Jon took this lovely picture in the courtyard of the National Etruscan Museum, in the Villa Giulia part of the Villa Borghese Gardens. Gone were the miserable shuffling hordes at the Vatican Museum, (which Jon described as the tenth circle of hell though Dante only knew 9!)
This museum was peaceful, nearly empty, and full of wonderful art by the Etruscans, an early Italian civilization about which much is not known, even now. They even had an alphabet that's never been decoded.
The image below is the style of art they're best known for.
Beautiful sensitivity to horse and riders' poses.
I called my mother the morning I got back and the S.S. Dementia had docked. "I'm in London," she said. "Where are you?" She was upset I hadn't gone to London to meet up with her and sounded very agitated.
This morning she didn't sound agitated, but she answered by saying, "Have you heard the terrible news?" "No, what?" thinking uh oh.
"The beads are missing, and everyone's in an uproar. Without the beads the race can't be run.
People have looked for them everywhere. They've even called in the FBI."
"It's like some cheap mystery novel" she added.
She had to get off the phone because she was off to New York, but she'd call me when she got there, around noon. I'll be at the races then, hmm, maybe I'm a suspect. I do have some goofy beads I sometimes wear to the racetrack . But don't tell anyone! Don't tell the FBI!
7 comments:
That's a gorgeous photo in the courtyard, and the Etruscan art you posted is incredibly wonderful. Hey . . .You could decode their alphabet, I bet!
"It's like some cheap mystery novel" (just too good.)
Vatican Museum = 10th circle of hell is good too.
What a beautiful scene! The Villa Borghese 'compound' is - to me - (and apparently, after your circling hell adventures, to you, too) so much more wonderful than the Vatican City. (And miracle of miracles, you don't have to suffer a billion rooms of that religious art!)
The Etruscan stuff is so ... refined. Did it seem to you that the arts and crafts were ... highly esteemed? It's truly fascinating, poking around early civilizations and trying to figure, from our v. modern perspectives, how they got to valuing what they valued.
Your mother's in the middle of a delicious story - very BBC to me.
Sally, thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us. What a beautiful courtyard!
I can't wait to hear more about your trip.
Your mom's phone call reminds me of my own mom before her condition deteriorated to its present state.
When my dad had a stroke, I stayed with her while he was in the hospital. He called on the phone at 3 am, out of his mind with a story that he was at Beale Air Force Base at a prayer breakfast with our local TV weather man. He wanted me to come join them. My mother picked up the extension phone and announced that she had just had surgery. I felt like I was in the twilight zone.
Ahhh what heavenly wisteria! It must have smelled divine! And I love that vase!
Nothing like a good riddle (Who were these people?) to make wonderful ancient art so interesting.
When I looked at the face of one stature I kept thinking "If she (or he?) could talk, what stories she'd tell!"
Very interesting how your Mom was sharp enough to compare her fantasy adventure with a "Cheap mystery novel." Her world may be off base, but she seems quite "all there" in the center of it.
Your mom's story is very BBC, and I hope it's exciting for her to feel a part of that.
Linda, you would love Etruscan art.
Booda Baby, the Etruscan art is so refined, but playful, and I understand if you get the right ticket you can see erotic stuff too but I didn't write down which museum it was and never saw the opportunity.
Pile Girl, the human brain is so inventive, and I know you've been through the highs and lows of it.
In Italy, via all the art observed, I came to see that humans:
need to create
need to acquire
crave superiority
want eternal life
nothing new there but just observing.
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