Past vs. Present: Ara Pacis Museum and the Mausoleum of Augustus

Past vs. Present: The Ara Pacis and Mausoleum of Augustsus

Rome has a history spanning well over 2,000 years. Kings, emperors, popes, prime ministers, and dictators alike have all laid claim to the  Eternal City and the Campo Marzio, the “Field of Mars” in English, is the epitome of this varied timeline. Campo Marzio comprises the northern-most part of central Rome and includes monuments such as the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps. Campo Marzio is the oldest continuously inhabited part of Rome. As such, Campo Marzio has a very representative cross-section of the city’s history within its borders: obelisks that were built by Egyptian pharaohs and brought to Rome by conquering emperors, Baroque, Gothic, and Renaissance churches, ancient Roman ruins, towering fascist building developments, and even a museum built by American architect Richard Meier.

The area that’s the focus of this post is the area surrounding the Mausoleum of Augustus, which is near the southernmost border of Campo Marzio. The Mausoleum itself was built in 28 B.C. by Emporer Augustus as a reaction to Marc Antony’s recent decision to be buried in Egypt when he died. The people of Rome took this as an insult and, to prove himself a more loyal Roman than Antony, Augustus had his mausoleum built when he became Emperor to show his intentions. In truth, it functioned as a propaganda tool much like the buildings that surround it in modernity functioned during the reign of Benito Mussolini. The buildings and piazza that surround the Mausoleum were designed by Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo in the 1930s along with a museum that housed another ancient Roman propaganda tool, the Ara Pacis Augustae.

The Ara Pacis was commissioned by the Roman Senate in 9 B.C. to commemorate the beginning of the Pax Romana, which was a period of peace brought about by the preemptive wars of Emperor Augusts. The monument itself was lost when the Roman Empire collapsed and maintenance on Roman monuments was abandoned. Over successive years of flooding, the Ara Pacis was slowly covered in silt and left to ruin. Pieces of the Ara Pacis began to be discovered as early as the 16th century, but the monument was not restored in its entirety until Mussolini mounted a dig to recover the majority of the fragments. Utilizing a technique that involved using liquid nitrogen in hollow steel pipes to freeze the soil and thus allow digging underneath a building that would have otherwise been unstable, Mussolini was able to resurrect the monument in time for the 2000th birthday of Augustus in 1937. After its reconstruction, Mussolini had Mopurgo design a museum to house the Ara Pacis. This museum was constructed in just under four months using the cheapest materials and quickest methods possible in order for it to open in time and, as such, after only a few decades, was in a terrible state of disrepair. The then-mayor of Rome hired Richard Meier to design a new cover building and museum for the Ara Pacis, which opened in 2006 to much controversy.

The site itself is an interesting one that spans over two millennia of history. The current museum is a redesign of a seventy-year-old piece of fascist propaganda that contains a piece of Imperial Roman propaganda that was used by the fascists to pretend to the power of Imperial Rome. The museum itself is surrounded by buildings that are bedecked in fascist propaganda, saying things along the lines of “It is always springtime for the strong people of Italy.” and all of these face the Mausoleum of Augustus, which is a propagandistic appeasement ploy even older than the Ara Pacis itself. It’s amazing to see how although the historical figures that shaped this area may have spoken different languages, worn different clothes, and were called by various different titles and styles, their purposes and goals were the same: to be in power. Areas like this are frequent throughout the city of Rome and serve as a reminder of what people will do to realize their will and how they often use the built environment to help them do so. Future blog posts will detail more of these sites and show the ways in which modernity and antiquity collide and intermingle in the Eternal City.

Flavors of Florence (or Tastes of Tuscany)

Headline: Florence

Ahh, Tuscany!  The region everyone instantly thinks of when they hear the phrase “Italian cuisine.”  If you’re like me, you only think of it because everyone says the food there is delicious, not because you know what Tuscan food actually entails.  Well, last week we took a jaunt to Florence for four days, so we were able to check it out and see what the hype is.

