Capitoline Museum

Today I had organized a tour of the Capitoline Musuem with Nancy. While Josh and I had seen much of the collection when Dale and Don were here, the kids hadn't been yet, and neither had Larry for that matter. So, I thought it would be nice for all of us.

Avery was on the move from the start. As we were getting a historical overview standing outside in front of the Museum buildings, Avery was running around the courtyard, thirsty, looking for a fountain. Once inside, he ran around the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori -- the one with Constantine's head, foot and hand in it. Then, he found refuge on the grand internal staircase. As we were admiring the reliefs, he ran up and down the stairs 14 times (as he proudly told me). I told him to be sure to save some energy for later, as we were just getting started and there were many cool things to see. Well, no surprise that advice fell on deaf ears. Half an hour later he is saying, "my whole body hurts" and "I'm tired." All the while, I'm dispensing rice cakes and then Oreo cookies. Even that did not help keep Avery at bay. Nancy was very patient. She spent a long while talking with the girls about the Equestrian Marcus Aurelius bronze statue. We learned the importance of hand gestures in statues (and in paintings) and how bronzes were made. We saw the Bernini statue of Medusa's head and Nancy told the girls how she was finally slayed (with a shield that acted like a mirror). We saw several ancient tomb-stones and learned that the holes were for giving food and beverage to the deceased. We looked over the Roman Forum from an outdoor terrace below the museum. I am hopeful that the girls got something out of our visit. Larry enjoyed the tour, and Nancy. As for Josh and I, alternately dealing with Avery, it was disappointing and hard to concentrate on the discussion.

When Nancy had to leave us to get to another appointment, we finished up by checking out the Palazzo Nuovo. Most outstanding was the colossal statue of Maforio, the river god, that was erected as a fountain in the 2nd century AD . I had hoped to return to the Museum in the evening, with just Josh and Larry, in order to view the paintings on the second floor, but discovered that the tickets are valid for only four hours from when you enter. Another disappointment for me -- my second time at the Capitoline and my second time there without time to see the paintings.

It was noticeably more crowded as we were leaving. It was time for lunch, but we had to make it quick because Charlotte had to get to swim practice. So, we headed for home and put together some salads and some left-overs. Charlotte was off to swim, and Avery went immediately for his nap.

This evening, Josh, Larry and I went out to dinner to celebrate my impending birthday (and Larry's of last month). Josh chose a restaurant called Arco Antico up on the Gianicolo which was our first "haute" experience in Rome. The food was delicious and refined, and the wine was sublime -- another Rosso di Montalcino, our favorite. Seems you can't go wrong with that wine. I had beef cheeks that had been slow cooked in beer and they melted in my mouth 'like butter." A runny chocolate souflee for dessert, yum.