Daily Updates
Week Two: 29 September
29 September. John Muller Reporting:
John Muller reporting live from Castiglione della Pescaia in Tuscany. We stuffed our pockets with complementary croissants from the three-star Hotel Tarconte in Tarquinia this morning and headed north to the ruins of the Republican colony of Cosa. Perched atop a hill now surrounded by fancy villas looking out over the Tyrrhenian Sea, Cosa once served as Rome's first line of defense against invaders from the north. The site now provides some of the best examples of Republican architecture and city planning. Brian 'Aldo' Meyers delivered what most would describe as an oration on Cosa's city plan in front of the city walls, which stood 10 meters wide and 10 meters in height at points when they were constructed and featured guard towers. Armed with new knowledge about the city and the 9,000 Romans who walked 90 miles from Rome to build and settle it, we took a spin around the Museo di Cosa and headed up to the acropolis. There, the Capitolium Temple loomed at the center of a spectacular panorama. After a brief lecture and some time to explore the temple, we walked down to the Forum and listened to Ben give an oral presentation about the Curia and the Comitia. Then we took a look at the remains of the basilica and headed out to the bus to wind our way down to the beach for lunch. An afternoon at the beach was a welcome break after a few marathon days around Tarquinia. A still unfinished Scrabble game began by the seashore. Whether 'axer' is a word (which would have had a definite impact on the standings, shall we say) remains up for contention. Without dictionaries it's tough to tell, but Microsoft Word is reporting the answer is no. An hour bus ride later we reached the town of Castiglione della Pescaia. With another day almost in the books and an evening poker game beckoning, I'm signing out.
Brian doesn't leave anything up to the imagination in a talk about Cosa's city plan.
Johnny and Brian outside the Museo di Cosa.
A view from the acropolis towards Montalto di Castro, where we ate lunch two days ago.
Jackie, James and Craig make for the Capitolium.
A lecture beside the temple.
The view from the acropolis to the north.
A gigantic caterpillar James found near the Capitolium.
Dave and Dan up to no good.