Most of the food in Tuscany has its roots in peasant food from the middle ages along with some French influence from when a Medici married into French royalty.  That being said, most of the food is simple in terms of ingredients, but each dish is carefully prepared according to recipes that have been perfected over centuries.  One of the main things you’ll notice about Florentine cooking is its earthiness.  The main flavors of Tuscan dishes revolve around foods from the ground: mushrooms, herbs, root vegetables, and truffles; the main meats used here are wild animals, specifically boar, hare, and duck.  Accompanying these strong earthy flavors is the typical Tuscan bread, which has absolutely no flavor.  I made the mistake of having a piece of plain bread, expecting it to have the essences of oils and herbs, or at least salt, as in Rome.  Instead, I had something that tasted vaguely and faintly of flour… barely.  After a couple bites of nothingness, I drizzled the next piece with the olive oil on the table.  Then I understood why the bread was so incredibly plain: to showcase the flavor of what goes with it, namely the oil that was so incredibly full-flavored.  In fact, Tuscany is famous for its extra virgin olive oil, supposedly the best in Italy (and thus, the world).  Along with their olive oil, the region is also known for its cured meats (such as salami and prosciutto) and cheeses made from sheep’s milk.  Cannellini is a common side dish, obviously displaying Tuscan food’s origin from peasant fare.  These white beans typical of the region are either served fresh or from a bottle where they have been soaked with oil and spices.

And, of course, the world famous gastronomic attraction of Florence: Bistecca alla Fiorentina.  It is essentially a giant porterhouse but only from the Chianina breed of cattle that are raised only in the Val Chiana (a small valley in central Italy).  These steaks are 2-3 inches thick and served rare.  They are carefully prepared over a span of at least 5 days, which culminates with a quick grilling over a wood burning fire.  A warning for all of you who like your steaks well-done: these are meant to be eaten rare and will only be served that way. Although I didn’t have one while I was there, I hear from very reliable sources that they were extraordinary!  And here is the address of where they got their steaks from (and where I intend go when I return to Florence and don’t have to pay for it myself!):

Via Santo Spirito, 16

50125 Firenze, Italia

Be sure to order from the specific Florentine menu rather than the general Italian one.

Recommendations:

-Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine steak)

-Gnocchi gratinata ai formaggi morbidi al profumo tartufo (gnocchi with truffle oil)

-Budino di panna con salsa alla pesca (cream pudding with peach sauce)

Buon Appetito!

Source: Italy: Dish by Dish by Monica Sartoni Cesari

Even if we are busy we still have fun!

Ciao! Hope everyone enjoyed Nathan’s post about the monks chanting in Florence. It was a blast! However this coming weekend brings several projects for school as we dive deep into our Ara Pacis museum designs, but there’s always time for a little music and entertainment. Just this evening Nathan serenaded Lena and me on the acoustic guitar at studio as we worked away. But if you are looking for something a little more formal check out some of the highlights of this week’s music and entertainment!

Baustelle: “Fantasma” is an indie band from Siena ready to rock it with songs from their third album titled, La Malavita. Showing at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Santa Cecilia this Wednesday, February 20, 9 pm. Tickets range from €32-22 and save your seats by calling tel 892 982 or checking out this website www.listicket.it

If you like the church performances try the Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minevera
Piazza di Santa Maria Sopra Minvera (near the Pantheon) where they are having a Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro d’Opera di Roma, commemorating the feast of Beato Angelica, patron saint of artists. This will be playing Monday, February 18, 7:45 pm and it’s FREE!

If you like movies ZERO DARK THIRTY will be showing at the Barberini, Piazza Barberini. The 5 Oscar nominated film from the acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal, who collaborated for Hurt Locker, recreates the intensely secretive hunt for Osama Bin Laden in relation to the September 11^th attacks. It has been critically acclaimed as one of the best American fiction films in a decade.

If you want to take it classier and enjoy some art, try the Tiffany and Galle’ and Masters of Art Nouveau which showcases blown glass, ceramics, textiles and jewelry from the golden époque of Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau was an international style extending from art and architecture to philosophy and fashion. Located at the Museo Capitoline in the Palazzo Cafarelli the show goes from February 20 through April 28 Tuesday – Sunday, 9 am- 8 pm. It’s bound to be a gorgeous exhibition.

