Nathan and Clifford.
None of us anticipated that the bells would ring. We got an earful.
With the sound of bells still ringing in our ears, we assembled at the dock for our return trip to the mainland. Although it had been a full day, most of our group went over to the Adriatic Sea (very close to our hotel) for an evening swim. Since there were requests that I take no video, I left my camcorder in the room.
June 28th, Sunday
Today Ernst would guide HIS white tour bus into the Apennines for a scenic trip across bridges and through tunnels to reach Florence.
Terry had our driver stop at a high spot above the historic city. The overlook had a large replica of Michelangelo’s David. Michelangelo and Florence go together like Love and Marriage.
From the Piazzale Michelangelo we had a majestic view of the city and surrounding countryside. We could use the Cathedral with its famous dome as a point of reference.
Ernst drove us down into the city and our hotel, What a wonderful hotel -- an old palace located on the River Arno. Everything would be within walking distance. Since this had been a palace, elevators were added in such a way as not to disturb the appearance. Therefore, the elevators were unusually small. But that wasn’t that big of a problem.
The door to our hotel palace was humongous. Here Mike reaches up to the old handle to open it.
We had dinner in a long narrow restaurant within walking distance . Our meal started off with the preliminary and ever present spaghetti. It was never served as the main dish and the sauce wasn’t as thick as we Americans serve. Annette could never finish her plate, but Fred always helped her out. The food was good.
It was Fred’s birthday so we celebrated with birthday cake,
After dinner some of us walked along the Arno River. Back at the hotel palace Steve Raddatz conducted our
Sunday evening worship. Visitors from the other group joined us.
June 29th, Monday
In the morning our required local guide led us to Palace Vecchio. Clifford introduced the palace for the video. The picture on the right was taken from a TV screen while my videotape was being played.
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany. The building was erected between 1298 and 12314. Those little battlement openings along the top were used to drop hot liquid on invaders. In the chapel Girolamo Savonarola said his last prayers before he was burned to death on the Piazza della Signoria.
To the left of the building was the Neptune Fountain by Ammannati (1563-75), The Florentines who did not like it renamed the sculpture “White Giant.” The Neptune figure, whose face resembles that of Cosimo I de' Medici, was meant to be an allusion to the dominion of the Florentines over the sea. It was rumored that Michelangelo's only comment to the sculptor was "what a beautiful piece of marble you've ruined." To add insult to injury the locals began to use the fountain as a basin to wash their clothes.
To the right of Palace Vecchio was an outdoor collection of statues in what was called the Loggia dei Lanzi. Among the works of art were the Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus with the
Head of Medusa
and Giambolgna’s Rape of the Sabine Women. The later statue was made from one imperfect block of white marble, the largest block ever transported to Florence.
The next major attraction was the Cathedral or Duomo and the Baptistery of John the Baptist (the octagonal building in the foreground). During its long history, this cathedral has been the seat of the Council of Florence (1439), heard the preaching of Jerome Savonarola and witnessed the murder of Giuliano di Piero de' Medici on Sunday 26 April 1478 (with Lorenzo Il Magnifico barely escaping death) in the Pazzi conspiracy.
By the beginning of the fifteenth century, after a hundred years of construction, the structure was still missing its dome. The basic features of the dome had been designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1367. It called for an octagonal dome higher and wider than any that had ever been built, with no external buttresses to keep it from spreading and falling under its own weight. Brunelleschi would have to build the dome out of bricks, and with nothing under it during construction. Brunelleschi's solutions were ingenious. The spreading problem was solved by a set of four internal horizontal stone and iron chains, serving as barrel hoops, embedded within the inner dome: one each at the top and bottom, with the remaining two evenly spaced between them. A fifth chain, made of wood, was placed between the first and second of the stone chains. Since the dome was octagonal rather than round, a simple chain, squeezing the dome like a barrel hoop, would have put all its pressure on the eight corners of the dome. This dome inspired Michelangelo’s dome in Rome.
The next church on the agenda was the Basilica of Santa Croce known for the famous works of art it contains and its historical significance. The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Its most notable features are its sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs. It was paid for by some of the city's wealthiest families.
Our guide spent considerable time talking about the tombs here of Michelangelo (right)
... and Machiavelli (right).
While we were there, local students were studying this fresco of the funeral of St. Francis by Giotto.
