Roman Stars and Renaissance Skies:
Astronomy, History & Italy

with Dr. E.C. Krupp, Director, Griffith Observatory
Co-sponsored by a U.C.L.A. Extension field study tour
November 6-20, 2004

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The world’s oldest constellation globe, Galileo’s telescope, and cathedrals that doubled as solar observatories all tell us Italy has energized the development of astronomy for more than two thousand years. This rich celestial heritage is showcased in an itinerary of monuments and museums in Rome, Marino, Nemi, Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, Cumae, Caprarola, Florence, Pisa, and Bologne. The sky’s impact on culture, from ancient Mithraic belief to Dante’s Divine Comedy, is featured along with the astronomy’s history under Italian skies.

Highlights of the tour’s evocative and compelling attractions include the Forum—the center of the Roman Empire, the monumental remains of the giant sundial Augustus Caesar built in Campus Martius, the astronomically symbolic Mithraic sanctuaries in Rome, Marino, and Santa Maria Capua Vetere, the miraculously preserved towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum—both devasted by volcanic eruption, the Temple of Diana at Nemi, the elegant temples dedicated to Olympian gods at Paestum, the oracular seat of the Sibyl of Cumae, Galileo’s telescope and all of the other wonders of Florence, museum collections enriched with celestially-tempered artifacts from antiquity to the Renaissance, and inscribed floor meridians that brought high-precision astronomy into the church.

ITINERARY:
(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

DAY 1, Saturday, 6 November: Depart from Chicago on American Airlines non-stop flight to Rome, Italy.

DAY 2: Sunday, 7 November: Arrive into Rome and transfer to the hotel. After lunch and a rest, depart for Marino, one of the 13 towns in the Castelli Romani, about 17 miles south of Rome. The region is famous for its wines and a yearly wine festival. Here we will see an intact fresco of Mithras in a billowing, star-studded cape that wardrobes the cosmic god with the vault of the sky. Continue through the Alban Hills to Lake Nemi and the ruins of the famous Temple of Diana, with which Sir James George Frazer leveraged The Golden Bough, his massive, multi-volume study of magic, nature myth, and the seasonally-slain god. Return to Rome late in the afternoon. Overnight in Rome for four nights. (L)

DAY 3, Monday, 8 November: Begin an all-day encounter with the antiquities of Rome at the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, created in the Renaissance by Michelangelo from what had been the Baths of Diocletian. There inspect the meridian inscribed by Francesco Bianchini to make observations of the sun and stars. Continue walking to the Forum of Republican Rome, the hub of the Eternal City, to which all roads led. Business, law, ritual, and politics were conducted in this center of public life. Some of the highlights include the Temple of Saturn, the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Vesta and House of the Vestal Virgins, and numerous basilicas. Climb Capitoline Hill for lunch in the new Caffé Capitolino, which possesses one of the most appealing views in the world. The Temple of Jupiter once occupied the summit and was the center of the center. In the afternoon, examine the holdings of the Capitoline Museums (including the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo). Their astounding collections include paintings by masters from the fourteenth through the seventeenth centuries, and the ancient sculpture includes representations of many of the old gods, philosophers, and rulers of Rome. The famous Etruscan bronze sculpture of the She-wolf is here with the sculptures of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, that were added two thousand years later. Continue walking to the Palazzo di Montecitorio, which now hosts the Egyptian obelisk that fulfilled the duties of the gnomon in the giant Augustan sundial originally installed on the Campus Martius. Underground excavations at the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, one of Rome’s oldest churches, exposed a small portion of the sundial’s huge grid. The round, domed Pantheon, perhaps the best preserved building of ancient Rome, is also in this neighborhood. It operated as a temple for all of the gods and is lit inside by the circular aperture at the top of the dome. At day’s end, an elegant local restaurant is the setting for a Welcome Dinner. (B/L/D)

DAY 4: Tuesday, 9 November: Underground antiquities start the day. The mithraeum in the basement of the Basilica of San Clemente includes a famous altar with a relief of Mithra and his two torchbearers. Celestial emblems, part of Mithraic symbolism, are visible in the sanctuary. Ancient Roman houses, hidden below ground for centuries, are recently open to the public. The morning ends at Domus Aurea, the huge palace Emperor Nero built after he fiddled for the fire in 64 A.D. After lunch, visit the Imperial Forum, dodge lions and gladiators in the Colosseum, and walk the ancient shopping mall, the Markets of Trajan. The Arch of Constantine and Trajan’s Column are in the same vicinity. (B/L)

DAY 5: Wednesday, 10 November: The diverse and spectacular treasures of the Vatican Museums command the morning. From the Cortile delia Pigna, the Tower of the Winds, which houses the floor meridian linked with Pope Gregory’s reformation of the calendar, is visible. Mythological themes and celestial symbolism can be seen throughout the museum from all eras of Rome’s multimillennium past. In the afternoon, visit the Museo della Civiltà Romana, at EUR (Esposizione di Roma) in Rome’s southern suburbs for a collection that explores the development of Rome from its origin to the end of the Empire. The museum includes a large scale model of Rome in the time of emperor Constantine. (B/L)

