Daily Updates
Week Seven: Nov. 8
08 November. Katherine reporting: This morning we were up bright and early for our third and final road trip. We met the bus at our usual place, the Ponte Sisto bridge and discovered that we had Renato, our favorite driver again! We also had a big bus (quite a change from the mini bus of last road trip), so we didn’t have to sit next to each other—yay personal space!! We left Rome and drove for about an hour until we reached our destination of Tivoli and Hadrian’s Villa which is an enormous sprawling housing complex—the size of the Dartmouth campus—all built for one person! Maya and Sarah were the last people to give their hour oral reports and after giving a general overview of the area, they took us to their specific sites. Maya explained the Maritime Theater, a building in the round surrounded by a canal and a removable bridge that was used for dining, and she pointed out how the architecture and the interplay between light and dark moved you around the structure. Sarah talked about another dining area, the canopus which is a long scenic canal terminating in a domed triclinium (dining room) with structures for running water and niches for statues all around. It was quite impressive. We also made a stop at the Piazza d’Oro, the Plaza of Gold, which is distinct for its innovative blend of architecture and water. On the way back to the bus part of the group dropped into the two private bath complexes of Hadrian, in which some of the original marble floor remains. As we were nearing the exit a crazy goose creature with teeth tried to come and say hello, but we escaped unscathed to the bus and headed towards Assisi where we would spend the night. After a two hour bus ride, we made it and were free to explore the town and visit the famous basilica of Saint Francis. A busy schedule for day one of the road trip.
08 November. Plastic model of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli
08 November. Plastic model detail
08 November. Far wall of the so-called Poichile from Hadrian's Villa
08 November. The Villa has become popular among local felines
08 November. Sarah presents the Villa at Tivoli
08 November. Professor Ulrich and Sarah
08 November. An old Roman road and a retaining wall
08 November. The so-called Maritime Theater
08 November. Maya presents the Maritime Theater
08 November. The Maritime Theater
08 November. The Maritime Theater
08 November. Maya presents the Theater
08 November. The Maritime Theater
08 November. The courtyard of the Doric pilasters
08 November. Close up of the pilasters
08 November. View from the back, note the brickwork that would have been masked by marble
08 November. The Piazza D'Oro, or Golden Piazza
08 November. A close up of heads in capitol volutes
08 November. Another detail
08 November. Professor Ulrich and his plans
08 November. A karyatid from the so-called Canopus
08 November. The "canal" or reflecting pool from the Canopus
08 November. Karyatids from the Canopus
08 November. The Canopus
08 November. Sarah presents the Canopus
08 November. The Canopus seen from above and behind
08 November. The canal seen from above
08 November. Preserved stucco from one of the baths at Tivoli
08 November. Opus sectile from another bath complex
08 November. A Hadrianic goose
08 November. Leaving the Villa...