WHERE IS PERUGIA?
written by Sergio Caggìa with Paul Gwynne for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

Do you remember Baloo the bear in Walt Disney's Jungle Book mimicking the panter Baghira saying: "How do you think he'll survive?? ...Wadd ya mean, How do you think he'll survive ??!" and his comical expression while saying it? Well, this is just what I did when I heard the question on the news "Where is Perugia?"...and I: "Wadd ya mean 'where is Perugia?' !", wits may reply "about three hours north of Rome!" but this news item concerned not the capital of Umbria but the disappearance of a huge statue from the Foro Italico. All the monumental statues of the athlets around the Stadio dei Marmi are named after the provinces of Italy (only five are anonymus), and the missing piece is colled Perugia. Apparently no-one noticed when this colossal marble statue went walk about (it was there in the 70s!!) and the mustery has suddenly become news. This curious event, however, has given me the chance to write an article that I have been thinking about for a while. The Foro Italico, although created during the fascist era, today can be conidered an open-air museum. A visit to this site is of certain interest. Walking around the visitor is struck by the space and the contrasting colours, the white marble and the green grass. Of particular interest are the mosaics inspired by ancient Roman ones like those at Pliny's Villa at Castel Porziano (by the coast, just south of the town of Ostia) found among the excavations ordered by Mussolini himself. It's curious to see how, in similar style, modern scenes have been reproduced (like "Workers riding on a truck" which can be found on the main alley). Along this way (Viale del Foro Italico) can be seen big marble blocks onto which have been engraved descriptions of crucial events from that period of Italian history. The huge obelisk there, is remarcable for being a single piece of marble! This arrived at the port of Ostia by boat, and was pulled to its present position by teams of men and oxen! The effects of time can be noticed at its base. While the surrounding area has sunken, its base has remained stable and a circle break line can be seen around its perimeter. The whole area has recently been restored and is worth a visit no matter whether tha politics of this Era were questionable.