Italy: Villa dei Quintilii, Rome

View of Villa dei Quintilii from the museum entrance


ITALY: VILLA DEI QUINTILII, ROME

Ostentatious sex parties with underage babes might sound like Silvio Berlusconi's adventures at Villa Certosa in Sardinia, but it's actually Rome in 151 A.D. The brothers Sextus Quintilius Maximus and Sextus Quintilius Condianus were two wealthy Roman merchant traders and government Consuls who relished their reputation for throwing dazzling parties in refined taste (unlike Berlusconi). The brothers built their luxury Villa 5 miles out of downtown Rome on the Appian Way (no coincidence that it was a great trade route into the city). Meticulously designed, the Villa exhibited an abundance of what every noble Roman could desire: inlaid marble floors, hand cut mosaic tiles, hot and cold baths, frescoes, and gardens. It was especially envied for the dozens of exceptionally fine sculptures of Gods and Goddesses. More on that later...

Never, ever, brag that your house is bigger than the Emperor's. Insecure and incompetent, Emperor Commodus  adored the Villa so much that instead of simply hiring the brother's architect or interior designer, he confiscated the Villa and executed the brothers in 182 A.D. Then he did what all new owners do, he enlarged it. The orgies grew more vulgar, his rule grew more inept and after an unsuccessful attempt at poisoning him, his enemies simply hired a hit man to strangle him in his bed. Those who live by the sword, etc. Emperor after Emperor improvidently added on to Villa Quintilii: a hippodrome here, an aqueduct there, until frankly, no one could afford the upkeep. In only a few centuries, this vital symbol of power and aestheticism went the way of the Roman Empire: declining in use, then looted, then left to the enjoyment of cows and sheep.  

numerous staircases in the villa now lead to nowhere in particular

 marble floors and columns

intricate inlaid mosaics

In about 1775 the Scottish artist Gavin Hamilton realized he could make more money as an antiquities dealer than he could as a neoclassical painter, and if you saw his paintings, you'd know why. He started excavations at the Villa and sold some of the best pieces to the British aristocracy back home while giving other pieces to the Pope in lieu of hush money. In 1797, the Torlonia Family of wealthy bankers owned the Villa and from about 1825 onwards they dug around in the backyard and found their own extraordinary specimens of Roman statuary.

 In 1985, the Torlonia heirs sold the Villa ruins (now devoid of any statuary) to the City of Rome. It has been left to the dear Director of the Works of Ancient Rome, Piero Meogrossi, and his team to restore the Villa and countryside to something resembling what the brothers had in mind 1900 years ago. It is well worth your time to wander  over the picturesque ruins of a place that once threw parties more lascivious than those at the Playboy Mansion. Besides that, it is a lovely respite from the traffic, noise and crowds of Rome's historic center and the perfect place for a picnic.  


PICNIC PICKINGS: besides truly great Pecorino cheeses you'll never taste in the U.S.,  an extraordinary selection of Italian pig and wild boar meat hangs inside our favorite take away shop, ANTICA NORCIANERIA at Via della Scrofa 100, Rome, 00186.  06 688 01074. Right in the historic center, not far from Piazza Navona, it's best to go there in the morning hours before your field trip. Our other favorite for the absolute best take away Italian food is FRANCHI at Via Cola di Rienzo 204, Rome, 00192. 06 687 4651. They are open 8am-9pm Mon.-Sat. They are bigger, with more reliable hours and a wider selection of food, but they are a bit out of the way if you are staying in the center of Rome. 

Antica Norcianeria

After your picnic, be sure to see the striking sculptures in the visitor's center and museum part of the Villa. To appreciate the sculptural riches that once stood in every corner of Villa Quintilii you must plan a separate visit to the Museo Pio-Clementino in the Vatican Museums. One day, in the future, perhaps, the Torlonia family might even throw open their doors to what is said to be one of the finest private collections of Roman antiquity in all of Italy. 

a few fine sculptures still stand in the museum entrance

In the meantime, follow in the footsteps of Piranesi who sketched these ruins and the Arcadian countryside surrounding the Villa.  The most efficient way to get there is to take a city bus (about 35 minutes) to Villa dei Quintilii, 1092 Via Appia Nuova. Alternatively,  you could join a tour that gives you the freedom to roam. To find your bus route and number, go to the Internet site: atac Rome. (The acronym is as aggressive as the bus drivers, themselves.) Input your address in Rome and your destination address.  Of course, if you are staying in a hotel, the Concierge is your new best friend, and he'll do it all for you. It's best to avoid the glories of the countryside on a scorching hot summer day unless you've got your own slaves to fan you. 

photography by Waldemar Kalinowski

France: Château de Rambouillet, easy excursion from Paris

FRANCE: CHÂTEAU DE RAMBOUILLET

easy excursion from Paris

Go here now! Only a half hour train ride from Paris!

an enchanting respite 

the striking austerity of winter 

Ten years before Louis XVI and his head parted company in 1793,  he bought Château Rambouillet, a vast rural hunting lodge and grounds from his cousin, Duc de Penthièvre, with the hope that his Queen Marie Antoinette would enjoy herself here. Apparently she didn't, but minus wigs, bustles, and high heels, we managed to feel like royalty as we strolled the spectacular ancient woods accented with charming little bridges, foot trails and bridle paths under a dramatic winter sky.

