LPPM MMV "There Had Been Times"

[Dave Monroe]

"Theree had been times--during the past year, in the
Avenue Kleber or the Viale delle Terme di
Caraclalla--where there had been a brief case where
the fifth was now, clutched under the same tweed-clad
arm against rain or a deadline or some bureaucratic
necessity." (MMV, p. 1)


Avenue Kleber

Paris: The 16th Arrondissement:

South of the Arc de Triomphe, avenue Kleber leads to
the monumental buildings and terraced gardens of the
Trocadero, an area transformed for the 1937 Exposition
Universelle. The vast symmetrical curved wings of the
Palais de Chaillot dominate the hill, with spectacular
view over the river to the Eiffel Tower. It houses
maritime and anthropological museums, the Cinematheque
and the Theatre National de Chaillot. West of here,
most of the 16th arrondissement is pearls-and-poodle
country, dotted with important curios, avant-garde
architecture and classy shops.

http://www.theeuropeconnection.com/27/page27.html


Viale delle Terme di Caraclalla

These baths were built in the 3rd century A.D. by the
Emperor Caracalla, and they operated for about two
hundred years, before the barbarian invasions and the
subsequent interruption in the water supply. The area
was abandoned for a certain time, and then in 1400 the
first excavations began, uncovering works that can be
found in Palazzo Farnese and the Vatican Museums. As
well as the ruins of the baths, there are the remains
of a temple dedicated to the god Mithra, conserving
the benches used for the mystic meals taken by the
followers, the floor in white mosaic with black
strips, and the hollow where the blood pouring down
from the sacrifices collected. In August, the baths
provide the backdrop for opera performances. 

http://americanairlines.wcities.com/en/record/150,9446/10/

Baths of Caracalla

Emperor Caracalla built this enormous complex of Baths
in 212-217 AD to curry favor with the Romans.
"Bathing" was a way of life. Everybody, even the
slaves, had the right to partake of the Baths, with
room for 1,600 bathers at the same time.

Hot baths, tepid baths and an unheated swimming pool
with a masseur standing by to rub your skin with
essential oils. Also 2 "palestrae", or gyms, where
ball games and wrestling took place; light snacks and
drink vendors; two libraries, Greek and Latin, where
one could study books written on scrolls (books as we
know them were invented in the Renaissance), the
"paper" being papyrus parchment or goat skin
(pergamon).

You could stroll in the gardens or sit under a tree
and review the world (or discuss who gave the best
party last night). All the arts were on parade:
theater, sculpture, painting, music, and particularly
mosaic (of which some examples are to be seen here
today).

Hours, under most Emperors, were compartmentalized:
men in the mornings, women in the afternoons, and
slaves between 4 and 6 pm. The place itself was so
beautiful, one felt rejuvenated and refreshed with all
that self-indulgence.

When Mussolini started the performances of Grand Opera
in these glorious ruins in the 1930s on warm summer
nights, the Baths lived again. He would be driven by
underground passage to a point right below his box,
and would appear magically in his seat at the start of
the show.

For under these baths, as in many Roman ruins, there
is a vast infrastructure of "cryptoportici", or
subterranean passages. In those caves enormous
quantities of wood were stocked for the fires which
burned day and night to heat the water coming in
continually through the aqueducts.

Sadly, in the last few years these musical evenings
stopped. No longer can you see the famous super
productions of "Aida", with elephants and dromedaries
enlivening the stage. When the sopranos hit high C,
archeologists shuddered as they felt the walls, like
glass, were being shattered by the sound waves.

But music is returning to the baths in the summer, so
watch the newspapers for announcements....

https://web.tiscali.it/romaonlineguide/
Pages/eng/rantica/sAWy2.htm 

And see as well, e.g., ...

http://www.oldandsold.com/articles13/travel-191.shtml

http://www.annasromguide.dk/steder/vialedelletermedicaracalla.html

A little help on that last one, please ....


		
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