Alba Fucens
Another 7:30am bus trip. Stopped for a bar & bathroom break in San Cosimato, where someone found a porchetta stand:
Pretty view of Licenza:
And the so-called "Fons Bandusiae" (a spring Horace addresses in his odes which might have actually been in Apulia):
On to Alba Fucens. On the way there, we stopped at an Autogrill. While we were inside, a pair of police officers decided to wander over to our bus and check Carlo's logbook. Turns out he drove a half-hour overtime a week ago. That meant a half-hour filling out paperwork and a fine (which he pays, since he owns the business with his brother Fabio). We still arrived at Alba Fucens with plenty of time for a picnic lunch.
Saw this critter (click for larger image):
Then we were split into groups for our "autoptic exercise" (which is really just a fancy way of saying "let's see what we can tell about this site by looking at it"). Our group found the suspensurae of a hypocaust (technology for heating a room):
Technically the suspensurae really just elevate the floor, which could have served to keep grain dry instead of heating the place, but then we found an ancient flue:
So we had baths on our hands. In the middle of figuring out the second area assigned to us, it poured for about 15 minutes. Our group found a tree to stand under, and I found this little guy:
The temple off of our second area:
The second area, showing evidence of an altar, a groove for draining water, and a double portico (we figured "large public space" - it turns out to have been possibly a sheep market):
Then we found the amphitheatre, and certain people proceeded to do a re-enactment:
View of the site from the
The Circus Maximus (as we passed it from the bus on the way home):
Bus driver: Carlo
Free time!
Strolled around Trastevere for two hours, picking up pizza and gelato on the way.
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