Milan

First of all, I can't show you the results of the 20-year restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" because you can't take pics. I can assure you that it's extraordinary. The photos I've seen of this painting have looked soft and a bit out of focus. The real thing has power in the hands, light, positioning, colors, movement, all sorts of things.

I'm sorry we slipped through Milan quickly, but the Duomo and "The Last Supper" were worth the stop. We didn't anticipate the big shopping mall of the Renaissance (I thought I was taking a pic of an arch, but it continued into galleries of expensive stores). Even better, Maynard found the church of St. Ambrose (Ambroglio). He was a bishop who, among other things, baptized Augustine (later made a saint) and started a church in honor of his (Ambrose's) brother. By the way, this was in the 400s. Politics stepped in, and the final church was named for two saints, but some of the 5th century mosaics, carvings, and frescoes remain. I found a sheep I liked.

Dinner was especially good; Maynard had ossobucco, a Milanese specialty, and I ate two courses that included artichokes prepared in different ways. Then the dessert was divine.

Venice

We drank wine below the Rialto Bridge, watching gondoliers push off with their excited passengers. We climbed to the loggia of St. Mark's where we saw the city clock's animated figures strike the hour. We saw lots of mosaics! We ate baby octopi and spaghetti with cuttlefish (squid) ink. It rained, but who cared? I never expected to like Venice, but I did.

Ostia Antica

I only heard about Ostia, the ruins of the ancient port of Rome, when I read up on things for this trip. It's a great discovery: the city was abandoned as Rome declined because, well, everything was declining and the harbor silted up. In fact, the Tiber River changed its course. This meant that a city was gradually buried without needing a catastrophe like the volcano that preserved Pompeii and Herculaneum. Of course, like other sites, when folks in later times rediscovered Ostia, they plundered it. But a huge amount remains, especially if you like wandering around ghost towns. (The early Ostians even used mud bricks like western US natives.) Here is a sampling of pics.

Trastevere & Ghetto

We crossed the bridge (first built in the 6th century) to the island in the Tiber River on our way to the other side, the area called Trastevere. Originally Etruscan, more recently working class, and nowadays gentrified, the Trastevere has narrow streets and generally small buildings. Besides wandering about, we visited two churches: St. Cecilia and St. Maria in Trastevere. St. Cecilia had the gift for hanging on. An early Roman Christian martyr, in the year 230 she was first put in her own caldarium (hot bath) to boil to death, but didn't. Then she was sentenced to have her head cut off, but the executioner was so inept that it took 3 days for Cecilia to die. In 1599 her grave was opened, and a sculptor who was present at her disinterment carved her. Cecilia looks really good for a twice-martyred 1,370 year old corpse.

We were drawn to St. Cecilia and St. Mary in Trastevere because of their extraordinary mosaics. (We've been looking out for mosaics throughout Rome.) Also, we've been seeking early art, including frescoes. So, we knocked on the door of the convent at St. Cecelia's and were taken to some truly beautiful frescoes in the nun's private chapel. But we weren't allowed to take pics. Sorry.

Living Portraits, but No Tenors

The Baths of Caracalla are huge -- I know I keep saying that about Roman structures. Yet they surprise me by their vastness. Back on my first visit to Rome in 1969, my tour included a performance of Aida at the Baths of Caracalla, and, of course, I've seen the three tenors strut their stuff on TV. Well, no sign of elephants or tenors today; I'm posting a pic of the area that I think was used as a stage, but I'm not positive.

On another note, now that I've seen many portrait busts and paintings, I imagine the faces of people on the street as if they were sculpted or in Renaissance guise. (Perhaps the many "gladiators" wandering around the Colosseum and offering to pose for pics adds to this.) I love sitting in an outdoor cafe on a piazza full of kids and adults. It's voyeurism and it's my kind of life. Here are two girls I'm sure I've seen in the flesh.

Humor in Stone

From vastly different periods stonemasons had a great sense of fun. The ancient, yet forever popular, talking statues are still garnished with notes: usually vitriolic comments about current politics. Bernini carved a leaky boat for a fountain near the Spanish Steps: apparently that water supply was questionable. Also, the putti often get the last laugh. Here, in a Jesuit church, one is swinging while another needs a hand.

Pompeii Revisited -- 39 years later

When I visited Pompeii in January 1972, the argument about whether to preserve it or leave it alone was raging. Few houses were open, and I didn't see wall paintings. (Also, I was there on a quick visit between two sleepless nights). This time I was struck by the huge amount of areas open to the public, the vast amount of restoration, and the sense of a town caught in a moment. Vesuvius yawns over the masses of tour groups as well as the ruins. The colosseum is the oldest extant, as well as the model for the Yale Bowl. While many houses are closed, many are open, and the frescoes are beautiful. (Much has been moved to the Naples archeological museum.) We found a lovely garden on a side street where we could sit, listen to birds, and hide from the other tourists. An incredible site.

