HistoryExplained

A collection of art, architecture, sculptures and places that I vist and take pictures of.

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“Sybils” fresco painted by Raphael above the Chigi Chapel.  Located in the small church of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome, Italy.  

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Villa Medici - Rome, Italy

Now used as the French Academy in Rome since the early 1800′s.  Napoleon bought the villa in 1804/5 and has been the property of the French since then.  The façade fronting the villa gives no impression of the exquisite sculpted decoration.  The area of the villa and gardens are a total of 70 hectares.  

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Arches of the Flavian Amphitheater (The Colosseum) from the inside.  Travertine blocks with multiple holes of where the iron bars that held the blocks together formerly were.  If you visit the amphitheater now you will be able to not only see the lower area excavated by Emperor Domitian but also the upper tier to see a magnificent view of the amphitheater as well as the surrounding area.  When visiting the upper tier you can see remnants of the area where the poles for the canvas awning would have been.  The awning would have been drawn by the sailors from the Misenum Fleet.

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Sepulcher of Anne Regilla in the Appia Antica Park.  Sepulcher built by Herodus Atticus for his deceased wife.  Sepulcher is two stories with 150 amphorae in the lower level containing the ashes of 150 slaves.  You can visit the sepulcher every Saturday and Sunday from 1000 - 1600 hours until November.

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Mithras sanctuary underneath Santa Prisca church in Rome, Italy.  Sanctuary constructed in the basement of a Roman house during the reign of Serverus (3rd Century AD).  Construction done in terracotta and stucco.

Photos taken by me. 

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Brixen, Italy.  A long weekend in paradise.  This photo was taken from the bridge crossing from the Bishops Palace (Hofburg) to the garden.  In the background are the mountains surrounding Brixen that are part of the Dolomites.  Other points of interest are the Dom (Cathedral) from 1174 (in 1745 rebuilt in the Baroque style) and the Kreuzgang.  I’ll past a few photos from the Kreuzgang in the next post.  Amazingly enough the frescos from the 14th and 15th centuries have survived almost intact.  Next to the Dom is the late Gothic Pfarrkirche.   

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Terenten, Sud Tyrol Italy

This is one of those times I'm posting something that isn't historical. When we awoke this morning the day greeted us with this amazing view from our hotel balcony. If you've never been to Sud Tyrol (yes, I prefer to use the German name for the region) then you must come here. We've made it a point to come here often with only being a 6 hour drive from Rome. This time we're staying at the Falkensteiner Hotel and Resort. Fantastic hotel with spacious modern rooms. The half-pension is well worth the cost. The food is top notch and you get a lot for the price that is inclusive with the room.

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Chapel of St. Sylvester – Rome, Italy The Chapel of St. Sylvester is found in the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati.  The basilica dates from the 9th century and is one of those gems of artistic and architectural places that many tourists are unfamiliar with. 

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Baths of Caracalla

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The “Basilica” – Paestum, Italy

One of three Greek temples of the former city of Poseidonia.  This is in the southern area of the city and was called the basilica because when the city was re-found they thought it was a civic building. 

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Sepulchre of Via Statilia - Rome

Sepulchre of Via Statilia – Rome

Also known as the Gemini Tombs, the three tombs or sepulcher of Via Statilia are from circa 100BC.  They are of late Republican age and were found in 1916.  They were originally situated on the road that led into Rome, this one being to the Porta Maggiore.  The tombs are burial chambers of freed slaves as evidenced by the inscription still legible.  To the right of the three tombs is another one…

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Funerary steele from an Attic original (525-510BC).  This piece was found in Gaius Salustiani Crispus’s villa gardens near the Quirinale.  The top part shows the feet of the deceased and the bottom of a spear (all the remain of the upper part).  The lower part is a horseman that was to accompany the warrior in the afterlife.  You can find this piece in Museo Barracco in Rome, Italy.

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For The Love of History

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Prissian - Sud Tyrol, Italy

Prissian – Sud Tyrol, Italy

Awoke in the morning to cooler temperatures.  Without any warning the rain started to come down as if someone turned the knob in a shower.  Then came the rolling thunder.  It wasn’t a violent cracking thunder but a guttural continuous roling thunder.  Just now as I looked at the nearest valley I see a large lightning bolt in the confluence of two mountains.  Then came the thunder with a gentle…

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Augsburg, Germany many years ago. Does anybody recognize the location? If you were there in 1988 let me know.