Terminal 5

Rome actually has two international airports and for many years has contemplated adding a third, ironically enough in Viterbo. Ciampino, south of the city, hosts several low-cost carriers that fly primarily inter-European flights. Leonardo di Vinci, more commonly known as Fiumicino and designated FCO, is west of the city near Ostia. Intercontinental flights from the US always land at FCO. Terminal 1 is Alitalia and its code-share partners such as Air France. On a number of occasions we have flown out of Terminal 1, to Amsterdam and Athens to name two. Who knows what Terminal 2 serves. It is a little thing squeezed between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. The principle staging area for the rest of the air traffic at FCO is Terminal 3. Most of the major European carriers fly out of Terminal 3. If you arrive from the US by way of pretty much any European hub via airlines such as Lufthansa, SwissAir or Dublin Air, you are likely to encounter the chaos which is Terminal 3. There doesn’t appear to be a Terminal 4, which brings us to the nightmare which is Terminal 5.

I had never heard of Terminal 5 until last summer. The Italian powers that be decided to siphon off some of the traffic from Terminal 3 and created a new terminal. It is not serviced by any public transportation save a shuttle bus which runs from a poorly signed location outside of Terminal 3. Forget about walking. It is at least half a mile of access roads without any sign of a sidewalk as cars, taxis and busses zip by while you drag the inevitable pile of luggage. Once there you discover a cavernous, converted airplane hanger which services only the US flagged carriers and Elal. With the continuous mergers which have taken place, that brings it down to a small handful of carriers and flights per day. A dozen or more armed guards patrol the exterior and interior of the “greeting“ area which is actually only a passport check. Check in for your flight, security screening and a shuttle bus to a satellite terminal containing the actual gates come after you have passed into a secure area. For obvious reasons, i.e. the intense love large swaths of the world has for the US and Israel, loitering is not encouraged. Interestingly enough, we and everybody who has visited us so far this year has found the best prices on US Airways, meaning all have traveled through Terminal 5.

One recent weekend found me escorting a student to the airport for an emergency trip home. As an unaccompanied minor she needed someone to officially sign off on her at check-in. When we got to passport check, they refused to allow me to go further with her in spite of me practically begging. So, I watched her pass through the doors and stood around until the half dozen guards with machine guns approached and firmly indicated I had to move along. Since Momma didn’t raise no dummy, I did what they wanted and headed home. I managed to find the shuttle back to Terminal 3, made my way to the train station, purchased my ticket and boarded the train for the 3ish hour ride back to Viterbo. As the doors closed and the train pulled away from the platform, my phone rang. Somebody had decided they actually needed me and informed me I had to return to the airport. Classic SNAFU. Half an hour later, after getting off the train and enduring a series of phone calls, texts, and assorted BS, I was allowed to continue on my way without needing to return to the airport. That was probably a good thing since I would have likely gotten escorted out by the boys with guns after telling the idiots running the place exactly what I thought of them.

Teatro Rossini

Italy is renowned for opera. One of its greatest composers and arguably its most famous was Gioachino Rossini, composer of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, the Barber of Seville. His home was in the city of Pesaro in Le Marche, and it was to this place that we journeyed on the final day of our trip. While there we visited the legendary Teatro Rossini, home of the Pesaro Opera Festival each August since 1980.

Outside of the theater is the Fountain of the Four Tritons, destroyed by the Germans as they retreated out of Italy as WWII was coming to an end and recreated in the 1960’s.

The theater is a classic horseshoe-shaped building with a classic, slightly tilted stage,

surrounded by four tiers of private boxes.

The private boxes were owned by wealthy patrons while the floor seats were available for general admission. We were there for a private performance from a 22 year old pianist who played a selection of half a dozen classical pieces across 45 minutes.

Following the performance we were allowed into the upper boxes and two of our students were given permission to go onstage and pound out a tune on the concert grand.

The pianist was initially reluctant to take questions, but felt compelled to go out and greet the first student following his performance. From there the ice was broken and the students enthusiastically responded with questions.