When the Château passed out of royal hands, it became the summer residence of commoners, i.e., Presidents of the Republic. I  phoned ahead to make sure Nicolas and Carla were elsewhere, otherwise our fellow tourists would be wearing the GIPN uniform (that's French Swat team) and sharpshooters would be stationed on the multi-turreted roof.  You are not allowed to trudge through the house when the President is here pretending he's working. When he's not there, the Château is still a part of the government so the only way to see the interior is a forced march guided tour (with the usual hysterical prohibition against photos). The tour doesn't take long because although the Château has an impressive palatial facade, the rooms have all the thrill of a slightly dolled up Best Western Hotel. Like our rural American château, Camp David, the furnishings are drawn from strays, facsimiles and rescues scrounged from other state owned properties. When Louis breathed his last,  the original Rambouillet furniture was redistributed (read: looted and auctioned) to pay for a new government.  There are few authentic rooms left, and a few historic post-Louis rooms like the quaint Roman villa style bathroom frequented by Napoleon. Legend has it he took his last bath here (under guard) on his way to exile in Elba.

Napoleon's bathroom

Since Marie Antoinette found Rambouillet rather boring, Louis XVI built her the little round La Laiterie de la Reine (the Queen's Dairy) out in the fields as an amusement.  It is a miniature milking barn of sorts, built in pristine stone with marble floors, classical style sculpture depicting frolicking nymphs and putti cavorting with goats and cows. There is even a charming little nymphaeum attached. Still, it's hard to imagine Marie Antoinette sitting here on a three legged stool, yanking on a cow udder in giddy delight.  Seems like this place is more about Louis than Marie.  For us, it is a precious little architectural gem not to be missed.

Nymphaeum in the miniature marble dairy

Our primary inspiration for visiting Rambouillet was to see La Chamière aux Coquillages. This petite shell cottage (also set in a pasture) was originally designed for Princess de Lamballe before Louis owned the property. During the French Revolution, the Paris mobs rewarded the poor Princess's loyal friendship to Marie Antoinette and Louis by skewering her head on a spike. I'm not a royalist or anything,  I'm just saying...the cottage still looks like a lovely place to have your servants bring you tea, and give you a  bath while you gaze lovingly out the window at Daisy, Bessie and Bossy.  Note: take a second look at Sofia Coppola's 2006 Marie Antoinette starring Kristin Dunst and the 1938 Marie Antoinette, starring Norma Shearer. Look for Princess de Lamballe, she's the best friend. 

Shells and more Shells!

neoclassical style completely rendered in shells

Whatever Louis XVI's failings, and they were enough to cause a revolution, honestly, he had only the best intentions here at Rambouillet.  Here is the good Louis, a guy who simply wanted to get back to  nature. He transformed this hunting château into an experimental farm in a way that today would have won him a medal from the Slow Food movement.  He bought a herd of full wool Spanish Merino sheep, African sheep, Swiss cows and angora goats.  Democratically, he encouraged all of them to  eat, prosper and pursue as much happiness as their breed would allow.  Today, there is a sheep and agricultural school at Rambouillet. Attached to it is La Bergerie, the Sheep Barn, a shop plopped down in the middle of the woods.  In winter, a red faced cook made crepes and ladled up local apple cider for the visiting crowd. There was also a long, patient line of people waiting to buy the fat rich products produced by 55 milking cows, 30 meat cows, poultry (particularly enormous quantities of rendered duck fat) goat, rabbit and sheep, all of whom live remorselessly on the property where Louis and Marie Antoinette once frittered away the monarchy.

The agricultural school

Château Rambouillet is the perfect day trip out of Paris.  Only half an hour away by fast train from Gare Montparnasse, it's an enchanting fairy tale castle and grounds, magical in any season.  You can walk there from the train station (about 15 minutes) or take the local bus. There are free maps right there at the local train station.  It's divinely empty in Winter, but lovely any time of year.  Restaurants and coffee shops are scattered along the main street on the way to the Château so you are never far from food, albeit, not great food. Make sure President  Sarkozy is attending one of Carla's rock concerts or you will be making the journey in vain. On our country walk back from the Sheep barn we met some friendly Rambouillet villagers who walk their dog in the forest everyday. They turned out be WWII Polish immigrants to France who emphatically claimed they hated Paris, and if they could live anywhere in the world it would be San Diego, California.

Once back in Paris you will need a hearty meal to make up for all that fresh air.

We love this small neighborhood haunt (no atmosphere whatsoever) with perfectly authentic French food at reasonable prices: Le Bistro des Halles, 15 rue des Halles, 75001 Paris. Tel: 01 42 36 91 69. Duck confit over fried potatoes and mushrooms will put some meat on your bones. Lunch for two with house wine is about $45.

