Rome Journal II - Trekking around Trastevere

Two weeks have passed since my last posting, and we will be leaving this coming Monday. Time to take stock. We did not get down to central Rome as often as I would have liked, but we have spent the time profitably visiting some of the lesser known museums and getting to know Trastevere very well. The only classical collection we saw apart from that at the Palazzo Massimo was the statuary at the Museo Barracco. The Museo was closed for many years, so my recollection of the pieces is rather dim, but I thought there had been more than were on display. The organization of the collection is chronological--the collector wanted to have examples of statuary illustrating all phases of Greek sculpture from the archaic age through the Hellenistic. Unfortunately, most of the examples were Roman copies of Greek originals. I'm not sure what purpose is served by showing two duplicates of the Doryphoros. That said, however, I noticed three different objects, all unique iconographically as far as I know, with the same subject--hermaphrodites. In a limited collection, three unusual pieces on the same theme (obviously a questionable one in the late nineteenth century) raise an eyebrow. I can't help thinking of the Warren Cup, especially since one of the items, a marble relief of a dancing hermaphrodite, reminded me instantly of a better-known image of a dancing maenad. We also saw the Brueghel exhibition at the Bramante Cloister, the collection of Renaissance art at the Palazzo Corsini, and the Raphael frescoes at the Villa Farnesina. In passing, let me mention that the "Corsini cup", a first-century CE silver cup from Arezzo on display at the Palazzo, has handles quite similar to those of the Warren Cup. One wonders about these nineteenth-century private collections. The really interesting thing we've been doing, though, is exploring Trastevere. There are an amazing number of small shops tucked around corners selling one-of-a-kind things--sandals made to order, clothing designed by the owner, antiques--though, again, buyer beware--and foods of all kinds. To top it all off, not one but two English bookshops, one new and one used. I have to tell about my experience in the used bookshop. Went there by myself late Saturday afternoon and was greeted by a British lady--not the shop manager, but someone who was watching the premises while he went out to buy cigarettes. When I said I would wait for him, she immediately introduced me to her puppy Nell, a three-month-old Jack Russell. While Nell proceeded to investigate the premises, finding things to drag around, her owner and I had a great conversation about books, especially Donna Leon mysteries. The shop is called Open Door, and it's right on Via Lungaretta--although they don't post their hours, it has indeed been open every time I've passed it. This trip, then, has been an introduction to Trastevere, which I had never really gotten to know before, despite staying on the Gianicolo so often in past summers. When I was living alone in one of Franco's apartments, Saturday evenings and all day Sundays were pretty dull. If I had caught the bus to Trastevere I could have done some shopping even in the evenings. So I wish I had known about the district earlier, but, in any case, I'm glad I've had the chance to visit now.