Saturday, July 23, 2011

Albenga

Took a side-trip to Albenga, a town built on the ruins of an old encampment where a Roman legion was stationed. The river has filled in the sea with sediment, so the encampment, which must have been on the coast back in the second century, is a bit inland now. It took a $1.80 train ride to get there.

Piazza and tower
The town is laid out on a very regular grid. The Romans apparently loved 90 degree angles.

Piazza in the afternoon sun.
I imagine this is where the legions lined up millenia ago
It's hard to walk around this town and not imagine the ancient legion running around, with their cool helmets and regalia, 2000 years ago. Was the weather the same? (I looked around online, and it's hard to tell but it seems to not have changed much on the average) Did the place look the same with the vegetation? (Quite likely, though it may have been more forested back then) Did they eat the same food? (What did the Italians eat prior to the introduction of the tomato and pasta?). Did they have the same kinds of worries? Also, was that particular legion ever decimated -- a Roman punishment levied against an underperforming legion where everyone lines up on the square and every 10th legionnaire is killed -- and if so, did it happen in that town square?

Passageways

I think the doorway mentions the year 145

There is an undersea museum which showcases the remains of a Roman merchant vessel that have been dug up from where it sank, a mile offshore and in 42m of water. Certainly worth the 3 euro admission fee.

Countless people must have spent hours in this bathyscaphe
while excavating the ship underwater


Roman anchors were made of two heavy stones conjoined by some heavy wood.
It's an ingenious design.

Amphorae that carried high-quality wine

Scale model of the Roman merchant vessel that sank

Just outside the museum, near a church, came across a large family that had gathered for the baptism of their toddler in a Roman baptistery that dates back to the 5th century, the earliest days of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The river has deposited so much sand that the baptistery is now 10 feet below ground level.
The clergy dress code has not changed much since the 5th century.
But the subjects now support hair gel (on the baby) and tights (on the mother).


Just outside the encampment area, there were a bunch of people selling second-hand goods on the street.

He promises that, with this equipment, you can go very deep and stay there for a long time.


Here's a unique take-off on General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard. It actually said "General Lee" on the  other side of the Vespa.

All in all, Albenga is a quaint town that's definitely worth the side trip for anyone in the region.

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