Blogging from Vicenza, Italy on November 15, 2019
Bloggers: Shawn and Leo
Steps taken: 12,000 steps
Today we said goodbye to Doctor Arik and Professor Bradley. We had breakfast with the pair before sending them off in their cab. It’s been a great week with the two of them and we all learned why Professor Bradley is such a legend at Dartmouth.
Shortly after their departure, we too got back on the road. We left dear Ravenna and made our way north. Our first stop was at the Basilica of Santa Apollinaire in Classe. The mosaics on the apse are some of the finest we have seen, and that’s really saying something! The beautiful gold tesserae glittered around the head of Apollinaire, who is flanked by 12 sheep, symbolic of the 12 disciples. Above him is a transfiguration scene where Moses and Elijah speak with Christ on the hilltop. And in the Triumphal arch is a medallion of Christ flanked by the four Evangelists. This 6th century church was put into context with the Basilica of St. Martin’s to understand how exactly the mosaics would have looked in program. Since at St. Apollinaire, the mosaic is only preserved in the apse, and at St. Martin’s the mosaic is only preserved on the nave, and even at St. Sabina’s where the mosaic is only preserved on the back wall, we have to use our mind’s eye to combine the mosaic program to get a full understanding of what these early Christian Basilicas may have looked like in their prime.
After departing from Classe we made our way to Comachio, a small, canal city that boasts a small museum with an incredible find. Being a Roman port city, many Roman ships came in and out of the area, but not all made it safely to their destination. An Augustan age river boat that was also sea worthy was found with its load completely undisturbed, covered by the silt that is deposited along the coast. Because of the anaerobic conditions created by the silt layer, much of the organic material was preserved, including ropes, wooden pullies, leather bags, and of course, the boat itself. The museum was small, but definitely worth the stop. Afterwards, we ate lunch in town and then made our way to our final destination, Vicenzia. Professor Ulrich gave us plenty of time to go explore, but most of us decided to stay inside and work on our blogs because of the buckets of water being dumped from the sky. The beautiful architecture of the city will have to wait another day!