#parco museum

[japansapporowalk]

🇯🇵札幌パルコ Apex Legends™ Museum＋POP UP STORE／札幌 北海道 日本[4K HDR Binaural ASMR]

[lospeakerscorner]

La Grande Pompei si fa “piccola”

In programma esperienze a misura di bambini, riapertura del Museo Libero D’Orsi ampliato e ancora tanto altro: da grande Pompei “diventa“ piccola La Grande Pompei si fa “piccola” per soddisfare le esigenze di un pubblico sempre più ampio, che include anche tantissimi bambini e ragazzi.  Il Parco ha registrato nel 2023 il numero più alto di presenze nella storia, oltre 4 milioni di visitatori.  È…

[yeltumpar]

This is most cool, I've visited the original pieces in Rome and they are mind blowing, sad I can't see this in person

"The Colossus of Constantine was an early 4th-century monumental statue depicting emperor Constantine the Great. It is believed a pagan statue was repurposed to celebrate Constantine's reign and the recognition of Christianity as a legal religion within the empire. The statue was later broken and pillaged for bronze, before its re-discovery in the 15th century following an excavation at the Basilica of Maxentius. Michelangelo placed and arranged the remaining marble fragments of the Colossus on display inside the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori (today part of the Musei Capitolini in Rome), including an additional right hand.

At the end of March 2022, Pedro Miró, Otto Lowe and Imran Khan travelled to the Musei Capitolini to record the ten fragments in high-resolution using photogrammetry and LiDAR. Some of the fragments were placed up against the walls of the courtyard, making their recording challenging. However, all data was implemented with great accuracy during the 3D modelling phase.

Another recording carried out by Osama Dawod acquired the data of an additional fragment from the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo. A gypsum copy of a statue of Emperor Claudius as Jupiter, inside the Ara Pacis Museum, was also recorded to be used as a reference for the general posing of the sculpture."

Source with more images, cool graphics and info about the exhibition and recreation https://www.factumfoundation.org/pag/1890/re-creating-the-colossus-of-constantine

[zoekeating]

Dear Listeners,

It’s winter break here in Vermont so my son and I have been out on the slopes every day. For many years I have stayed away from fast slidey sports because I was afraid of injuring my hands. If my hands don’t work, how do I make music? But among the many bits of advice I’ve gotten in my parenting journey, “be into what your kid is into” has been one of the best. My lad needed someone to ride the lifts with and I needed to overcome my fear and learn how to fall properly, so here I am.

I found that skiing is not all that different from rollerblading, which I learned to do in Central Park the summer of my junior year. I brought the skates with me on my year abroad in Florence. On weekends there was this amazing city to explore but buses and museums and cafes cost money. And whenever I roamed the quiet streets and parks alone, I would be perpetually harassed, groped and even flashed by pathetic men. But rollerblading was free and, bonus, I am already quite tall, so with skates I was at least 6ft2in. No one ever messed with me on skates. I adapted to the cobblestones and explored all of Florence with exhilarating freedom.

One Sunday, as I was enjoying the expanses of asphalt in Parco delle Cascine, I came upon a group of folks on old-school rollerskates. They had a boombox and were dancing, just like the skaters of Central Park but without the sequined hot pants. They waved me over and exclaimed over my weird skates. They invited me to join them and for the rest of the school year, I spent every Sunday afternoon I could with the rollerskaters. We would gather, dancing and skating around obstacles, and once we had critical mass, tear off along the Arno and into the old city. We’d skate past the David, circle the Piazza della Signoria multiple times and whizz down the marble collanade along the Piazza Republica, ending in a bar, still on skates, for an espresso or aperativo. Those are some of my best memories of my year in Florence.

I continued the skating when I moved to San Francisco, zooming most days through Golden Gate Park to the beach and back again. Sometimes I’d join a similar group of mad skaters on Friday nights to roll fearlessly down hills and through tunnels. Skating was always a great source of joy. But then I moved away from the paved environment of the city and I transitioned to music full time. After acquiring a broken finger from an Evil Door and being shocked at how much that tiny injury impacted my ability to play, I quit skating.

