Rus in Urbe I : the abandoned town of Galeria Antica

“This way to Galeria Antica (Dead City)”. April 2021.

I love cities. I also love sometimes not being in cities. In Rome both options are readily available. This is the first of a series of posts featuring my favourite non-urban areas in the city. The title “Rus in Urbe” (literally “the country in the city”) comes from Martial’s somewhat envious description of his friend Sparsus’ house:

Its ground floor looks down on the heights of the hills; it's a country estate, but in town–your vineyard's worked by a Roman, and yet Falernian slopes don't yield a bigger vintage; a broad driveway for your runabout loops through your front porch; and at the heart of the place, you sleep in peace and quiet. Martial, Epigrams, 12.57.