Day 35.

Today have been amazing, we have visited the Monte Testaccio, the Norwegian institute and the Finish institute. We will also celebrate Vappo/valborg there tonight.



The view from the finish institute. Both the building and setting is unbelievable!


One of the statues at the Ponte Vittoria Emanuelle II


The Torre delle Milizie, behind Trajans market, towering over the imperial forae since the middle ages.


Monte Testaccio is all but impossible to describe with words. To make it easy for you: Between 140 and 270 AD 53 million vessels with a combined weight of 1500 billion kilos were put in a huge pile at this site. About 85% of them comes from Spain and contained olive oil.


This is how the Monte is constructed, as you may see very, very carefully. Such an effort it must have been!


The headquarters of Opus Die, the mysterious society from the Da Vinci Code. I wonder why it is situated next to the Norwegian institute...Hmmm.

Day 34.

Well there's not much to say, I'm still stuck in the library. I'll get out of it tomorrow, I promise.

Day 33.

Another busy day in Rome, but there have been some exciting visits today, primarily the crypt of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. What's special about this crypt is that it's build right on top of the ancient Herculis Invicti Ara Maxima, also known as the great altar to Hercules.

Day 32.

Books, books, books. I'm still stuck in the library and a few days behind. I hope that I can correct that tomorrow when my presentation of the Giulio Cesare at the Chiostro del Bramante presentation is over. Anyway here is a fitting picture until then!

Day 31.

I've been very boring today. Very very boring, I don't think that I've even visited the balcony. To compensate, here's some pictures that didn't quite make the first cut from my trip to Campania.



The modern city of Pompeii.


The Macellum, meat and fish market, in the ancient Roman city of Puteoli. I might add taht this is the largest macellum we know about in the ancient world.


The peristyle (colonnade garden)of the Casa de Menandro in Pompeii.

Day 30.

Well, I'm unfortunately still lagging behind a few days thanks to a very stressful week. Anyway here's the pictures from the last day in Campania: Paestum.



The temple of Hera II, a truly amazing building.It might be fun to know that it was converted into a hay barn during the early middle ages. One heck of a barn....


The temple of Hera I and Hera II in one pictures. The setting is unbelievable, I hardly know what to say about it. One thing worth mentioning is that when the site was rediscovered they interpreted the Hera I temple as a basilica. They should really have read a book or two before the excavations...


A Lucani tomb painting, an ancient people that ruled the city for quite some time, from the area. Their culture is believed to have been warlike thanks to the many depictions of armed men in the tombs.


This is what makes ancient history really exciting, a ruin in the middle of the field to explore on your own during a sunny afternoon. The one in the shot was a piece of a gate in the Hellenistic (323-31 BC) walls.


The very famous tomb painting depicting a youth diving into the sea. This might be something worth remembering!


This shot is meant to pull you down to the ground again after all the shots from Pompeii, as this is what's normally left of a Roman villa. It may be noted that the atrium style houses was continued to be buildt at this site more then 150 years after the time of their disappear in Rome.

Day 29.

It was time to leave Pompeii and turn to Herculaneum and Oplontis. Here's some of the better parts!


Amphorae from the so called villa of Poppaea Sabina.


Another very common central panel, this one depicting a swan.


A garden fresco which might be compared with this one that I posted about a week ago.


An inscription from the Augustal Collegia in Herculaneum. Notice the accents over some of the letters.


One of the many colonnades in the villa of Poppaea Sabina.

Day 28.

Rain. Lots of it, and there are very few pictures thanks to that as I was afraid to damage my camera. I'm happy anyway however and we got to see some closed houses again, no pictures from those today though as the guard was very touchy. And oh, they had a union meeting, so the site wouldn't open until 11 am. Grrr....


A graffito depicting a small boat.


A central element in a third style painting.


A dog who very much believed that we were the source of everything good in live and that cars (and bikes) were the source of pure evil. Poor bastard.

Day 27.

The third day in Naples and time for a break. No, not the taking it easy doing nothing kind - we would just change site to Puteoli and the National Museum of Naples.


A fresco depicting a fuller (In effect: Washer) working.


I hope that no children are reading this blog as it coulg get nasty today. Yes there is such a thing as the secret room in the National Museum at Naples with all the dirty Roman art. This one is from a peristyle (garden surrounded by columns)


A lararium, home altar to the familiar gods and spirits. Notice the graffiti on it saying CACATOR CAVE MALUM, meaning something like "It is bad/you are warned, do not shit here".


A now epic piece, the jumping pig. I don't know exactly where it comes from but it's around Herculaneum, probably Villa dei Papyri.


One of the absolutely latest finds in Herculaneum, excavated as recently as 2 months ago!


A Roman bath in Puteoli, the only one we know of that resembles the imperial Thermas or Rome.


A lead filter in the great cistern of Puteoli.


Another rather striking piece of decoration.


And as a last picture, the - thanks to HBO Rome - now very famous mosaic from Pompeii.

Day 26.

Another day in Pompeii, filled with houses that the public ain't allowed into, I hope you enjoy these rare pictures!


The fauces mosaic from the Casa dei Chingalle II.


The inside of the Praedia Iulia. This is the "domus" part of a almost complete insula that was rented out only two weeks before the eruption. Included was the tabernar pergulae and balneum venerium! (Shops with a living area and fine baths)


The very famous fresco that give Casa de Manandro it's name.


A lararium or other altar from the Casa de Manandro.


A bunch of amphorae from the normally off limits Casa dell'Efebo.


A beautiful mosaic depicting a hypocamp and some other sea creature.


The lararium from the Casa del Poeta Tragico.


The Nola gate, only recently opened to the public.

Day 25.

We arrived to Naples at 12 the first day and entered the City at about 13.00. Yes it was amazing - as always. The weather was rather cloudy though but nobody notice bad weather in paradise. I would love to give a more detailed description of what we saw but as most of you know, it's a big site and writing about what I saw would be nothing but confusing.



A fresco, late third style for those who still believe in that system.



A detail for them third style paintings in Stephanus the fullers house.


A Euripus channel in one of the more famous houses in Pompeii, Casa di Octavius Quartio, on the Via dell'Abbondanza close to the Sarno gate.

Day 24.

So this is the last night on Rome for a while, I'm off to Naples tomorrow. That means no more pictures until next Saturday unless the hotel give me internet access. On the other hand, it might be worth the wait as Campania have great promise when it come to romanophile pictures.

Anyway this is a selection of today's harvest, all pictures are from the Palazzo Massimo:


One of the many wall paintings that were cut from the original walls when they were found. As much as I hate the cutting part, I must admit that the museum environment is far gentler to the paintings then the outside air.


A show-piece altar, all four sides had detailed relief's.


This is one of the many reasons why I'm having a hard time appreciating late antiquity. It's a monster! No wonder that Rome fell to the barbarians.


A quality relief on a sarcophagus depicting a battle between Romans and barbarians.