Words are not enough! You need hand gestures as well as torso, shoulders, neck, head and face (eyes, mouth, eyebrows, jaw) gestures as well!

As seen in Rome, but could be anywhere on the peninsula. I just love watching it!

Maybe you are lucky enough to have been to Rome. Maybe you have seen the Pantheon, either from its impressive facade or you have been in its marvelous interior. In the olden days, when I first started coming to Italy in 1979, entry was free. Any time the doors were open, you could enter. It was fantastic to have that ability

Now, post-Covid, in the days of mass tourism that continues to set records every year, entry will cost you and usually you must get in a very long line and wait your turn. To say that serendipity with visiting the Pantheon has been lost would be the understatement of the 21st century, so far anyway.

At any rate, on a day in Rome when I had all the time and energy I needed to do whatever I wanted, I did something I’ve NEVER done before. I encircled the Pantheon, taking it in in all its breadth and width and stopping to look at the foundations, so deep in the soil it is amazing to think how these ancient cities keep rising up physically.

I captured the views in videos and hope you enjoy having a look around this incredible monument with me.

This is a new one to me. I’ve walked along the Tiber many times but I have never seen a tour boat before. I saw this in late August, 2026

I’m usually up for any kind of adventure, but I’m not sure about this one. I suppose it would offer some interesting views of the city that you can only see from the river. Maybe I’ll do it; I’m not in a rush, though. The water is brackish and doesn’t seem to flow.

In my travels I’m constantly noticing people intent on taking selfies, no matter the context, sacred or profane.

And in this fabulous church I saw not a selfie being taken, although I would argue it really is, but a mate taking one’s picture.

The girl in the smaller polka dots posed and posed. She’s certainly in love with herself.

What are your thoughts about this practice?

This delightful Roman fresco of boats and fish now housed at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme dates to circa 125-150 AD and was discovered along the Via Portuense near the ancient San Paolo River Port in Rome. The fragment shows marine life swimming alongside a small boat (which is repeated) or gala vessel being rowed through the water, while one figure rides astride a dolphin.

But, the story of its discovery is also very interesting and I’ll discuss that below. It involves Mussolini.

The fresco is celebrated for its fluid artistic execution and vibrant, naturalistic depiction of maritime life. It offers a rare, casual glimpse into the decorative preferences of Rome’s bustling merchant and riverside districts during the Pax Romana.

We can see the artist’s fluid brushwork, in which he utilized quick, confident brushstrokes characteristic of later Roman wall-painting styles. This approach prioritized motion and atmosphere over rigid realism, capturing the shimmering quality of water and life beneath it.

The artwork borrows heavily from xenia (paintings of hospitality gifts like food) and traditional marine iconography. However, instead of framing the animals statically, it integrates them into a lively, continuous underwater narrative.

The composition relies heavily on empty space to simulate the openness of the Tiber or possibly the open sea, layering multiple fish and a rowboat across a light backdrop. The focal point is a gala boat or festive vessel, it was typically used for river transport, celebrations, or religious pageantry along the Tiber. Unlike practical Roman merchant ships used for heavy cargo or rowed warships designed for battle, gala vessels were built exclusively for public display, luxury transport, and celebrations along waterways like the Tiber River or deep volcanic lakes. 

The surrounding waters are densely populated with anatomically identifiable Mediterranean sea life. Varieties of fish, including sea bass, sea bream, and mollusks, swim alongside the boat, showing the Romans’ deep familiarity with marine ecosystems. While the fish depicted are saltwater varieties, pairing them with a river-style transport boat highlights a popular artistic trope. Roman painters often created stylized, blended aquatic landscapes meant to evoke general abundance rather than exact biological geography.

Discovered at the San Paolo River Port along the Via Portuense, the painting did not originate from an imperial villa. Instead, it likely adorned a corporate office, a public building, or the private residence of a wealthy shipping magnate (navicularius) who managed the flow of goods into Rome.

Like many paintings preserved at Palazzo Massimo, this fragment was part of a larger trompe-l’œil wall design. It was meant to visually dissolve structural walls, opening up cramped, sun-baked brick interiors into refreshing, water-themed vistas.

But, there is even more to be fascinated by than the fresco itself. By that I mean that this fresco was discovered under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, specifically during the 1939-40 excavation at the Pietra Papa archaeological site, which was part of a major public works project to widen and clean the floodplains (golene) of the Tiber River.  Mussolini was obsessed with ancient Rome, frequently using Roman history, symbols, and architecture to legitimize his fascist state. He funded massive excavation projects across Rome to unearth imperial relics and tie his regime to the glory of the Roman Empire.

The widening of the Tiber riverbanks where the villa was discovered served a dual purpose. It was a functional infrastructure project to control river flooding and, at the same time, an opportunity for state-backed archaeologists to search for ancient monuments. When workers stumbled upon the Roman villa and its nearby public bathhouses, the state’s archaeological authority (Soprintendenza) stepped in. They meticulously detached the fragile plaster frescoes to protect them from the river works, transferring them directly into the state museum system. 

There are so many delights housed within the collections of this incredible museum complex and I’m going to be highlighting some of them in the next few posts. One after another, they are all delightful and expand our understanding of the varied artistic world of ancient Rome as well as the subsequent history of this fascinating country!

I have a few favorite places in Rome. This is one of them. I was lucky enough to visit it this summer and felt the same pleasure as always when there.

