Day 6: The Last Supper

On our last night in Italy, we went to visit a few sights we had not yet seen.  First of them was the Pantheon.  It was built originally by Marcus Agrippa, Augustus' right hand man, as you can see from the inscription on the front (M(arcus) Agrippa L(uci) F(ilius) Co(n)s(ul) Tertium Fecit: Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, made this).  It was restored beginning during the reign of Trajan over a hundred years later.  The Pantheon is one of the wonders of the world.

What makes it a wonder?  This.  This is a dome made of unreinforced concrete that has stood for nearly 2,000 years in an area prone to earthquakes--sometimes major ones.  Roman concrete is one of the great secrets that was lost with the fall of the empire in the west.  The secret ingredient is something called pozzolanic ash.  This volcanic ash was found near Pozzuoli and had several unique properties.  One of the benefits of using volcanic ash instead of sand is it forms stronger mineral bonds with the limestone used in making concrete.  Another benefit is that it reacts chemically to water, making it hydraulic concrete--concrete that will set underwater.  The last benefit is that it takes less energy to make Roman concrete than it does to make modern concrete--it's more environmentally friendly.  Modern concrete is designed to last roughly 120 years.  Roman concrete can last millenia, as we see.

The reason the Pantheon survived is it was re-purposed as a christian church early on.  The pagan gods were removed and christian symbols added.

Here is our intrepid group, including long lost schoolmate Nicolai Yudin.  Nicolai, the founder of the Avon Old Farms chapter of the BFRO (Bigfoot Research Organization), has spent the last two years searching for the Yeren, the Chinese name for Sasquatch and the Woodwose, Sasquatch's European cousin.

After leaving the Pantheon we walked to the Largo di Torre Argentina, a square that was excavated in the 1920's by Mussolini.  The square hold the remains of four temples and one can see the back side of the Theater of Pompey.  The columns shown in this picture are of the Temple of Fortuna.

This is the Temple of Juturna.  Juturna was mentioned a couple of days ago.  She was goddess of a spring and Vergil wrote that she was the sister of Turnus, the main antagonist for Aeneas when he landed in Italy.  Behind the temples are the back walls of the Theater of Pompey.  Pompeius Magnus or Pompey the Great, built the first permanent theater structure in Rome.  The theater complex included a shaded portico and a meeting house for the Senate.  It was in this meeting house that Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March--March 15: tomorrow!

We then encountered the Fountain of the Turtles.  This fountain was originally designed by Giacomo della Porta, the artist who finished many of Michelangelo's works.  It was later altered slightly by Bernini, who added the turtles.

Our last archaeologic sighting was of the Theater of Marcellus.  Augustus built this theater in honor of his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus.  Marcellus was married to Augustus' daughter Julia and Augustus intended him to be heir to the throne.  Unfortunately, Marcellus died young at the age of 19.

Our last dinner was at La Taverna degli Amici in Piazza Margana.  A great meal is a wonderful way to end a marvelous trip.  The crew headed back afterwards to prepare for an early morning wake up call and the trip to Fiumicino Airport.

Arrivederci Roma!  Alla prossima!

Day 6: Vatican & Vatican Museum

Our last day of sightseeing we spent going to the Vatican.  Here is a view of St. Peter's.

Upon entering the Vatican Museum we saw these ancient bronzes that were moved into the Vatican.  The pine cone was once a fountain and the two bronze peacocks were taken from Hadrian's Mausoleum.

This is an ancient statue of the Trojan priest Laocoon.  The statue was unearthed in 1506 but was known to the ancients, being described in a letter from Pliny the Younger.  Vergil in Book II of the Aeneid wrote that Laocoon tried to warn the Trojans that the Trojan Horse was a trick, saying Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes (I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts).  He even threw a spear into the side of the horse.  Neptune and Minerva (Poseidon and Athena) sent two sea serpents to attack him and his sons.  After killing Laocoon, the serpents slithered up and hid in the temple of Athena, convincing the Trojans that they should bring the horse through the walls and into Troy.

The famous statue of Apollo Belvedere.  The statue depicts Apollo having just fired an arrow (the bow is lost).  This statue is a Roman copy (made around 120 AD) of what was originally a Greek bronze made several hundred years earlier.

The "Belvedere Torso" is another statue that was made as a copy of an earlier statue.  This copy was made around the time of Christ, of an original Greek statue from a century or two earlier.  This statue was inspirational to Michelangelo.  He was asked to sculpt arms, legs and a face to complete it, but he declined, claiming it was perfect and he could not improve it.

An elaborate mosaic taken from the Roman baths at Otricoli.

A huge bowl made from porphyry.  This red porphyry was found in only one quarry in the world, in Egypt.  Its rich purple color made it highly prized and it was extremely expensive.

A statue of Antinous.  He was the emperor Hadrian's lover and the emperor established a religious cult honoring him after his death by drowning in the Nile.  His death took place under suspicious circumstances.

A bronze Hercules, similar to the one seen in the Capitoline Museum.

A statue of Augustus, shown in his role as Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of Rome. Augustus united the position of Pontifex Maximus with that of the Emperor.  His adopted father, Julius Caesar, had been Pontifex Maximus, but the title passed to Marcus Aemilius Lepidus after the assassination.  Lepidus was part of the second Triumvirate with Augustus and Marc Antony, but got shoved out by the two of them and forced into retirement from political life.  He was allowed to retain his title as Pontifex Maximus until he died, when Augustus claimed it.

