Wednesday 26th March 2008

We are close to the archaeological site of Ostia Antica and, if the weather had been better, we would have visited the site with Simon and Katie. However, the sun was shining today and we were determined to see it before we left.
We were not disappointed. After Jane had done the washing and hung it on an improvised washing line, we caught the bus and Metro to Ostia Antica and arrived just after 11:00. We left just before 18:00 when we were thrown out because the site was closing. We probably saw 60 – 70% of the site!
Ostia Antica was the Roman port of Rome at the mouth of the Tiber and was established some time between the 7th and 4th centuries BC. Archaeologists are still discussing when it was founded as ancient written sources suggest a date as early as the second half of the 7th century but the earliest remains found so far date to the 4th century. However what is not in doubt is that the town grew as Rome grew, becoming large, important and wealthy. The decline of the port started in the 5th century due to the Barbarian attacks and it was eventually covered in river silt up to 2nd floor level. This helped to protect it although it was still used as a source of building material. In the 11th century, both the Duomo of Orvietto (not to my taste) and the beautiful buildings in the Pizza Dei Miracoli in Pisa were built in marble taken from Ostia Antica. I don't remember this being mentioned in their guide books and I didn't realise that I was looking at second-hand (pre-owned, pre-loved etc.) buildings. Reclamation yards are not new!
The ruins are very extensive with our Fodor's Italy book suggesting that we would need two to three hours to see it. We spent just under seven hours there and there was enough left to see to fill another four hours. We bought a guide book and this was essential in order to find our way around the site. However, unlike the Forum in Rome, most of the principal buildings had very good information boards in Italian and English and even the less important buildings were named and had simple descriptions. This was very useful for finding our way as it is very easy to get lost in the maze of streets. Buildings were often preserved to their second floors and baths (of which there were a huge number scattered all over the town) to 10m or more. Staircases were intact and sometimes these had been made into viewing platforms allowing an excellent view over the site. I wish that this was done more often at archaeological sites in England (and elsewhere) – a viewing platform would allow a jumble of ruins to be put into context enabling one to see how one building related to another.
Another very impressive aspect of the site was the number of mosaics and frescoes. The mosaic were almost all black and white and, although many were covered, there were still a huge number on view, especially in the less-visited areas. There were also many areas where painted plaster and frescoes clung to walls but these were generally in very poor condition having being left exposed or poorly protected for many years. There were exceptions to this and those in the Thermopolium (shop selling food and hot drinks) and the Terme Dei Sette Sapentine (baths) were impressive.
I would recommend this site to anyone with even a vague interest in archaeology and anyone who is keen should allow plenty of time for the visit! Make sure that you have a map of the site so that you may wander at will, otherwise you will waste lots of time trying to find the major sights.
We came across a number of 2nd and 3rd century AD Mithraeums as we went around the site. Mithras was a cult god imported from the East and was identified with the sun. The cult was for men only and secretive, involving initiation rites and the Mithraeums were hidden away inside existing buildings. The cult rooms were long, thin and dark to resemble a cave and there were paintings of the signs of the Zodiac and figures representing light and darkness. Cult followers would lay on the side benches whilst the procession to the altar made its way down the centre. Eighteen Mithraeums have been found so far at Ostia Antica but some historians suggest that there were as many as forty. Interestingly, Mithras was born on 25th December, venerated on Sundays and the rites included baptism and confirmation. The cult of Mithras died out when Christianity was adopted as the official Roman religion in the 4th century.
Photos: A view from the Ostia Antica theatre with the Temple of Cerere in the Forum della Corporazioni. On the right is a glimpse of the densely packed buildings typical of much of the site; 'Mithraeum of the Baths' with a statue of Mithras sacrificing a bull; Jane serving at the Thermopolium; One of the exquisite mosaics in the 'Caseggiato di Bacco e Arianna'.

