|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
The Roman Villa in America
| Article
# : |
20702 |
|
|
Section : |
LIFE
|
| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1992 |
2,253 Words |
| Author
: |
Marcia Forsberg
Marcia Forsberg has written for Il Quadrifoglio and other
publications. |
Luicus Calpurnius Piso was annoyed. On his way to the forum, a sultry midsummer sun had scorched his eyes; ribbons of dry dust had swirled around his nose and mouth, making him grouchy. That afternoon he had been jostled twice by another aristocrat in the crowded pool at the popular baths. Unable to sleep, the Roman official rolled over in his cast-bronze and carved-wood bed. "I have to get out of town for a while," he thought. "I have to get out of Rome." He would go to his villa.
Two thousand years ago, the surrounds of the turquoise Bay of Naples, with their sun washed beauty, mild climate, and breath-taking views, were a likely setting for a wealthy Roman's sumptuous villa. Lucius Calpurnius Piso had a magnificent dwelling, built above the charming seaside town of Herculaneum beneath the green mountain of Vesuvius-a cool, airy respite from Rome.
Here, he could enjoy his collection of marble and bronze sculptures. He could rest, linger outdoors as the sunset turned to gold over the shimmering waters, and eat fruit from the orchards nearby. He could work uninterrupted, serenaded by birdsong and the splashing of fountains. He could stretch out on a luxurious cushioned ouch and read the papyrus scrolls in his library or entertain in the vast gardens.
Re-Created In California
Two thousand years later, a generation of people many times removed form Piso can enjoy a very similar serene, elegant villa-an escape from the city, a setting for fabulous artwork, and the realization of one man's fantasy. But this villa is not in Italy's countryside; instead, it is on southern California's coast, over looking the blue-green Pacific Ocean from a low hillside above Malibu.
And it is not a wealthy patrician's private home, either. It is a museum; or, better yet, an experience. A time machine. The villa that houses the J. Paul Getty Museum is a reconstruction of the imposing villa thought to have been longed to Piso.
It is an atrium-style structure, typical of those owned by noble Romans who fancied living in luxury in the areas around Pompeii and Herculaneum between the third century B.C. and A.D. 79, when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The villas of antiquity were also private museums, where wealthy owners gathered their collections of sculptures, books, mosaics, murals, and portable
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
