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 Dwight Peck's personal website
A month's sojourn in Italy,
Oct.-Nov. 2024
You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.
A visit to the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor (2)
7 November 2024
This is the present entrance to the Via Tecta or 'covered way' (the entrance was known in medieval times as the Porta Oscura, the 'Dark Gate'), which passed diagonally 150m under the temple's sacred and administrative facilities from the northeast to the southwestern end here, and for the regular travelers up and down between the higher mountains and Rome and Latium, as well as for pilgrims visiting the cult, there was eventually a full commercial operation provided.
This diagram (screenshot from an info plaque) shows the Via Tecta itself and the variety of interlocking rooms (called grottoni here) on both sides providing accommodation, sustenance, storage, even stabling for herds and flocks in the larger rooms.
Restoration works are ongoing.
It's much like a small city extending from these arches along the way off through rooms to arched windows to the outside on the northern (left) side.
From the Via Tecta on the third level of the sanctuary, we're given an opportunity to go up a level to the triportico areas, where . . .
. . . we can join the long corridors on the fourth and fifth levels of the porticos.
The information plaques describe a number of medieval Christian churches that at one time or another were set up to make use of these ready-made structures.
A little welcome structural reinforcement in place
A long unroofed portico area . . .
. . . with some of the paper mill's metal trusswork (apparently) hanging on overhead.
It would be interesting to learn what all of these little embellishments were meant for.
Another angle on the model we saw earlier, with the Via Tiburtina 'highway' entering the Via Tecta through the 'Porta Oscura' and the superstructural works of the theatre overlooking the hillside below the sanctuary.
Another tunnel to the outside
All very well preserved by the ages here, and well tidied up more recently.
And we pop out into the daylight.
So quite possibly, that would have been something like the 2D dimension of the temenos or sacred space with its temple. It seems awfully big, but there are said to be Roman-era literary references about how the orange roof of the temple could be seen from Rome on a good day.
That was fun and enlightening. Back into town now (lunch).
Retracing our steps up the Via del Colle, past a huge something-or-other which is . . .
. . . improbably enough, for sale.
Interesting things to see nearly everywhere
We'll take this opportunity to stop in to see the Duomo again.
The Cattedrale di San Lorenzo (closed up tight for the moment), with what might be the smallest Piazza del Duomo in Italy.
We're coursing now through a so far unexplored part of the city, and noticing . . .
. . . that pigeon having a snooze.
(We're totally lost.)
Heartfelt, presumably
A fixer-upper
Well, surprise, we're saved. The Via Palatina again, and . . .
. . . good prospects for lunch.
At l'Ape 50 (ristorante di strada)
This thing was fantastic.
Dig in.
Proceeding down the Via Ponte Gregoriano to . . .
. . . the Piazza Rivarole again, and . . .
. . . once more up the Via San Valerio, for no good reason . . .
. . . except for the exercise.
The Vicolo del Carafone, leading . . .
. . . down to a 'former industrial area' (which on Google Maps looks like a right burnt-out mess).
Street view on the Via San Valerio again
Street views, sort of
Approaching the Duomo again (we're walking in circles); we'll turn off and . . .
. . . try another uphill for a while.
There's a fine urban palazzo that's survived the 1944 bombing, or . . .
. . . at least the tower did.
Down again
-- They got the building, right enough, but we were able to save the doorway.
We were wondering how this gentleman would get his car jimmied around enough to get in there, but evidently he's well practiced.
Down again
-- Which way now?
Back to the Piazza Palatina
And the Piazza del Plebiscito, with . . .
. . . the Chiesa di San Biagio
The Chiesa di San Vincenzo, built in 1286, restored in 1860, neglected for years but reopened in 2022.
Time for dinner at the Calice (carpaccio!)
A quiet time for the Choco Italia. How lonely. But tomorrow is another day.
Night night.
Next up: A Tivoli walkabout
 
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