Well done!

Monday

Heavy Rain Shower
Max: 28°C 82°F
Wind: SW 9mph 14kph
Hum: 69%
Press: 1013mB
Vis: Good
Sunrise: 06:06

Monday Night


It hasn't started yet, but it feels like it's building up. When I woke up today, the horrible blue sky and relentless wicked sun had been hidden by the big friendly fluffy grey clouds and the wind was up.

Took a stroll about the Centro Antico this weekend, to look at architecture and the random bits of art that seem to just be lying around everywhere in Rome.

This is the courtyard of one of the old family palazzos, across the way from Sanctissima Trinita.




A medieval palace where an ancient family,


whose wealth was in the wool trade, lived and died and finally went extinct.

It is a block of flats now, of course, because we have for some time been living in the ruins of the old world, hardly recognising what surrounds us.
There is an altar dedicated to this family in our church.



It's art, apparently. Titled, "Angels of the ghetto". The Jewish ghetto of Rome is close to the church. Apparently this is supposed to represent... actually, I can't really guess. But it looks like some kind of over-evolved insect life to me.


In a cage. From which I fervently hope it does not escape. I can just imagine this horrible thing, coming to life at night with jerky Harry-Harrisonesque movements, as the moonlight strikes it, and stretching its wings and buzzing around the city, flying into open windows and ...


We met the man whose balcony this is. He is from New York and complained loudly and with much profanity of the loudness and profanity of the Romans who surround his flat.

Recycling

Something that often strikes visitors to Rome is the use of ancient columns in the medieval architecture. There was no reason, I suppose, in the early centuries not to regard the great Imperial buildings as quarries of ready-made building materials.


Many of the older sections of town have these built into the walls and door frames,


though this house in particular was built in the 19th century by an Arts and Crafts Movement enthusiast for medieval and ancient beautiful things. A refugee from industrial England, apparently, who longed for a better time.


The door frame is recovered from an ancient Imperial villa. It's a piece of the ceiling, pieced together with other bits of marble,


and little bits of ancient stuff embedded into the walls.