My fear about the weather changing was unfounded, as today was even more perfect than yesterday. I don't think I saw a single cloud in the sky all day. Bellisima!
Since I rushed to get to all the major sights taken care of the day before, I was left with a lot of time to explore some lesser known, yet no-less interesting attractions today... starting with those right out the front door of my hotel, the Temple of Hercules and the Temple of Portunus, which I can see from my window each morning...
Then it's just a quick hop across the street to see the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth), which is supposed to snap shut on the hands of those telling lies...
And then it's a short walk back past the hotel to the brilliant Capitoline Museums, atop Capitoline Hill which was the center of ancient Rome. These are probably my favorite museums of the city, and today was the last day of an amazing exhibit which focused on the architectural wonders of the city. There were beautiful pen and ink renderings from around the world of various Roman landmarks, each more fascinating than the last. The "regular" collection is pretty special as well...
The statue of the woman with -ahem- extra parts is a bit disturbing... particularly when a rather important piece of the extra parts has fallen off. This is also where the pieces of a massive statue (since fallen apart) reside, including this giant hand...
From the roof I got an excellent view of the city. Just another crappy day...
I hope the weather is even half this good as I head north tomorrow.
I love comments! However, all comments are moderated, and won't appear until approved. Are you an abusive troll with nothing to contribute? Don't bother. Selling something? Don't bother. Spam linking? Don't bother.
PLEASE NOTE: My comment-spam protection requires JavaScript... if you have it turned off or are using a mobile device without JavaScript, commenting won't work. Sorry.
Atom Entries Feed Comments Feed
Just out of curiosity – what’s the scale of that giant hand? Tall as a person?
Many thanks for more stunning pics!
When I was a kid in Tripoli, there was a tall pillar by the harbor with that sculpture of the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus atop it. My mother told us all the story as my father snapped photos of it.
Do you by any chance have a photo of that pillar with the Romulus and Remus off Green Square in Tripoli. I can’t find a copy of it anywhere on the internet. Gudren
The hand is easily as tall as a person… quite impressive, really.
Romulus is (according to legend) the founder of Rome. He and his brother were sons of Mars, god of war, and abandoned as babies in the woods by the king out of fear that they would grow up to kill him for the throne. A wolf came upon the twins but, instead of killing them, raised them as her own. Eventually the twins grew up and did kill the king, but gave the throne to their grandfather. One day Romulus killed Remus for mocking him as Rome was being founded. Romulus ruled wisely for many years, and eventually disappeared. Ancient Romans believed that he was taken to heaven, and worship him as a god.
What great photos!!!! Dave , you should creat a 24 month calendar featuring your artistic snaps and sell them in the Blogography Shop. And since I thought of this great idea, I should get a free calendar…