Rambles in Rome: An Archæological and Historical Guide to the Museums, Galleries, Villas, Churches, and Antiquities of Rome and the CampagnaForbes, S. Russell
History
Rambles in Rome: An Archæological and Historical Guide to the Museums, Galleries, Villas, Churches, and Antiquities of Rome and the Campagna
Forbes, S. Russell
Art -- Rome; Rome (Italy) -- Guidebooks; Rome -- Antiquities
This ruin agrees exactly with the lower part of the Tomb of Porsena at
Clusium, described by Pliny (xxxvi. 19). He says: "But as the
fabulousness of the story connected with it quite exceeds all bounds,
I shall employ the words given by M. Varro himself in his account of
it. 'Porsena was buried,' says he, 'beneath the city of Clusium, in
the spot where he had constructed a square monument, built of squared
stones. Each side of this monument was 300 feet long and 50 feet high,
and beneath the base, which was also square, was an inextricable
labyrinth.... Above this square building there stood five
pyramids--one at each corner and one in the middle--75 feet broad at
the base and 150 feet in height,'" &c.
The present ruin is 49 feet long on each side and 24 feet high,
surmounted at the angles with four cones, and one larger, in the
centre, 26 feet in diameter, in which the urn was found in the last
century.
ARICCIA.
The ancient ascent to Ariccia was the Clivus Virbii, so called from
Hippolytus, who, on being restored to life by Diana, took the name of
Virbius.
"But Trivia kept in secret shades alone
Her care, Hippolytus, to fate unknown;
And called him Virbius in the Egerian Grove,
Where then he lived obscure, but safe from Jove."
VIRGIL, _Æneid_, vii. 774.
The ascent was a noted place for beggars, as recorded by Persius (Sat.
vi. 55) and Juvenal (Sat. iv.).
The village is three-quarters of a mile west from Albano, surrounded
by beautiful woods. At its entrance is the Palazzo Chigi, built by
Bernini, in the midst of a fine park; fee, half-franc. The ancient
town lay lower down the hill, where some of its remains can still be
traced. Horace (Lib. i. Sat. 5) tells us that for slow travellers it
was the first halting-place from Rome.
"Leaving imperial Rome, my course I steer
To poor Ariccia and its moderate cheer."
FRANCIS.
In the vale, just under the town, was the
TEMPLE OF DIANA ARICINA,
which Vitruvius (iv. 7) says was circular. The story of this temple is
given by several classic writers. "Hippolytus came into Italy and
dedicated the Temple of Aricina Diana. In this place, even at present,
those who are victors in a single contest have the office of priest to
the goddess given to them as a reward. This contest, however, is not
offered to any free person, but only to slaves who have fled from
their masters" (Pausanias, ii. 27). In 1791 a relief representing the
scene was found at the circular ruin, and is now at Palma in Majorca.
The temple was near a little stream from a source under the second
viaduct, known as the
FOUNTAIN OF EGERIA,
which supplies the lake. The nymph was overcome by the death of Numa,
as Ovid tells us: "Other woes, however, did not avail to diminish
Egeria's grief; and, lying down at the very foot of the mountain, she
melted into tears, until the sister of Apollo (Diana), moved to
compassion, made a cool fountain of her body, changed into perennial
waters."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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