Moda Roma: Fashion Interview with Student Erik Medina

Student Interview: Erik Medina

Interviewer: Leah Schroeder

What changes have you made to the way you dress since you’ve been in Rome?

Erik:Everyone here wears scarfs and I usually don’t back home but I’ve bought two already. I’ve been trying to adapt to the culture.

What are your impressions of “Bella Figura” here in Rome?

Erik:I’ve seen a lot of people wearing puffy down coats which are ridiculous, but I’ve also noticed the men dress well and usually look very put together with their scarves and coats.

How do you find the shopping here?

Erik:The shopping culture here is different. You don’t have to go to a mall to shop, it’s really an enjoyable experience to walk along the streets and look at the stores.

Where do you like to shop here in Rome?

Erik:Mostly I have shopped around the Campo de Fiori area. I found some shoes and a blazer in a shop on Via Dei Giubbonari.

What is your favorite item in your wardrobe?

Erik: I like this charcoal blazer I brought with me, the material and the texture are nice.

How would you describe your style?

Erik:I prefer to be comfortable but also stylish. I like an affordable style that is modest and not excessive but still comes across as elegant.

Where does your fashion inspiration come from?

Erik:I like David Beckham’s style. He always looks gentlemanly and elegant but also comfortable.

Italian life and culture: bistecca

For the past three and a half days I (meaning we, meaning us so-called “Sooners in Rome”) have been in Florence, experiencing la dolce vita in a leisurely way befitting the smaller size of the city. Just kidding, the sweet life was lost in a haze of sketching. Upon arrival in Florence at 9 AM, the hostel disallowed checking in until 2 PM, so of course there was nothing to do but sketch. The meetup times over the next two days had us sketching, and on Sunday before we left – why, what else but sketch? So much collective ink and graphite was used over the trip that, were it to be force-fed to a student via gavage, it would produce the most succulent of sketch-themed foie gras. A delicacy, to be sure! Maybe even its own dish: fegato grasso alla fiorentina.

Speaking of ____ alla fiorentina, the bistecca adventure. The setting: Osteria Santo Spirito, on recommendation of Dr. Pilat. The meal: bistecca alla fiorentina, a steak rumored to rival those of legendary (if perhaps ignobly) Amarillo attraction The Big Texan Steak Ranch. A fellow student and I (name withheld to protect the guilty) felt that when in Florence, do as the ridiculous tourists who want huge steaks, right?

We arrive. We sit. We scan the menu: €35,00 for this behemoth. We are brought bread: it is good. There is an olive tapenade: it makes the already-good bread better. Fun fact: although tapenade is a French word, the oldest tapenade recipe is found in de Re Rustica, Lucius Columella’s twelve-volume opus published in the first century CE, some thousand or so years before the appearance of anything resembling a discrete French. We banter. We are excited. French is a time of saying one syllable and whizzing through nine letters, so we read the menu aloud and enjoy Italian phonetics. Steak is ordered, and we are informed that it is a kilogram. Bring it on, we say. Challenge accepted. Never trust an American bearing hunger, particularly if their meat intake has been drastically reduced since arriving in Italy. Steak is coming. Steak arrives. It was 1.2 kilos, the waitress apologizes. Pfft, we say. Kid stuff, we say. Only 42.3 ounces – not even 60% of the 72 ounce Big Texan T-bone, ripped from a frozen wooly mammoth they keep in the back. Cut, tear, salt, put on plate. Chew, swallow. Easy. Cut, rotate, put on plate. Place in mouth, chew, swallow. For us, consuming all the steak is an all-consuming goal. We finish, and we are not sated. Our dormant stomachs, growing used to Italian portions, have been awakened by this challenge and they yearn for more sacrifice. Gnocchi is considered, agreed upon, and handily dispatched. Il conto, per favore, we ask smugly. We know this. We are highly able to enter and leave a restaurant without any rude awakening, gosh why does the check say €42,00 for the steak this is not correct at all and we demand an explanation.

The restaurant prices bistecca alla fiorentina based on weight. If only it said that on the menu. If only this was made clear by our waitress. Lesson learned for next time, we grumbled, and paid up. After all, it was still worth it – even at that price.