Pompeii - and the Villa of the Mysteries

Pompeii is one of those places on earth that has ghosts. You feel the past lingering on in so many ways. It's more than knowing that Vesuvius erupted in Aug of 79AD. Partially it's knowing that the city was encased in ash and somewhat preserved. Some of the feeling comes from seeing the casts of the people who were frozen in their deaths in ash. I think it's more, though, a sense of space and time that cross in some way to encourage a mystical feeling in the visitor. I would love to return to Pompeii.

The chariot ruts are clearly visable on the streets.

A crumbling relief visible in the baths.

The costly cinnabar pigment in the frescoes is still rich looking at the Villa of the Mysteries.

This poor man was frozen in the ash, then cast. He is now encased in glass in a courtyard along with another figure.

Ditta S. Poggi Art Supplies near the Pantheon in Rome

My one 'souvenir' from Rome was purchased at Ditta S. Poggi Art Supplies.
I fell in love with the restoration pigments they sell under the Poggi name. The names of the colors alone are enough to start a gals creative wheels spinning...Blu Ercolano, Giallo Margherita, Rosso Laccato, Blu Cobaltato, Verde Vagone. I also got one of the big sacks of Rosso Ercolano. It appears to be that red orange that I adore. We had been to Herculaneum (Ercolano) and had seen some of the frescos so it was exciting to find the names Ercolano in the pigments.

Fresco at Hercolaneum (Ercolano)

We stumbled on the shop accidentally on our way to the Pantheon. You can click on the photos to see them larger - the color is gorgeous.

Stacks of color - I wanted to move in to the shop.

The window was only a mild hint as to what was inside.

Frommer's Review of the store:

The best art supply store in Rome has been selling to artists since 1825. That makes it too young to have come to the aid of da Vinci or Michelangelo, but many of the most famous artists of the 19th and 20th centuries shopped here for materials to aid them in their art. There are a lot of one-of-a-kind items of interest to artists. The staff also organizes painting courses taught by skilled Roman artists.


Rome Review for the store:
Ditta Poggi (Pantheon):
February 4, 2007 12:25 by CharlieQ
Materials Worthy of the Masters

So you're a painter coming to Rome? Know this: Ditta Poggi is your Mecca for materials, as it was for such artists like Morandi, De Chirico, Guttuso, and, for me, the most notable, il grande Balthus! In fact, one of the "personaggi" (notable personalities) that work at Ditta Poggi is Memmo, the man who once personally prepared canvas with a special surface just for Balthus! Ask Memmo to tell you about it?he'll be happy to do so with a sparkle in his eye. In fact, look for a picture that might be hanging on the wall or sitting on an easel that shows Memmo at dinner with Balthus. Ditta Poggi has been around since 1825... and you can feel it. There is an energy to this place. Ragazzi, mi raccomando, while you are there getting supplies, take some time to absorb some of this "metaphysical mojo". It might pay off more than the materials.


Finding out the history of the shop fit in very well to the Rome experience. The new and the old layered on top of each other - a rich history with so much depth it is delicious. I wonder if Memmo was there that day? I'll never know, I'm just glad we found the shop.