Food We Had in Italy

One attraction we were sure not to miss in Italy was eating fine food. We had a lot of restaurant meals with yummy pasta, though most of them did not get photographed. Frankly, we all know Italian pasta is awesome, so I'm focusing here on other stuff we ate.

Another food favorite in Italy is gelato, which is Italian for "ice cream." L has an uncanny ability to sense a gelato shop and a far too persistent penchant for requesting we stop. Maybe part of the problem is their trash cans.

Luckily L didn't try to lick this or any of the other ones

We stopped often though we had a rule that we could only have gelato in the afternoons. One shop owner by San Giovanni in Laterno put on a clown nose while he served us. J and L loved that. We tried all sorts of flavors, from vanilla and chocolate to pineapple and pistachio.

A simple cream flavor

We discovered rather late in our trip that it was much cheaper to go into a local deli and get a sandwich for lunch rather than to sit down in a restaurant. The sandwiches often come pre-made with prosciutto or cheese or mushrooms or any number of items. We liked the quickness, the local feeling, and the casual dining.

Prosciutto, mozzarella, and lettuce sandwich

Grilled panini with chicken and bacon!

We were surprised by the excellence of the pastries in Italy. In addition to gelato, L had many of the local donuts which are large and light and luscious.

L digs in!

L and a tiny muffin!

Chocolate croissant and tea

In Pompeii, the bed and breakfast we stayed at was part of a bakery so they delivered fresh pastries each morning for breakfast. A small bag was hung on the door with a well-wrapped package of goodies. The children had chocolate croissants while we parents tried the local pastries.

A package from the bakery

Local delicacies

The best pizza I had in Italy was in a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Naples. We had to go upstairs and sit in a tight area. Even though it was January they turned on the air conditioning since the heat rose from the kitchen to our table. Also rising was the food in a small dumb-waiter! Since it was a Friday, I ordered a vegetarian pizza with eggplant and tomatoes. The eggplant was roasted to perfection and the pizza crust had a nice chewiness to it.

Neapolitan pizza!!

We ate a lot of meals in our apartment in Rome, including one night of wine and mozzarella balls. A nearby shop sold mozzarella balls out of a metal vat. My wife liked the authenticity of it.

Italian at home!

Remember when you go to Italy to try more than just the pasta!

Book Review: Writing Down the Dragon by Tom Simon

Writing Down the Dragon by Tom Simon

Tom Simon's book Writing Down the Dragon is a collection of essays on J.R.R. Tolkien's writings and his style. He specifically looks at Tolkien's techniques for crafting stories and the various tools he uses, from ancient myths and made-up languages to resolving contradictions in texts. Simon does not claim to be definitive; he, as a fantasy writer, looks to Tolkien as an inspiration and model for writing fantasy epics. He has a lot of interesting insights and a lively writing style. Fans of Tolkien are sure to enjoy this book.

Sample Quote on how Orcs, being the evil characters they are, use morals:

Orcs have morals; they just happen to be coupled with a hypocrisy so perfect that it is essentially unconscious. Morals are a stick to beat their enemies with, never a ruler to measure their own behaviour. [Kindle Locations 1452-1453]

Roman Walls and Ports

Some of Rome's ancient walls are still standing. In the third century AD, the Aurelian Wall was constructed. Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-275) started the wall which was completed by his successor Probus (276-282). The intent was to defend against the Germanic barbarians who were threatening the heart of Italy. The walls enclosed the seven hills of Rome and were about 11 miles around. The walls continued as a defense until 1870. The city has spread outside the walls but most of the important historical sites are within. The wall had 18 gates and over 350 towers, though not all survive.

One gate in the wall is the Porta Asinaria, which is the "Gate of the Donkeys." Certainly the troops (themselves barbarians hired to guard the city) were a bunch of jackasses when they opened up for the Goths in 546, who then looted the city. The gate is no longer in use. A much larger passageway is right nearby, the Porta San Giovanni which is now a regular street.

Porta Asinaria (the little white bit between the two towers)

Outside Porta San Giovanni

Inside of Porta San Giovanni

Another small gate is nearby, letting Via Nola go outside the walls right by the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem) and Amphitheatrum Castrense, an amphitheater whose walls were incorporated into the Aurelian Wall. It saved the builders a bit of work!

Via Nola gateway, amphitheater no longer visible from inside

The port leading out to the Appian Way is more famous and in better shape, but we did not visit it. If we ever go back, we probably will, since that port leads out to one of the larger catacombs, San Sebastiano.

