Wednesday was our travel day. At 8:30 we got on board a coach. Even though the sign on the front of the bus indicated it was a Italian coach company, there were still clear indications that they purchased the coach from the States. It said Emory University on the door, there was a little Emory flag inside, and a Georgia license plate was displayed near the driver. After we made sure everyone had there little picnic lunch, we set off for L'Aquila. This is a city northeast of Rome, more than halfway across the middle of the boot. It is a more mountainous region with great views.

We first visited a medieval Spanish castle which houses among other things a museum. We were interested mainly in its collection of funerary art. We spent some time analyzing a funerary relief depicting a first century Roman funeral procession. There are musicians leading the way, professional mourners, family members, and slaves in attendance. What's peculiar about their custom is that the deceased in portrayed -- "dead center" as our leader unintentionally put it -- reclining but with his head propped up on his elbow. In other words, he's made to look like he's watching the festivities. We understand that the "pre-Roman" Etruscans had such a custom and most likely the Romans carried on that practice.

There were other interesting funerary reliefs, monuments, and tablets. Some had animal figures, some had work or home implements, and others had mythological images. When we finished looking through that room, some of us went upstairs and looked through the sacred art section. This was 15-16th century carvings of the Madonna, of Jesus, and of various saints. I must confess the style seemed a bit garish to me. I love Byzantine Christian art and renaissance art, but this medieval work didn't appeal to me.

After eating our picnic lunch just outside the moat (no water) of the castle, we began the return trip with a stop along the way. We went to what is considered the probably locatoin of the Sabine farm the Roman poet Horace wrote about. Remember lines like "Seize the Day." The coach couldn't make it up the narrow drive that leads to the site of the remains of this country villa. It was quite a nice little hike. Another opportunity for me to get some exercise. It was worth the walk. There's not much there now other than the foundations of the walls for the various buildings and rooms which would have made up the villa. There were some places with more remains. It seemed like it was the area for bathing and other such necessities. It's always interesting to see ancient latrines. In what appears to have been a small room, there were two small, stone benches with holes cut into them. They form a toilet bench over an open drain, where presumably water would be constantly flowing and washing everything away. I don't know if everyone would all go at once or if each person had their own spot. Romans liked to bathe and use both heat in one room and cold in another. Right now I would settle just for the cold.

We went on up the hill even further and came upon the fountain which it's believed to have been Horace's inspiration. The stream of water comes down from the top of this dug out area, pools up, and pours over,falling into a small pool, before running over into a small ditch that leads on down the hill. The water was very cool and delicious. I wish I had brought my empty bottle with me. I had to kneel down and cup some water in my hand to drink.

O Bandusian spring, clearer than glass,
worthy of sweet wine and flowers too,
tomorrow you'll receive the gift of a kid goat,
whose head, swollen with horns

newly grown, gives promise of love and battles;
in vain: for [this] offspring of a playful
flock will stain your ice-cold
waters with [his] crimson blood.

The harsh season of the blazing Dog Star
is powerless to affect you, you grant
welcome coolness to oxen weary of the
plow and to the wandering herd.

You too will become [one] of the famous
springs, when I sing of the oak tree perched
upon your hollow rocks, whence your
babbling waters leap forth.

We returned to Roma by 5pm. Dinner's at 8pm. I'm finally going to need to read in the library this evening. All of our readings have been available electronically until now. I hope the library will be cool this evening. I don't want to get drops of sweat on the books. I'll also need to stick to water at dinner this evening if I'm going to stay awake to read.