Tuesday 25th March 2008

Katie had been sick during the night, so plans were adapted to cope. Simon and Katie stayed as long as possible in their hotel and we travelled into the centre of Rome and took a quick look at the Forum and Palentine. Fortunately, this week is Italian Culture Week and all museums and archaeological sites are free, so a quick visit was more practical.
We met up with Simon and Katie outside the Colosseum and were please to see that Katie was feeling much better although still rather delicate. Jane stayed with Katie whilst I took Simon for a whistle-stop 30 minute tour of the Palentine and Forum. We then went for a quick bite of lunch (well, three of us did and Katie sat and watched the world go by). We then wandered through the streets of Rome until it was time for Simon and Katie to prepare for the trip home. Simon collected the bags from the hotel whilst the rest of us waited at Termini station. The 18:00 bus to the airport was waiting when Simon returned and, with fond farewells, they boarded for Champino airport and the EasyJet flight home. Despite the weather, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and it was great to be with Simon and Katie for such a long time. We felt very guilty that they were going into work tomorrow whilst we continued on the Odyssey.
Photos: Overview of the Forum; The church of San Lorenzo built within the Temple di Antonino e Faustina that dates to 141 AD; Detail of Trajan's Column (113 AD) that has a spiral relief all the way up that depicts the campaigns and victories of Trajan; After the rain (if you are very patient), comes the sun and blue sky.

Monday 24th March 2008

Thunderstorms during the night and rain when we go up meant a change of plans. None of us could face more soggy tramps through the streets of Rome, so Simon and Katie travelled to our local Metro station and we picked them up in Henrietta. The weather did improve and the sun shone for some time but there was a strong cold wind and we were soon treated to some more rain.
It was great to have a long relaxed chat and to be warm and dry in the motorhome whilst watching the rain pouring down outside. We had a couple of games of cards and a game of Ludo and Jane won all three, despite all of our combined attempts to thwart her in the Ludo.
During the sunny spell we decided that we needed to get some fresh air and exercise, so we put on many extra layers to stroll along the promenade. The sea was extremely rough and the wind was whipping up the sand on the rare stretches of beaches that were visible. All of the beaches are private and most are a long way from the promenade, hidden behind large buildings and it is often not even possible to see the sea. We all came back, wind-blown, sand-blasted and with the taste of salt on our lips.
Photos: Simon about to bump off one of Jane's pieces during the Ludo Championship but his joy was not to last!

Sunday 23rd March 2008

The weather was really bad again this morning with more strong wind and rain. Today and tomorrow are public holidays, so the public buses from the campsite doesn't run. Fortunately the campsite has laid on lifts to and from the Metro station and we left at 10:30 for the journey in to Rome.
Simon and Katie went to the Colosseum early to beat the queues and succeeded. However the rain started and came down very hard. They then had to make their way to an Internet café near the Cavour Metro to meet us at 12:30. The weather had deteriorated further with thunder and lightning and rivers running down the roads – they arrived soaking wet. We changed our plans and decided to have a long relaxing lunch. During a lull in the rain we checked out a number of nearby restaurants and chose a small fish restaurant. The service was slow (absolutely ideal!), the food was excellent and we left two hours later.
Simon and Katie were keen to change into dry shoes and socks so we went to their nearest Metro and Jane and I had a coffee in a bar whilst they returned to their hotel. The weather took another turn for the worse with more thunder and lightning, torrential rain and hail. You know how bars are in this weather – crowded, steamed-up windows, nobody leaving and new people arriving with the water pouring off them. Fortunately, the storm passed and Simon and Katie managed to return without getting soaked again.
We walked in the all to brief sunshine to the Colosseum and found one half of the road closed by two large trees that had come down in the storm. Further on we came to a restaurant where a very large steel-framed awning had collapsed in the storm. We were told later that there were many reports of storm damage in Rome. We walked on to (Emperor) Trajan's Column with its magnificent spiral reliefs showing his military campaigns. It was then time to make our way back to catch our lift back to the campsite, so we left Simon and Katie exploring the area around the Forum and hoped for better weather tomorrow.
Photos: From the sublime to the ridiculous, my lunch of 'Tubot in a potato crust', a real contrast to yesterday's simple wood-fire cooked chicken!