DAY 6: Thursday, 11 November: Depart Rome, south toward Naples, for the town of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which possesses a Roman amphitheater from the first century A.D. It was ancient Italy’s second largest venue for spectacle after the Colosseum. The mithraeum, built in the second and third centuries A.D. has well-preserved Mithraic frescoes. After lunch, continue to Naples for the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, which houses one of the most significant collections of antiquities in the world. Although many objects here command our interest, including frescoes from Pompeii, our primary objective is the Farnese Atlas, a sculpture of the titan Atlas bearing the load of the celestial sphere. This globe has the oldest surviving depictions of the constellations of Western tradition. The museum’s Salone della Meridiana was originally intended to be part of an eighteenth-century observatory. The project was abandoned, and the floor meridian is now part of a library. If time permits, underground Naples will also be visited. Continue to the picturesque coast of Sorrento, where we spend the next three nights. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B/L/D)

DAY 7: Friday, 12 November: Pompeii, a world-treasure of archaeology, is the day’s primary destination. At the foot of Mount Vesuvius, the town was buried in stone and ash from the eruption in 79 A.D. and lost until the seventeenth century. As the layers of ash were removed, a remarkably preserved wealthy city of ancient Rome was revealed. Temples, public squares, and businesses all are encountered on the streets of Pompeii, and the Villa of the Mysteries, with its bright and colorful paintings of enigmatic rituals of Dionysus, is part of the tour. Nearby, the Villa Poppea at Oplontis also was buried by Vesuvius, but the wall paintings commissioned by its wealthy owner are now again visible. In the afternoon, drive to Herculaneum to view another victim of Vesuvius. It was covered by flows of lava and mud that wrapped and sealed the town for nearly two millennia. Now stunning mosaics, frescoes, woodwork, and furniture, are again on view. With permission, see by special opening, the Villa dei Papyri, the inspiration for the Getty museum in Malibu. Normally the Villa dei Papyri is closed to the public. (B/L)

DAY 8: Saturday, 13 November: Depart south from Sorrento for an all-day excursion that begins at Paestum, with its three extremely fine Greek temples, and then returns north of Naples, to Cumae, where the Sibyl provided oracular data to those seeking answers to tough questions. Settled by the Greeks around 600 B.C., Paestum became a Roman colony in the third century B.C. Its elegant Doric temples were dedicated to Apollo or Zeus, to Ceres, and to Hera. Cumae, on the Ischian coast, also began as a Greek settlement and is the oldest archaeological site in Italy. The site is complex, with numerous temples, and the monumental and peculiar rock-cut Grotto of the Sibyl, although identified as the Sibyl’s chambers, likely was something else. The entrance to Hell is also nearby, at Lake Averno. Return to Sorrento. (B/L)

DAY 9: Sunday, 14 November: Depart Sorrento and continue north of Rome to Caprarola, a medieval village where the Villa Farnese was built for a wealthy Roman family in the sixteenth century. Our principal objective at the Palazzo Farnese is the astronomical ceiling in the Sala del Mappamundo. It depicts a sky full of constellation figures in glorious technicolor. Stop for lunch at Lago di Vico, three miles west of Caprarola. According to tradition, Hercules created the lake by smashing his club into the ground. Continue to Florence, where we spend the next two nights. (B/L)

DAY 10: Monday, 15 November: Take Florence entirely on foot today for visits to some of the world’s most memorable places. At the church of Santa Maria Novella, Ignatio Danti, in the sixteenth century, installed astronomical instruments (armillary sphere and quadrant) and a floor meridian. Another gorgeous meridian was introduced into Santa Maria del Fiore by Paolo del Pozzo Toscanelli in 1475. Its restoration in 1755 prompted Jérome Lalande to praise it as “the most beautiful monument to astronomy in the world.” The Piazza della Signoria, a magnificent outdoor gallery for sculpture, is where Michelangelo’s David orignally stood, but the spot is now marked with a replica. Cellini’s Perseus invokes constellation myth. The Uffizi Gallery’s collection of art spans the centuries, and includes work by Giotto, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, and more. Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus is a charmer. The Vassari Corridor connects the Uffizi Gallery, once the offices of the Medici family, with the Palazzo Pitti, which was the primary residence of the rulers of Florence after 1550. The Vassari Corridor also passes above the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence and an icon of the city. Dinner at a specially selected local restaurant. (B/L/D)

DAY 11: Tuesday, 16 November: Encounter Galileo’s telescope and other historic instruments at the Museum of the History of Science (Museo di Storia della Scienza). Primarily a shrine to Galileo and his unprecedented contributions to scientific observation and experiment, the museum also commemorates Florence’s sponsorship of science and learned inquiry. Continue to the Galleria dell’Accademia, where the original David, by Michelangelo is now displayed along with other celebrated art by Botticelli and many others. Many other sculptures by Michelangelo are also here. At the Church of Santa Croce, we’ll pay our artistic, literary, scientific, and political respects at the tombs of Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo, and Machiavelli. Dinner in one of Florence’s wonderful restaurants. (B/L/D)