We also admired this crucifix by a stained glass window. The Cimabue crucifix is one of the most famous crucifixes ever built. This master piece was created in 1288 by the artist Cenni de Peppi, also known as Cimabue.
Since Italy is known for its fine leather, Terry took us to the Leonardo Leather works to see a presentation on leather. Afterwards, naturally, we visited the showroom.
Fred tried on a number before settling on one. Fortunately we took it with us rather than having it shipped to Minnesota.
From here we could roam about Florence on our own. Annette and I went back to the Cathedral to visit it some more and to take in the nearby museum. Here we saw an unfinished Pieta by Michelangelo (3rd of the 4), a product of the artist’s later years. I zoomed in on the head of the central figure because it is a self portrait of the artist. In my study back home I have a bust of Michelangelo based on this sculpture.
We also saw a shrine containing a bone of John the Baptist.
The museum had numerous sculptures of Donatello, who was born in Florence. One often thinks of the smooth lines of his David, but I thought his portrayal of his wooden Mary Magdalene quite different. We also saw his rendition of St. John the Baptist.
Finally we viewed the original baptistery east door “the Gates of Paradise”. Adam and Eve.
A brief walk took us to the Church of San Lorenzo (Medici). Statue of Lorenzo Magnificent in the foreground. Oldest church in Florence.
Then we went to the Chapel of the Medici. The House of de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici during the late 14th century. Their bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century, as the Medici gained political power in Florence. The Medici produced four Popes of the Catholic Church; two became queens of France (remember Catherine and her daughter?) They were able to bring Florence under their family's power, allowing for an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They fostered and inspired the birth of the Renaissance. There are some estimates that the Medici family were the wealthiest family in Europe for a period of time.
Medici marble tomb by Michelangelo
At the Medici Library we observed original manuscripts (on video up close).
On the way back to our hotel palace, we stopped to view the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in the city, the only one to survive WW II. The Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers
Next on our way back: The Palazzo Medici Riccardi was one of the numerous palazzo built during the period of Florentine prosperity The building reflects the accumulated wealth of the Medici family, yet it is somewhat reserved. This palace was built for Cosimo de Medici the Elder from 1444-1464. The main branch of the Medici family lived here until 1540, when Cosimo moved his family to Palazzo Vecchio. Pope Leo X (of Luther’s time) spent his childhood here. Catherine de Medici was born in the palace 1519.
The open colonnaded court that is the center of the Palazzo plan has roots in the cloisters that developed from Roman peristyles.
June 30th, Tuesday
Today we were to travel to Assisi, but we asked Terry to change the agenda so we could go to the Medici Chapel again and also visit the Uffizi. The Uffizi had been closed on Monday. He said only if the St. Edward’s group (who shared our bus) would agree to the change -- that we drop Assisi and make up the time by taking a shorter route to Rome. The other group was kind enough to make the change. So we started off for a walk along the Arno to the Uffizi. This view of the Uffizi shows the space between the buildings.
We were allowed to take videotape in the Uffizi and I went crazy trying to tape everything. First I concentrated on one of my favorite artists -- Sandro Botticelli. He is probably best known for his Birth of Venus (right),
but I found some of his others more to my liking. Notice the faces.
There were many other artistic works I recorded on the video. Among them Boy Taking a Thorn From His Foot. The formerly popular title Il Fedele ("The faithful boy") derived from an anecdote invented to give this intimate and naturalistic study a more heroic civic setting: the faithful messenger, a mere shepherd boy, had delivered his message to the Roman Senate first, only then stopping to remove a painful thorn from his foot: the Roman Senate commemorated the event. (info: Wikipedia)
July 1st, Wednesday
Our tour of Rome began at the Roman Colosseum. We were in a good mood and raring to go, as evident in photo to the right.
Our local guide was very knowledgeable but her voice was penetrating and upset my brain.
Roman Emperor Vespasian initiated the construction of the Roman Coliseum in the year 70 AD and completed 10 years later, The inaugural ceremony lasted for more than 100 days. The Roman Coliseum is an amphitheater that has the capacity to hold 50,000 people at a time. In Latin "arena" means, "sand". The arena of the Coliseum consisted of wood and sand. There were tall nets along the sides of the Coliseum to protect the spectators. An important fact that is noteworthy is Coliseum is designed in such a manner that entire spectators could be dispersed in a matter of five minutes.
