Well, I know I'm kinda late on this one. About a week ago I went to the Musei Capitoline. It is definitely the best museum I have been to... ever. In Rome, not everything is labeled in the museums(musei Vaticani) and they are often shabby. But whomever is running this one has it all figured out. I was the first one to arrive in the morning and it was slightly before the museum opened so I was chillin outside in Michelangelo's Campidoglio on the top of the Capitoline Hill... and I mean CHILLIN'. It was freezing out with the wind blowing on the top of the hill, it almost blew me over. Anyways I get inside and the first thing I see is the courtyard with the fragments of the colossal statue of Constantine!!! Now the thing about my departments (Art History and Greek and Roman Studies) is that we study so much but they dont tell you where it is located; I have been trying to find these pieces since I arrived in Rome. So it was exciting to stumble across them at an unexpected time. So I wandered around the museum seeing many wonderful things- this is known as the greatest collection of classical statuary. Even though I hadn't seen each specific statue, I was able to understand the imagery and in a couple cases the inspiration from an original.
There were a lot of statues of Pan and tonnes that were copies of the Athena Parthenos by Pheideis from the Parthenon- minus the gold though.
The buildings themselves are partially new and partially built of old aristocratic properties. In the basement there was a huge collection of well labeled epigraphic samples from the republic and empire. But more importantly... I could almost imagine men and women traipsing up and down the hallways conducting business and speaking their opinions of the emperor or senate. I imagined secret meetings and scandalous affairs. Then again, maybe I have just seen all the episodes of 'Rome' one too many times. Nonetheless, it was very cool and the lighting they installed helped the imagination.
Later I found my way upstairs into a few rooms FULL of busts of emperors, aristocrats, poets, rhetoricians and writers. Augustus, Livia, Homer and Socrates to name a few.
I ended up in a corner room called the "Room of the Gaul". I was ecstatic to walk in and find the "Dying Gaul" on which I have written a paper. I began taking a video as I walked around it- it needs to be experienced in the round- until the man yelled at me. Im not allowed videos but Im allowed flash photos??? I had never heard of this but anyways now I have about 250 degrees of the statue. After leaving the room I realize that the original is not here in Rome but must be in Berlin at the Pergamene Museum along with the altar of Zeus. Damn. Well, it looked real enough so Im still happy.
This may be the most confusing museum. Multiple levels going in multiple directions. Luckily it isnt that big so I think I did see everything. I wandered out onto a huge terrace that overlooked the majority of the Roman forum. It was a beautiful sunny day so I hung out there for a bit before descending back into the basement in order to go back up to the second floor. On this floor I found some hideous paintings that apparently were donated by some popes- no wonder they didn't want them. I also found a head of Medusa and the famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius which had its own amphitheatre for gods sakes. I checked out the Capitoline Wolf as well. There was also a gorgeous garden but it was closed.

A couple days later I wandered to the Circus Maximus and then to the Domus Aurea. The Domus Aurea was "closed for bad weather" though it was another gorgeous and sunny day... I wandered around the park that now sits on top of Nero's Golden House. There is a dog park there where I enjoyed watching all the dogs playing with eachother. It seems strange to think these dogs only understand Italian. Just a passing thought...
So I lounged in the sun soaking up the view of the Colisseum from the top of the hill.

Sunday was my birthday. Apparently in Italy you have cake for breakfast lunch and dinner on birthdays. It seemed like a great way to start the day!! Gioia made chocolate cake for breakfast... mmmmm. The kids came into my room with Gioia bearing gifts in the morning. I felt to touched that they bought me gifts. I got a scarf from Gioia and Stefano, and from Lucri, Ale and Fede I got a bag. Both are from Roxy because I suppose I told them it's a popular brand in Canada. How thoughtful. We spent a few hours at a market that occurs on the last Sunday of every month- mainly antiques and designer knockoffs. Its neat to walk around because there are no tourists, just locals.
We left there and went to the Milvian Bridge because Lucri wanted to show me the locks. Apparently people write the names of them and their significant other on a padlock, lock it to the bridge and then throw the keys in the Tiber river. There are now thousands of locks. I, however was much more interested in the historical value of the bridge, knowing it was the Battle of the Milvian Bridge when Constantine saw a sign from the Christian god which allowed him to win the battle. Shortly after in 313 he declared Christianity the official religion of the empire. The kids didnt seem to care.
The rest of my birthday was rather low-key. The guy at my favorite cafe gave me a hug and a free cappuccino!! I got myself a bottle of wine and came home. Thats that. Although being here for my birthday did make me miss home more. Only 2 weeks and 4 days until Mom and I meet in Paris!!!

This weekend I am heading to Florence and from there I am going to Cinque Terre, San Giminiano, Siena, and Volterra. So thats exciting. Im dreadfully sick I'm afraid so I must getter better before the weekend. And yes, I am drinking lots of fluids and yes I am getting lots of rest.
Ciao miei amici!! xox
love kate