Day 13 - I love you MANN

Having survived a rather disappointing visit to Herculaneum, with more closures than I had expected,  I was crossing my fingers as I made my way to the National Archeological Museum in Naples (aka MANN), since I had run into inexplicable closures there in the past. I particularly wanted to see the Farnese collection of sculptures, which we missed last time. 

Entry to the museum (from last visit, with Marianne)

I came into town on the Circumvesiana, the local train system for the Bay of Naples, which pretty closely resembles the Disneyland train, with open windows, rattly cars, and excitable youths hanging from the bars and out the windows. Arriving in Naples' main station, it was nice to see that they had finished the big (enormous) mall project out in front of the station, and they had also given the Metro line a total facelift, which really improved the feeling of not being in the Bronx. Hopped up to the museum without a snag, got my ticket, and was glad to hear that all the galleries were open today.

New subway station in Napoli- a vast improvement!

Started out in the Farnese collection, passing through sections of architectural stonework that impressed me just as much as the meticulous painting I've seen all over this area. How they achieved such a high level of craftsmanship (and at times even why; explain that later) draws me deeper and deeper into the puzzle of the Roman Civilization. 

Section of entablature from the Domus Flaviana on the Palatine. Incredible craftsmanship that goes way beyond "necessary"

The Farnese were a rich and powerful family that reached the papacy with Alessandro (1468-1549) who became Pope Paul III and was partly responsible the Palazzo Farnese in Campo Dei Fiori, and the amazing Palazzo Farnese at Caprarola. They collected Roman statuary from a variety of places, including the Baths of Caracalla, and their garden on the Palatine Hill overlooking the Roman Forum. They acquired other pieces by purchase, marriage, and occasionally by pilfering. Most of the collection was originally displayed in Rome, at the Palazzo Farnese or in the Garden, but it was then moved to Napoli by the last of the Farnese line, who was King Charles III of the Bourbon dynasty, who ruled from there. I'm going to imagine there's still more than a few Romans who are kind of pissed off about that!

Scooby Who? I'm a Leopard, you dummy!

The collection included architectural fragments from the Domus Flavia on the Palatine, some amusing animals from different spots, and then a hall with numerous gigantic statues that came from the Baths of Caracalla, where they must have looked quite fitting in the enormous vaulted hallways that housed the baths, playing fields, libraries and social rooms. The largest is the so-called Farnese Bull, which tells the story of Dirce, tied to a bull for her mistreatment of Antiope. The scale of this piece is stunning, especially considering it was carved from a single block of marble. It's had numerous repairs and restorations over the years since it's unearthing, but it, like the Laöcoon statue at the Vatican, give some idea of the grand gesture sculptures at that time. In other words, it's really big!

The Farnese Bull sculpture, carved from a single block of marble!

After the sculpture hall I went up to the rooms that house the artifacts excavated from the Villa di Papiri in Herculaneum, which is directly below me in my hotel right now. It was the villa the Getty museum used as a model for their building in Pacific Palisades. The sheer bulk of things that came out of there is pretty mind blowing, especially considering that it's really only fractionally excavated, with tunnels dug in the 18th century and refilled (because it's under my hotel!) It always gets me how much is known but undug here- at least one quarter of Pompeii is still under the dirt- they just don't have enough funds to dig it out properly, and the conservation of what has already been uncovered is the highest priority right now, so things just have to wait.

One of about 20 ranks of statues and busts that came from the Villa di Papiri. It must have been stunning!

Had fun running into an Italian family that were staying at the place I'm staying in Herculaneum- they seemed very nice that morning when we talked, and it turned out the only American artist they knew is a guy I recently met after being aware of his work for quite some time- D. Jeffery Mims. Small world indeed. I've met a lot of nice people traveling on my own for a bit while Marianne finishes up at work. The couple in the flat are both chemists- she's Polish, he's Brazilian, both working with the university in Portici, next to Ercolano. They were heading to a conference in Korea, and then Japan. And a British couple here on holiday, who came sort of on a whim, and don't seem to know anything about it other than that it's warm. Spoke with a Mexican guy who was working in Germany and had taken a cheap room in Naples, only to find it was actually about 15 miles away and was spending a lot on taxis. And finally last night as I finished up the day in Naples, I saw a young woman lugging TWO of those enormous hard case suitcases down the stairs to the Circumvesiana, so I offered to help with one. She was from Chile, though she spoke very good English, and her friend was from Holland- they had both just returned from a food convention in Turkey, and were heading down to Sorrento for a weekend before returning home to work. I don't know how she was going to manage the two bags, and they had no reservation in Sorrento, but they seemed very undaunted. Fun to meet adventurous people!

My Brit friends Simon and Liz were good company at the place in Herculaneum

After the museum, I went to the Piazza Dante and walked down the "SpaccaNapoli", an alley that runs in a straight line right through the middle of the old section of Naples, with shops, vendors, pizzerias, scooters, and even the occasional car all weaving and ducking and yelling and waving their way up and down this chaotic but vibrant city. Back at the hotel, they finally had a real room for me, so I moved all my stuff across the street (after saying good bye to the chemists!) and went to bed. 