Wood covered an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"). Little now remains of the original arena floor, but the hypogeum is still clearly visible. It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began.
Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath; larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. The platform across the center in the picture was added in modern times to aid accessibility.
The Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. The shows, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. They had a strong religious element but were also demonstrations of power and family prestige, and were immensely popular with the population. Another popular type of show was the animal hunt. It appears to have been only in the 16th and 17th centuries that the Colosseum came to be regarded as a Christian site.
Pope Pius V (1566–1572) is said to have recommended that pilgrims gather sand from the arena of the Colosseum to serve as a relic, on the grounds that it was impregnated with the blood of martyrs. This seems to have been a minority view until it was popularized nearly a century later by Fioravante Martinelli, who listed the Colosseum at the head of a list of places sacred to the martyrs in his 1653 book Roma ex ethnica sacra.
Near the Colosseum was the Arch of Constantine erected by the Roman Senate to Commemorate Constantine’s victory over Maxentius in 313 AD. According to contemporary historians, the night before the battle Constantine had a vision. He saw the symbol of chi-rho (the first letters of "Christ" in Greek) — or the cross in some accounts — in the sky with the words, "By this sign, conquer." This arch is religiously significant because it commemorates the battle that led the Emperor Constantine to convert to Christianity, thereby changing the religious landscape of the western world.
After viewing this site we headed back to our white bus. Our next stop was St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Construction on the current building began under Pope Julius II in 1506 and was completed in 1615. Many famous artists worked on the Basilica. Michelangelo, who served as main architect for a while, designed the dome, and Bernini designed the great St. Peter's Square. Providing a fitting approach to the great church is the huge, elliptical St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro), designed by Bernini and built between 1656 and 1667.
There are two beautiful fountains in the square, the south/left one by Carlo Maderno (1613) and the northern/right one by Bernini (1675). In the center of the square is an obelisk, which dates from 13th-century BC Egypt.
I videotaped the columns up close to show their immense size. The part of the colonnade that is around the ellipse does not entirely encircle it, but reaches out in two arcs, symbolic of the arms of "the Roman Catholic Church reaching out to welcome its communicants" Bernini's transformation of the site is entirely Baroque in concept. Where Bramante and Michelangelo conceived a building that stood in "self-sufficient isolation," Bernini made the whole complex "expansively relate to its environment" No other city has afforded such a wide-swept approach to its cathedral church or basilica.
Financing the project: Pope Leo X was Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica. He was the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the most famous ruler of the Florentine Republic, A major proponent of this method of fund-raising was Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, who was required by the Vatican to clear debts by contributing to the rebuilding program. The Dominican preacher Johann Tetzel was sent to Germany to facilitate this.
A German priest, Martin Luther, took exception to the selling of these indulgences and wrote a letter to Albrecht of Mainz arguing against it. He also included his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," which contributed to the Reformation and the birth of Protestantism.
Protecting the Basilica were Swiss guards. The Papal Swiss Guard in the Vatican was founded in 1506 and is the only Swiss Guard that still exists. Our guard said that their outfits conceal automatic weapons. Besides their guard duties, they also enforced a dress code for visitors. I cautioned our group that even men must dress appropriately to enter. Apparently some of the men thought if their shorts reached or covered the knees that would be acceptable. The guards refused them admittance. The rest of us passed inspection and entered.
It turned out that those rejected missed an opportunity to see and hear Pope John Paul II. We were surprised that he made an unannounced visit. People were really excited. He came in with the sound of music, spoke to the crowd, made signs like a blessing and left. John Paul II has been acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. It is widely held that he was instrumental in ending Communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe.
There were people in front of me (including our college kids) but I managed to get the pope on the tape.
This picture is not very good because it is a photo taken from a videotape on the TV set. Yet, the pope is visible.
I videotaped just about everything in the Basilica — a holy water stoop by Bernini, bronze statue of St. Peter on a throne, the ceiling, Chair of St. Peter by Bernini with sunlight design, and of course, the
Pieta by Michelangelo.
Once back outside we walked around a wall over to the Vatican Museum. Usually the line is quite long but it wasn’t too bad today. Our starting point was the outstretched arms of Bernini and around to the long rectangular building where we entered the museum.
