It was found in 1886 in Rome, in what is nowadays piazza Sciarra.

It’s a splendid copy of a classical Greek bronze work dating from the Vth century bc, same period as the Parthenon in Athens. 

There are similarities in style with the work of Phidias, that we’re still dreaming about…

The head is a plaster cast of another  similar statue, now in the Louvre, found in Velletri – a village on the roman hills south of Rome.

The statue was made with marble from Thassus, in Greece.




​Centrale Montemartini Museum

As you know in the circuses were  large valleys, with seats all around, used in the ancient roman times for chariot races.  The chariots  were  turning around a central line called ‘spina’.

The most famous hippodrome of the past is the Circus Maximus in Rome. Augustus in 10bc brought an obelisk from Egypt to decorate the ‘spina’.

The obelisks were considered, by both Egyptian and Romans, to represent the connection between the sky and the earth.

The hippodrome was a little model of the cosmos:

The obelisk was the sun, the ground represented the earth and the canal running in the middle of the spina was the sea.

The four factions of chariot raiders represented the 4 seasons.

Via di San Gregorio is a modern (1930s) road known by everyone being the main connection between the Circus Maximus and the triumphal Arch of Constantine and Coliseum. During the works to open the road the remains of a temple were unearthed and can be found now in the Capitoline museum. 
It’s the temple of ‘Fortuna Respicens’ and let’s see the meaning it had.

It’s hard to imagine but this route was used since the extreme past. The triumphal processions were passing here. 
Since the age of the roman republic the winning generals were awarded to enter the city together with the army, their booty and prisoners and to be welcomed and praised by all the roman citizens.
It was the only time when the army was welcomed in town and the most important happenings in the past.

The Circus Maximus is nowadays a large valley between the Aventine and Palatine hill nevertheless its story is connected to the very origin of Rome.

According to the legend, the founder and first king of Rome, Romolo,   used these space to organize a celebration to the god Conso.

Romolo got a problem: he started a city with plenty of men and few women, and the surrounding tribes were not willing to intermarry with the Romans. 

The Claudia acqueduct was begun by emperor Caligula and  finished by Claudius.

It's beginning is 35 miles away from the city of Rome in the Sabine mountains.

Owing to some needed turns the total length of the acqueduct was 45 miles.

35 miles were subterranean canals and 10 miles were open-air structures, the famous archways .

A branch was extended to supply enough water to the splendid imperial residence on the palatine hill.

During the excavation to create the subway stop of the new C line in Venezia square the archeologists discovered a large roman site located just few meters below the street level.

The expert believe to have found the Athenaeum built by emperor Hadrian.

The archeological area consists of three main chambers connected by corridors. One of the halls is well preserved. It has large marble steps on both side that could accommodate some 200 spectators.

Hadrian was fascinated by the auditorium within Athena’s temple in Athens and decided to build a similar structure in Rome. The floor decoration is very similar to the one of the Trajan forum libraries located close by.  The bricks are dated 123AD.    Emperor Hadrian  aimed to re-establish in Rome  the tradition of public recitation, conferences and poetry contests as in classical Greece.

In the 3 halls authors and rhetoricians declaimed, recited or taught lessons. 



The site  is preserved because it was covered by the earthquake of 849.

The ‘lupercalia ‘ was an ancient roman pastoral festivity held each February from 13 to 15th. The aim was purifying the city and homes before the beginning of the spring time.

Plutarch made a colorful description of the celebration:

“At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run through the city naked, and in their jesting and marry-making strike those whom  they meet with thongs. And many women of high rank purposely stand in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that they will be granted an easy delivery if pregnant  or become  fertile if barren”. 

Since some years archeologists are at work on the slopes of the palatine hill near the arch of Constantine along the side of the sacred road. 

The archaeological excavations are directed by the University La Sapienza Professor Clementina Panella.
Every coliseum’s visitors moving toward the arch of Titus and the roman forum can see the excavations and the many students involved in the diggings

The form of the splendid and famous Piazza Navona is derived from the Stadium of Domitian. Some scholars believe it was the most elegant place for shows of the ancient world . The stadium was the first sport’s building built in Rome to house the gymnastic competitions : running, wrestling, boxing. 

The early Christian community took care of the burials of their members. Because of shortage and expensive price of the land  (nothing changed in the past 2000 years ) they created  underground cemeteries excavating tunnels in the volcanic rock  where the bodies were placed in niches along the corridors and sealed with clay or marble slabs. 
Each tomb had the name of the deceased and was also decorated with simple but meaningful symbols. The most common Christian symbols used in the catacombs are:

THE FISH : in Greek fish is written  ICHTHYS:  each Greek letter is the initial  of the words : Jesus Christ Son of God Savior.