Gradara

Each of the 20 regions of Italy is divided into provinces and comune. In the province of Pesaro and Urbino is the comune of Gradara. The town is dominated by a monstrously large medieval castle called, not coincidently, Gradara Castle. The castle has two walls. A small, thriving community of residents and shops exists within the outer wall.

We visited on Valentine’s Day, one of the major celebrations for this town.

A costumed, local guide led us through a museum dedicated to the weapons and instruments of torture from Medieval times and then into the castle. The inner wall of the castle is merely the second line of defense with an additional moat and imposing fortress inside of that.

Due to its commanding site atop a major crossroads, the castle was the site of many clashes between forces loyal to the Pope and the families of the region loyal to the Emperor. For such a large presence, there is actually a relatively small, inner courtyard. This would actually also have made a defense of the site easier were someone to battle their way through everything which came before.

The castle itself is now done up as a museum, furnished as below, as it might have looked at the height of its importance during medieval times.

Legend has it that the castle is the setting for the tragic love story of Paolo and Francesca from Canto 5 of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Canto 5 is the introduction to the second circle of hell, often described as the true beginning of hell, as it is there that people begin to be punished for their sins. In the second circle are those damned for their carnal lust. The two lovers were killed by Francesca’s husband when he caught them in each other’s arms. One room in the castle has been converted by a previous owner to exactly mirror Dante’s description, complete with trap door in the floor and secret doors by which to observe.

What tour of a castle would be complete without a trip to the family’s private chapel?

In our free time that afternoon, Amy and I registered in the “Book of Love” at the local chamber of commerce and feasted on free chocolate Valentine hearts. As you can see, we were couple number 294 to do so.

Churches of Le Marche

On the second day of our trip we visited the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, one of the most important Renaissance museums in the world. It is housed in the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, built primarily in the 15^th century, which is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much of the important art from that period from painters such as Raphael, was centered on religious themes as it was either commissioned by or for the church.

There were no pictures officially allowed in the museum itself, so I have nothing to show of the amazing, inlaid (intarsia) work from the doors and the Dukes Study. Much of the museum was devoted to depictions of Christ and Mary. Across the street from the Ducal palace and Duomo is the Church of San Francesco.

Amy and I ducked in to get warm and found we had the place to ourselves. At the front of the church were two pieces which were very similar to many we had seen inside the museum.

The local style of crucifix is somewhat unusual. Rather than being carved, they are flat, wooden pieces with painted images of Christ. The ends of the crosspiece and top of the main piece of the cross are enlarged. Some of the ones inside the museum had even more ornate, octagonal ends.

This modern ceramic tile from outside of a church in Recanati suggests that this style is regional and persists to the present time.

Also present at the front of the church was a carved figure of Mary with the Baby Jesus. In all of the pictures and carvings of Mary and Child, Mary is always depicted with a flat, expressionless face. In their attempt to capture her as serene, the artists seem to lose sight of her as a person with any kind of personality which can be expressed. It would seem she was merely a vessel to bring forth Christ into the world.

In keeping with the theme of churches, we also visited the Tempio Malatesta in Rimini. The original church on the site was consecrated in approximately 800. The current structure was built in the Gothic style during the 13^th century and dedicated to St. Francis, it was extensively renovated during the 15^th century at the height of the Renaissance by the architect Alberti at the request of the Malatesta Family who were important figures at the time. Even with the stone façade, you can see the hint of brickwork characteristic of the region in the bell tower to the rear and set back above the main entrance.

The marble for the work came from the Roman ruins near Ravenna. One of the aspects of the building which I find most amazing is that most of it actually dates from the mid 1940’s and later. During WWII, the Allies bombed the snot out of Rimini. The church was heavily damaged. Pretty much the only original part remaining is the middle of the front surrounding the door. Much of the rest of it had to be reconstructed.