Fast forward to Vermont. Like many people did during the pandemic, I got back on skates except this time with padding, wrist guards and a helmet. And then, as my boy learned to snowboard, I learned to ski. We still ride the lifts together but now he zips down black diamond trails while I ski carefully down the easy ones. He is mystified as to how I can bear to do the same runs over and over but I like it that way. It’s like a meditation. I focus on perfecting my technique and try to make each turn better than the last. It feels similar to one of the things I enjoy about playing the cello, which is noticing tiny details and gradually polishing them. How can I improve this one phrase that I have played thousands of times? It never gets old or boring for me.

I hope it never gets boring for you either! Next week I’ll get back to work improving my old songs and figuring out to play some of my new ones in time for my concerts in March.

March 15 - ArtYard in Frenchtown,NJ

March 16 - Underground Arts in Philadelphia, PA opening up for my old friend The Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

March 17 - Le Poisson Rouge in NYC

March 21 - St John’s Cathedral at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN

And one more

April 6 - Unitarian Univeralist Church in Burlington VT, accompanied by mesmerizing visuals by Alex Reeves

also, outside my solo work on April 7 I’ll be a part of composer Randal Pierce’s ensemble, performing his live soundtrack to George Méliès’ silent cinematic masterpiece, A Trip to the Moon

6:30 and 8:30pm shows

More about all the events happening in Burlington around the eclipse

Thank you for listening and please wear a helmet when you are going fast.

celloly yours, Z

[thefortressofscience]

I sent this to you other blog but me and my BF are going to Japan this November! any advice you can offer to a fellow queer Latine for their first visit? (and also me I guess)

There's not much I can say that I didn't already in my first response, but I'll repost it here if anyone else wants travel tips in Japan!

Depends on where you’re headed! Usually for first timers, the typical route is Tokyo -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Nara. You can go from Tokyo to those cities by train pretty easily! The latter three are really close together so you can basically make a lot of day trips that way.

For your first time in Tokyo I recommend mostly sticking to big ticket sights like the Tokyo Sky Tree, Akihabara, Asakusa, etc. But if you want to explore other spots, off the top of my head I can recommend:

Mikado Game Center in Takadanobaba. This is an extremely OG arcade and it is said if you’re serious about fighting games, you have to compete here at least once.

Yanaka Ginza is a neighborhood that maintains old skool Tokyo charm and worth taking a stroll around to get a feel for that early Showa-era atmosphere.

Les Grands Arbres Cafe is a very aesthetic cafe that has a big tree growing through it. It’s very cool and worth going just to take a selfie.

Nakano Broadway predates Akihabara as the nerd paradise. It’s a lot smaller and entirely indoors but it is extremely dense with anime, manga, and retro gaming goodness.

BEEP Akihabara is a basement level store full of retro computing stuff if you’re into that stuff. I really liked that store.

The top floor of the PARCO department store in Shibuya has a Nintendo Center in it but there’s also a ton of other stuff like Capcom and Shonen Jump booths.

The JAXA space center museum in Tsukaba is pretty accessible by train. It’s about an hour out from Tokyo but worth the trip.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building near the Keio Plaza hotel in Shinjuku has a free observation deck on the top floor if you don’t feel like shelling out for the Tokyo Sky Tree

Other spots I heard good things about but haven’t gone to are the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum and Yokohama China Town. You can get to Yokohama pretty easily by train.

For Osaka, you have to go to Dotonbori. It’s kind of like the centerpiece of that city. I also enjoyed Den Den Town which is like Osaka’s answer to Akihabara. In Kyoto, you should hit up all the various shrines and temples. For more information I think most online travel guides will have you covered.

I hope you have fun on your trip!

[sayitalianolearns]

Multilingual vocabulary about places in town!

ENG - ITA - FRA - ESP - KOR

office - (l')ufficio - (le) bureau - (el) despacho - 사무실 shop - (il) negozio - (la) boutique - (el) negocio - 상점 shopping center - (il) centro commerciale - (le) centre commercial - (el) centro comercial - 쇼핑 센터 house - (la) casa - (la) maison - (la) casa - 집 building - (il) palazzo/(l')edificio - (le) bâtiment - (el) edificio - 빌딩 / 건물 bar - (il) bar - (le) comptoir/(le) café - (el) bar - 술집 coffee shop - (la) caffetteria - (le) café - (la) cafetería - 커피숍 restaurant - il ristorante - (le) restaurant/(le) ristô - (el) restaurante - 식당 pharmacy - (la) farmacia - (la) pharmacie - (la) farmacia - 약국