This mosaic of Minerva can from Tusculum and dates back to the second century.

One of two porphyry sarcophagi.

This Roman statue of a biga, or two-horse chariot, dates back to the first century.

This statue of a discus thower was unearthed in Hadrian's Villa in 1791.

Finishing our tour of the Vatican Museum (and we saw lots more stuff than is in the pictures!) we headed to the Sistine Chapel.  No photographs are allowed there, so there are none in the blog (sorry).  Our guide Richard gave us a thorough run down of what was included in the paintings on the ceiling and of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo.  We then headed to St. Peter's Basilica, here standing just below the Pope's Balcony.

The famous statue of the Pieta by Michelangelo.

The shrine of St. John Paul II.

 They don't really like groups posing for photos in St. Peter's but we snuck in a quick one.

The altar and the dome.

A long shot view of the interior.

Upon leaving the basilica, we saw two of the famous Swiss Guards on duty.

To wrap things up, some group photos in St. Peter's Square.  Here is the whole group.

Here are our seniors.

Our juniors.

 The Freshmen

And, last but not least, our teachers Mr. Spearman and Ms. Thorner and our awesome guide Richard Bowen.

Heading to the Pantheon this evening and then to our last dinner in Rome!

Day 5: Piazza Navona and Senior Dinner

This evening the group headed out to the Piazza Navona.  Here you can see the lads standing in front of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), sculpted by our friend Bernini (same one who did the Fountain of the Ugly Boat).  Bernini included the Danube, the Nile, the Ganges and the Rio de la Plata, representing the extent of Catholicism in the world of his day.  The fountain was designed in 1651 for Pope Innocent X.

In ancient Roman times, Piazza Navona was known as Domitian's Circus.  The emperor Domitian (son of Vespasian and brother of Titus, who were both good emperors) was such a bad emperor the Senate decreed a Damnatio Memoriae where all references to Domitian were erased from public view.  This racetrack was not for horses, but people.  Athletic contests similar to the Olympics were held here, as well as gladitorial combats.  The people of Rome still called it Domitian's Circus, but the official name was the Circus Agonalis.  The Agonalia was a festival dedicated to the Roman god Janus.

After our brief visit to Piazza Navona, the group separated.  Mr. Spearman took the seniors out to dinner, while the rest of the group went with Ms. Thorner and our guide Richard Bowen.

Day 5: Gladiator School

On Day 5 of our trip we went to Gladiator School.  Located in the beautiful Italian countryside outside of Rome, Castrum Legionis is run by Alex, a former NATO Special Forces officer.  When we arrived, Alex went over briefly what the boys could expect during their training session.  Here he has Christian DiAntonio show the primary weapon of the Roman Legionary, the gladius.  The gladius was a short sword used primarily for stabbing.  Its short length made it ideal for using with the large Roman shield, or scutum.

After the brief introduction Alex had the boys change into training tunics, girded by their cingula or belts.  Here the boys line up and prepare to march.

 Alex began with a few warm up exercises to make sure the boys were awake and ready to go.

After a quick warm up, Alex then had each of the boys take up his rudis, the wooden sword used in Legionary training.  He instructed the in some basics of fencing position and footwork, here aligning them in the "ready" position.

After the boys mastered advancing and retreating in the ready position, Alex taught them the proper technique for stabbing. Here the boys practice stabbing wooden poles.

After stabbing, he taught them the proper technique for a forehand slash.

The boys practice their forehand slash against the wooden poles, advancing and retreating as ordered, holding their scuta (shields).

Here he goes over the proper footwork for advancing and retreating.

 Then Alex taught them the backhand slash.

After mastering the stab, forehand slash and backhand slash, Alex had the boys switch from the wooden swords to iron swords.  They then practiced their techniques against metal poles.

Sword training completed, Alex then taught them the rudiments of archery.  The boys shot at targets ten and twenty meters away.

Alex called on Ms. Thorner to call out the signals for an archery attack.

With sword and archery training complete, it was time to experience a little gladiatorial combat.  Christian DiAntonio was chosen to put on the armor of a retiarius, a type of gladiator who fought with a trident and net.  The Retiarius would try to snag his opponent with his net, and then finish him off with the trident.

 Here we see Christian fully attired, except for a helmet.  Note that the retiarius wore armor that protected only one side well.

Here we see the boys trying to attack Christian, while he tries to snag them in his net.  CJ Calcinari was a tremendous resource for Christian, volunteering to act as his "squire" and retrieve the nets after he had thrown them.

Of all the Avon retiarii that have fought in the last three years, Christian was by far the most skilled, managing to capture seven of the boys in his nets, some more than once.  After everyone had a couple of chances to take Christian on, our day at Castrum Legionis came to an end, with the boys tired and happy.

Here, Dylan Lightbourn, Adrian Wowk and Henry Allen get a final picture with Alex.

On the way back to the hotel we drove by the Baths of Caracalla (a nasty Roman emperor who at least built a huge public bath complex) and the Circus Maximus.

Stay tuned for another post today, as our day isn't over yet.  We will be going to Piazza Navona this evening and pictures from that excursion will be posted later.