For more innovative nouvelle fare in a chic modern atmosphere (with plenty of fish choices), try the lovely MON VIEL AMI 69 Rue St. Louis en L'ile, 75004 Paris. 01 40 46 01 35. Closed Monday and Tuesday. It is  on Il St. Louis. Lunch for two, about $65.

photography by Waldemar Kalinowski

Italy: Trajan's Market Museum, Rome

ITALY: Trajan's Market Museum, Rome

The first Mall

If only I could find that perfect pair of Roman sandals, but it looks like I'm 1900 years too late!

It's Epiphany in Rome and you know what that means: Romans and tourists alike stampede the retail stores for the annual slashed price shopping sales. The government sanctioned event is an attempt to quell the restless strike-prone inhabitants of Rome, and it usually works.


 We decided to turn back the clock and explore the first shopping mall ever built, ancient Trajan's Market (113 A.D.) Located on many levels of Quirinal Hill, the museum entrance is rather hidden at Via 4 Novembre #144 (+39 06 679 0048). It's just off Via Fori Imperiali and walking distance from practically anywhere in the Historic Center of Rome.  Presumably, vendors sold cash and carry type products like olives, wheat, cheese, etc. The market is excavated and documented with great clarity and sensitivity, but is woefully short on building ornaments, mosaics and statues that would contribute to imagining the atmosphere experienced by early Roman shopaholics.  The adjoining Temple of Trajan, once a spectacular edifice, also exists more as a monumental plan or outline, missing most of its columns, walls, roof, and statues to the great Deities of Shopping.  

So, question of the day: where did all the beautifully carved Roman capitals, sculptures of Hercules, Achilles, Caesar, etc., mosaics and ornaments go, for God's sake?  I know it's been about 1,500 years since the last gladiator cut out the heart of his defeated opponent in the Colosseum, but still... It's no use simply blaming the British Museum or Napoleon when apparently, the problem started the minute the Roman Empire went out of business. Early medieval Christian sects, and just regular folks who wanted to live in a townhouse, moved into the Colosseum or built their dream houses atop the forums (fori) using the materials at hand. From the XVth century to the XVIIIth century, Popes used the Colosseum (read: worthless pagan real estate) as their private quarry. Also, the noble families of Rome could buy stones at bargain prices from the Papacy and build what would become the essential destinations on every contemporary tourist's itinerary such as Palazzo Farnese, Palazzo Barberini, the Palazzi Senatoria dei Conservatori on Capitoline Hill among others.    

The Popes didn't stop at dismantling the Colosseum and the forums when they had the Pantheon just up the street. It's well documented that Pope Urban VIII (born Maffeo Barberini, Pope1623-1644) stripped all the bronze from the portico ceiling of the Pantheon to manufacture canons to fortify Castel Sant'Angelo.  Experts have been arguing for years as to whether there was  enough left over to cast Bernini's opulent baldacchino in St. Peter's Basilica or was that just a vicious rumor? Urban VIII earned the famous Roman proverb: "What the barbarians did not do, the Barberini's did".

Back to our Mercati di Traiano. The Quirinal Hill is a spectacular site from which to view Rome, especially the dramatic weather changes. It is a pleasure to pick your way along the paths that climb up and down the many levels of this large structure which housed administrative offices of the government on the top floors and placed the vender's stalls below, closer to street level. The only big difference between this ancient mall and our megamalls today  seems to be that there were no public bathrooms, or at least they are not indicated on the museum's elaborate plan. That would have cramped any woman's shopping style.  

Stunning fragment on display in the museum - wish there were more

Beautifully detailed example of what was hauled away by those with discerning taste

Looking across Via Fori Imperiali towards Paltine Hill and Capitoline Hill and wishing Mayor Bloomberg were here to pull the plug on that muzak.

There is one other element I should mention. If you visit on a Sunday, the large boulevard in front of Trajan's Temple and Market, the Via dei Fori Imperiali is closed to traffic so that pedestrians can have a lovely "passeggiata" (a promenade with swarms of Romans pushing strollers and tourists eating junk food). Since there are no "quality of life" laws, we could hear a Peruvian folk band blasting on an endless loop something that sounded like Paul Simon's old song "If I could...I'd rather be snail, etc." (which he presumably lifted from a Peruvian folk melody). So, this bizarre background muzak in Rome turned out to be just like the bizarre background muzak we find in a real mall in America today! Oh, and watch for the exhibition tango dancers!

If you are hungry after this, follow us to the refined tastes of  Roscioli Restaurant on Via dei Giubbonari 21, 00186 Rome. 39 06 687 5387.  They specialize in carefully curated prosciutto selections along with the finest Italian cheeses.  Their delicate pastas also contrast deliciously with some of the old fashioned Roman standards. Moderately expensive. 

Roscioli Restaurant
loved eating in the wine cave in the basement

Photos by Waldemar Kalinowski