bank - (la) banca - (la) banque - (el) banco - 은행 post office - (l')ufficio postale/(la) posta - (le) bureau de poste/(la) poste - (la) oficina de correos - 우체국 park - (il) parco - (le) parc - (el) parque - 공원 church - (la) chiesa - (l')église - (la) iglesia - 교회 hospital - (l')ospedale - (l')hôpital - (el) hospital/(el) sanatorio - 병원 school - (la) scuola - (l')école - (la) escuela - 학교 university - (l')università - (l')université - (la) universidad - 대학 museum - (il) museo - (le) musée - (el) museo - 박물관

art gallery - (la) galleria d'arte - (la) galerie d'art - (la) galería de arte - 미술관 zoo - (lo) zoo - (le) zoo - (el) zoológico - 동물원 theater - (il) teatro - (le) théâtre - (el) teatro - 극장 supermarket - (il) supermercato - (le) supermarché - (el) supermercado - 슈퍼마켓 butcher shop - (la) macelleria - (la) boucherie - (la) carnicería - 정육점 bakery - (la) panetteria - (la) boulangerie - (la) panadería - 빵집 pastry shop - (la) pasticceria - (la) pâtisserie - (la) pastelería - 제과점 library - (la) biblioteca - (la) bibliothèque - (la) biblioteca - 도서관 bookstore - (la libreria) - (la) librairie - (la) librería - 서점

[junkyardzeny]

yo, my BF and I are going to Japan in November and we were wondering if you had any tips/recommendations as a fellow Queer Latine Furry

Depends on where you're headed! Usually for first timers, the typical route is Tokyo -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Nara. You can go from Tokyo to those cities by train pretty easily! The latter three are really close together so you can basically make a lot of day trips that way.

For your first time in Tokyo I recommend mostly sticking to big ticket sights like the Tokyo Sky Tree, Akihabara, Asakusa, etc. But if you want to explore other spots, off the top of my head I can recommend:

Mikado Game Center in Takadanobaba. This is an extremely OG arcade and it is said if you're serious about fighting games, you have to compete here at least once.

Yanaka Ginza is a neighborhood that maintains old skool Tokyo charm and worth taking a stroll around to get a feel for that early Showa-era atmosphere.

Les Grands Arbres Cafe is a very aesthetic cafe that has a big tree growing through it. It's very cool and worth going just to take a selfie.

Nakano Broadway predates Akihabara as the nerd paradise. It's a lot smaller and entirely indoors but it is extremely dense with anime, manga, and retro gaming goodness.

BEEP Akihabara is a basement level store full of retro computing stuff if you're into that stuff. I really liked that store.

The top floor of the PARCO department store in Shibuya has a Nintendo Center in it but there's also a ton of other stuff like Capcom and Shonen Jump booths.

The JAXA space center museum in Tsukaba is pretty accessible by train. It's about an hour out from Tokyo but worth the trip.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building near the Keio Plaza hotel in Shinjuku has a free observation deck on the top floor if you don't feel like shelling out for the Tokyo Sky Tree

Other spots I heard good things about but haven't gone to are the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum and Yokohama China Town. You can get to Yokohama pretty easily by train.

For Osaka, you have to go to Dotonbori. It's kind of like the centerpiece of that city. I also enjoyed Den Den Town which is like Osaka's answer to Akihabara. In Kyoto, you should hit up all the various shrines and temples. For more information I think most online travel guides will have you covered.

I hope you have fun on your trip!

[erinmartin35]

📍Rome, Italy

Landed in Rome yesterday afternoon and have had fun exploring the city. Yesterday we visited the Colosseum and viewed the Roman Forum from above. Today we went to the National Museum of Rome - Baths of Diocletian, explored Trastevere, went to Auditorium Parco della Musica and the MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Art.

It has been a great experience so far in Italy and I am looking forward to exploring more of Rome tomorrow and then Florence and Milan later in the trip! 🇮🇹

As for food I have had excellent pizza, pasta, gelato, red wine and even shots of limoncello.