Food Finds

To Maynard's delight, we're in artichoke season. One way in which they're served is cooked in oil. Delicious, but greasy. I ate an artichoke salad last night that included thinly sliced artichoke, slivers of parmesan, and leafy greens. The artichoke was crisp and lemony; I'm not sure how or even how much they cooked it. Also, artichokes look different here.

Other culinary delights so far have been tortellini in brodo (brodo is broth; this one was thin but rich), freshly made pastas, and, surprisingly, good old zucchini. They turn small zucchini into tubes (like canneloni) and stuff them. I also enjoyed chopped zucchini and tomato in a spicy sauce on fresh fettuccine. Maynard found that he likes tripe if it's served chopped. Oxtails cooked the old Roman way are in a light tomato sauce, unlike the Spanish version with a dark, rich brown sauce.

My favorite dessert so far is zuppa inglese. Served parfait style, it includes liqueur-soaked cake, chocolate mousse, strawberries, and more.

We've tried caffe, caffe latte, espresso and something like macchiatto (strong stuff). My fave was coffee capitolano, perhaps because it's pretty -- served in a martini glass -- and includes whipped cream and really good chocolate. Oh, yes, there was coffee in there somewhere too.

Silly stuff

Making coffee with the available machinery is a disaster.

Not even all the socks and underwear fit into the less-than-apt size washing machine. Has been running for an hour.

I've fallen deeply in love with the dining room chandelier.

Perhaps a pigeon says it all.

Capitoline, part 3, The Dying Gaul

We've trotted through ruins and museums galore for the last several days. I've seen some of the most beautiful and striking pieces of art ever. Here's the piece that affected Maynard and me the most. I've chosen a different view from the one you'll recognize because this piece is powerful from every angle. It's a Roman copy in marble of a Greek original. I can't believe that the bronze version was as wonderful as the marble.

Capitoline, part 2

Here are pics of a the sculpture of a frightened woman, the marble fawn Nathaniel Hawthorne describes in his eponymous book (I've always wanted to have an excuse to use eponymous), a boy extracting a thorn, and Maynard finding a new dog. I'll save the best for the next post.

The Capitoline Hill & Museums, Part 1

There are so many pictures and so little space, so I'll make this into two posts. The museums on the Capitoline Hill include sculpture, paintings, and ruins -- in fact, the ruins form much of the foundation of the museums. Here's a mix of pics of the head of Constantine, an Etruscan ship from a pot, a bust of Michaelangelo, and the She Wolf with Romulus and Remus.

Roman Marathon 2011

Not only did the Romans welcome us with choruses, fireworks, and a free museum day -- they even held a marathon! Folks ran like hellfire and damnation all around the ancient areas and through the city. From the distance of the Capitoline museum, the yelling sounded like the audience cheering the toreadors in Carmen. Afterwards there was continuous music and performers -- we saw bellydancers and heard 1950s-ish singing. Good stuff.

The Palatine Hill

The Palatine Hill abuts the Roman Forum and the Colliseum, but it seems park-like and private. There are ruins of fine homes, aqueducts, and gardens. Extant wall frescoes are amazingly delicate in design. The museum includes models of prehistoric huts.

The main Roman Forum

At this point we've been in the forum and above it from two viewpoints: the Palatine Hill and the Tabularium on the Capitoline Hill. Down inside, archeological digs keep finding new evidence of earlier and earlier settlements. It's an exciting mix of different ruins from different times. There is even the center of the world. While much is startlingly huge, the most overwhelming remains are those of the Basilica of Maxentius. One amazing bit of continued use and reuse is the 4th c. AD Temple of Romulus. It survives -- its bronze doors intact -- as part of the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano. That church has sweet sheep mosaics.

Vatican Museums

Happily, we ordered tickets to the Vatican museums online before leaving home. Even rushing and using the metro, we were late for our 8 AM date; fortunately, that didn't matter and we sailed in front of a long line. Armed with both our Blue Guide and audioguides, we enjoyed a long visit at these huge museums. A few of our favorite pieces of art were the Apollo in the Belvedere, Etruscan art such as a fine gold fibula, and the Raphael rooms including Aeneas saving Anchises. We agreed that the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is terrific -- the Last Judgment, not so much. Here are pics.