Day 1 in Rome

We arrived in Rome in the early morning after uneventful flights.  Actually, by Rochester time it was 1:30 AM, but in an effort to acclimate I tried convincing my body it was 7:30 AM.  Our hotel rooms were not available until 2 PM, so the Poleshucks and Birkens headed off to the Museo Nazionale Romano, a few blocks from our hotel.

Along the way we ran into a large protest of students marching through the streets with an advance guard of police. Some waved Communist flags, some carried signs about giving help to refugees. All chanted, sang songs, and were generally peaceful, though strongly enthusiastic.  Most of the Italians ignored them and when we asked about the demonstration, people shrugged and said the students were always protesting.

The Museo Nazionale is on the site of the Baths of Diocletian (built around 300 CE).  These baths covered a huge area and could accommodate up to 3000 people.  It was the JCC pool of its day - on steroids! 

Victor doing his best interpretation of a an ancient Roman.

In 1561 Pope Pius IV built a Carpathian monastery on the site, along with a basilica dedicated to the Madonna degli Angeli.  Michaelangelo was involved in the early design of the Great Cloister of the monastery.  Along the sides of the cloister, under covered walkways originally designed for the monks' passage, are sculptures, sarcophagi, altars, and statue bases. In the garden in the center of the monastery, sculptures of animal heads create a magnificent scene. They were originally inside Trajan's Forum, but were later used by decorate the Bonelli Palace and later the Collegio Romano.  They were moved to their present position in the early 1900's.

 

The museum is huge, but well laid out and includes an Epigraphic Museum focusing on how communication occurred  in ancient Rome.  It houses inscriptions carved in stone, sculptures, mosaics, and items from daily life. Finally, a Henry Moore exhibit was installed in the area of the original Diocletian baths.

We only covered the first floor of the museum, but were collapsing from fatigue and headed back to the hotel.  Along the way, we stopped in a charming cafe for lunch and then slept the rest of the afternoon.  Tomorrow we have arranged a tour through Context Travel, so we need to be up bright and early.