Saturday 22nd March 2008

The weather forecast for today was poor and so we decided to opt for inside sights. We met at Termini station and took the Metro and then the bus to the area of catacombs near the Roman road of Via Appia Antica.
We walked along the very wide Via Appia Antica from the 660 bus terminus and were impressed to see that the many remains of the original road were still there. Stones bare the ruts created by the Roman carts and repairs have been made by inserting pieces of marble columns in the holes! The road is not in as good a state as it was in Roman times and it was very uneven with large depressions filled with water. The road is one way in the direction that we were walking but we are in Italy and the locals simply ignored that. However, as I said, the road was very rough and to protect their precious cars they had adopted a novel method of driving. They drove on the wrong side of the road (if there is one given that it is a one-way road) with one wheel on the narrow pavement that ran down that side. This meant that as pedestrians, we were forced to abandon the pavement and move to the safety offered by the middle of the road. We actually saw more cars going the wrong way than the correct way down the road but occasionally two would approach each other and, given that they were both adopting the same driving technique, it was a battle of wills to see who gave way. This provided some entertainment on the wet and longer than expected walk to the catacombs. It was getting very was close to 12:00 when we arrived and it was at that hour that they closed for a two hour lunch break. Fortunately, we were able to tack on to an English guided tour that had just started.
There are more than 300km of tunnels in the area housing Christian burials and these are spread over a few large catacombs and a large number of small catacombs. We visited the largest of the catacombs, San Callisto, that has 20km of tunnels with 500,000 (yes, half a million) burials including seven popes martyred in the 3rd century. The catacombs were used only for burial and worship and not, as many people believed, to hide from the Roman authorities. Indeed the Roman authorities knew that they existed but Roman law said that burial sites had to be respected and so they only rarely entered the catacombs. However, up to the 4th century the Christians were persecuted by the Roman authorities and openly expressing their Christian beliefs was dangerous.
From the start of Christianity, Roman Christians buried their dead outside the city walls in these catacombs. The stone in this area is tufa, a soft volcanic rock that can be easily dug into and after exposure to the air it becomes very hard. This makes it ideal for creating tunnels and as the number of burials increased, they created four levels of catacombs, equivalent to a modern 12-storey building but underground. Up to the 4th century all Christian burials were made in catacombs, which was a very cheap method of burial but when Christianity was adopted as the official Roman religion, Roman Christians became wealthy enough to afford to bury their dead above ground. However, even after this, many Christians wanted to be buried along with the early Christians and the martyred popes, so they continued to use and expand the catacombs until the 8th century. It was at this time that Rome was overrun by the Barbarians and the Goths proceeded to plunder the catacombs looking for valuable goods in the graves.
We were lead around the maze of tunnels by the guide with warnings that “the tour takes about 30 minutes but if you don't keep up with the party, you could be there for eternity!”. The organisation of the tunnels was impressive with many vertical shafts used to take out the excavated soil during construction and then used to ventilate the complex. Shallow slots were dug for the burials, starting at ceiling level and working down the walls to floor level. The slots were sealed with marble, stone or terracotta bearing inscriptions detailing the person who had been buried.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the knowledgeable and amusing guide made all the difference.
Lunch was taken at a small Trattoria back at the 660 bus terminus. We liked the look of it when we had passed it earlier – no great boards outside, homely and with a wood fire (we saw the logs being delivered). It was an excellent choice. There were plenty of locals there, the staff were friendly and the food was simple, good and had that wonderful flavour given by cooking over wood.
Photos: The wet and rough Roman road - Via Appia Antica; Our chicken cooking on the wood fire in the Trattoria.