[michael-svetbird]

: • VENUS Unfastening Her Sandal Before Bathing: Marble Statuette | Small-format Sculpture Late 1st c. BC From Oplontis, Villa A [Villa Poppaea] http://pompeiisites.org/en/oplontis . Exhibited [2022] in Palestra Grande, Regio II, Pompeii Archaeological Park | PAP @pompeii_parco_archeologico http://pompeiisites.org . PAP | Phs©msp | 10|22 6200X4100 600 [I.,II.] The photographed object is the property of PAP and subject to the Museum copyright. [no commercial use | sorry for the watermarks] . 📸 Part of the "Mythology-inspired Small Format Sculpture & Miniature Artefacts" MSP Online Photo-gallery: . 👉 D-ART: https://www.deviantart.com/svetbird1234/gallery/69450077/small-format-sculpture-and-miniature-artifacts . 👉 FB | Album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.859777984390780&type=3 . . #pompeii #pompei #pompeiscavi #archaeologicalpark #parcoarcheologico #palestragrande #oplontis #torreannunziata #villapoppaea #villadipoppea #archaeologicalmuseum #archaeology #archeologia #ancientart #ancientpompeii #arthistory #museology #mythology #ancient #roman #venus #venere #αφροδίτη #goddess #sculpture #romansculpture #sculpturephotography #museumphotography #archaeologyphotography #michaelsvetbird ©msp @michael_svetbird | @pompeii_parco_archeologico 10|22 (at Pompeii - Parco Archeologico) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpZ0vhFoFBa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[pizzettauniversale]

Ciaoo ho visto che hai fatto un viaggio bellissimo in Scozia! Devo andarci anche io a fine ottobre, ma purtroppo non ho un mezzo di trasporto mio. Visiterò Edimburgo e Glasgow, mi sai consigliare bei posti da visitare sia in queste città, oppure nei dintorni? Grazie mille 🥰

Ciao, è da ieri che volevo rispondere ma non ho trovato tempo. Allora non mi metto a scriverti musei o monumenti classici che quelli li avrai già visti e segnati. Ti posso dire che a Edimburgo vale più la Scottish National Gallery che il National Museum of Scotland. Se puoi, vai al parco di Holyrood e fai l’escursione fino alla Arthur’s seat e scendendo c’è la Cappella di Sant’Antonio. A Edimburgo vai giù fino a Leith, cioè al porto e fatti in giro. Se hai tempo dovrebbero esserci dei bus che partono fino a Stirling, dove c’è un bellissimo castello che io non sono riuscita a vedere perché chiudeva alle 17:00. Purtroppo in Scozia chiude tutto molto presto.

Glasgow è forse la città che mi ha delusa di più, però ci sono comunque delle cose da vedere, una delle cose che mi è piaciuta di più la Provand’s Lordship, che molti snobbano, ma è davanti alla Cattedrale ed è gratuita. Poi prendi assolutamente il tè nella Willow Tea Room. C’è il menù del tè del pomeriggio a 17£ a persona e ti portano il mondo. Se vai sul loro sito, prenota il posto in anticipo, così ti danno quello davanti alla finestra dove ero io 😍 da Glasgow poi non saprei, puoi vedere se ci sono dei bus tour nelle Highlands (ci sono sicuramente) perché ne vale la pena. Se vuoi consigli su luoghi dove mangiare chiedi pure!

[multiverseofseries]

Moon Knight: Una folle corsa tra mistero e avventura

Non posso nascondere l'entusiasmo nello scrivere le prime righe di questa recensione di Moon Knight. La serie che ha per protagonisti Oscar Isaac e Ethan Hawke è infatti un'operazione ben costruita su un personaggio molto intrigante e che permette ai Marvel Studios di andare in una nuova direzione e aggiungere un ulteriore e importante tassello al mosaico che sta componendo sulla piattaforma streaming Disney+.

La nuova serie Marvel adatta un affascinante personaggio a fumetti creato da Doug Moench e Don Perlin nel 1975. La costruzione dei primi episodi della serie è tale da conquistare e spiazzare lo spettatore, soprattutto se a digiuno del materiale di partenza. Lo fa sin da un incipit suggestivo, che ci fa fare la conoscenza del protagonista Steven Grant e la sua monotona vita da impiegato del negozio di souvenir del British Museum, ma fatta anche di qualcosa di dissonante, tra comportamenti spiazzanti che gli vediamo compiere sin dalle prime battute e una frammentarietà di azioni e ricordi che ci fanno capire fin da subito che sotto l'apparenza di ordinario impiegato giace qualcosa di diverso. Un qualcosa di cui lui stesso è all'oscuro.