DAY 12: Wednesday, 17 November: The day begins with an ancient perspective at the Museo Archeologico, which displays Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities. After lunch, drive through the lovely Tuscan countryside to Pisa and a legendary site of science history, the Leaning Tower. Struggling to keep its footing on the lovely Piazza dei Miracoli, it occupies unreliabl,e ground with other significant architectural monuments. The Leaning Tower is the fabled spot where Galileo dropped objects of different weight and demonstrated they are accelerated identically. The Cathedral, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, the Baptisery, and other landmarks are on the agenda. Continue to the Piazza dei Cavalieri, which is home for the prestigious Scuolla Normale Superiore college. If time permits, a short stop in Vinci, on the way back to Florence, will provide an opportunity for an homage to a genunie Renaissance man. Among his less well-known endeavors are the earliest known drawings of surface features on the face of the moon. (B/L)

DAY 13: Thursday, 18 November: Drive north of Florence to Bologne, now a red-brick city packed with palaces. It is home for Europe’s oldest university. The primary objective in Bologne is San Petronio, a grand medieval brick church founded in 1390. The meridian line placed into the floor in 1655 by the astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini cuts between the massive columns. It was a marvel of instrumentation that made a solar observatory out of a cathedral. Return to Florence. (B/L)

DAY 14: Friday, 19 November: Depart Florence for Rome. In the afternoon, after arrival, see the subterranean mithraeum discovered in 1958 beneath the church of Santa Prisca. A sculpture of Mithras slaying the bull, frescoes, and a reclining figure of Saturn are to be seen. Time permitting, we’ll stop at a few more wonders of ancient Rome. Overnight in Rome after gathering in the evening for the Arrivaderci Roma Dinner Party in one of Rome’s elegant restaurants. (B/L/D)

DAY 15: Saturday, 20 November: After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport and fly non-stop, via American Airlines, to Chicago. 

TRIP LEADER

E.C. Krupp, PhD is Director of Griffith Observatory. He is the author of Skywatchers, Shamans, & Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power, Beyond the Blue Horizon, Echoes of the Ancient Skies, The Comet and You, The Moon and You, The Big Dipper and You, and The Rainbow and You; editor and coauthor of In Search of Ancient Astronomies and Archaeoastronomy and the Roots of Science; contributing editor with a monthly column on astronomy and culture in Sky & Telescope magazine; frequent lecturer and veteran leader of UCLA Extension field study tours. A popular lecturer on archaeoastronomy, Dr. Krupp has visited more than 1700 ancient and prehistoric sites throughout the world.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
Register for this Trip

2004 TRIP DATES: No trips currently scheduled

2004 TRIP COST:
(per person, double occupancy, land only)
Includes round-trip international airfare from Chicago to Rome; all hotels; meals as noted; tips to guides and drivers; and land and air transportation within Italy.

COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: the UCLA enrollment fee of $260.00; passport or visa fees; beverage or food not on regular menus; departure, visa, or airport taxes; laundry, excess baggage charges, and other items of a personal nature.

2004 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $675.00

NOTE: This price is based on the euro not going above 1.20 US dollars. If the value of the euro against the US dollar increases, the price of the trip must also rise.

NOTE ON GROUP AIR: We have contracted international air from Chicago on American Airlines non-stop flight to Rome. The itinerary follows:

TO REGISTER: As this is co-sponsored with UCLA Extension, all registrations must be made with UCLA. To register, send in the UCLA enrollment fee of $260.00 (made out to the Regents of UC) noting that it is for the tour to Italy (reg# Q4430U) with UCLA Extension. This enrollment fee includes tuition, instruction, and instructional materials. Enrollment Fee does not include transportation, meals, accommodations, and other program expenses.

Refund of the UCLA Extension Enrollment Fee: A written refund request for the UCLA Extension enrollment fee must be postmarked or phoned in by June 12. Prior to this date, a refund less $50 service charge will be granted.

No one under the age of 18 may enroll without consent: Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Call (310) 825-7093 for further information.

UCLA ENROLLMENT:
By Phone: For your convenience, enrollment may be charged on MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover. Call (310) 825-9971 or (818) 784-7006.
By Fax: Send completed enrollment form with charge card information and authorizing signature to (310) 206-3223.
Via Internet: Point your Web browser to www.unex.ucla.edu for full information about our courses. Complete the enrollment form for secure registration.

FAR HORIZONS REGISTRATION: A deposit of $500.00 is required along with your registration form. Final payment is due 75 days before departure on August 23, 2004. Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will result in an administrative fee of $250.00.

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS: Cancellations received less than 75 days before departure will not receive a refund. If for any reason you are unable to complete the tour, we will not reimburse any fees. The purchase of travel protection with both trip cancellation and emergency evaluation is strongly recommended.

Upon receipt of your deposit and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and a clothing and equipment list. An information book designed for this trip, including maps of archaeological sites and articles of pertinent interest, will be sent upon receipt of final payment.

Click here for a printable Registration Form.