villa dei quintili

today we roamed around the ruins of the villa dei quintili.  the quintili brothers were roman consuls in 151 AD.  they had the most lavish palaces outside of rome, set on the appian way.  from this site you can also view partial remains of the roman aqueduct.  

there is nothing particularly striking about the site except for it's age.  it's surrounded by modern rundown buildings, though you can see all the way to st. peter's basilica on a clear day.  you can also view several hilltowns in the distance.  what the place really reminds me of is garden of the gods in colorado springs.  going with that comparison, garden of the gods is much more moving to me because it comes from nature.  it's accidental.  

i have not found italy to be very inspiring.  partially, i imagine, because i have not felt well for most of my time here, but also because it just doesn't speak to me.  i thought it would.  i thought i'd stand in awe of the colosseum or be moved to tears by the renaissance art.  but nah, not so much!

food's good though, and going to the market every day is fun.

anxious, so very anxious, to get home to mmm and b.  will never leave either of them for this long ever again.