Archive for July, 2013

Holiday at Museums: Roman museum

We have so many Roman relics that we don’t know what do with them. Some years ago, someone thought to take some Roman statues closed in a warehouse and show them inside an old electric station. The zone is populated by abandoned industrial building of the first half of the 20th century. So it is a special view, Roman statues among industrial archaeology.

The power of industry, machines upon men, electricity that moves the world. Now a relic from the past.

The contrast is evident and intriguing. It was a good idea. Even because these statues were closed inside boxes.

A mosaic with an hunt. In these days I studied animals that fought in arenas. I still have to design the rules engine for these situations but I’m working on it.

Minerva is my preferred goddess. I studiedat the university called “Minerva”. On the back of the computer monitor in my room I have my degree with Minerva on it.

A sensual sphinx.

Husband and wife from another time, blocked on stone with a natural pose. Who were these two? Fantasies reach the mind, a story is created by their aspect. He is a rich and proud man with a place in society. She is a beautiful woman, younger than the husband, a little squeamish, the lady of the house. Or what else? They are dust now, but they seem so real…

So hot around, it is summer. And we were a little tired. We had a great holiday inside our city. And there are more things to see. Another time…

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Holiday at Museums: Transport museum

San Paolo station was built some years after the WWI and it is crucial to connect the city to its part along the sea. Rome is a city along a river, but it has got a seaside too. Nowadays this station is one of the rail station of Rome, with an underground station and terminus of the sea light railway (that you can see on this photo).

Inside the station there is a little tramway museum. Every day I transit in this station but I haven’t the time to stop and visit it. Until this day about holiday at museums.

Before the opening of the underground line near my house, I used this tram to move towards the city centre. It was true until I was 9 years old but I can remember it as it was only a couple of years ago.

The exposition is without staff due to lack of money. So you cannot visit the internal with some historical photos about the past glories of this public transport service.

A little museum in a yard, with only trams from the ’50-’80. I haven’t got a car because I love public transports. Even who has built this little museum love them. Who don’t care about them are our rulers. They travel on big cars with chauffeur and a lot of bodyguards, all paid by our work.

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Holiday at Museums: Army museum pt.2

In the yard outside the museum that you have saw on the previous post, you can find four tanks used by Italian Army.

M47 Patton with Italian colours. In the background a Roman wall. We are along the late Rome walls.

M4 Sherman with Italian colours. Probably it was a tank used against Italy during the WWII, adopted by our new Army after the war. Too heavy and old to return to the USA. Moreover there was the Cold War and tanks have to be ready against Russians…

M13/40 (similar to M14/41 and M15/42) was the main Italian medium tank of the war. Inferior to Allied tanks, it gave however a lot of problems to its adversaries. Following some photos to have a better view of the tank. Some models are now available in a scale comparable to 28mm miniatures. If you want to add details to them, this could be a photo resource.

The other common tank for Italians in the WWII, from the CV33 – CV35 series, aka L3-33 – L3-35. Tank is not the right word. It is knew as “sardine box”. It was a tankette developed by the Carden-Loyd Mk VI. But operatively used as a tank, with only two machine-gun against real tanks.

After we visit a near church founded by the mother of emperor Constantine I. Not really a Roman building nowadays. However you can find inside a wood piece from the original Christ’s cross and a couple of its nails. If you believe in relics…

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Holiday at Museums: Army museum pt.1

When you live in a place, you never go to visit your local museums. They are too much easy to reach. So you think that you can visit them when you want, tomorrow maybe. And years pass away. Living in Rome I have a lot of things to see, and I saw a lot of things. But something is always left for another time. So, I took a day holiday to visit three obscure museum in my city. I think that they can be interesting even for you. This day is divided in 4 posts. This is the first.

In Rome there are some military museums but they are difficult to reach due to locations, timetables and lack of informations. This time I went to the Army museum, that collect even pieces from other minor Army museums. I think it is the best Army museum in Rome, maybe in Italy. To introduce this museum I’m showing the internal shrine. To remember that people fight and die in war.