The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) contain one of the world's greatest art collections. Housed in the richly decorated galleries and apartments of the Vatican Palace, the Vatican Museums boast the largest collection of classical sculpture in the world, plus extensive artworks from the Etruscan, Egyptian, Early Christian, Renaissance and modern periods -- and the magnificent Sistine Chapel.
Walking through the galleries we saw rich tapestries and paintings. Our primary goal was the Sistine Chapel where the biggest thrill was viewing the ceiling painting “Creation of Man” by Michelangelo.
Our afternoon was planned around a tour to Tivoli. or Tivoli Gardens. During the Renaissance popes and cardinals did not limit their embellishment program to Rome, and erected buildings in Tivoli also. From the 16th century the city saw further villa construction. Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, after the disappointment of a failed bid for the papacy, brought back to life here the splendor of the courts.
The main attraction for visitors, however, is the breathtaking garden. Designed to impress the Cardinal's guests, the Villa d'Este's gardens are composed almost exclusively of water features. Fountains of every description dazzle the onlooker, from the grand 'Fountain of the Dragons' and 'Hundred Fountains', to a miniature watery reproduction of Rome. The centerpiece, the gigantic Water Organ Fountain, cascades down a huge drop into quiet, shady pools
From the villa we had a commanding view of the countryside.
On our way back to Rome we passed sections of the Old Roman Wall. Then we came to the
Fountain of the Triton (1642–43) by Bernini. At its center rises a larger than life-size muscular Triton, a minor sea god of ancient Greco-Roman legend, depicted as a merman kneeling on the sum of four dolphin tail fins. His head is thrown back and his arms raise a conch to his lips; from it a jet of water spurts.
Our group now took to walking again. We started at the Castle Saint Angelo, viewing the monument built by Hadrian (139 AD) as a burial place for himself. The popes converted the structure into a castle, from the 14th century; Pope Nicholas III connected the castle to St. Peter's Basilica by a covered fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo. The fortress was the refuge of Pope Clement VII from the siege of Charles V's Landsknecht during the Sack of Rome (1527),
The group then walked over to Piazza Navona, a large square with three fountains. The one we gave most attention to was the central fountain -- the
Four Rivers by Bernini. The Ganges (right) carries a long oar, representing the river's navigability. The Nile's head is draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one at that time knew exactly where the Nile's source was. The Danube touches the Papal coat of arms, since it is the large river closest to Rome. And the Rio de la Plata is sitting on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America could offer to Europe
July 2nd, Thursday
Today was a free day and Ernst dropped us off at St. Peters Square. Those who had not passed the dress code previously now went into the Basilica. The rest of us were on our own. So Annette and I went to the Capitol on Capitoline Hill, which borders the Piazza del Campidaglio. Michelangelo systemized the piazza and designed the flight of steps to the capitol.
Our next destination was the Piazza Venezia in front of the
Victor Emmanuel Memorial (right). Victor Emanuel was the first king of the united Italy.
The big square in front of the monument is the Piazza Venezia Mussolini made speeches from the balcony of his residence on the left side of this photo.
We took in the Forum and its many sites before coming to the Circus Maximus. Only a few ruins remain, but one can see the open grassy valley that once was the site of the 4th century BC arena which could accommodate 250,000 spectators. Note the horseshoe shape of the race track for chariots in the background. During breaks from the races, the arena also held a variety of religious ceremonies, boxing and wrestling matches — even the occasional gladiator exhibition found its way into the circus. It is presumed that the majority of Christian martyrdom in the city also took place at the Roman Circus Maximus.
The ultimate goal of our hike across Rome was the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The Papal Arch-basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Church of Rome, Italy, and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope.
The first thing that struck me was the size of the building. Then the massive ornamentation. Photographs do not do justice to the interior. Above the sacramental altar there is allegedly a fragment of the table on which Jesus consumed the last supper. The Cathedral hosts also Jesus’ blood, brought to Rome by centurion Longino. The papal altar is said to contain many relics, including the heads of Saints Peter and Paul and part of St Peter's wooden altar.
We walked over to the nearby Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), wooden steps that encase white marble steps, are, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the staircase leading once to the praetorium of Pilate at Jerusalem, hence sanctified by the footsteps of Jesus Christ during his Passion. When we were there many people ascended the steps on their knees, waddling like penguins. The painting at the left where the stairs began was “Pilate Showing Christ to the People” by Jacometti.