Brick by Brick

Italy isn’t really all that big. At 116,304 square miles it is slightly larger than Arizona, the 6^th largest state in the US. However, it has been unified as a single country only since 1861, and less time than that if you consider that a fair number of the different regions currently part of Italy weren’t added until the 1900’s. Before that, Italy was fractured into many smaller autonomous regions and even city-states. Individual regions had distinct characteristics and identities. Even today, neighboring cities, separated by just a few miles, often have their own dialect or even their own distinct language. This regional identity is as, if not more, deeply rooted than the differences between states in the US.

Our most recent school trip took us to Le Marche, one of the 20 regions of Italy, located on the eastern coast bordering the Adriatic. Size-wise, this region is significantly smaller than Connecticut and only slightly larger than Delaware, the 48^th and 49^th largest states in the US. The terrain is characterized by green rolling hills capped by the occasional small, fortified city/town. Many here in Italy feel it is the next Tuscany, waiting to be discovered.

The look and feel of each region is shaped by the building materials which naturally occur. In that way, Viterbo and our part of the country are characterized by the gray, dark, volcanic stone found easily nearby. In the south you find lighter colored marbles and limestone while Assisi was all done up in the distinctive pink and white marble found nearby. The architecture of Le Marches is created in yellow-brown brick. From a 13^th century church

and the house of Giacomo Leopardi in Recanati,

to the city walls of Urbino lit up at night,

to the medieval castle at Gradara.

The brick was actually a welcome difference from what we are accustomed to and helped to soften the impact of the brisk air cluttered by the occasional snowflake.

Tacle Time

Last year at this time we were in Sicily. This year we have just returned from a 3 night trip to Le Marche. I will blog about that more over the coming week. But first, it’s citrus season again. You may recall that last year I gave an accounting of all of the different varieties and options of citrus available at our local fruit and veg store. There were easily close to a dozen. This year there was a new one that I missed before. It is called a tacle, which must be a local name for it since that gets no hits for anything related to citrus anywhere I can find online. It is billed as a torocco clementine. Since I can find no information about it online, I am unsure if it is a cross with a torocco orange, which is a legitimate variety of blood orange, or if it is simply torocco-like when you peel it open.

In any case, it has the characteristic torocco red blush to the skin and does indeed have the red speckling of the fruit as can be barely made out in the picture.

 The one I had was nice, sweet and senza semi (seedless). Yummy!

L'acqua

Water has been an important resource throughout history. Humans can’t live without it, as I fear we are in the process of discovering in the American southwest. Romans resolved their water issues through the building of aqueducts, an engineering marvel and benchmark of civilization. Modern Italy prides itself on its water. American tourists are sometimes amazed by the discovery that you can’t get tap water at a restaurant. But, unlike in some parts of the world, that is by choice rather than necessity. In fact, fresh water fountains are a feature of Roman life. Water fountains pepper the street sides and you may assume that any running water fountain in Italy is drinkable unless it is specifically marked otherwise.

Enter the European Union. Many Americans are aware of only the monetary union, as the woes of the economy and the limitations of a single currency shared by many sovereign nations is currently at the front of the news. However, the EU is deeper than this. The treaties and agreements also regulate commerce and trade, protecting regional and national interests by such things as setting quotas on fishing and regulating such things as the importation of garlic, no less. In this way, the EU is responsible for much of the environmental regulation that takes place in Europe, from the controversial carbon tax on airplanes flying to or from Europe to setting water quality standards.

Ironically, it is in this last area where our region of Italy has generated a huge conflict and crisis. The geology of the region around Viterbo is dominated by volcanoes. Testing over the last few decades has revealed a somewhat high concentration of arsenic in the water supply. This is a naturally occurring phenomenon as the arsenic is leaching from the volcanic rock, though in greater concentrations than in other geologically similar regions. Although it is impossible to say what the cumulative effects might be, it should be noted that inhabitants of this region have been drinking this exact same water for 2500+ years. However, for better or worse, the arsenic levels exceed those allowed by EU treaty in all but literally 3 municipal wells in the area. For years the Italian government has been ignoring the issue, but it has now bubbled to the top as the EU is fining Italy SERIOUS euros for failing to provide quality water. Arsenic is tough to get out of the water supply. It isn’t an organic solid that can be filtered or a microorganism that can be chemically quashed. It is going to take a massive investment in infrastructure to bring the water quality into line and the Italian government is resisting big time.