     I- stands for IESOUS - (Jesus)

     CH- stands for CHRISTOS - (Christ)

     TH- THEOU stands for - ( of God)

     Y stands for UIOS - ( Son )

     S- stands for SOTER - (Salvatore )

- The MONOGRAM OF CHRIST: it is composed of two Greek letters of the alphabet , X ( chi) and P (ro), woven together . They are the first two letters of the Greek word Xristos , that means Christ . -

- The ANCHOR: meaning  the hope in the promise of a  future life .

- A DOVE with an olive branch in its beak : a symbol recalling the  salvation of Noah after the flood.  Consequently it symbolizes the idea of the soul in a heavenly peace 

This view is one of my favorite, I don't know how many times I took a picture from the same angle of the Trajan column in contrast with the doomed church.
Rome is a wonder of artistic contrasts!

The ancient senate house or Curia in the roman forum was an imposing but sober building.
Externally the decorations were simple: travertine in the lower part and large bricks realized in plaster in the rest of the building. A remain of this plaster decoration is still visible today in the facade, below the roof.

The interior of the senate house was very different. The walls were covered with the most valuable variety of exotic marbles as the splendid floor.
Luckily the flloor dating to the ancient times survived throughout the centuries and it's still visible today.
The building changed function in the middle ages to become a church, the original decoration were kept and not spoiled.

A brief video of one of the most precise description of ancient roman hunting.
In empirial age the hunting shows were frequently offered to the roman citizens throughout the roman empire in both circuses and arenas.
Several species of wild animals were extinguished in the roman empire, as the lions and elephants in north Africa.
The video shows wild beasts taken in the boats to be shipped.
From the Villa Romana in piazza Armerina, Sicily.

Comparing the two sandals you can see they’re just the same! As you see fashion comes back after 2500 years!!
The marble feet belongs to an exceptional sculpture depicting Hera, made in Parian marble and dating to the Antonine age: 2nd century AD. The sculpture was discovered in the Palatine stadium in 1878 and is now located in the wonderful Antiquarium of the Palatine hill. It’s a roman copy of the after a Greek original of the late 5th century BC. From.
The human feet belongs to my friend Jessica. 

Soon the largest Colosseum's restoration in the past 70 years will start. It's supposed to last till 2015 and will be divided in different phases.
The first will consist in cleaning the building with jet spray, mapping the state of preservation of the amphitheater, removing the 'ugly ' metal fencing on the ground floor arches and replacing with new railing. The northern and southern prospect will be restored too.

A couple of days ago I was visiting the forum with my friends Mirla and her party.
Suddenly the sunlight broke into the dark cloudy sky!!
A wonderful and suggestive vision...

The ancient Romans pretended to control the unpredictable aspects of their lives by praising the Gods and Goddess and making offerings.
Thus marble slab, dating to the 3rd century AD, was found in 1939 in Rome, in the area between via della Consolazione and via del mare below the Capitoline hill.

It's a dedication to the Goddess Caelestis for a safe journey going (itus) and returning (reditus). Caelestis temple was located on the Capitoline hill.

The inscription says: " to triumphal Caelestis, Jovinus donates this in fulfillment of a vow."
There is a dove represented in the centre of the panel and a relief bearing four footprints on the side of the inscription.

Capitoline Museum, Epigraphic Gallery

All things are woven together and the common bond is sacred, and scarcely one thing is foreign to another, for they have been arranged together in their places and together make the same ordered Universe. For there is one Universe out of all, one God through all, one substance and one law, one common Reason of all intelligent creatures and one Truth.
Frequently consider the connection of all things in the universe.
We should not say ‘I am an Athenian’ or ‘I am a Roman’ but ‘I am a citizen of the Universe.
(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)

The origin of the gladiatorial games must likely be found in Etruria, where they formed part of the funereal ceremonies, replacing the older custom of human sacrifices. It seems they were connected to the cult of the god Saturn – an opinion confirmed by the fact that in Rome similar duels were organized during the saturnalia celebrations. 

The tomb of the warrior found in Lanuvium and dating from 475BC remains an exception within the general picture of Latium tombs from the 6th and 5th century BC. 

Lanuvium was an ancient independent town in the vicinity of Rome, some 32 km south.  In the 6th century BC it was part of Latin League and made several wars against Rome at the battle of Aricia (504 BC) and Lake Regillus (496 BC) and again in 383 and 341 BC. In 338 BC it was finally conquered by Rome. 


​Terme di Diocleziano Museum

This is a lead course tablet ( tabella defixionis), in which Pluto ( Dis Pater), the god of the underworld, is invoked to put an end to the love between Rhodine and Faustus.

“ Just as the corpse buried here can neither speak nor converse, so let Rhodine be death for Marcus Licinius Faustus”…

This object dates back to the 1st century BC: who knows if it worked..

Terme di Diocleziano Museum