Amantea

The hotel where we are staying, 'La Principessa' is rIght by the sea. The beach here is characterised by sharp volcanic rock and grey sand.

Yesterday I joined the conference for an excursion to the town of Pizzo south of Amantea. We visited the Piedigrotta church which was built inside a sandstone cave in the 17th century. The church houses statues and more detailed biblical scenes carved in the 19th and 20th centuries by Angelo and Alfonso Baron.

In Pizzo we also visited the Aragonese Castle which was built in 1488. Naploeon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, the deposed ruler of Naples, was held prisoner here and eventually killed in 1838. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to create a tableau in every cell of the castle illustrating the unfortunate fate of the imprisoned French soldiers.

Our tour guide informed us that, typically, the height and width of an archway above the entrance to a residence indicated the importance of the family living there. I suppose the size of a moustache might have had a similar significance.

The entrance to the Chiesa del Purgatorio in Pizzo

After the exertions of the afternoon we were each treated to an enormous tartufo. Era squisito! A dark chocolate centre encased in hazelnut icecream and rolled in cacao.

This morning, while Alan delivered his paper, I took the mini-bus into Amantea. I climbed the steep hillside to the centro storico...

...and then wandered back down to the town market...

...and remembered that today is All Hallow's Eve.

By the way, Alan was pleased that his presentation went well and there were a number of questions afterwards. 

Roma ad Amantea

Yesterday I travelled by train from Rome to meet Alan in Amantea where he is attending a conference. It was a comfortable and uneventful trip, that is until the train stopped at Amantea. I was standing at the door of the carriage with a number of other passengers ready to disembark, but we couldn't open the door, no matter how many times we pressed the green button! I thought the driver would realise the problem and release the lock, but no. Pretty soon we were on our way to the next town, speeding through the night, and I felt sick with worry. My phone had no reception so I couldn't inform Alan. The hotel where he is staying is ten minutes out of town so he had arranged for one of their courtesy mini-buses to pick me up. I knew he would also be worried when I did not turn up. He had no way of knowing what had happened or where I was.

Well I managed to get off at the next station and caught a train back to Amantea. Fortunately it wasn't too late, close to 7 in the evening. I was relieved to be able to open the door this time once we arrived at Amantea. So I went to the carpark hoping that the bus had waited for me even though I was an hour late. Of course it wasn't there and, foolishly, I did not remember and had not recorded the name of the hotel where Alan was staying. I felt absolutely helpless and prepared myself for a night at the station. Maybe Alan would check back at the station in the morning(?) Just then a little mini-bus drove into the carpark and out jumped Alan. Such relief! 

Anyway, basta con le chiacchiere! 

Only a few photos this post. They were taken in and around Roma Termini, Rome's transport hub. 

Actually, one thing I have learnt in Rome: if someone approaches me and asks kindly, 'Do you need help signora? - to buy a ticket, to find the right platform, the right carriage' I say 'No!' because this is kindness that comes with a price. Naive tourists are a great boon for the enterprising businessperson with no official position but the same need as anyone else to earn a living. It's not that I'm so concerned about paying the small amount of money that's expected, it's just the pretence of kindness and the feeling of being tricked that's unsettling. It's a bit of a game really, but I would rather be a canny tourist than a naive one.

I had a couple of hours to kill before I caught the train to Armantea, so I visited the Basilica di Maria degli Angeli close to the station. Built into the marble floor of the basilica was a beautiful sundial designed by the mathematician/ scientist/ philosopher Francesco Bianchini. It was completed in 1702.

One last thing: what I find fascinating about Rome is the broad spectrum of its inhabitants. There are visitors from all over the world enamoured by its history, there are recent immigrants doing their best to make a living, there are the wealthy and stylishly dressed, and those who rummage through cheap clothing in the trash and treasure markets. There are beggars at the door of every church, and others who don't seem to interact at all with the rest of society, who live alongside the mainstream in makeshift huts or abandoned buildings and make do with whatever they can find amongst the refuse. This might sound a bit romantic, but my impression of Rome, in the few days I have known it, is of a city with wide arms and a deep heart.