Located on the banks of the Tiber River, it is currently situated approximately where it would have been when built by Augustus. It is also next to the as yet unexcavated Mausoleum of Augustus. The museum housing the altar was designed by Richard Meier and while some critics don’t like the building, I do. I like the size, the design, the use of glass, the whiteness of the whole including the altar itself.

The Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace) is an altar in Rome dedicated to the Pax Romana. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate on July 4, 13 BC to honor the return of Augustus to Rome after three years in Hispania and Gaul and consecrated on January 30, 9 BC.

When built, it was in the northern outskirts of Rome, a Roman mile from the boundary of the pomerium on the west side of the Via Flaminia, the Ara Pacis stood in the northeastern corner of the Campus Martius, the former flood plain of the Tiber River and gradually became buried under 4 metres (13 ft) of silt deposits.

It was reassembled in its current location, now the Museum of the Ara Pacis, in 1938, turned 90° counterclockwise from its original orientation so that the original western side now faces south.

Above and below, you can see the next door monument, which is the not completely excavated mausoleum of Augustus, which I do hope will be revealed to the public within my lifetime. I remember seeing it when it was buried under earth.

Peace.

I found this video very interesting: https://smarthistory.org/ara-pacis/?tl=ara-pacis&sidebar=europe-1000-b-c-e-1-c-e

A classic spot in Rome remains virtually unchanged from when I first visited it in 1980s. May it always be so!

Just steps away from the Pantheon, the Tazza d’Oro is THE best place for coffee in Rome. Starbucks, eat your heart ❤️ out!

With a great little view of the Pantheon, I settled in with my iced caffe latte and cream filled brioche. Ti amo, Roma!🫶

Alla prossima!

On a recent visit to Rome I was delighted to see this pink confection hanging from a lion’s head doorknocker. I’ve love these pink or baby blue creations that announce the arrival of a new life in the home behind them.

This one is elaborate and seems built to last for a lifetime as a memory of the momentous occasion. It says, “Welcome Noemi” with the word welcome ending in an a for the feminine.

Welcome to the world, little Noemi! May your life be healthy and filled with beauty!

Paestum was begun by some ancient Greeks in southern Italy, about 55 miles southeast of present-day Naples. Originally founded as the Greek colony of Poseidonia around 600 BCE, it is famous today for housing three of the best-preserved ancient Greek Doric temples in the world. My first post on the site was devoted to the Temple of Athena, situated by itself on one far end of the site, see here: https://getbacklauretta.com/2026/09/01/the-temple-of-athena-paestum-italy-🇮🇹/.

In my research I found this succinct video that will explain the basics of what you want to know about this ancient city, not far from Naples. Just open the link.

https://www.britannica.com/video/video-tour-ruins-colony-Greek-Italy-Paestum/-207974

Above and below, you see the Second Temple of Hera, c. 450 BCE, the earliest of the 3 well-preserved temples on the site.

There are other remarkable structures still standing as well as the 3 famous temples. The city walls and amphitheater are largely intact, and the bottom of the walls of many other structures remain, as well as paved roads, that are reminiscent of what you see in Pompeii.

The site is open to the public and a short walk from the train station. There is a modern national museum within it, which also contains the finds from the associated Greek site of Foce del Sele, a place which I did not, unfortunately, get to visit.

Below, the earliest or first Temple of Hera, 550 BCE

Amazingly, it is possible to enter and walk through this ancient structure.

The first Temple of Hera, c. 550 BCE

Walking through the Second Temple of Hera allows a close up of some details.

In the photo above, you can see how closely situated the 2 temples dedicated to Hera are.

All three of the large temples at Paestum were constructed in the Archaic version of the Greek Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BCE. All are typical of the period, with massive colonnades having a very pronounced entasis (widening as they go down), and very wide capitals resembling upturned mushrooms. Above the columns, only the second Temple of Hera retains most of its entablature, the other two having only the architrave in place.

There are two Temples of Hera, right next to each other, while the Temple of Athena (see my earlier post https://getbacklauretta.com/2026/09/01/the-temple-of-athena-paestum-italy-🇮🇹/ ) is on the other side of the town center. There were many other temples, both Greek and Roman, which are far less well preserved.

Paestum is far from any sources of good marble. Unsurprisingly, the three main temples had few stone reliefs, perhaps using painting instead. Painted terracotta was used for some detailed parts of the structure. The large pieces of terracotta that have survived are in the related museum.

The whole ancient city of Paestum covered an area of approximately 120 hectares. Only the 25 hectares that contain the three main temples and the other main buildings have been excavated. The other 95 hectares remain on private land and have not been studied.

The ancient city was surrounded by defensive walls, which are largely intact. The walls are approximately 4.75 km (3 mi) long in its polygonal perimeter, typically 7 m (23 ft) high, and 5–7 m (16–23 ft) thick. Corresponding with the cardinal points, there were four main openings in the wall: Porta Sirena (east to the hills); Porta Giustizia (south, now to the modern village Paestum); Porta Marina (west to the sea); and Porta Aurea (north), which was later destroyed. Positioned along the wall were 24 square or round towers. There may have been as many as 28, but some of them (and Porta Aurea) were destroyed during the construction of a highway during the 18th century that effectively cut the ancient site in two.

If you are lucky enough to visit Paestum, I’d recommend a visit in late spring, early fall or winter, and suggest you need at least half a day to truly see the site. I would highly advise also visiting the related museum.