A long time ago Fabio “TB Line” from Bologna sent me this image about something on his computer. Was he projecting a doughnut with CAD programme, he wasn’t?

The real story is that Fabio promised me an arena made of polystyrene for my gladiators. He is the wizard of polystyrene, you know. In the first instance he was thinking about a theatre, then he realised that gladiators fought in an amphitheatre! So he took a photo of the Coliseum and wanted to replicate it, in 28mm scale!!! When I explain to him that I don’t own a home where storage a 1 metre high polystyrene block, he thought to something more realistic in size to play with miniatures. He studied the matter considering stairs, water conducts, underground backstage, terraces, trapdoors, ways, sunshade, empire stand. With a modular approach this arena have to be divided in parts, so that its storage and transport was easy and detailed and internal parts could be built. A great project with a lot of building elements to assemble. Too great, indeed. So he postponed its realisation day after day, week after week, month after month. I thought to his life, with a wife, two little girls, a ruleset, a 10mm miniature company, and his real job. Then I decided it would be better if the arena was built directly by me in a more unpretentious form.

As result of Fabio involvement in the project I have got only this photo of the CAD design: an electronic doughnut. And his friendship. He is a good guy.

When I wrote these lines and prepared this post was 12 years ago. Fabio is still one of my friends and I’m still involved in gladiators in games. Things to do are time burning and even this blog suffer for this. Today, while I are sitting around at home with scarce will to do important things, I found my old blog. Maybe it was time to publish posts that I almost prepared for the blog. So, it is the time. Every Sunday a new (old) post until I have them. And if you want to find what I’m doing there is my Instagram. The blog was better but I cannot edit it anymore. See you in the next posts!

Some live role players were around Play Modena. But the really great thing was to watch some gladiatorial fights by local Ars Dimicandi section. Moreover I follow a lesson on Medieval knife combat, with kinds of move, countermove and counter-counter move. I was distracted by other things so I couldn’t stay here to watch all, damn! I want to live more living history combat experiences.

In Roma Wargame 2017 I found this arena for gladiators made by Renato Pacotti. It was built appositely for Ferrum et Gloria. Here some photos about its realisation.

I started this blog to promote my gladiatorial rules. And my interest in gladiators is because I’m born in Roma. Everyday, on the way to work, I pass with the underground train only a few metres under the arch.

Winter suddenly followed an humid Summer. In a cold night of mid October we went to a free visit of the arena. Some light effects but nothing particularly thrilling. And a really quick visit. A different story when my father take me here at the age of 7.
I wished to visit more. Now you can access to subterraneans and terraces. There is a little exhibit too. But during the day there are too many tourists. Pity.

My friend seems the Charon god with these lights…

The first of post-Summer conventions and fairs. Too many to post all together here, so I’m accumulating a constant late with reports. But Winter is a less crowded period, so one event post every week is the rule.

By the people of the comic-shop that I spoke about some months ago. They have organised previous editions of this comic fair, but after a year without one, this time it was in a new location.

Various rooms and pavilions among a sporting centre. Three days and a lot of people for a peripheral place as Terni.

Comics and gadgets. And some vintage action figures.

But the main organiser is very involved in comic world so there was a large section about comic, as a exhibit and conferences. It was not the classical comic fair based on cosplay to attract people.

And there was an artist alley with many artists of national and international fame.

There was a room dedicated to games, as wargames, retro-videogames and boardgames. And here we can find our mate Sergio, of Song of Drums and Shakos fame, and his long term passion: Subbuteo.

He is a Subbuteo collector too. Here all kinds of football players with their production years.

And a rare Subbuteo rugby version. The brown cupola is to determine where the ball is out from a scrum.

Ganesha Games was there with his stand, as usual.

Ferrum et Gloria was present too with his small tin-arena. Waiting to show the new Faustus Furius convention set.

This isn’t a Lego Colosseum but only a ring of bricks. And it is characterised for Medieval times. In spite of all, I think that this could be a beautiful arena. Only the fact that Lego bricks are rectangular, and these ones create a ring, fascinates me. Well, it is something among a circular fortress, a fighting pit and an arena. It could become an amphitheatre with some little modifications. I found it here.

After the calendar and the Lisbon report, we return to miniatures. But this post is still related to Portugal, where this nice arena was made.

The only negative critic is that the shape is not elliptical. I like most the entrances at the terraces, but all the realisation is great. Spikes on walls too. Here we have a real Roman arena! If you speak Portuguese language, or if you use Google translator, you can know more on this arena on:
https://www.ajsportugal.org/ForumAJSP/index.php?PHPSESSID=ba695d30490c7bc6fffe48af10d42fa2&topic=169.msg686#msg686

Summer is time of holidays. And if you want a budget holiday you can go to Terni to visit your friend Andrea that needs some holidays too. So we travelled in a few days in a lot of towns, small towns and villages around Terni. This is the photographic report.

Perugia
In the first couple of days we went to Hydracon, a boardgame convention around Perugia held in a luxury hotel. No swimming pool use for games, pity. I played 5 games of Fortebraccio, and I lost all of them.

Bevagna
The last day of Mercato delle Gaite, when during a couple of weeks this town turns into a medieval town with various markets, celebrations, games, stages.

Labro
A gem all made of stones on top of the hill. A fairy village with a castle. Its calm is unreal, but all is real.

Piediluco
A lake, a small town, a past tourist vocation, the centre for agnostic rowing in Italy.

Castel Fiorentino
An Etruscan city, then a medieval city with its castle and a tower built over the ancient acropolis. And a view on the valley.

Cortona
Another Etruscan city, larger than the other one. In the local museum a great special exposition on Etruscan writing. A collection of all available Etruscan inscriptions around. Pieces that you can view on books were all concentrated here. A must see!

Castiglione del Lago
Along our road we arrived to Trasimeno Lake. Yes, that Trasimeno Lake. A hill on marshes with another Etruscan city, after a walled medieval city with its castle, after again no more marshes but only the lake. Now a pleasant tourist place. Dinner with lake view.
If you remember in a past post there was a pennant from here. If you can’t notice it, the photo is that with the girls…

Rocca Albornoz di Narni
This castle was built when on Papal coat of arms were put two keys. Over Narni. To control the city, the road, the State.

Poggio di Otricoli
Another castle, but this one is in ruins. Around a village where there is a medieval festival every year. Otherwise a bunch of small houses.

Calvi dell’Umbria
The name is something as “bald people from Umbria”. It was lunch time, it was hot, so none was around. Andrea was the only available balding person from Umbria. I’m from Lazio…

Otricoli
More hot, more hunger. No restaurants. We leave.

Otriculum
Along the road we find a bar to eat something. Surprisingly it was outside the archaeological city of Otriculum. Wrong weather (full Summer) and wrong time (two and half in the afternoon) to visit it without dying for the hot. So only a view from the bar. And this satellite photo of the local arena, with plantation inside.

Civita Castellana
It was late so we didn’t visit the castle built on a ravine. However there was this beautiful church with some marble pieces added.

Then the train for Rome, with a late in the travel almost equal to the time needed. And so these were my Summer holidays for the 2016. Maybe next year we will visit other towns in Terni surroundings.