And now a total different visual code, the war as comic book heroism. The paratroopers are Italian ones, the part of Folgore that fought with the Allies after the 8th of September 1943.

In the hands of the paratroopers there were MABs. Here a rack with its family. Under a glass, pity!

Here some Beretta pistols, always under glass. The light conditions were terrible, so I can give you only photos with ugly colours. These pistols were the standard ones for the Italians in the WWII.

More weapons. An Italian flame thrower.

The English antitank PIAT. These weapons were freely available around and without surveillance, but I hadn’t the courage to embrace them. Indeed, these are a little heavy too.

A Solothurn rifle used at the start of WWII as antitank weapon. Look at the radiator elements to obtain an approximation of the real dimensions. It is more than 50kg heavy and the projectile is enormous. Remember, is a rifle.

An extension for a rifle used inside a trench.

The example of a trench. Without mud. It reminds to me the trench of the Imperial War Museum in London. That one is more educative and modern respect to this one. However our museum has dignity, but it is based on outdated conceptions. I wish something more organised and presented. Materials are really great, but they are poorly showed. There is love for the matter, but love is not enough. And the lack of money is evident, from broken showcases to inadequate rooms. It is the doom of the Italian Army to have great excellences treated without the rightful respect.

I showed only weapons but there are a lot of other materials as uniforms and relics. The saddest things are the flags. These in the photo are part of the Askari group collection, the indigenous troops that fought for Italian Empire. Men that are now forgot by Italy and their native countries. Moreover, you can find buried Italian flags to spare their capture by the enemy, Italian flags cut in small pieces to preserve them carried on prisoners, Italian flags ripped to shreds by years and aligned as tombs in a war cemetery. It was the saddest image, the end of glory…

For us, players of little soldiers, something very thrilling. A diorama on Waterloo. Lights are scarce, this is only a portion of the scene, but you can appreciate it indeed. And on the next post: tanks.

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A better biscuits tin arena

Some articles on the web are very influential. I grouped some biscuits tin arenas that I found on the web, and now there are more, thanks to that examples. They aren’t inspired by my work on these pages but from the original pages. However, post after post, even my proposals are becoming an important resource about arenas for miniatures.

Here a tin arena realised with a low rectangular biscuits tin. Some walls were built and a hexagonal terrain was added. These chaps brought the gladiator game and the arena in a pub. I can imagine the points calculus for the fight after a couple of pints. More here.

Using an hexagonal biscuits tin you can have an arena more similar to an elliptical shape as the original ones. More attention was gave to details, adding cork walls, columns and doors. The only complaint is for the dull grey colour on the walls. This kind of realisation is ideal if you want a medium size arena. And all is inside a strong box. More here.

Another arena, directly inspired by the previous arenas, especially by the last one even if the shape is circular. Always cork walls and that stuff, but with more details, better textured surfaces and an awesome colour painting on the walls! More here.

A colleague at job have got a Danish biscuits tin box as this one. I have direct one’s glance to the butter biscuits and to their tin box. I don’t know if I can steal it for my miniatures. After I saw this arena, I realised that I NEED another arena. A portable arena for duels. However: eat more biscuits, so you can build more arenas.

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A birthday and an anniversary

I’m decisively busy these days. My two jobs and other things keep me outside the blog and the miniatures. However the 3th of July was even my birthday time! 44 and more on arrival…

Among various celebrations (at home with my family, at main job with colleagues, at home with friends) I went to Terni to have a “miniature” party with Andrea and Sergio, together with Diego that celebrates his birthday the day before mine. An entire day with some playtests for Ganesha Games’ next releases. And pizza at bargain prices that only in Terni you can find. For dinner we eat more pizza along the main road, bought from a really gorgeous girl!

Samurai Robot Battle Royale is not dead. A year after we thought it is finally almost ready. You have only to wait after the Summer.

More games with the game of the moment. I know what it is but I cannot say what it is because it is a secret.

Almost a week after, today, it is my parents’ golden wedding. A marriage for 50 years and still on. Tonight we are going to have a party with relatives. Here my mum and dad during a holiday in Venice, 46 years after the honeymoon.

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