Rome via Brooklyn

354 words, 2 minutes read time

We went today to Centrale Monetemartini and saw many artifacts. One contrast that we saw between the new and old, I guess it was aesthetically pleasing, were the Roman letters. The professor pointed out, in a photo I attached, how our letters were formed. Like you can see the letter P started out as a letter with a shorter tail. Also, how some letters like C and G were the same letter in the Roman alphabet and were later split. Similarly, V and U and I and J. I didn’t find an aesthetic too jarring, but maybe the contrast in the second floor between the industrial background and the statues. In the photo I attached, it shows a statue of Artemis with the background of an industrial scene. In addition, in the industrial room you see large pieces of a statue’s head and arm. “Upstairs in the engine room are the pediment and frieze blocks from the Temple of Apollo Sosianus, and the head, arm, and feet of a colossal cult statue of Fortuna from the Largo Argentina Temple B” (Claridge, pg. 468). It was so interesting to see this contrast of something new, like a factory with gears and engines, and in that environment, statues that were carved many years ago (about 100 BC (claridge, pg. 243)).

What I learned about Italy today was how to navigate the busses. It was pretty simple though. The bus system reminded me of NYC, and they were pretty reliable (at least today). Also, there was an electronic sign that told us how long it would take for the bus to come, and it was pretty accurate. I think google maps and the Transit app, that I use in NYC, helped a lot today. The Transit app also told me how many minutes it would take for the bus to come. I used Culturesmart! for lunch today. On page 122 it says, “Alcohol is really seen as an accompaniment to food.” So, I ordered myself house wine to go with the pasta and meatballs. I believe this is a great tradition 🙂