Rome via Brooklyn

Today was such a cool day. Today we saw so much cool stuff. We saw how seamlessly Roman history is mixed with the modern world. We started this beautiful but hot summer morning visiting the Round Temple and the Temple of Portunus. We got to see the presentation of Dakota and Fannie but that was later down the line. Standing in front of the buildings that survived over 2000 years, it was mind boggling. Seeing the diagram of the map and how much the terraformed earth changed was kind of cool though because it exposed how historians are able to date the building based on which level was visible. The temple is older than anything else I have ever seen before which is just so hard to wrap your head around. No matter how long I will stay here I do not think my mind will ever get around that. This building that I have no idea how was built, will outlast everything and anything I will ever see and touch. The quote about this building that “By that time it had already lost its original roof and marble entablature and the upper third of the cella wall, which was replaced in the C12 in brick-faced concrete incorporating tall arched windows.Further restorations (and a fresco over the altar) were made in 1475.”. I chose this because of obviously the bird on the top but also the fact that nobody mentioned that the roof was replaced later on.

Afterwards I walked to a quaint trattoria which just means a restaurant that specializes in the local cuisine and had a delicious caico e pepe. In the afternoon we met at this charming little museum which was just over the bridge on the other side. This museum was saw was the Centrale Montemartini which is a former power plant turned museum. Seeing the contrast from old to new really felt stark here more than anywhere else. Walking around a massive power station and seeing old Roman statues felt almost artistic in itself. At first it sounds like the statues would be out of place but the lighting almost makes it feel seamless. I must give them their props it is very well curated. Using the dark color of the metal the machines are made of as the backdrop for the beautiful white marble works very well. It weirdly felt like an episode of doctor who where the ancient Romans accidentally stumble onto the Industrial Revolution. It was probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing museums I have ever seen. The quote “The combination of decommissioned ancient sculpture with the machinery of a decommissioned C19 power station is at the same time utterly pointless and aesthetically pleasing” perfectly encapsulated this.

This was the view of street on our way to the museum. Today I also learned about how you really should not rely on the public transport here. It is awful here. Like really and truly nothing will bother you more than sitting in 35 degree celsius weather waiting for a half hour to see the bus just never show up. After our lunch we realized it was time for us to head to the museum. Us as reasonable and rational adults decided to wait for the bus which sorry for the spoilers never came. Thankfully we ended up finding a lime scooter that saved us just in the nick of time. Once we almost got hit sharing a single lime scooter. Google maps have been a huge help. I really hope that I will feel more comfortable and confident relying on it. I do feel it can be like New York where the MTA is a vital part of life but until then I do like the lime scooter and bikes. I will say though the cobblestone streets of this city do hurt when riding.

I took this image as I thought the helmet was super cool but there was a different picture I took that was even better. That image was this picture of the dress made of marble draping pretty over the white marble statue.

On our return home after the museum we crossed over this metal bridge that was undergoing some sort of renovation that made walking it almost impossible. I mean the construction site covered half of the walkable path so we ended up walking on the actual street. I must have not seen the blocked area but still it came as a shock. One of the things I had noticed so far is how underdeveloped the streets look. There are many streets that would just have these gaping potholes.