So I have to be honest. Too much happened this week for me to even begin to hit upon. But I am going to try and condense my favorite parts! For our first walking tour of the week we visited several early Christian churches and began to understand the evolution of form from Roman Basilica's to the christian basilica form we know of today. It was incredible to climb into the bowls of San Clemente where the ruins of an earlier church was uncovered. The well preserved frescoes on the wall tell stories (both overt and esoteric) of the history of Europe at the time. Beneath that was the remnants of a Roman street and house. One house was allegedly a christian site of worship, and the other, a site of worship for the cult of Mithras. My favorite site of the tour however, was the church of Santo Stefano Rotondo, built for the proto-martyr Saint Stephen. It's fascinating because it takes the basilica form, and rotates it on an axis, it was very beautiful, and very unique.
One of my passions is how historic buildings have been adapted for our use today, and these churches had some very nice examples of modern interventions. Under San Clemente I marveled at the well designed lighting system installed to light the path of pilgrims and tourists. The fixtures resembled modern LED studded wall torches, and the stainless steel stair rails were embedded with LEDs in order to subtly light the uneven steps. In Santo Stefano, light fixtures were designed using industrial materials that in subtle complement the central space in my opinion. (Photo: Main space of Santo Stefano, notice the lighting!)
Temple of Nettuno (Neptune or Poseidon)
This week we also visited Paestum to experience some of the best preserved Greek temples in the world. The Temple of Nettuno was quite impressive beyond my ability to describe, so maybe I'll just let a picture do the talking. Only when you visit this place do you understand why these things are still standing.
To wrap up our week we headed to Atrani on the Amalfi Coast. It was beyond breathtaking and I found it to be an excellent rest from the traffic and stress of Rome. I hiked the steep stair cases for stunning views of Atrani and Amalfi, and spent a lot of time soaking up the rays of the sun on the beach. I also found the people of Atrani to be the most friendly and relaxed people I've ever met, and I never once felt I wasn't welcome in their town. I think the dense fabric of Atrani and Amalfi is a perfect example of how we should plan for the future of our small towns. The population of the town is listed at 931 people, and yet it covers .08 square miles. It is a perfect size with plenty of well used social spaces for community interaction without any need for vehicles at all! I loved every moment of my stay in Atrani, and I can't wait to return.
To wrap up our week we headed to Atrani on the Amalfi Coast. It was beyond breathtaking and I found it to be an excellent rest from the traffic and stress of Rome. I hiked the steep stair cases for stunning views of Atrani and Amalfi, and spent a lot of time soaking up the rays of the sun on the beach. I also found the people of Atrani to be the most friendly and relaxed people I've ever met, and I never once felt I wasn't welcome in their town. I think the dense fabric of Atrani and Amalfi is a perfect example of how we should plan for the future of our small towns. The population of the town is listed at 931 people, and yet it covers .08 square miles. It is a perfect size with plenty of well used social spaces for community interaction without any need for vehicles at all! I loved every moment of my stay in Atrani, and I can't wait to return.
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