No prison for you today, Hannah.

My day started bright and early at 6:30, with my lovely roommate Maddie telling me her not so lovely nightmare: she had been sharing some analysis with the group when Mike called her out for not knowing what she was talking about. On the bus to Aquileia Mike really took on that villainous persona when he suggested a prison we passed could be used for certain underperforming students.

I'd better get on those readings. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth.

When boarding the ferry, Mike also suggested short people go to the back. Given that this course’s average demographic consists of someone who self identifies as “Eiffel Tower,” Christy and I suspect he just didn’t want to sit with us. 

                                       She's only 8 inches shorter than the Eiffel Tower.

Upon arrival to Aquileia National Archaeological Museum we met our guide Sara. Now a small town of about 35,000 people, Aquileia was once a thriving trade hub of around 200,000 as the only commercial port on the the northern Adriatic until the 9th century. It was founded in 131 BCE as a Roman military settlement, but grew in size and influence as evidenced by the variety in shape and material of amphoras, indicating both different regions and uses.

Oxen tracing city perimeter. A slave leads and people important to the city trail the oxen.

                       Katie says Aquileia was an imPORTant city. Photo courtesy of Christy.

As a port city, Aquileia saw a lot of outside influence; especially important was trade with the Middle East. Aquileia’s Archeological Museum boasted fragments of incredible mosaics with colored marble coming from Syria and Egypt.

Also notable in the museum were the urns. Sara spun an unnamed urn depicting a banquet scene. The scenes on the urn give insight into ancient Roman life: men recline on a triclinium with wives nearby, a slave serves food, a minstrel plays, and nearby amphoras likely store wine. The practice of burning the dead fell out of practice among Romans as Christianity picked up speed. Sarcophagi were the name of the game as Christians believed the body was an important vessel after worldly death.

We made our way to the Aquileia Basilica and Baptistry and put on our “Whispers” so Sara could continue the tour without disrupting the space. Soon after Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan of 313, Bishop Theodore took advantage of the government’s relaxed stance on Christianity and had the basilica built in 315. The basilica has had many adjustments and additions made over the years. At the corners it’s possible to see both Romanesque and Gothic arches.

                                                  This roof is from the 14th century.

The basilica’s floor was gorgeous and 95% original — an impressive feat for the largest early Christian floor mosaic in the Western world. It was full of symbols, stories, and portraits of people important to its construction. One important symbol was the Knot of Solomon, meant to represent the double nature of Christ as both fully human and divine. Another standout was the mosaic of fishers casting nets into waters with 153 different fish, all of the fish unique and meant to represent each of the known peoples of the time. The scene is taken from the Gospel of John, and Christ’s followers have become “fishers of men.” 

We remembered the fresco of apse at Aquileia from Professor Evan Gatti’s talk before our departure to Italy. It was done around 1031 on the accord of Patriarch Popo when restoring the basilica. Notable is the Orthodox depiction of Mary and baby Jesus, not Christ Pantocrator so common in many Western churches. Popo offers a model of the Aquileia Basilica to the divine figures and stands among saints. We questioned the relationship between the political and the religious as manifested at Aquileia.

An underground chapel hosted relics of some of Aquileia’s first martyrs and housed frescos dating to 1180. St. Mark appears heavily in these frescos, as he is credited with evangelizing in the town. More orthodox frescos of Mary’s ascension rest here. We also passed by a replica of the Holy Sepulchre, the original being built by Popo as a way to represent Jerusalem in his church. Lastly, we checked out the baptistry and some 2,000 year old frescos.

The Holy Sepulchre

                                                                        Baptistry

Finally, it was time for lunch. Earlier Sara had shared that Aquileia was part of the Austrian Empire until after World War I. Hannah suggested we could see Austrian influence in the restaurant’s cuisine.

                        That was an intelligent comment. No prison for you today, Hannah.

Our last stop of the day was Sacrario Militare di Redipuglia, so it was back to the bus after our 3 course meal. 

The memorial was imposing, with massive steps of graves leading up to the cross, recalling Christ's ultimate sacrifice. The word "Presente" stamped each level multiple times. For the first time, a unified national identity could be built on the spirit of sacrifice following the devastation of World War I. We asked ourselves how the Italian public might perceive it today? How does it compare to our memorials? Why is context and timing important when assessing monuments like these? While World War I ended in 1918, the monument wasn't constructed until 1938 as Mussolini was working up a nationalist fervor across Italy. We noted how architectural choices and symbols can elicit emotion and call personally for action.

Then, it was back to the bus and the ferry and Hotel Giorgione. Also, because I'm finishing this blog post a day later, I can share that Apple Health has spoken and we have reached 100 miles walked on Italian soil on this last free day in Venice on Faith's birthday. Happy birthday, Faith! And nice travel seminar family vacation, Garibaldi gang.