Pic o' the Day #1327- Thanks for Dancing!

Big thanks to those who joined us last night at the Grand Annex in San Pedro to celebrate the power of music!! Even if you only danced in your seats!

Opus sectile panel with Dionysiac dancers from the House of the Colored Capitals in Pompeii

Day 31-Manly MAN.

(originally posted on facebook July 12, 2013)

Ok- this is it! We're only going to stay one more week. I promise. 

The MAN I'm referring to above is the Museo Archeologico di Napoli, where all the choicest bits of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabia, Boscoreale, Boscotrecase, and several other Roman era sites from the Bay of Naples ended up. Just like us. Seriously though, this is one major collection of antique art, including sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, and bits of architecture. I had to limit myself to the frescoes and mosaics or we would have been there a whole other day! As it was I took 600 photos, including a shot of every piece of fresco that was on display (a few weren't- just to make sure I come back next time. There's also a ton of architectural fragments I'd like to shoot some day.)

Entry to the MAN is in the traditional combination of red stucco and gray tufa stone ornament. You see this combo all over Napoli.

Our last minute train station hotel was actually rather nice (and cheap- 60 Euros- Thanks Rick Steves!) (I'm planning to do a wrap up report with all the travel details so I don't forget, and so others can use the info too.) Used the metro system to go up the hill and went up to the museum for the second time on this trip- the first time the fresco collection was closed and we left in a huff.

Don't know who he is, but I like his attitude!

We first went to the hall of mosaics, culled from many famous houses of the area- the House of the Faun in Pompeii has a whole room to itself. The fineness of these pieces is incredible! The Alexander the Great Battle scene, which was on the floor in the House of the Faun, is about 8 feet tall and maybe 16 feet across, and it's done with tiles that are no larger that 1/4 inch, if that! Some of the other large pieces verge on micro-mosaic technique. The coolest thing about mosaic is how the colors don't change over time, and they can be cleaned very well, so you get an "as new" impression except for where the tesserae are missing. It also informs ones view of how good the painting must have been then.

Mosaic from Pompeii

Tucked behind the mosaic collection is the infamous "Gabinetto Segreto" the (formerly) secret room full of erotic art that until the 1960s was only viewable by special appointment, and only to men- no women or children. The presence of phalli and other erotica is now open to all, and the meaning and mythology is pretty well explained by numerous placards in Italian and English. Good stuff!

"Is that really how you feel?"

Enough with the antipasti, it's time for the main course. Had a minor moment of panic when we went through the hall of objects to where I had gone in to the frescoes last time, only to find a barricade and people doing some kind of photo work behind it. Before I completely melted on the floor, a nice museum docent explained that the bulk of the frescos were open- just go in a different door! Whew!

Even the hallways in between the galleries are pretty spectacular!

I'm not sure whether it was better to have visited the sites first and finished up with dessert or to have had this in mind as we looked at all the more weathered bits; in any case it was a treat to see all these well preserved and well documented fragments in one place. Again the fineness of the work is astonishing- there are faces that look as if they were painted with a five-ought brush, and the range of treatments from highly ornamental to accomplished figurative and landscape painting, tragic to comic, shows a complete mastery of technique and rhetoric. 

Look at how finely painted this is- it only measures about 5 inches across!

I literally took at least one photo of every piece in the frescoes section- sometimes 5 or 6! Not only is it technically very interesting, it's also work that has been highly influential throughout the history of art until this century, when most artists seem to have deliberately forgotten it. You know what they say about forgetting history, don't you?

I love the frieze supported by figures motif. I hope to use it at the Villa Tramonto if it gets back on track.

After fine tooth combing that section we perused more leisurely through the hall with household objects. This is the other aspect of Pompeii and Vesuvius' other victims. There are so many pristine 2,000 year old objects here- it really shows the level of sophistication the Romans had gotten to. All kinds of kitchen utensils and tools, drawing instruments, ceramics and glassware of incredible variety, bathroom things, they even have a couple of specula for giving gynecological exams- they look remarkably like their modern counterparts. 

Bowls of powdered pigments found at Pompeii and Herculaneum, in some cases right next to the frescos that were being worked on.

Finished up there with a spin through the wing devoted to nothing but things gleaned from the Villa dei Papiri- the mansion on the edge of Herculaneum that was copied more or less for the Getty Villa in Los Angeles. Besides the trove of papyrus scrolls that it is named for (and which they think may soon be decipherable through modern technological means without unrolling) there is a huge assortment of sculptures both marble and bronze. 

There are several rooms that have nothing but items from the Villa di Papiri in Herculaneum. It must have been a veritable museum itself.

We've now made it back to Rome and have found a wonderful replacement for the Casa Stinky; a very nice apartment in Trastevere with a real kitchen, a washing machine, and a good internet connection. We're all set for one more week of adventures!