THIS N’
THAT
December
18-19-20
It is
Tuesday in the late afternoon in Rome.
We will not be stopped by the very cold weather outside. Kimberly is out touring and shopping. Her goal is to see it all and basically I
approve if I don’t have to be along for the entire ride. Her target today is the Balbi Theatre, which
is the largest active archeological dig in Central Rome. In Ancient Rome there were dozens of theatres
big and small. In this area alone the
three most famous, Theatro Marcello, Theatro Pompeii, and Theatro Balbi were
all within blocks of each other. Theatro
Marcello was a sort of opening act for the Coliseum. It was huge by any
standards but Roman holding about 20 thousand spectators situated on the banks
of the Tiber. Today it is a magnificent
ruin right around the corner from our apartment. There are three apartments built on top of
the ruins of the theatre of great size and beauty. One of them is rented from time to time at
about 17,000 Euro per month. The other
two are even bigger and more sumptuous.
One of the apartments, the Villa Orsini, is the highlight of a coffee
table book called “Palaces of Rome”. In
front of the Theatric Pompeii, Julius Caesar was murdered in 56 AD. It is completely gone with the exception of
some of the supporting columns that you can find in the basements of several of
the restaurants that surround Campo de Fiori.
Today the treat is the Theatro Balbi, a full-scale reclamation zone less
then 300 yards from our apartment on the way to Largo Argentina. They have opened up much of the dig for
visitors and it is a stunning site. On
Saturdays you can visit the entire project, which covers a big city block.
On Sunday
in a burst of wild enthusiasm, we visited BOTH the Museum of Modern Art and the
Villa Guilia. It was crisp and very cold
on the Motorino but quiet on the early Sunday streets. Because we found the
Museum of Modern Art first and it was open, we went in. A beautiful and well-rendered collection of
Italian artists of the 19th and 20th Century in a space likes
the museums of old where the architecture fades and the art shines. It was probably built in the twenties and
natural light is abundant. The galleries
are large and lovely. They have a
smattering of European giants but we are talking about Italians, mostly. It was virtually empty for our first hour and
a pleasant place to be minus the mobs of more popular museums and sites. We passed on a concert they were sponsoring
in one of the galleries by a young string quartet. We had to get over to the Etruscans at Villa
Guilia.
Almost
next door the Villa Guilia, Pope Julius III’s country home, sits in austere
splendor with its collection of Etruscan art and as a repository for its
history and geography as well. One of
the big Roman jewelers was showing a collection of modern jewelry based on the
Etruscan finds. It was almost eerie how
alike the current creations are in comparison to the ancient pieces. The pottery looked Greek and splendid. It is a big museum and the buildings and
grounds were so lovely and hinted at former luxury. The object by the pope, because of the recent
Council of Trent and its frowning upon the excesses of the Catholic Church, was
to look less opulent on the outside and then really do it up for the house and
grounds. A real success.
The
bridge in front of Castel San Angelo has been covered with booths for
Christmas. More things to buy, I
suppose. I have one nice thing to give
Kim and am hoping she has very little for me.
We seem to be so lucky already; I simply can’t think of anything we
don’t have. Lots of energy goes into the
Crèches that people have in their homes.
I think they are called persepios.
Every church we walk into has one in the first chapel on the left as you
enter and the baby Jesus is not put in the manger in until Christmas Eve. These displays are big and full of details.
They go up on a certain day and come down in early February. They are lovingly staged and people go from
Church to Church to see which one is the best, most elaborate and filled with
treasures.
We have
discovered yet another Roman restaurant that we must try. It is in Trastevere, right across the river
from us. It is called “Le Mani en Pasta”
on de Giovanni and a reservation is a must.
It is small and clever, food very good and price is in range. I have been having trouble with Italian
wines. I am missing those big raw Sonoma
full-bodied high alcohol bombers. A
little Ravenswood varietal Zin would go a long way here. I know they have bolder wines here, but so
far I either haven’t been willing to spring for the price or I am unable to
figure out how to spot these Italian beauties.
Supermarket wine is better than the house wine at the restaurants. I will keep trying. When we go to Lucca at the end of the week I
am hoping the Tuscans, Bob and Donald will set me straight.
I failed
to mention that Kim, still on the move, went to see the two Capitaline Museum
(two large spaces, one filled with ancient Rome sculpture and the other with
mosaics and paintings) and the church on the Campidoglio before calling it a
day on Sunday. She must be tired.
Our
friend Peter Mazur, a Northwestern PHD in Ancient History, has his parents in
town. They have gone to Naples for the
weekend but on Monday drop in on their way back from the train station to see
our apartment and visit. Peter’s sister
had Jessica as her theater teacher in Chicago.
The parents know lots of people in the bay area. We have some fun with that wonderful
institution of Jewish (and other) geography.
Both of the parents are scientists with Dupont. It is no surprise that Peter’s parents are
almost 10 years younger then I am. How
the hell did I get so old? Peter and the
younger fellows at the academy have been very nice to me and treat me like one
of the guys. A good feeling.
Speaking
of that worthy place, I had to go up the hill to pick up a package. The academy is feeling a little lonesome for
Christmas because many scholars have gone back to the US for the holidays. I am glad we have plans. I have found a quick and sane way to get back
down from the Gianicolo. The motorino is
purring and I am alert. Suddenly, a guy
passes me on the bridge over the Tiber into the center. He is going fast. I keep on with my pace but somehow, there he
is at the light right in front of me.
The light changes, the guy puts the pedal down and smokes off. I am still behind him. About 50 feet down the pavement some other
idiot steps off the curb and starts waving like crazy. Without warning, my buddy the motorcyclist,
puts on all his brakes going from 70 to a dead stop in a few feet. I just manage to miss him. Who are these people? Well the guy who stepped off the curb knew
the guy on the motor, and he just waved to say Hello. The guy on the motorino driving like he was
the only person on the street, made no signal whatsoever, and his brake light
did not work. A minor example of the
lunatics riding around this place. I
yelled my best English words at him; he did not acknowledge my irritation. Just another day in Paradise.
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