Il montaggio e la costruzione del primo episodio sono perfetti per farci entrare fin da subito nel mondo del protagonista, sia dal punto di vista della routine in cui appare impantanato e dalla quale è completamente oppresso, sia sul versante opposto in quel qualcosa di fuori dal comune che viene evocato prima e mostrato poi. Oscar Isaac è il perfetto interprete di questa duplicità, nell'incarnare lo schivo Steven ed evocare, con sempre maggior spazio e convinzione, Marc Spector, il mercenario che condivide il suo corpo: l'attore si rivela in perfetto equilibrio tra i due, così come tra i diversi toni che compongono la serie, che non rinuncia a stemperare la cupezza di fondo con sprazzi di quella leggerezza a cui i Marvel Studios hanno abituato i loro spettatori.

Non è però l'unica nota positiva di un cast che si fregia della presenza di un altro grande interprete, un Ethan Hawk altrettanto in parte e altrettanto efficace nel ruolo di un antagonista tutto da scoprire. Intrigante anche il grande lavoro fatto sulle canzoni che accompagnano l'azione, sullo sfondo di un'ambientazione e un contesto narrativo che attinge a piene mani dalla mitologia dall'antico Egitto, le sue divinità e il suo suggestivo e iconico immaginario.

Un immaginario che ben si sposa con lo stile dinamico alla Indiana Jones, che Moon Knight sviluppa con gusto, e che prendono il sopravvento in alcuni degli episodi. Ma sarebbe inesatto definire Moon Knight come una serie d'avventura, così come lo è considerarla una serie di stampo superoistico classico o un thriller a base di tensione e toni dark: la nuova produzione Marvel, sviluppata da Jeremy Slater, attinge a toni e generi diversi per proporre al suo pubblico qualcosa che possa stuzzicarlo, intrattenerlo e sorprenderlo, così di catturare lo spettatore in una sorta di attrazione da parco a tema, capace di cambiare le carte in tavola e spiazzare ulteriormente una volta che si pensa di averla inquadrata.

Come già detto Moon Knight è una serie che mescola toni e generi diversi, divertendosi a spiazzare lo spettatore nel presentarci il nuovo personaggio interpretato da Oscar Isaac, un'ottima aggiunta al corposo cast dell'Universo Marvel. Non è da meno Ethan Hawke, che completa il quadro con un antagonista da indagare, sullo sfondo del suggestivo immaginario mitologico dell'antico Egitto e con un interessante lavoro sulla selezione di canzoni.

👍

- Oscar Isaac, ottima aggiunta al già corposo cast dell'MCU.

- Ethan Hawke, antagonista all'altezza della situazione.

- L'immaginario dell'antico Egitto che aggiunge fascino e suggestioni interessanti.

- La miscela di generi, dal thriller all'avventura, per proporre qualcosa che possa intrattenere e spiazzare.

👎

- La componente più leggera può deludere chi avrebbe preferito una storia del tutto cupa e matura.

[lospeakerscorner]

Una passeggiata da re

[sillysybilsden]

Disclaimer: I would like to start this post by saying that I do not live in Nemi. That means that 1) I cannot provide the same amount of geographical or folkloric detailed knowledge a nemese would and 2) I am not providing any personal information. Secondly, I have used Italian resources only - more specifically, those I've found on the official website of the Comune [= town, Italian] of Nemi, among the many - as there are way more resources in my native language. I will, so, provide both Italian and translated versions of names and the like. Lastly, I want to specify that I have already posted this blog elsewhere: I will not be changing anything if not mistakes I might run into while re-reading it.

This being said, enjoy!

Nemi: the city of Diana

Introduction

I can't really use the same introduction I had used when I had first written this blog. This is for two reasons: first off, I had it written for a weekly challenge on an online community; secondly, my views and beliefs have profoundly changed ever since. When I had typed the first few words, I thought I belonged with the Celtic gods. Now, after a long time of consideration, I know I belong with the Roman ones. I like to think of this post as the first step that led me to choose Roman polytheism.

