Rome - Roma aetaerna (part 1 of 2)
I had been to Italy numerous times, but I had never been to Rome, when I decided to participate in a journey to Rome with the seminar of ancient history of the Georg-August University of Göttingen, Germany, in 2002 at the invitation of Professor Dr. Gustav Adolf Lehman. Professor L. is the most ingenious of all professors of the University of Göttingen. Can there be anything more beautiful than becoming acquainted with the "eternal city" together with a group of history enthusiasts? We were a ragtag group of students and old boys aged between 20 and 60 and, accordingly, we were in very good mood when we climbed aboard the night train to Rome in Munich. As there was no space left for me in our compartment, I took a place with an Italian family who travelled from Munich to Napoli. We had not even passed the Alps when Luigi and Gina, the two other passengers, had already adopted me. It was a very amusing journey and when we reached Rome, I was slightly tipsy, as - of course - I had tried the wine Luigi and Gina had brought along.Our hotel was a former monastery near the Forum Romanum. Unfortunately, I do not remember its name, as first there was a lecture by Prof L. He seemed inspired by Rome, had his luggage hanging loosely from his arm, and started to talk. He had rarely been in better mood: a mix of enthusiastic guide and Titus Livius. Some other tourists were fascinated enough to join our little group. At the triumphal Arc of Septimius Severus our tour started with the Mamertine Prison under the Church of San Pietro in Carcere. Oh dear, I had imagined the Roman state prison bigger than that. Vercingetorix Jugurtha, the Numidian King, and, later Apostle Petrus had been imprisoned there. Just in front of the Capitol, there was the Golden Milestone, where all streets ended. With the Basilica Aemiliana on his right and the Basilica of the apotheosized Julius Caesar and the Castor temple on his left, Professor L. poured the rest of nightly bottle of wine on the Via Sacra and, during this libation, held a sonorous speech in Latin to thank for our safe arrival. Thereafter, we left our luggage at the hotel and looked forward to very special delight of Rome.
The Capitoline Museums
The square in front of the Capitol is one of my preferred squares in Rome. None less than Michel Angelo designed the square. In some way, it is the essence of the Rome of the Renaissance and the Rome of ancient times. From the middle of the square Marc Aurel, my preferred Emperor, welcomes us. The original, which was damaged by acid rain, has been restored and is in the Capitoline Museums at present. The famous statues of the "Dying Gaul" and the "Thorn Puller" are there, too, for example. The busts of Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Epicurus are seen in the Philosopher's room; while the Caesarians of Rome are in the Emperors' room. I knew them all and felt reminded of the biographies by Sueton who always found some scandalous details to report on each of them. The Capitoline Museums have the nicest guides of Rome, and they are not as crowded as the Vatican. In fact, although I specialise in Ancient History,St. Peter's Cathedral and the Vatican Museums
were, of course, a must. We set off early and the queue was only 3 km long. Pushed and buffeted by Japanese and Korean tourists, and guided by monotonously talking guides we walked through the Vatican museums. The Apollo of Belvedere, which Professor L. had been so anxious to see, was not displayed, unfortunately, due to restoration works. By way of compensation, we heard an interesting history about the finding of the famous Laocoon group, which once stood in Nero's bedroom. In many cases, visiting great cultural monuments is beautiful only after the event. But whoever – after all the pushing and buffeting - finally reaches the Sixtinian Chappel where the whole crowd of pilgrims, tourists and frauds fades away in the vastness of St. Peter's Cathedral, will always be impressed because St. Peter's Cathedral is a real wonder of the world.back to overview "Italy travel"
