Return To The Vatican Museum, 2019

Vicki wanted to see the Vatican Museum one more time so we conjoined that with my desire to see the Pantheon one more time and made a long day of it. I'd like to say we have been to the Vatican Museum so many times we now practically known our way around. But it's so huge and labyrinthine we accidentally found some sections we hadn't seen since our first visit, way back in 1979 (AD). If you want to see my pix of the Museum's principal collection items, use the search box to the right, entering "Vatican Museum," or just click here for a recent list of my 2011, 2013, and 2017 Vatican Museum posts. For the present post, I'll just picture some things we found amusing, hoping not to duplicate previous entries.

We're in the "Profane" part of the museum--not what you're thinking--this is some
sub-flooring from St. John Lateran, the original and still seat of the Bishop of
Rome; on the flip side, as you can see below, is some pretty nice Roman ceiling
carving

Thus; coffered

Fragment from a much larger banquet floor; beautiful tiny mosaic depicting the
remains of the night before; note mouse munching on walnut

Winner of the 129 AD (CE) wet toga competition

Another of many incredible and incredibly intact mosaics at the Vatican Museum

"And I promise I won't gouge you with my hoofs, honey"

"Hmmm, not so sure about that..."

Ever more mosaics, many reconstructed, from the Baths of Caraculla

Now in the early Christian museum, a sarcophagus depicting the feeding of Jonas
to the whale

More early Christian

Originally, they were all painted pretty much like this

Now entering the Pina Colada, excuse me, the Pinoteca,
one of Flori's angelic musicians, a family favorite (15th)

"I can't give you anything but love, baby," the zebra is desperately singing; click
here for insight

Personal devotional type thing

Detail; exquisitely miniature

Diocletian; we saw his retirement villa in Croatia last summer

The Romans, but not the Catholics, were really big into river gods; here's the Nile

Creepy department: Vicki said this reminded her of the Haunted Mansion

View from the map hall

In the map hall, detail depiction of a galley plying the Mediterranean to bring an
Egyptian obelisk to Rome; personal favorite

"Here's looking at you, kid"; her eyes follow you all around
the room; his don't

Vatican gardens; next time maybe

Basilica Di San Clemente

We visited very briefly last June, balking at the "no fotos" policy and the 10E/pp price of admission. See http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2018/06/2-12-part-first.html. This time, however, with Penelope in tow, and not at all excited about visiting a crypt, we soldiered on, past the Coliseum, and marched right in. After duly examining the sizable chapel on the main floor adorned with 3 walls of Masolino frescoes (Masolino was Massacio's elder partner in doing some of the Brancacci Chapel in Florence; Masolino's bits are often contrasted with Massacio's, thereby demonstrating the brilliance of the Renaissance; personally I think Masolino is impressive enough; but I digress; plus the bouncer was hovering, and I couldn't get even a single shot), I plopped down 20E (children free), and we descended the stairs to the lower realm, where, no bouncer in sight, everyone was snapping and flashing away at all the sights.

A word of explanation. San Clemente is a three-fer. It is interesting enough as a Medieval church, on the site of a couple earlier important church councils, very Romanesque, and the Masolino frescoes are a draw if you're into such things. In 1857, however, the abbot, an Irishman, got curious, and started digging. Long story short is that the "crypt" is actually the early Christian church, later Empire, where the councils were held, quite a bit more extensive than today's basilica. Even more interesting, below the earlier Christian church is a Mithraeum, that is, a temple to the god Mithra. Mithraism was among the rivals of early Christianity in the Empire. Thus, a three-fer. Beyond that are warehouses thought to have been part of republican Rome's mint. And thus our interest, and, considering I took all the fotos I wanted, downstairs, it certainly was worth the price of admission.

View of the basilica from the courtyard

Knave view

The Masolino frescoes; this and the preceding off the web

Downstairs now in the early Christian basilica...ancient detritus in the wall

View of the expanse

Embedded column

Very old fresco

Mosaic floor

 

More expanse

The Mithraeum

Carved coffered ceiling

Subterranean spring

Herringbone flooring

Very old fresco; neat place

Return To Rome, Italy, Europe, 2019

After another week in Middle California, puttering and packing and putting Le Sport into storage, Level airlines (a subsidiary of Iberia, which is a subsidiary of British Air, which is a subsidiary of...who knows) jetted us to Barcelona and then to Rome. Black Lane got us from Fiumi to Rebecca's apartment near the Campo dei Fiore, where we spent our first night. (Rebecca, Jeremy, and grand-daughter Penelope--La Familia Sabbatica--had preceded us to Rome by a couple days). Next morning Black Lane transported us and our luggage to Prato Smeraldo, the Emerald Meadow, where we got Le Duc, our European camper, out of storage and onto a campsite. The next couple days we spent getting all of Le Duc's systems up and running, unpacking, moving back in, re-acclimatizing to Europe and its ways, and dealing with the customary 9 hour jet-lag. We got into the city on several occasions, some to be with the family and Penelope, some to do more of our own touring, some for administrative purposes. See below.

La Familia Sabbatica in Rome; Rebecca's blog is SherouseHouse.com

Storefront near Rebecca's apartamiento on Via dei Giubbonari; we're working on P's
recognition of capitals (a. Doric b. Ionian c. Corinthian d. none of the above)

English poets are still frequenting Rome 

Something you'd never see in the US; well, maybe at the White House

In the courtyard on a nearby street

Garden centers double as pet stores in Italy; here I'm walking by one on the way
to the supermercato; half of the garden center is today serving as a canine boot camp

Scores of them, mostly golden retrievers, a few black labs, listening intently, taking
notes, wondering what the treat will be

We visited the Sunday antique market at Porta Portese with Rebecca and P

T-shirt in the market: having endured Berlusconi for some years,
Italians can understand our shame

Silver pizza cutter

The bakery Roscioli just around the corner from the apartment (a Fatamorgana was
just a bit further down the alley)

Yes, we're in Rome

Intrepid Penelope at the Bocca della Veritas

At the Circo Massimo

Imperial sky boxes above the Circo

All Rome abloom; we'll be following the bloom north all the way into the UK

En route with Penelope to the church of San Clemente (next post)