The initial response by the mayor of Viterbo is reminiscent of how he deals with snow, where with flakes in the air and a quarter inch on the ground he calls off school for 2-3 days. He hysterically issued warnings against drinking anything that comes out of the taps, ordered fountains turned off, etc., as if this was a sudden occurrence that people needed to guard against. Things have gone back a little towards normal. For instance, he has acknowledged that you can use the water for brushing teeth and bathing without any potential risk. The water to the fountains has been restored, but with new temporary signs warning that the water is not drinkable. One convenient result is that the mensa where we eat lunch no longer has the soda machine at the back and now passes out bottled water for meals.

How are we responding? As for Amy, she has always drunk bottled water in our house because she likes Aqua di Nepi, the naturally-carbonated mineral water from our region. The wells for Aqua di Nepi, by the way, have been cleared of any arsenic issues. I figure I will eventually die from something and doubt it will be arsenic poisoning, so I just keep on doing exactly what I always did. Drink the water.

The incredible, edible, uovo

Food is an Italian passion, bordering on an obsession. That much is obvious from everything I have written about it. Many Italians will rarely eat out, since who can cook better than Nonna (grandma)? One thing which makes authentic Italian cooking so good is the ingredients. Fresh produce, local meats, etc. The Italians might well have been the original slow food producers. So, it should come as no surprise that they are quite particular about their eggs. Here is the part which is hard to fathom. EVERY egg, except those you get from a friend, is marked with a code so that you can tell all the information you need about it.

The number for the egg in the picture begins with a “0”. This tells you that it is “biologico”. I’m not sure exactly what it would take for an egg not to be biological, but it has a definite definition within the world Italian which is "organic". If it had begun with a “1”, it would have been free range, “2” is on the ground (but penned) and “3” is in a shelter (henhouse). The next two letters are “IT”, signifying that it is from Italy. I guess if you are nearer to a border you might get an egg from outside the country. The next three number, “028”, are the community code from within “BO” (Bologna) the district. Finally, “010” tells you the specific producer. All of that information, coupled with the lot number and consume by date will pretty much tell you exactly what chicken that egg came from should there ever be a problem.

Martyrs

Our second stop on the tour was at the Basilica di Santo Sefano al Monte Celio, commonly San Stefano Rotondo.

It is an ancient church, one of the oldest left standing of the originally purposed Christian churches. It was built in the late 400’s AD and is another of the minor basilicas of Rome. It was built on a circular plan said to be inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

In keeping with the layered theme of the tour, the church was built on the site of another mithreaum from the second century which is being excavated, but which is not open to visitors. The church stood on the site of a former military barracks which housed the soldiers who would have been the followers of Mithras. They have revealed bits of the original Roman era floor for people to see.

By far, the stars of the show in the "modern" church are a group of wall paintings commissioned by Gregory XIII in the 16^th century which are currently being restored. As Amy explained it, at about that time the Catholic Church was being challenged by the teachings of Martin Luther and other reformation preachers. The Catholics launched the counterreformation to convert those unexposed to the church and reconvert those who had broken away. The murals show a veritable who’s who of martyrs, each depicted in all of their gory glory, to rise the blood and send the missionaries off in the proper spirit of righteous zeal. There are 34 scenes painted around the room depicting every cruel thing one human can do to another. Amy challenged each student to find their favorite. I myself couldn’t pick just one, being partial to a person being crushed under a huge stone with eyes popping out of their sockets,

a group of people in a bathtub full of molten lead

and the famous inverted crucifixion of Peter.

If those don’t float your boat, there were various beheadings, stabbings, tongues cut out, hands cut off,

breasts removed, slicing with a hatchet, etc.