The trip back to our meeting place took us by the Colosseum again, but this time from the other side. This allowed us to see some of the 80 entrances to the arena,
Although we were getting a little tired,we took time for the Trevi Fountain. It took 30 years to build this fountain. It was constructed by Salvi, but there are many evident Bernini touches in the fountain.
A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Among those who are unaware that the "three coins" of Three Coins in the Fountain were thrown by three different individuals, a reported current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. Another reported version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Fountain. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. Annette made a contribution, but she threw the coin in before I had the camcorder ready.
Our last stop was at the Pantheon. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome and one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotunda."
At last we reached the Spanish Steps, the designated meeting place for our group.
By looking at the map on the right, one could trace the long march of the Wulffs.
Castle San Angelo
Plaza Navona
Plaza Venezia
Palatino
Circus Massimo
San Giovanni (St. John’s in Lateran)
Colosseum
Fountain di Trevi
Pantheon
Plaza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)
July 3rd, Friday
We left Rome (Roma)early for the drive to Pompeii just south of Naples (Napoli). When Pompeii was a flourishing city it boasted a population about 30,000 and served as a resort city for wealthy patricians.
By the 1st century, Pompeii was one of a number of towns located around the base of the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. In the year 79 Vesuvius erupted without warning and began to spew sulfurous fumes and volcanic ash. A numerical simulation show that people were instantly killed by the temperature of the cloud that reached at least 250 °C. The people and buildings of Pompeii were covered in up to twelve different layers of soil We and ash. Pompeii was transformed into a communal grave and all but forgotten until they were discovered more than 1600 years later.
Artist conception.
Artist Karl Brullov, “The Last Day of Pompeii” (1830)
Terry located our required local guide and we began our expedition through the ruins of the old city. We entered via the Porta Marina to the Basilica and Tribunal (in background). The main hall of the Basilica consists of a long columnar nave surrounded by an aisle. The columns were constructed of specially shaped tiles covered with stucco. There are no fragments of capitals of these columns but from their bases and fillets it is probable that these capitals were Corinthian. At the far end of the building is a tribunal, on axis, dominating the central nave.
Here is a look at what is thought to be one of the best examples of a Roman Forum. In the picture above the camera is facing north by north east. The Forum was constructed so that Mt Vesuvius dominates its central axis.
In ancient Roman cities the forum was the center of activity. There was a basilica (last photo), the center for legal and business matters, a macellum or marketplace along with various temples where the masses could appeal to their favorite deities.
The Temple of Jupiter dominated the northern side of the Forum. On the far right is a covered market, The Macellum. It was built during the Imperial age. Small shops, or tabernae, were situated outside the covered square. A water basin, or tholos, is in the center of the uncovered area (foreground), and toward the right of the Marcellum there is an area with a gutter for water for the fish market. 150 BC
Road on the right. Note the ruts carved into the stone from the chariot traffic.
Raised stones helped walkers when it rained.
The Brothel was an establishment with ten beds. There were two entrances and five rooms on the ground-level floor, each with a bed built into the wall. A wooden stairway led to five bedrooms on the upper floor of the Brothel. Scenes of erotic games that could take place at the request of the clients were ornately painted on the walls of the ten bedrooms. Our local guide warned us beforehand of their explicit nature.
House of the Large Fountain. The fountain is situated in a mosaic niche and is typically eastern in design, coming from Egypt at the time of the Roman conquest.
Victims of the volcano eruption. Archeologist Fiorelli realized there were spaces left by the decomposed bodies and so devised the technique of injecting plaster into them to perfectly recreate the forms of Vesuvius's victims.
What resulted were highly accurate and eerie forms of the doomed Pompeiani who failed to escape, in their last moment of life, with the expression of terror often quite clearly visible.
We had lunch in Pompeii and then traveled all the way across the backbone of Italy from Naples to Brindsi to reach the Adriatic Sea. Brindsi is on lower right of map.
The workers on the dock were not to energetic and Terry had difficulty to get them to load our luggage on the ship. They wanted a considerably amount of money. When they finally did move the luggage they just dropped it at the first spot on the ship. Terry who usually had a happy face looked tired after having passports stamped and then this problem.
Still, though, our stay in Italy was a great success with many memorable moments.
GO ON TO 1992 COLLEGE TOUR PART V GREECE
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