Friday 21st March 2008

We caught the 09:13 from the campsite to the Metro station again this morning and then the two Metro trains to get into the central Termini station. We changed again there to Metro line A and got out two stops later at Manzoni. Our son Simon and partner Katie were staying at a small hotel a short distance from this station, opposite part of the Roman aqueduct and near to the Roman city gate Porta Maggiore. It was great to see them again and we looked forward to spending a long weekend with them. They had a good flight out to Rome and, despite an after midnight arrival at their hotel, they looked fit and well.
We all decided that because the sun was shining, we should concentrate on outdoor sites today. The weather actually deteriorate rapidly after we started walking but we stuck to our plan. We walked for about 20 minutes to the Colosseum and joined the crowds. The Pope was due to lead mass there at 21:15 and 200,000 people were expected to be in the Colosseum on around it at that time. The television vans were already in place and lighting had been erected. The queues for entry into the Colosseum were incredible and we suspected that the last people in the queue would not get in for at least two hours. We decided that we would leave that until another day! We were also disappointed to find that arrangements for the Roman Forum had changed. Even our 2008 Fodor's guide said that it was free but they have now changed it to be included in a joint ticket with the Colosseum and Palantine. At €9 for the combined ticket, it is not expensive but it restricts the freedom of being able to wander through the Forum at any time. What is more, you have to join a huge queue to be able to purchase the ticket.
We walked on passed the Circus Massimo to the river Tiber and the island in it called Isola Tiberina. This is allegedly the smallest inhabited island and we crossed to it on the oldest standing bridge in Rome – the Ponte Fabrico dating to 62 BC. Continuing over to the west bank of the Tiber, we found a restaurant for lunch. It was called 'Cornucopia' (Piazza in Piscinula) and three of us had their set €15 menu with three choices for each of three courses. The food was of a very high standard and was much better value than the restaurants near the main tourist haunts. Highly recommended.
It had rained quite a lot whilst we were in the restaurant but was only drizzling as we left. As we passed back over the river on the Ponte Garibaldi we noticed a collection of flotsam caught in the boiling water below a weir. There were the expected plastic water bottles but these were outnumbered by balls – 20 footballs, 1 basketball and 2 rugby balls! We were pleased to see that there were some rugby balls but Simon suggested that, on this very unscientific survey, Italian rugby players were outnumbered ten to one by football players. Perhaps it is just that the football pitches were closer to the river!
We walked on to the Pantheon (still free and very impressive), the Trevi Fountain (busy but also impressive) and the Spanish Steps (actually paid for by the French, but not very impressive). After a reviving cup of coffee we found the Spanga Metro station, saying goodbye to Simon and Katie at Termini as we changed lines for Castelfusano. Simon was threatening to go to the Colosseum tonight, so we look forward to hearing all about it tomorrow, if he makes it.
We arrived at the Metro terminus, Columbo, at a time when there was a long wait (over one hour) before the next bus, so we decided to make the 25 walk back instead. It only took us 20 minutes because a strong, cold, northerly wind blew us along and the rain in the wind made it very unpleasant, giving us a real incentive to walk quickly!
Photos: View of the Colloseum from the Forum; The Pantheon; A very good 'living statue' in one of the streets of Rome. We really thought that it was a statue at first but he woke up and gave a very drunken wave when money was put in his collecting box.

Thursday 20th March 2008

We were woken during the night by a thunderstorm. First came loud but distant thunder and lightning and then the rain started. Just as the rain was dying out there was a last flash of lightning quickly followed by a deafening thunder clap. A thunderstorm is quite exciting in a motorhome, you feel so much more involved and we felt this thunder as well as hearing it. The shock wave hit the motorhome, causing the vehicle to rock. More rain followed in the early hours but, by 07:30 when we got up, the sun was shining.
We went into Rome using the local bus and two rail lines, taking a total of an hour and a quarter. We were wearing jumpers and coats and carried an umbrella in the rucksack. We knew that rain was forecast and we had a number of showers, the heaviest and longest of which was fortunately when we were in the museum.
We had gone to see the National Etruscan Museum of Rome as a follow-up to the visit to Tarquinia and its museum. The Rome museum was extensive and had some beautiful finds and, sometimes, good explanations in English. One of our favourite exhibits was the 'Sarcophagus of the Married Couple' dated to the 6th century BC. The figures of the couple are beautifully executed, with very expressive faces and hands. One again there was a huge collection of painted pottery and exquisite bronze work. We spent a couple of very enjoyable hours in the museum and then emerged ready for lunch. This was taken at a pizza restaurant close to the Flaminio Metro station – our first Italian pizza this year and very good it was too!
We were very close to the Piazza del Populo and popped in there to see the obelisk brought back by Augustus from Heliopolis in Greece. The atmosphere was very pleasant with a small classical ensemble playing popular classics and well-known songs. We then returned to the campsite by three rail lines and a bus.
Photos: The 'Sarcophagus of the Married Couple'; The handle of an Etruscan bronze 'cista' dated to 350 – 330 BC. These cistas were found in graves and were sometimes used to hold the ashes of the deceased but often contained such things as reels of thread, net gloves, combs, sponges, hooks, strigils and alabastrons; The obelisk in the Piazza del Populo.