If that doesn’t do it for you, then there were also the standard being drawn and quartered and pulled apart on the wheel, If animals do it for you, then you could be fed to the lions, fed to the bears or savaged by dogs.

All in all, a bloody good time.

Our final stop of the day was also our third basilica of the day, the Basilica di Santa Sabina all’Aventino. It is the mother church of the Dominicans and stands atop the Aventine Hill a short distance from the headquarters of the Knights of Malta. It is the oldest Roman era church built on a rectangular plan which remains today. It too, has a layered history, being built on the ruins of temple to Juno. It has original wooden doors showing the earliest examples known to exist of some important Christian iconography.

The interior is very restrained and simple.

Well, at least by some church standards.

One of the interesting features is the windows, made of the mineral selenite rather than glass.

It is still an important church in Rome as evidenced by the fact that Pope Benedict will celebrate mass there on Ash Wednesday.

Mithraeums

Italy has many layers. Sometimes they are metaphorical, such as layers of culture. Other times, they are quite literal. It was thus on Friday when Amy led 1/3 of the school on a tour of Rome she called “Martyrs and Mithraeums”.

First, a bit of (over)simplified history. The later Republican, early Imperial age of Rome saw a huge expansion of the Roman Empire. The Romans were somewhat unique in their colonization. From the earliest times, whenever they conquered a people, they incorporated and assimilated them as best as possible. The idea was that, by offering the people the best of Roman citizenship, they would become loyal and faithful followers of Rome. Of course, Romans also took many slaves, ravaged the landscape, plundered the treasury, … you get the picture.

A corollary was the subsequent flow of ideas and customs back to Rome from the other parts of the world which they controlled. The first few centuries AD found a variety of religious beliefs competing with and being synthesized into the traditional Roman Pantheon. Three of those had wide following: Isis from Egypt, Mithras from Persia and, of course, Jesus from Palestine. Mithras was a particular favorite of the soldiers and there were many, so he had a faithful following. Meetings were held underground or in rooms designed to look as though they were underground in specially created spaces referred to as Mithraeums. Animal bones and cherry pits found during archeological exploration suggest feasting during the Spring time. Eventually, however, the followers of Christ gained ascendency and the other two cults disappeared from Rome.

Which brings us to yesterday’s trip to the Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano. The “modern“ church on the site was built around 1100 during the peak of the Middle Ages. It is considered a minor basilica of the Catholic church. The church is served by the Irish Dominicans who have been its caretakers since 1667 when the English tossed the entire order out of their home country. It is interesting, and instructive, to note that the entrance to the church atrium is considerably below street level.

The current church was thought to have been built on the base of a structure burned out during the sack of the city by the Normans in the late 11^th century. That hypothesis was put to rest when an obsessive compulsive monk named Joseph Mullooly, broke through into the basement and began to systematically excavate it, discovering in the process the remains of the original church which stood on the site. That church dates from 400 AD. The floor plan was very similar to the current floor plan above, even down to the support culumns and walls. The collection of mosaics and wall paintings are some of the best from that period in Rome.

It, in turn, was built on the foundations of a large private home and industrial complex which is believed to have housed a mint at one time and also a mithraeum! The remains of the mithraeum were discovered during the original excavation in the 1860’s, but poor drainage made it impossible to go any further until more recently. Evidently, followers of Christ felt the site was holy, but demonstrated their rise to power by filling in and building on top of the structure dedicated ot Mithras. Today, visitors can travel down into the archeological site and view both lower levels of the church. The lighting has been improved significantly over the decade since my first visit and there is conservation and restoration work ongoing for a number of original frescos. Pictures aren’t allowed in any of the archeological portion of the visit, but I snuck a picture of the mithraeum when no one was watching.

The bowels of San Clemente is one of Amy’s favorite spots in Rome since there is an essentially unique fresco with inscriptions in both Latin and a sort of proto-Italian which are likely some of the earliest remnants of modern Italian.