Roma 3

This morning I joined Gyoetsu (left) and John Franco for Zazen. Also with us were Kokoro the shaggy black puppy and a cat whose name I don't know. The cat sat in my lap for the first fifteen minutes - just like my cat at home! John Franco is a professor of religious studies (I think that's what Gyoetsu said). He teaches in Rome but lives outside the city, so he stays in Anshin's Zendo on the nights before he teaches. Did I mention what a warm and welcoming person Gyoetsu is? Thanks to her I feel comfortable here - despite feeling lost much of the time, both geographically and linguistically (not to mention existentially amongst the crowds and traffic).

Today I looked for MACRO's second site but found it was closed, for good I think. There was, however, a magnificent bamboo structure still remaining in the outdoor courtyard. It was devised and constructed (with help from professional climbers) by American artists Mike and Doug Starn. Students from the local music college were using it as a place to sit and chat, and there were notes from past visitors tied to its branches.

I also visited the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli to see Michelangelo's Moses. This was also closed for a 3 hour lunch, so I decided not to hang around. More wandering, more photos...

Roma 2

I 

Last Saturday we visited Ostia Antica, the ancient port of Rome. It was founded in the 4th century BC and abandoned in the 5th century AD.

These archways form the entrance to the amphitheatre.

This mosaic floor was one of many in the public baths/gymnasium.

On Sunday morning I pushed open the shutters of our third storey apartment and discovered a large trash and treasure market on the street below.

On Monday, after Alan left for his conference in Calabria,  I visited the MAXXI gallery (Rome also does contemporary art and architecture). There was an exhibition of sound installations specifically developed for the building (though difficult to photograph).

I also visited the MACRO gallery which had a wonderful exhibition of contemporary photography. I liked this series of dog shadows, though did not record the photographer's name.

in an outdoor courtyard there was an enormous woven structure, like a wild hammock, suspended from the ceiling - an artwork and playground in one! The artist's name is Toshiko Horiuko Macadam (I think I got that right).

The other wonderful thing about MACRO were the toilets. Mood lighting reminiscent of the womb.

Yesterday I thought I should step back in time again so I visiited the Villa Farnesina, mainly to see the frescoes by Raphael and his workshop. I admit that I found the people viewing the frescoes far more interesting than the frescoes themselves, at least to the eye of the camera.

I also wandered the streets looking for various tourist sites which I never found. I do have a map but the writing is too small to read so I try to follow the pattern of the streets, not very successfully. Still, just walking around and getting lost is interesting in itself. Rome is a wonderful place for observing life in the street.

I didn't get home til after dark, finally getting on the right bus.

Roma 1

Ciao da Roma! Here are some photos from my first few days here:

This is one of the caretakers at Centro Zen Anshin inside the Zendo. We are staying in a nearby apartment which is run by Gyoetsu and Doryu who also look after the Zen Centre. After morning Zazen yesterday, Gyoetsu took us to a cafe across the road for an Italian breakfast: a capuccino and an enormous cream bun. She also introduced us to a nearby grocery and helped us to purchase cheese, salad vegetables and fruit for our lunch.

The following photos were taken in and around the Colosseum.

Now a couple of photos showing archaeological discoveries at the Pantheon. The first shows clay votive figures  from the temple of Magna Mater, dated from the 3rd to the 2nd centuries BC.

The next photo shows an example of marble inlay decoration dated from 54 - 64 AD

A long wait for the toilets at the Pantheon museum.

In Vatican City I particularly wanted to visit the Pieta in St Peter's Basilica but I was overwhelmed by the crowds and 'official tour operators' keen to provide you with a 'no-wait' entry into the Vatican museums at an unstated price. I left quickly for the relative stability of the surrounding streets. The para-tourism industry is very big here.

And other street (and train) scenes around Rome

This last photo shows something of the relationship between vehicular and pedestrian traffic in Rome. Both drivers and pedestrians have to be super-alert. Ambulance sirens are just part of the general soundscape here.