{"id":2685,"date":"2017-03-15T17:36:55","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T17:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/?p=2685"},"modified":"2017-03-17T21:22:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-17T21:22:11","slug":"lost-and-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/?p=2685","title":{"rendered":"Lost and Found"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY 9am we were out the door, flying down the stairs, and through the narrow alleys to meet Uber at the top of Garibaldi street. Made it to our appointed tour of Le Domus Romane, di Palazzo Valentini, Piazza Foro Traiano, 85,<\/strong> with eight minutes to spare, and promptly walked off in the wrong direction. We hit a dead end created by massive construction. We circled, re-entered the address in both of our iPhone maps, asked passersby, poliziotto, and construction workers, all in vain. A hustler pestered us until Robert snapped, “Shut up!” \u201cWhat are you, her bodyguard?\u201d the tout jeered, and we kept circling. We\u2019d ask \u201cDove Domus Romane?\u201d and people would smile, point and reply, \u201cColosseo.”
\nFifteen minutes later, after we\u2019d missed the start of the English tour, \u00a0it occurred to me to go to the website. There I found directions on a map linked to Google, and a photo of the entrance. The construction guy whistled to us and pointed to a businessman, who gestured with his briefcase. We realized it was tucked in a corner behind the tout\u00a0that we had hurried past. \u201cKarma for being mean,\u201d Robert muttered.
\nWe ran in, apologetic, sweaty, and distraught. The desk clerk guided us across a courtyard, through an iron gate, down multiple stairs, lifted a curtain and handed us off to the guide of the tour in progress.
\nI was instantly blind. Could not see even the faintest outline of anything. Not a photon. I could hear the recorded tour voice, but when urged to go forward I froze, unable to move in the utter blackness.
\nSadly, I was too freaked out by being late and blind, to enjoy the experience. The floors were transparent over the archeological remains of a once grand house. The site was in a prime location with a view of Trajan\u2019s Column in the front yard. The virtual reality effects educated the eye; delineating strata of time, and filling in remnants of a\u00a0mosaic floor, defining columns, balustrades, stairs, and doorways. Short videos recreated entire furnished rooms, complete with sound effects.
\nOnly eight people in this English language tour, a plus, but the gloom necessary for the laser effects gave me the unfortunate sensation of falling. I shuffled across the glass, unsure when to step up or down. The dialogue was super cheesy, with zings of Tinkerbell sounds<\/a> and self-important trumpets. I would have liked it better with earplugs.
\nThe environment of the rich and powerful Romans was interesting, But I couldn\u2019t quite erase thoughts of the slave economy that made that life possible. Blood and misery of the defeated, human beings made slaves to build the grand stone roads and marble walls, to cook and clean and mind the kids and provide sex and keep the machinery humming. It tarnishes the whole grandeur that was Rome slant. The bodies and souls crushed to juice every domus of the empire\u00a0were as intrinsic to Rome as her military prowess.
\nFeeling slightly dismal, we tackled the next part of the day with a certain grimness. I was setting off in search of an ATM, trusting Google, when Robert spotted one a block away. My ATM card worked like a charm. Paydirt! We high-fived each other.<\/em>
\nAfter waffling about where to go next, we decided to keep to the original plan. Instead of Ubering, we jumped in one of the white taxis lined up at the curb and headed for the New Testaccio Market, Via Aldo Manuzio, 66C<\/strong>\u00a0. The taxi was cheaper tha Uber, though the driver scowled and drove like a man possessed. Into the market and found the place Katy Parla\u2019s blog recommended, Mordi e Vai<\/strong>.<\/a> Things were looking up. We took a turn around the market, taking it in. I found a lovely periwinkle violet scarf for Julia and a canvas tote with a stylized graphic of Maddy for Robin. Eureka! Both claimed to be Made in Italy and I hope it\u2019s true. I saw a woman getting a bright purple rinse in a one-chair stylist shop, stalls that sold cheap yarn and notions, shoes and handbags. Multiple greengrocers, a juice bar, suppli\u00a0(fried rice balls), coffee bars, rows of chickens complete with heads, skinned rabbits, a fish monger. We returned to Mordi e Vai<\/strong> purveyors of Roman street food. I ordered from the posted English menu and the man behind the counter sighed, \u201cYou come to Rome and you order sausage?”
\nI asked which was his favorite, and it wasn\u2019t tripe, so I went for it. When he floated the freshly cut bread in the sauce created by the slow simmered beef I knew I had chosen well. We sat at a table provided for diners in the center of the market.\"\"<\/a> Followed our sandwiches with espresso shots and a pastry so uninspired we chunked it.
\nWe walked to the Centrale<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>Montemartini, Via Ostiense, 106. <\/strong>It’a bold mix of classical statuary, mosaics, and grave markers from the Capitoline Museum with massive industrial machinery. It’s housed in a former electrical plant.
\nThe walk there was a reward in itself. \u00a0We passed a small memorial cemetery for British military who died in WWII. Tucked into the shelter of an aqueduct, it felt like a small park, tended, green and tranquil, except for the forlorn rows of white crosses.
\nWe spotted a house built on top of a truck. Two stories pieced together from trellis material and scrap tin, with pinwheels whirling away.
\nThere was this striking black and white street mural, that Robert couldn’t resist\"\"<\/a>Inside of a pedestrian tunnel were more pointed political graffiti, like this nod to the ladies.<\/p>\n

[easy-image-collage id=2784]<\/p>\n

Both appropriate and ironic, considering it was International Woman\u2019s Day. Thanks for the 24 hours, boys!
\nOne entire block of buildings was a rainbow of gardens and giant heads.\"\"<\/a>\u00a0We bought delicious cream puffs from a random coffee bar. This area felt like a\u00a0neighborhood, very different from the tourist-saturated streets of the center.
\nThe museum was housed in former power station and smelled like a cross between Robert\u2019s shop and an abandoned stone quarry. A distinct cool metal, old machine oil, and marble tang. It reminded me of home.
\nThe juxtaposition of scale and eras and materials really worked for us. The elegant lines of white marble bodies dwarfed by the complex bulk of massive machinery. Robert loved this place. Here he is, in action.<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/montemartini.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

I recognized a funerary monument from the Mary Beard documentary Meet the Romans<\/a>, tucked away in a back corner. Watching that series has enriched every aspect of my trip.
\nThe venue was all but deserted. I saw three other people besides a pair of guards fixated on their iPhones. I don\u2019t think the impact of the iPhone on modern times can be overstated.
\nBack via an Uber Mercedes van that careened through the tiny streets of Trastevere with unerring accuracy. How do they do it? Drivers must have invisible whiskers like cats.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY 9am we were out the door, flying down the stairs, and through the narrow alleys to meet Uber at the top of Garibaldi street. Made it to our appointed tour of Le Domus Romane, di Palazzo Valentini, Piazza Foro Traiano, 85, with eight minutes to spare, and promptly walked off in the wrong direction. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2685","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rome","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/man-machine.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7OBxc-Hj","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2685"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2803,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2685\/revisions\/2803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virginiaparker.net\/travel\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}