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Issue # 278, December 28, 2024. Trieste and Aquileia, Italy
Journal, December 28, 2024. Trieste and Aquileia, Italy
We had a full day yesterday, for sure. The decisions of what to do involved some negotiation. I made my bid for visiting Aquileia, the UNESCO World Heritage site, that Mom had been to, suggesting it could reveal to us a window into ancient Roman culture. This plan was met with some resistance from Orion, who thought it was too far away, and it would cost too much: he quoted a train price to get there of $50 per person (one way) which would have meant $400.
I questioned that estimate. For the first time on the trip, I started doing my own research on costs. My calculations were that using a combined bus and train trip to get out there, it would take one hour and 23 minutes, and cost not more than 14.5 euros each, there and back (a distance of about 51 km).
Orion had used an incorrect train station to base his calculation on, which he later realized. But, he thought walking around Roman ruins would not be so great, preferring to explore Trieste.
Given that we were so close to the cultural richness of Aquileia, I persisted. The ancient cathedral (Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta) with its incredible mosaic floor, protected with a transparent walkway above, seemed itself worth the trip, not to mention the old Roman seaport.
Early Christianity spread to the rest of Europe largely through this spot. Aquileia was also a crucial trading hub for Europe, bringing goods in from Asia. All this gave me more incentive to push for going there; Phoenix was even game, a surprise to me, since he announced before we even left that he was not going to be interested in seeing anything historical. Paige voiced support for the endeavor of getting out to see the place.
Orion agreed, and the plan was set for us to leave (according to Google Maps), exactly at 10:45 AM, with a plan to make connecting stops. We even left a few minutes early, walking out the door and catching the first bus to the train station on time.
However, once at the train station, we only had a nine-minute window to catch the correct train. We started to panic, realizing that we also had to buy a ticket; we could not get the ticket machine to dispense any tickets at all, with only had a minute before the train left. Phoenix spotted the correct platform we needed - number one - so we ran inside to get it, jumping on board without any ticket. Nobody even collected tickets.
So, in a weird way, we did not incur at any cost at all for this leg of the journey. Arriving at the correct station, we walked for another 15 minutes to another bus stop, then caught a bus that took us the rest of the way.
Aquileia used to be a Roman trading port, where, by going up the Natissa River, 42 meters wide, ships bringing goods from abroad could sail directly inland, in a protected port, after sailing all the way up the Adriatic Sea.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta was originally constructed in the 4th century BC, and has since been rebuilt. The mosaics inside, which are spectacular, date to the same era.
We obtained tickets first and then ate our picnic lunch outside, sitting at an available table (but pissing of a waitress, who assumed we wanted to buy a meal). We quickly moved away, misunderstanding the apparent availability of outdoor tables. I wanted to avoid a hungry family at the beginning of an archaeological tour, which can be a real problem.
We figured out how to connect our phones to the audio tour, so we were able to gain insight into the place without having a tour guide. Inside the basilica, the transparent walkway allowed us examine the art and iconography of the mosaics from above, and we followed along the tour, learning what life was like for those distant humans.
It was a lovely day, and once outside we checked out the cemetery, then walked alongside the path where the seaport had been built. So much of the seaport’s foundations remain. No longer are they right next to the water, but set back so one can see the remnants of what the port had been like, great blocks of stone that lined the riverbank, making a place for ships to dock.
The afternoon light created soft shadows among the verdant grassy bank, which now surrounded and contained these ancient structures, now silent, but clearly very much alive hundreds of years ago.
We made a big loop, walking past another site, the Archaeological Area of Aquileia, and ended our day at the Museum of Archaeology, where we were able to explore the mostly-empty museum and take a deep dive into the ancient artifacts of Aquileia. We each charted our own path to see the objects inside.
We sat on the sunny back porch of the museum and ate the remainder of our food: tomatoes, oranges, small biscuits and pistachios, thus ensuring an even keel of mind for wandering about the museum. I did a sketch of a bust of Jupiter, originally erected at front of one of the palaces.
Our route back to Trieste involved only buses, as the trains were not working, so the return trip took over an hour; but we found a place nearby to eat, the Legend Pub, where the kids were regaled with hamburgers.
