Still Showing Off My Rome Photos: Santa Maria Maggiore

Mosaic murals located on the second story walkway or balcony to the front of the Church.

Small individual mosaic medallion details bordering the mural's scene. Each different.

Get ready for the Bernini Spiral Staircase....

The tour guide told us Bernini was 17 when he designed this staircase.  Clone Him!!

Brass knob held in the hands of many, many Popes of the Church over the centuries.  Did I touch it too? Or just take a photo.  Sometimes, while in Rome, I felt shy and in awe of the artifacts.

Oh, Grand Basilica!

The front entrance of the Church. We toured the second level of the portico (?).  I have mentioned before that I am not a Catholic, but I was greatly touched and impressed by every single church we visited. Some, like this, were grand and glorious; others were pure and simple.

Trasporto della Macchina di Santa Rosa in Viterbo, Italy. With the help of a You Tube link.

Festival of Santa Rosa, Procession 2019

Of course, our visit to Viterbo was in May, 2019. We did not witness the current year's festival.

The carrying of this the monumental structure--almost pagan, if not to styled in a Christian manner--seemed timeless. Could be last week (it was) or could be the Middle Ages. Or, in spirit and style, we could be seeing a version of a Roman Triumph parade?

The Doorways of Viterbo

These are just a few of the unique, stately doorways (entrances to private homes, courts, etc?) that were easy to find when walking in Viterbo. The Middle Ages is still on show. See the worn doorstep on the example below. (Multi-thousand feet entering and leaving over the centuries.)

Currently, I'm interested in Boro stitched mending effects on antique Japanese Kimonos; the appearance of the  doorway above provides a similar idea with the various wood and irregular patterns.

This one is a favorite. A little photo editing, polishing, printing and I have a pretty illustration for a card to send to someone, someday.

The streets feel haunted. "Is it so hard to believe that souls might also travel those paths?" wonders Anthony Doerr near the final pages of his wonderful novel "All the Light We Cannot See". He did not write about Rome or Viterbo for this novel, but what matter? The ancient setting evokes the same feeling. Am I wrong?

Viterbo: What a Joy to See this Town!

Viterbo is about an hour from Rome--a train ride from Vatican area station.  The guide book said Viterbo is the best example of a walled, medieval city left in Italy (for it's size). Looks like the Land of Romeo and Juliet, doesn't it?  It was magical; clean, very little trash and graffiti; not very crowded on this cool May Friday.

They produce wonderful ceramics here in Viterbo. A local friend from our home town spent 2 years learning and teaching mosaics here. Beautiful stuff.

The city sponsors a major religious event in September (next week, actually) Feast of Santa Rosa. Crowds will arrive for that! The men of the town carry a huge towering structure through the streets, in honor of the sweet Saint of Medieval times, whose shrine is in the town.  Sometimes, there are accidents while the structure is being transported. People have died!

But not today.  We strolled away the day. Every alley and court yard contained an architectural wonder, great and small.

Not much graffiti but evocative walks, courts and passages all over town. Many Italian and international films are made here.

Charm abounds. Look at that sweet bell tower. And my favorite everywhere: hearing the genuine, old fashion or ancient church bells tolling the hours. Loved that so much.

 Dripping with antique wonder. The people we see here today are tourists, mostly. Or locals like the nun? Who would we have seen 500 years ago? What would they have done? Worked hard, probably.

The next couple of posts will show more of this wonderful town. So glad we could visit!

Last Impressions of Ostia Antica...(but there was so much more)

Example of the use of the arch structure, filled in, for added strength; as we saw at the Pantheon a few days before.

I love these glimpses we get of what street scenes in Ancient Times may have appeared, in part.

We are reminded constantly that we cannot go back in time, we cannot know what it was like, see what they saw; but surely the sky and landscape surrounding the towns and villages were similar, the atmosphere. 

Who worked, sat, slept, lived or died in these spaces?

A few months ago, I read a book ("Surprised by Joy" by C. S. Lewis ); my understanding was pitifully inadequate (I am leaving my post as written to show how shallow I can be, sometimes. Not always, but sometimes.

The visit to Italy has helped me understand what Lewis meant by his "Joy"-- a wonderful, unattainable longing. As a younger person, his "sublime unattainable" was for "all things Norse": cold sea air, Vikings, Norse legends, etc. 

Anyway, wandering the foundations and dust and bricks of their Ancient Port Town--(a logistical center, like their version of an Amazon, FedEx, Walmart-Hub!)--makes them feel closer? And very far away all at the same time.

Ostia Antica: The Antiquities Museum

One of my favorite images from the entire experience.

Sky lights enhanced the presentation of the relics in this museum.

I wish these statues were not damaged so badly.

A Happy Child

And, alas, a Sad Child

As lovely and impressive as the statuary halls were, after 3 or 4 in a few short days, we were "museumed out"; though I took enough photos that I can enjoy the images at my leisure.

A Few More Bricks at Ostia Antica. Then we will go to the Museum.

Could those horizontal lines be intentional? Ancient or more modern?

The lettering above is obviously intentional. Who did it, I wonder. And when? It appears carved in the finished surface. I was excited to find this, however.

Interesting composition. Looks "organic". Toothy.

 Deteriorated. Exploring the bricks was fun. And there were millions more to see.

Ostica Antica: Part 2--Bricks Bricks Bricks

Millions of ancient, handmade bricks. I'm sure the Romans builders must have known processes to speed the work; molds, patterns or cutting techniques? But I was fascinated.  I loved the color--a deeper red than these photos appear.

Texture. Really, I was looking for a thumb print or other marks of the Ancient human makers of these bricks.

Uniqueness. Each brick is a creation unto itself.

Some of the bricks appeared more uniform; better quality than others. Like all things people make.

Interesting surface on the one above.  Also, I looked for a scratched-in message. Didn't find any, but didn't look all day; spent a good half-hour examining bricks.

Never meant to be seen: the bricks were meant to be covered with facing stone like marble; long gone.

Like tiny caves in landscape. It's only a matter of scale?

Eventually, I had to stop looking for the Roman Slave "Kilroy" and go on to the Museum.

Often, I am the shallowest of tourists: ask my husband; all I want to do is go find a cup of coffee.
Other times, I obsess over some small detail, important only to me.