And now that you know the place that this post holds in my heart, you can also imagine why, of all posts, I have decided to repost this first.

Nemi

The myth of the foundation of Rome is very popular in Lazio, the twins Romulus and Remus being protagonists of said event and their mother being Rea/Rhea Silvia. The latter, is said to have been a priestess and/or devotee of Vesta, and this goddess' cult is said to have been one of the key elements of Nemi: that's the reason why some modern theories suggest that this town is where Rome first originated - perhaps, due to its closeness to the supposed location of Alba Longa, mythical hometown of Rhea Silvia.

Nemi is located in Lazio, a region of central-western Italy, and its territory is part of the Parco Regionale Suburbano dei Castelli Romani [= Regional Suburban Park of Castelli Romani, Italian]. Built over a lake of volcanic origin, this town is the smallest out of all of the ones in the Castelli Romani [= group of cities near Rome, whose history is closely tied to that of the capital]. In the pre-Roman era, the town was supposedly part of Aricia - a nearby Latin city - which, mythologically-talking, was founded by Theseus' son: Hippolytus. It is probably during this period that the temple of Diana Nemorensis was built, leading some historians to believe that Nemi is the place where the cult of this goddesss first started. The sanctuary reached its pitch of popularity with the Romans.

Furthermore, there used to be two ships, either commissioned by Tiberius or Caligula, possibly dedicated to Diana and destined to parties - a footnote is necessary: the most accredited theory suggests that the ships were indeed commissioned by Caligula, but they were dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis. Unfortunately, not only did these ships sink and it took two expeditions - one in the 15th century, that failed, and one in the first half of the 20th century, which was successful - to retrieve them, but they also caught fire little after in the museum that used to host them.

The name of the city itself seems to be tied to Diana: Nemi is in fact a derivative of the Latin word "nemus" [= wood, Latin]. Nemi's wood that was sacred to Diana, and it was attributed to her through the title of "nemus Dianae" [= wood of Diana, Latin]. Two more derivatives of the word "nemus", that seem to highlight the deep bond between the goddess and the town, are the epithet contained in "Diana Nemorensis" [= Diana of the wood] and the name of the festival of "Nemoralia" - a celebration that took place on the 15th of August to honour Diana herself.

This being said, the connection between Diana and Nemi is, to say the least, very explicit.

Il bosco - The wood

Contrarily to what the title might state, this paragraph will not be focusing on the wood itself. Rather, it'll focus on what used to happen in the wood. It is said that there was to be a man who used to merge mystery and legend, intertwining history and myths at the same time. I am talking about the figure of the rex nemorensis [= king of the wood]. Its existence finds a direct connection to that of the rex of Rome, whose main role was that of main administrator in the archaic Roman religion, and was later on replaced by the pontifex maximus. It is still unknown whether he is an historically certified figure or if he was - and is - simply a part of the local folklore. There is a legend, however, that explains how the rex nemorensis was "chosen". For this myth/ancient tradition seems to have no correspondences whatsoever in Roman or, more broadly, Greek theology/mythology, I advice reading this paragraph as if it was talking about a story and nothing more: I am unsure of its historical reliability myself, not to talk about the fact that the official cerimony is still unknown to us. I am nonetheless going to add this piece of lore as it is an interesting folk take on the cult of Diana.

In the sacred wood of Diana, it is told that there is a tree, probably an oak, that catches the eye; mistletoe - a plant sacred to Diana - growing all around it. In front of it, there always seemed to be a silhouette of a man, holding a branch in his hand. He's keeping his guard up, scanning the wood ready to battle the enemy that's about to come. He's both a priest and a king: he's the rex nemorensis. The "enemy" who's about to be introduced is a slave who managed to free himself from his status - what one would call, in Latin, a libertus - and whose job is that of taking the life of the current rex nemorensis with a stick of mistletoe. If he's successful, he'll be granted that same position. The new ruler-priest will have the responsibility to grant abundance to the wood, and so he must dedicate himself to its patroness: Diana herself. With this alliance ensured, the new rex nemorensis can now officially take the place of the former until the cycle doesn't repeat again.