Journal, December 28, 2024. Trieste and Aquileia, Italy
We had a full day yesterday, for sure. The decisions of what to do involved some negotiation. I made my bid for visiting Aquileia, the UNESCO World Heritage site, that Mom had been to, suggesting it could reveal to us a window into ancient Roman culture. This plan was met with some resistance from Orion, who thought it was too far away, and it would cost too much: he quoted a train price to get there of $50 per person (one way) which would have meant $400.
I questioned that estimate. For the first time on the trip, I started doing my own research on costs. My calculations were that using a combined bus and train trip to get out there, it would take one hour and 23 minutes, and cost not more than 14.5 euros each, there and back (a distance of about 51 km).
Orion had used an incorrect train station to base his calculation on, which he later realized. But, he thought walking around Roman ruins would not be so great, preferring to explore Trieste.
Given that we were so close to the cultural richness of Aquileia, I persisted. The ancient cathedral (Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta) with its incredible mosaic floor, protected with a transparent walkway above, seemed itself worth the trip, not to mention the old Roman seaport.
Early Christianity spread to the rest of Europe largely through this spot. Aquileia was also a crucial trading hub for Europe, bringing goods in from Asia. All this gave me more incentive to push for going there; Phoenix was even game, a surprise to me, since he announced before we even left that he was not going to be interested in seeing anything historical. Paige voiced support for the endeavor of getting out to see the place.
Orion agreed, and the plan was set for us to leave (according to Google Maps), exactly at 10:45 AM, with a plan to make connecting stops. We even left a few minutes early, walking out the door and catching the first bus to the train station on time.
However, once at the train station, we only had a nine-minute window to catch the correct train. We started to panic, realizing that we also had to buy a ticket; we could not get the ticket machine to dispense any tickets at all, with only had a minute before the train left. Phoenix spotted the correct platform we needed - number one - so we ran inside to get it, jumping on board without any ticket. Nobody even collected tickets.
So, in a weird way, we did not incur at any cost at all for this leg of the journey. Arriving at the correct station, we walked for another 15 minutes to another bus stop, then caught a bus that took us the rest of the way.
Aquileia used to be a Roman trading port, where, by going up the Natissa River, 42 meters wide, ships bringing goods from abroad could sail directly inland, in a protected port, after sailing all the way up the Adriatic Sea.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta was originally constructed in the 4th century BC, and has since been rebuilt. The mosaics inside, which are spectacular, date to the same era.
We obtained tickets first and then ate our picnic lunch outside, sitting at an available table (but pissing of a waitress, who assumed we wanted to buy a meal). We quickly moved away, misunderstanding the apparent availability of outdoor tables. I wanted to avoid a hungry family at the beginning of an archaeological tour, which can be a real problem.
We figured out how to connect our phones to the audio tour, so we were able to gain insight into the place without having a tour guide. Inside the basilica, the transparent walkway allowed us examine the art and iconography of the mosaics from above, and we followed along the tour, learning what life was like for those distant humans.
It was a lovely day, and once outside we checked out the cemetery, then walked alongside the path where the seaport had been built. So much of the seaport’s foundations remain. No longer are they right next to the water, but set back so one can see the remnants of what the port had been like, great blocks of stone that lined the riverbank, making a place for ships to dock.
The afternoon light created soft shadows among the verdant grassy bank, which now surrounded and contained these ancient structures, now silent, but clearly very much alive hundreds of years ago.
We made a big loop, walking past another site, the Archaeological Area of Aquileia, and ended our day at the Museum of Archaeology, where we were able to explore the mostly-empty museum and take a deep dive into the ancient artifacts of Aquileia. We each charted our own path to see the objects inside.
We sat on the sunny back porch of the museum and ate the remainder of our food: tomatoes, oranges, small biscuits and pistachios, thus ensuring an even keel of mind for wandering about the museum. I did a sketch of a bust of Jupiter, originally erected at front of one of the palaces.
Our route back to Trieste involved only buses, as the trains were not working, so the return trip took over an hour; but we found a place nearby to eat, the Legend Pub, where the kids were regaled with hamburgers.
solo/group kukai
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen