Villa Adriana

The Villa Adriana (at Tivoli, near Rome) is an exceptional complex of classical buildings created in the 2nd century A.D. by the Roman emperor Hadrian. It combines the best elements of the architectural heritage of Egypt, Greece and Rome in the form of an 'ideal city' - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/907

What is this, a Roman Villa for ants?!

I first found out about Villa Adriana from Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour, when the Grand Designs presenter retraced the steps of architects and artists from the 17th to 19th centuries. For Kiwis, the word 'villa' is rather deceptive when it comes to describing this place, as it's actually a complex of about 30 buildings covering over a square kilometre - as opposed to a single, uninsulated Grey Lynn house. In its heyday, Villa Adriana could've been featured in an epic episode of Cribs that would put any rapper to shame.

From the mosaic tiled floors to the detailed, anti-earthquake brickwork, there are some very well preserved examples of classical architecture here, so it was pretty surprising to see how empty this place was (compared to Rome, anyway).

The highlight is definitely the Maritime Theatre, which was really Hadrian's private apartment within his own palace, complete with a moat, though the drawbridge no longer exists. Ah, the perks of being an emperor.

[Flickr set here]

Pompeii

When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August AD 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompei and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area. These have been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public since the mid-18th century. The vast expanse of the commercial town of Pompei contrasts with the smaller but better-preserved remains of the holiday resort of Herculaneum, while the superb wall paintings of the Villa Oplontis at Torre Annunziata give a vivid impression of the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthier citizens of the Early Roman Empire - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829

Vesuvius in the background

Pompeii can be summed up in a couple of words. Iconic. Historic. Tragic. Beautiful. Intriguing. Vast. And very poorly signposted. 

After making the rookie mistakes of: not asking for the free map and booklet in the information booth separate to the ticket booth (why they don’t give it to you with the ticket is a mystery), leaving the Lonely Planet behind in the car, and refusing to pay 100 Euros for a personal guide (arguably not a mistake but probably should have at least forked over the 5 Euros for an audioguide), we were pretty much let loose on Pompeii with no information. Surely a major tourist attraction like Pompeii would have maps and descriptive panels at all the important bits, I thought! How wrong I turned out to be.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing to walk through the streets of the ruined city and imagine what life must have been like 2000 years ago, but it really would have helped if they had tried to make the experience a little bit easier for anyone who doesn’t have a PhD specialising in the subject. Maybe it was our fault for not organising ourselves better, but would it have hurt to have arrows that actually made sense, or more decipherable map signs? There was a smattering of explanatory panels here and there, but not much. Then again, maybe it was better to just wander around soaking up the atmosphere?

Ruts in the ground for wagons

I know what amphoras are because of Asterix

The trick they did with bricks to make it earthquake proof - too bad it wasn't volcano-proof!

A well-preserved (or reinstated?) statue

Ancient Roman loo

Well-preserved frescos

Going into the ampitheatre

One of the things which did catch my eye though was a group of Chinese tourists huddled around something on the ground, furiously clicking away with their mega kitted out DSLRs. Of course, once they’d all dutifully shuffled off after their tour guide, I couldn’t resist going over and checking out the spot myself to see what the fuss was about.

James implored me not to take a photo, but like the other Asians, I couldn’t overcome the genetic instinct to grab a shot. Here it is:

I think these were supposed to point to brothels...

Yes, I can now tick ‘taking a photo of a stone phallus at Pompeii’ off my list of 1001 things to do before I die.

As with pretty much every other trip we’ve ever done, we encountered some friendly stray dogs which followed us around for a while.

Our temporary entourage

Funnily enough, we didn’t end up going to the ruins at Herculaneum even though we were pretty much staying just up the road from those ruins, having been ‘ruined out’ by both Pompeii and Paestum. Overall, while we did enjoy our time at Pompeii, next time I'll make sure we have a good guide (paper or otherwise) handy.

[Flickr set here]

Paestum

The Cilento is an outstanding cultural landscape. The dramatic groups of sanctuaries and settlements along its three east–west mountain ridges vividly portray the area's historical evolution: it was a major route not only for trade, but also for cultural and political interaction during the prehistoric and medieval periods. The Cilento was also the boundary between the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia and the indigenous Etruscan and Lucanian peoples. The remains of two major cities from classical times, Paestum and Velia, are found there - http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/842

Unless you’ve studied Classics, you’ve probably never heard of Paestum, which would be a shame because it turns out to be the location of some of the most well preserved Greek ruins in the world. Yes, even better than the ones in Greece, apparently. I didn’t study Classics but James did, plus it's a UNESCO site, so a visit was a no brainer.

Just over an hour south of Naples, the ruins of Paestum are kind of in the middle of nowhere, but still pretty easy to find and get to. Highlights on the drive included seeing a massive strip mall development à la America, with a mega Carrefour to boot.

Once we arrived, we decided to go through the museum first, which boasted all manner of ancient Grecian artefacts, and explained the history of the area. Even though they took the liberty of providing information panels in English, they had a Google Translate feel to them, rambling on with odd word choices and sentences that just wouldn't end. Case in point:

The private spaces of the house with the sculptural furnishings now become the places where the master shows his opulence and culture. The evocation of the Greek culture is what the master loves to show off, and this is accomplished by placing copies or revisions of Greek sculptures, which are very frequently badly executed, in the private places designed for opulent idleness.

Opulent idleness is probably quite apt when it comes to describing the lives of the richer Ancient Grecians, though.

The temple of Hera and Poseidon

The temples on the archaeological site were definitely the highlight. Compared to the ruins of the Roman Forum we were to seen in Rome later, or even pictures of the Acropolis in Athens, they certainly felt a lot more intact. Plus, you get not just one but three of these to admire!

Other than two noisy school groups passing through briefly, the site was practically deserted, in fact we only came across about four other tourists while we were there. I'm not sure what it's like in high season, but having a vast area of beautiful ancient ruins practically all to yourself is a luxury you're unlikely to enjoy anywhere else in Italy. Highly recommended!

James with the UNESCO sign

[Flickr set here]