This legend is supposed to explain how cycles always start and end, as well as how a ritual worked. The origins of this myth are unknown: since it does not seem to have classical origins - Greek, Roman or Italic, that is - , it could be a product of syncretism of local folklore and mythology. I think it is worth to mention that one of the storytellers had suggested the myth being a descendant of the Celtic culture, as the figure of the rex nemorensis reminded them about the knowledgeable druids. Even though I do think that Indoeuropean ancient religions have a common root, I don't share this view as historically talking there is no evidence of Celts and Romans interacting in Lazio so back in time - and by "back in time" I mean at the very foundation of the Italian capital.

Lo "Specchio di Diana" - The "Mirror of Diana"

The "Specchio di Diana", or Lago di Nemi [= Lake of Nemi, Italian] is a lake of volcanic origin. Unfortunately enough, we do not have many records of legends and/or myths about this lake. Nor do we have, archeologically, much left of what used to be a place of great interest for pagan polytheists due to its connections to Diana. As I had already mentioned in the paragraph about Nemi, two ships were built here under commission - possibly - of Caligula. Later on, it is theorised that they might have been destroyed after the emperor passed away in order to remove every trace of him from the Roman culture.

But why is this place so connected to Diana? As far as we know today, it is mainly because of a legend: it is said that the goddess used to look at her reflection in the crystal clear waters of the lake. And that's probably a legend that became popular after the construction of the temple - which was built on the shore of the lake, even though the latter has now shrunk.

In modern times, the lake has become a destination of great interest to neopagans... almost as if the essence of the location never faded nor blurred.

Il santuario - The sanctuary

That is because this is the location where almost two millenia ago pagans used to reunite to celebrate Diana. The same sanctuary that basically gave birth to the city, literally leading to the construction of Nemi. This temple is, unfortunately, not open to visitors due to unspecified reasons - most probably, because of archeological excavations or restoration workings.

Historians have dated the construction of this great complex - we're talking about a 45.000 square metre surface, making this sanctuary one of the largest in Italy - back to the II-III century BCE circa. This temple was thought to be dedicated either to Diana or to Vesta due to an ambiguous inscription - the first piece to ever be retieved from the ruins. However, the most accredited theory reveals that this temple was indeed built in honor of the Roman goddess of the moon and hunt. The temple was visited by pagans until the 5th century - even though the its downfall started in the 2th century CE -, before Christianity took the place of polytheism. Still, it is said that some people kept visiting the sanctuary in secret, keeping on practicing the hypothetical "ritual" of the rex nemorensis - some state that this tradition survived through the early Middle Ages. And so did Diana, apparently, by becoming part of the local folklore under different figures - which is something I am going to discuss about later in this paragraph.

The "discovery" of the temple was a matter of luck: a marquis, whose surname was Frangipane, had bought that piece of land and decided to start archaeological excavations, bringing back to light part of the sacred building. We're in the XVII century, and further excavations protracted from late XVII century to late XVIII will eventually ruin what was left of the temple, almost completely erasing its existence: parts of what was once a sanctuary are now scattered all around the world, in different museums. We'll have to wait until the year 1924, when the Italian government decides to investigate further on the sacred area: this new operation will uncover the thermal baths and the theater that were part of the sanctuary, but they will be covered again little after.

Now, going back to how Diana possibly survived throughout all of these centuries. The first theory, is that some of her aspects were slowly transfered to Vergine Maria [= Virgin Mary, Italian]: two of them, being the serpent and the lunar horn. While Diana wears them on her head, the Madonna puts them under her foot - almost as a sign of the victory of Christianity over paganism. Another figure that might be a derivative of this goddess, is the Befana [= an old witch who brings sweets to kids on Epiphany in Italian folklore]. Both are tied with the legendary imagery of a woman flying on a broomstick - one carrying sweets; the other, Diana, bringing wealth and fertility to the land on the night between the 5th and the 6th of January.

Credits

Pardon me for the low quality of some of the images. I had to screenshot them from my previous post as I had no possibility of retrieving them elsewhere.

3D reconstruction of the temple from Nemora on Facebook.

GIF background found on Videvo.

The rest of the photos were sent to me by acquaintances and so shall not be used without permission.

[deathshallbenomore]

I'll be visiting Torino soon and I saw you post about it before so I wanted to ask, do you have some recommendations that wouldn't be found on a tourist guide? Grazie 💖

hiiiii (or, as the locals would say, cerea <3) :)

first of all, i'm so so happy you're visiting this beautiful city! i hope you'll love it at least half as much as i do (which is a lot. like. a lot)

under the cut!

as for my recommendations, i guess my biggest advice would be to just walk around and let the streets themselves guide you because a) the city centre (as in the very very centre and the neighbourhoods surrounding it) is not that big, so you could set some reference points, go for a long walk, and both see the main attractions and get to have a look at the city herself, b) because it's so worth it, torino really is so beautiful that even walking her streets is an experience by itself, c) torino is probably one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate because it was literally built like this:

in any case, here's a list of my favourite places/spots that oh my god you have to see/things you really need to do*

monte dei cappuccini (+ the church + the friars' back terrace in case they decide to open it to the public); the hill area is also really nice so i warmly suggest you get to the monte on foot

this is a classic, but the gran madre church - piazza vittorio - via po - piazza castello route is a must (and you can do it right after the monte dei cappuccini, to reach the city centre)

castello and parco del valentino (and especially the giardino roccioso) is beautiful (also psss the borgo medievale is fake lol)

close to the valentino, you can take a walk around the san salvario neighbourhood (my beloved) which feels a little bit bohemien and quite vibrant and lively. lots of beautiful churches, lots of interesting architectural styles, Thee synagogue (which you cannot visit, but it's breathtaking even from the outside)

close to piazza castello, the galleria subalpina is BEAUTIFUL and once you've seen it, instead of going back to piazza castello you can go straight to piazza carlo alberto, then piazza carignano and then reach via roma. you know. 'cause they're all beautiful and classy areas of the city centre

another galleria that i really recommend is the galleria san federico, which can take you from via roma to the embarrassingly beautiful piazza san carlo

the quadrilatero romano area might be a bit touristy (bc it's close to piazza castello) but it's so peculiar and i just love taking walks there. feels a bit like paris, but maybe let's not tell the locals. lol

the porta palazzo market is definitely An Experience; bonus points on saturdays and on the 2nd sunday of each month you will find the (gran) balon flea markets. definitely give them a go!

ah of course the mole, but that's like. Top 1 things you should see in torino so;

but! quite close to the mole, in corso san maurizio, go take a look at the "fetta di polenta". it's a building that literally looks like a slice of something

museums, duh

the lungo po is a great location for a lazy walk at sunset :)

for god's sake don't go looking for a pizza and a cappuccino in via po at 4pm but try to find a place that looks genuinely piedmontese because the local cuisine is amazing. you can also find quite a number of "piole" (they're called like that) that are supposed to be quite cheap but very good and "local"

bonus (totally out of context): piazza carlina (I’m so local now that I forgot its real name lol) and giardini reali superiori (if you’re lucky you might find the newly restored extra area open to the public, fingers crossed!)

eat a lot of gianduia, drink good wine and definitely try san simone (thee local amaro) [of course if you're into any of that, ça va sans dire]

just walk. fill your eyes, mind and heart with beauty <3

here’s some pics :)

[morelin]

Al Corniche e MIA Park

Se le temperature sono clementi, è bello fare una passeggiata lungo Al Corniche di Doha (Qatar), il lungomare di 7km a forma di mezzaluna. Noi ne abbiamo percorso un brevissimo tratto per dirigerci al piccolo porticciolo da cui partivano le escursioni con i caratteristici dhow.

Poi siamo stati anche al MIA PARK (Museum of Islamic Art Park), uno degli spazi verdi più belli che si trovano sul lungomare che costituisce un luogo d’incontro e di relax per turisti e locali. Qui è possibile passeggiare, correre, rilassarsi, giocare, mangiare qualcosa, ammirare lo skyline ma anche vedere 7, una scultura verticale in acciaio realizzata da Richard Serra.

Inoltre abbiamo avuto l’opportunità di apprezzare alcune installazioni di Yayoi Kusama che davano colore al parco come “Dancing Pumpkin”, “Ascension of polka dots on the Trees” sulle palme del Moniques Boardwalk, “I Want to Fly to the Universe” ed i bellissimi fiori che creavano un panorama da cartolina con lo skyline.