Summer; summer, summer, summer...
-lyrics from 'Summer' by The Cars...
Well, summer is finally here and I am loving the new pool that the 24 Hour Fitness has built complete with the chaise lounge chairs and such. Still working on the quicker underwater lap times, my personal goal is to be able to comfortably go back and forth an olympic lane underwater on one breath (I'm about 1.4 lengths on a good try now).
Thinking about pool related stuff reminded me of an excursion to Tivoli and Villa Hadriana outside of Rome, where they have a two thousand year old swimming pool. Notice that it needs a better pump / skimmer combination, and probably a bit more chlorine. I tried to test the water for them with my little travel kit, but the guards got angry for some reason.
And here is an aerial shot of Hadrian's villa... Keep in mind that people were physically smaller back then.
Here is a picture of some archeologists I met that were digging on the grounds of Hadrian's villa. What a dream job that would be, I need to double check my application for fieldwork here so I can also do this. In a different spot of ground, of course because they archeaologized the heck out of this spot.
I very much enjoyed Villa d'Este in Tivoli. It is a huge mansion house built in the neoclassical tradition and has hundreds of interesting carved fountains in its unique gardens. On the typical 'grand tour', tourists would stop here in the eighteenth century. I stood on the exact spot that George Inness painted his 'View of Rome From Tivoli', which now hangs in the Dallas Museum of Art.
Hopefully, everyone else is having fun with the start of summer (and if you live in Australia, to effing bad, hahahaaaaa!). Just kidding, I hope you can jump on a plane and fly somewhere nice.
Now if you will excuse me, I have to put on the sunblock and stake out my favorite chair by the pool.
L'estate è qui, finalmente! Tempo per nuotare e divertirsi... Proprio come Adriano, nella sua piscina disgustoso senza cloro. :)
postscritto - Mi sono divertita a Villa d'Este e le fontane oltra volta.
