Much of southern Italy qualify as being in a semi-tropical climate. Thus plants like the bougainvillea seen above from Pompey can grow all year round without fear of frost. It is not an accident then that the ‘beach resorts’ of the rich and famous in ancient Roma were also in the southern part of Italia– in places like Pompey, and Herculaneum (or as it is called today Ercolano). The Italians have a word for ruins–scavi, and thus those who pick... Read more

Here’s a helpful post from Larry Hurtado…. by larryhurtado Reading a book for review recently on another topic altogether, I came across a casually proffered claim that is frequently asserted/assumed but flatly incorrect: That a major reason early Christians initially turned to the codex as their preferred book-form was that the codex could accommodate a larger body of text than a roll. Wrong on all counts. First, let’s be clear about chronology. Sure, by the fourth century CE Christians had... Read more

What a fantastic week it was in Italy, and lots of good memories created. In this final post, I offer a few parting shots, of a positive sort…. Here’s a nice spooky shot from within the villa of mysteries at Pompeii. Or here’s Yuliya at Trevi Fountain holding her autograph card of Pope Francis… And then a family shot of us there taken by a vendor.. And for those who want a wider angle shot of the whole fountain…. Or... Read more

The movie maestros have decided, in their wisdom, that good dramas which might have a chance at awards shall be showed at the end of the summer or in the Fall, preferably near the peak season between Halloween and the end of the year, presumably because those who decide the Oscars and other awards have short attention spans. These movies tend to be based on best-selling books of one sort or another (see e.g. the Book Thief– a terrific novel... Read more

In some ways, Herculaneum is a more impressive site, not in terms of size, but for its location and what is there. This site was discovered when someone was drilling a well in the early 19th century, and came across ruins. This led to the excavation of a huge section of land near the sea. Herculaneum was period in 40 plus feet of molten mud. It has taken a long time to excavate this site— over 150 years, as with... Read more

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I’m thankful for all the wonderful cartoonists who make life so much fun… like these artists. Read more

There is so much more to see and take in at Pompeii than a few blog posts can relate. While the city seems likes a ghost town if you are there without the crush of tourists, it is still very much alive during the tourist season. Even in late Fall, Naples and environs can be warm. It was over 80F when Yuliya and I were there Oct. 23rd. I was wishing I had brought my shorts. And things were still... Read more

It was a beautiful crisp morning, Wednesday, and Yuliya and I were heading to Pompeii and Herculaneum by the fast train, but there was a famous church she wanted to see, which conveniently was right next to the train station— Santa Maria Maggiore is the name of this multi-domed cathedral. Even the flowers were still blooming in late October… Here is a brief summary about the cathedral, which is yet another papal basilica (a church built by popes), taken from... Read more

If you can read Latin, then you will know that the inscription at the top of the Pantheon says that one Marcus Agrippa made it (in the second century A.D.). Today the temple with the hole in the roof is a church, and one of the most visited churches in all of Rome. There are periodic announcements to those milling around in the inside that they should be silent and respect the holiness of the place. Marcus Agrippa would have... Read more