Pantheon, Rome

The Pantheon in Rome was built by Emperor Hadrian in AD 126 to replace an earlier temple to all the gods (pan is Greek for "all" and theon for "gods"). The exterior portico is rectangular and fools the viewer into expecting a typical long nave inside.

Pantheon

Doors into the Pantheon

Someone lost their Minion balloon!

Inside is a hemispherical dome on a round church. The coffering in the dome was achieved by pouring a mixture of concrete, tufa, and pumice over a wooden frame that was removed after it hardened. The effect is fantastic. The hole at the top is called the oculus and is the main source of interior light. It's 142 feet above the floor, which is also the diameter of the interior.

Interior of the church

The dome

The main altar is against the back wall and not overly ostentatious.

Main altar

Many of the tombs in the Pantheon are of modern Italian kings. The most famous tomb by far, though, is Raphael's tomb. He was buried here at his request.

Victor Emanuele II Tomb, Father of the Fatherland

Umberto I's tomb

Raphael's tomb

Other altars and statues are spread around the circumference of the Pantheon, including a nativity since it was still the Christmas season.

An angel

Madonna and Youth

Some god made way for this evangelist!

Altar to St. Joseph

Simple nativity below the altar of St. Joseph

The Pantheon is now the Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres and still functions as a church, though it is mostly a tourist attraction nowadays.

Roman Forum

The Roman Forum occupies the valley between the Capitoline, Esquiline, and Palatine hills. The land is wide and flat, originally in the middle of the various small villages that grew into the city of Rome. The land was ideal for social, political, and economic exchanges between the people. As the area grew in importance, temples and civic buildings began to spring up, as well as markets. By the first century BC it was the thriving heart of the city.

J runs into the Forum from the Arch of Titus

Just beyond the Arch of Titus to the right is the Santa Francesca Romana, a church named after a 15th century saint who took care of poor people locally.

Santa Francesca Romana

Roof detail

Beyond the Arch of Titus to the left is the Palatine Hill along with the ruins of some baths.

Bath ruins and the Palatine Hill

The forum has many ruins, some so ruinous that they are only the foundations of previous buildings. For example, this "podium of a temple" was used for a temple after Nero's fire and later probably a medieval tower, though all that is left is the foundation's outline.

Podium of a Temple (at least that's what the sign says)

Further on is the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius. Remember that the original Roman basilicas were public buildings where legal matters were dealt with; only later did the term come to a purely religious meaning. The remaining arches are huge and give an idea of the fantastic scale of the building in its heyday.

Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius

After Nero's fire, the area around the Palatine Hill was redeveloped. Emperor Vespasian built a warehouse that was turned into a marketplace by Emperor Domitian a few years later. The market would have had two levels and stores would include food shops, so basically it was an early mall.

Horrea Vespasia

The Temple of Romulus was built by Emperor Maxentius in AD 307 in memory of a son who died in childhood. It was later converted into an entrance for the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. The bronze door is original and the lock still works!

Temple of Romulus

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was first dedicated by the Roman Senate to Faustina in AD 141, though when her husband Antoninus died in 161 his name was added. This temple has also been integrated into another church, San Lorenzo in Miranda.

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Augustus erected a temple to Julius Caesar on the spot where he was cremated. The area is rather modest considering his impact on the world and the more massive buildings surrounding it.

Sign at the entrance to the Temple of Julius Caesar

Inside--not much at all

The Curia is where the Roman Senate met. It was first built by King Tullus Hostilius, then rebuilt by Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus. After a fire in AD 283, Diocletian rebuilt it; after Alaric sacked Rome, it was turned into the church of Sant'Adriano in 630.

Side shot of the Curia

Curia entrance

Inside the Curia

Former imperial statue

The Curia houses some works found in the Forum. Most striking are the bas reliefs from Trajan's time depicting the destruction of tax records and the institution of the alimenta, the distribution of food to needy Roman children. The backs of the reliefs depict animals, probably on their way to be sacrificed.

Destruction of tax records

Doling out the alimenta

Animals going to sacrifice

Another bas relief

To the right of the Curia is the Basilica Aemilia, a large meeting hall that was destroyed in the 400s.

Basilica Aemilia

The western end of the forum has the ruins of a few more temples and the Arch of Septimius Severus.

Temple of Vespasian, Arch of Septimius Severus, Temple of Saturn

The Roman Forum is quite extensive and could take up a whole day if visitors wanted to. J and L entertained themselves by climbing over whatever parts they could (not many) and inventing the "stepping stone race" game that became an on-going activity for the trip. Many of the streets have large, flat, irregularly-shaped stones. The children would step from stone to stone, racing to the other end. Often they raced and beat the adults. I guess we old folks, like old buildings, don't always make it to the end.