week 3 field trips

overview: 4 places in 2 days. intense history.

1st stop. ostia antica.

hardcore masonry skills.
i doubt any of the brick buildings now could last 2000 + years....

right outside of rome, it was once a thriving port community. situated on the tibre river this city was once full of people who were THOUSANDS of years ahead in their 'lifestyle,' but suddenly abandoned (due to neglect and poor upkeep the aquaducts 'ran out' of water).

hunter boots take ostia antica!

the first refrigerators (i told you these people were ahead of their time)
they would bury pots in the ground and keep perishables in them.

they had also mastered a 'restaurant.'
here cinzia and tommy pretend they are ancient etruscans at mcdonalds.

2nd stop. etruscan tombs.

'hobbit house' tombs from the outside.

the etruscans are 'ancient romans.' the made these unique 'hobbit house' tombs for the deceased. this tour was RAINY. this caused me to have a 'mshap' when i entered one of the tombs. i was straddling a mud puddle and walking the edges of it, because in my mind that seemed like a totally logical solution for getting into the tomb (i would be crazy to walk through a 2" deep mud puddle with my wellies. the thought is simply ludicrous). obviously the area surrounding the miniature pool of water was slippery. i some how managed to lose the balance on one foot (it began sliding away - preparing my body for a split), and that's when the wave of dirty water struck the innocent bystanders. in the process of regaining my 'footing,' i pulled the other leg closer to the leg (which i was loosing control of) and that is when i managed to create the tidal wave of dirt. just call me grace.

the inside.

3rd stop. montecassino.


monastery covered in mosaics. the pictures can not even capture the grandeur. interior design students- think 2nd year spring square project...times 1,000,000,000. RE-DIC. founded by st. benedict in 529 AD, choosing to live a life of solitude in the elaborate surroundings (he was born into noble family and obviously accustomed to the 'finer things in life.') of the abbey. he lived there from construction (of the building) until his death. he was buried in the basilica in the same tomb as his sister. around 577 the monastery encountered it's first attack and was destroyed. after nearly a century (thankfully not of consecutive building - the monks were 'hiding' in rome) the monastery was rebuilt with mosaics and gold ornamentation. destruction struck again in 1349 thanks to a natural disaster (an earthquake). during WWII, caught between two feuding (and fighting) enemies the holy building gave refuge to innocent civilians.

the passage where the cassino residents escaped
from the fighting during WWII.

mosaic.

detail of a moasic.
(i know my ID girls will appreciate this after tackling
the 'square project' last year)

4th stop. (saving the best for last) POMPEI!


august 24th 79 AD - the time capsule we know as pompei. the buried city. mt. vesuvius. we have all heard the terms before, but do you really KNOW pompei? the people of pompei were not nearly as primitive as i initially (and ignorantly) believed. buried in 20 feet of pumice and volcanic ash and nearly 36 feet of dirt/dust/debris for thousands of years, until it was accidentally discovered in the mid 1700's, created the 'perfect time capsule.'

genius.
they placed small white stones (marble) on the roads to provide
a 'reflecting' surface to help people navigate at night.

taking abbey road - beatles style.
the larger stones were used when the streets were flooded,
because the people of pompei wore sandals and didn't want to get their feet wet.

addition fun fact about their civil engineering skills:
the roads were a bent 'U' shape to help water drain to either side
of the road and flow down the street without any bother the
sandal wear-ers.

pompei dogs.
a clan of stray dogs that you (yes, even people outside of italy)
can adopt. what a great souvenir :)

all of the really great pottery is in the archeology museum in naples or traveling the world in exhibits. i was surprised that this much was deemed 'not that great,' and the actual display of pottery was probably 5 times the amount you can see in this single picture.

even auto grill survived the raining pumice stone.

some ruins from a gym.
they were very concerned about their body and physical appearance.
it was not uncommon for them (men and women) to go to the gym.

'beware of dog' mosaic.
took up the entire foyer - they must of had a very scary dog.

WARNING: graphic material. parental supervision.
romans completely supported pleasure and entertainment, so use your imagination and combine the two. and what do you get? BROTHELS. because pompei was a port city they thrived in the area of...um...er..prostitution. in the 160+ acres of the city that has been excavated they have found numerous brothels. many of the brothel's displayed a 'menu' (remember that i said it was a port city, they had lonely sailors coming from all over the world and unable to speak their native tongue. obviously color frescoes provided the customer with 'options') for the clients.

that is exactly what you think it is.

yes and this too...

stone beds were used for acoustical and sanitation purposes.
lovely.

signs that would 'point' in the direction
of the brothel.

INDS ROCKS POMPEI.
too cloudy to see mt. Vesuvius in the background.
but it is there i promise!

the remaining 'area' of pompei will go un-excavated in our lifetime (it is estimated that only 2/3 is available now). the plan is for it to remain in its 'time capsule' for future generations to appreciate. the ruins and buildings that are currently exposed are deteriorating due to acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer and other various human/natural 'side effects.' so let's all reduce. reuse. and recycle - for the sake of pompei!